Nipple - to be removed :(

[Anne123]

How is Snowy today?

 

[M.F.]

How is Snowy today?

Thank you for asking.

Totally back to normal! Full of the joys of life. Gives the wound a cursory lick now and then although I’m quick to stop him and I think he knows now he mustn’t lick it. The pain meds I think are a big contributor—he’s very relaxed.

I’m upset though about how long the wound is. It extends almost all the way down the length of his penis, and this nipple was above the penis. The vet said it was done so that she could close the wound, not because she saw any odd tissue that must be removed. It just seems so draconian. I don’t like extra scarring when it’s not necessary—scars can be painful and the extra cutting can cause adhesions. My husband keeps telling me it’s too late to worry about this. But that is not my nature!!

 

[Lab_adore]

I'm so glad Snowie is back to normal

I would hate the big scar too, but he will be fine. He has such good hooman parents

 

[FayRose]

I'm glad to hear how he is improving. I don't imagine the vets made such a large incision unnecessarily, let's hope he continues to heal with no adhesions or wound problems. At least you will spot any problem straight away and get it sorted. More gentle hugs for lovely Snowie.

 

[Cath]

Glad that he is on the mend

 

[Joy]

Good to hear he's feeling so much better.

 

[Emily]

@M.F. when Ella had emergency surgery in March, the cut was huge. There were so many lumps and bumps along the stitches but now, you can't even tell it happened. You can't feel it or see it.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Really glad to hear that Snowie is doing so much better. The length of the scar does sound really big. Though it sounds contrary to logic, I wonder if it will actually heal faster by being longer? A smaller wound with more pressure on the stitches or with a bit of pucker is sometimes tougher to heal than a longer one that is flatter and less tension. Maybe that's why she did it. I've had a lot of surgeries and the longer ones where the doc didn't really care that much what it looked like were much easier going than the stuff around my face where they wanted to keep it small. And the ones with tension...yikes, nasty. So while it looks bad now, maybe Snowie is more comfortable this way and will heal better.

But I do get your upset. When Carbon had a new hole to urinate made where his scrotum used to be and the vet didn't tell me they were doing that prior to the surgery? I was super angry and felt he'd been violated, especially when my normal vet (not the surgeon) told me it wasn't necessary. Now I'm just used to the fact that Carbon urinates from there, but I was angry for quite a while.

 

[M.F.]

@Emily thank you for posting those photos. They are very reassuring. I really appreciate it. I’ll try to get a few pics of Snowie’s wound when he lies in a revealing pose. Right now he’s fast asleep and, well, let sleeping dogs ...

Is that micropore over the wound? And how long did you leave it on?

@Emily_Babbelhund thank you for sharing your experiences. Also very reassuring, and also very much appreciated. I’m sure the vet had her good reasons, but, well, it’s the shock of something you just weren’t expecting. How is Carbon coping with his rearranged “opening”?

 

[Emily]

@Emily thank you for posting those photos. They are very reassuring. I really appreciate it. I’ll try to get a few pics of Snowie’s wound when he lies in a revealing pose. Right now he’s fast asleep and, well, let sleeping dogs ...

Is that micropore over the wound? And how long did you leave it on?

Glad it can help. I was so freaked out at the time but was amazed at how quickly bit all disappeared.

It wasn't micropore but quite similar. It was stuck to the wound/blood and came away at 6/7days after the op.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I’m sure the vet had her good reasons, but, well, it’s the shock of something you just weren’t expecting. How is Carbon coping with his rearranged “opening”?

Definitely a shock! Carbon is just fine, thanks for asking. As with most things that he has on the medical side, it bothered me far more than it bothered him. He just goes with the flow. Speaking of which, yes - he's still wee-ing out of the hole where his scrotum used to be. My vet asks me every time and every time she seems shocked that the hole hasn't closed up yet. But no - his poor willie is now "for ornamental purposes only".

Edit to add: like @Emily 's photos, Carbon also healed up just fine when the initial incisions looked horrible. These dogs are good healers!

 

[M.F.]

Managed to get some pics. Poor boy has got bad shaving rash. Such sensitive skin under that thick coat. Second pic is him deciding whether to lick the wound knowing I’ll tell him to leave it alone. Eventually I gave him something better to lick: peanut butter. Now he’s back to sleep, but took a good 30 mins of monitoring him!

Excuse the rag bed. We bought him a new memory foam bed two months ago. He would have nothing to do with it! For one week, he lay on the floor. So we capitulated and he went straight back onto his threadbare bed with the layers of blankets.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Wow...that's some seriously clumsy-looking stitching. I can see why you're upset. Still, it's going to heal and eventually you'll forget it's there. It will just become part of Snowie. And good boy for not bothering his stitches and holding out for deleeeeciouos peanut butter.

Lots of Lambies now for a clear biopsy.

 

[Lisa]

What a good boy for leaving it alone! The itchy razor rash is so uncomfortable, not to mention the wound itself. Hope it all heals well and quickly!

 

[Oberon]

When it’s all healed up it won’t be very noticeable at all.

Remind yourself that the name of the game is lump removal and curing Snowie of any problem. The main thing is that the vet got a good margin. The visible bit of the nipple is small, but the vet probably needed to get all the connecting infrastructure that lies behind it too. There is probably a lot more to all this than a tiny nipple would suggest.

The wound itself looks like it is healing up really well.

 

[Shaz82]

Poor Snowy, hope he is being a good boy with that wound, it does look sore but they do heal so quickly, try not to worry.
His coat is so deep where they shaved him, really thick - lush

 

[Cath]

How is he doing today @M.F.

 

[M.F.]

The main thing is that the vet got a good margin. The visible bit of the nipple is small, but the vet probably needed to get all the connecting infrastructure that lies behind it too. There is probably a lot more to all this than a tiny nipple would suggest.

Yeah, that’s the thing: I asked her if she needed to take more tissue because it looked suspicious, and she said no, it was about being able to close the wound.

Hopefully my worries are for nothing and the result comes back benign. But yes, you are right to focus on the purpose of the op, which was for this very cute boy’s health—he’s resting his chin on my leg and wants his walk!!

 

[M.F.]

How is he doing today @M.F.

Full of the joys of life!! I think the pain meds put him in a very good mood. I will chat to the vet about possible chronic meds because he might be in pain all the time due to his back. So difficult to know.

He is needy though. Much more than usual. I guess a wound makes him feel vulnerable. Follows me everywhere. If I go out, I get the biggest welcome when I come home even though there’s always someone at home with him. We’re invited to my mom’s for dinner tomorrow night. I don’t think we can leave him at home in this needy state. Usually he’s very easy to leave alone. But I think it won’t be fair to him tomorrow. At least my mother adores him. Just not his drooling at the dinner table!

 

[Stacia]

Poor lad, that looks a bit vicious, I suppose I am used to the neater surgery my vets do. Drift had a shaving rash when he was a blood donor, has the vet given you any cream to help? However, the wound will heal whatever.