# Spayed female w/possible piece of ovary leftover?



## MayaTheLab (Oct 15, 2007)

We adopted a 7 yr old lab retriever last August, had been a breeding dog that we were fostering. She was spayed and recovered fine. She has been treated at our vet since we started fostering her, and our vet has our highest confidence and we have been going to them for at least 10 years.

About a week ago my wife remarked to me that her vulva seemed enlarged, I looked at it the next day and noticed a small drop of puss in it and it did seem enlarged but other than that she was not exhibiting any other signs that were out of the ordinary. I scheduled a vet visit for the next day, and their prognosis was a possible bladder infection, gave us antibiotics and took a urine sample. The next day they called and said the results did not indicate an infection but were abnormal possibly pointing to bladder cancer. They suggested an ultrasound which we had done this past Tuesday. Oh and we had her at the dog park this past weekend and other dogs were very interested in her and licking her vulva area.

The ultrasound ruled out bladder cancer but showed that there was a small mass which they indicated could be a piece of ovary. They referred us to a specialist saying that she may need surgery to remove the ovary if that was the case and suggested we get it taken care of while she was presenting symptoms because it could turn into a recurring infection issue. The owner who we occasionally see when we take either of our dogs in actually called back later and said since we are such good clients that they were refunding the $300 ultrasound cost. What a blessing we thought!

So I took Ginger to the specialist yesterday and the surgeon said it sounds like there is a piece of ovary present which is causing her to go into sort of a heat cycle. He suggested a blood test to check for hormone levels. I walked out of the office $600 poorer and am still waiting for the results. He said that surgery is an option at $1500-$2,000. I told him that to me surgery is a last option and he agreed, and seemed like a genuine person.

So my questions are - if it is indeed a piece of ovary that should have been removed during the spay procedure, why can't it just be done with another spay procedure at substantially less than $1500-$2000? What are the odds of a piece of ovary being missed during a spay procedure? Do we have reason to go back to our vet and ask for another spay procedure at a discounted rate? Did they rebate the ultrasound because they think that the vet who performed the spay procedure did not do a good job? Is it more difficult to do a spay on an older dog who has had probably 6 litters of puppies?

Looking for educated opinions please, thanks in advance. I understand that it may not be cut and dry.


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## MayaTheLab (Oct 15, 2007)

34 views and not a single opinion? Does anyone here know a vet that they could ask?


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Maya, I'll see if I can get Sass or MrV here, they're both in veterinary medicine.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Oops, sorry. I just didn't see this one.

It is possible for part of an ovary to be left behind during a spay, which is sometimes called ovarian remnant syndrome. There are two possibilities for why. One is simply surgical error, which is rare but happens. Another is what is called ectopic ovarian tissue, which is ovarian tissue in an abnormal location in the abdomen. This is also rare and is just an anatomical quirk of certain individuals. That ovarian tissue isn't removed during the spay because no one even knows it's there. 

The simplest way to diagnose it for sure is to do what's called vaginal cytology when she is actually showing symptoms of possible heat. The cells from a swab of the vagina in dogs look very different depending on what stage of their estrus cycle they are in and that's a very quick, cheap, and non-invasive way to diagnose heat. The blood tests can also diagnose a heat, but I personally don't have much experience with them so I can't comment there.

If she does have an ovarian remnant, the only way to deal with it is to surgically remove it. Typically the quoted prices for surgery are much higher than a normal spay because it is more like an abdominal exploratory surgery than a spay -- the amount of ovarian tissue may be very small and very difficult to find and/or identify, so the surgery time may be relatively long. It might not even be where it is "supposed" to be, and the landmarks used to find the ovaries during a normal spay (that is, the uterus) are gone. It's easiest to find when it is the largest it can be -- that is, when she's actually showing signs of heat.

Hope that helps.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Is it necessary to deal with an ovarian remnant in a dog? Would the retained ovarian piece be more likely to cause complications, or would the only real problem be that she'd still go into heat? I understand she'd still be at increased risk of mammary cancer, but that ship has probably already sailed in a dog spayed at age 7. IF the only complication is that she still goes into heat, I'd probably leave it alone in a dog. I would definitely have the surgery for a cat, because a cat in heat makes me want to check myself into the mental hospital, but for a dog I wouldn't.

Anyway, that's what I would be asking my vet.


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## MayaTheLab (Oct 15, 2007)

thank you all for the replies! Sassafras- can this exploratory surgery be done by my vet instead of at this specialist hospital? As willowy mentions what if its left behind will it cause any other complications?


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

I would call and talk to your regular vet. He may be able to do an exploratory surgery and possibly remove the piece of leftover ovary much less expensively then the specialist hospital, they often over charge. As for other complications, of course her cycling in and out of heat is the biggest one, but ovary infections can occur, and if it's possible there's a part of the uterus left as well she could still get pyometra. I've actually seen one case of pyo in a dog that was spayed correctly. Unfortunately, this happens occasionally, for a number of reasons. But it can't hurt to call and talk to your regular vet and see if he can do something alot cheaper then the specialty clinic.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Your regular vet should be able to do the surgery, depending on their comfort level.

Personally, I would remove it. Even though most of the uterus is removed during the spay, there is a small remnant or "stump" of the uterus that is still in the body (it's just not possible to remove it 100%). Just like an intact female is at risk for pyometra, a female with an ovarian remnant could be at risk for what is called "stump pyometra" or an infection of that uterine stump.


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## MayaTheLab (Oct 15, 2007)

Thank you very much for the replies, I'm kind of upset now that I paid $450 for blood tests that a simple swab could have shed light on. I need to have a discussion with my vet soon, there is no way I am paying $1500-$2000 for a specialist to do this procedure on an 8 yo retriever.


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## igmomma (Jul 24, 2011)

I agree talking to your regular vet is your best line of defense here! Sadly most specialists I've worked with run more tests then needed and charge high prices for it. It is harder to remove a remaining part of an ovary since there's not as much "material" left to work with, so I can see it costing more then a standard spay, but it shouldn't cost that much. Good luck, let us know what you're finally able to do!


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## MayaTheLab (Oct 15, 2007)

I have decided based on the opinions here and elsewhere that she will not be having any further procedures at her age unless it is life threatening which this is not. Thanks for all the replies!


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