Message Number: YG4286 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-06-03 21:26:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Emma & Her Spay

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., katharine <shurcool@i...> wrote:
> Emma was spayed 9 days ago while in heat. I think
> Dr. Murray said that her vulva would probably go
> back to normal in about a week. Her vulva is
> still swollen; not as much as it was initially but
> definitely still very visible. The discharge
> stopped almost immediately after the surgery.
> Should I be concerned about the vulva? Is there
> something else that could be going on?
>
> She'll be going in on Tuesday for her second
> distemper shot and to get her stitches removed (if
> I haven't already done that). I will ask then but
> would like some expert input.


The Vulvar swelling should go down, but it does take a while.
Spaying a female in heat is not likel turning off a light switch -
the levels of estrogen are high and may take weeks to reach normal
level. Aslo, the structural changes to the vulva in terms of
increase ground substances between the normal connective tissue,
which is a result of the hyperestrogenism need to be broken down and
removed.

I doubt that there is anything else going on here just yet.


With kindest regards,

Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
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