# Is this normal? (Dog covered in poop after operation)



## beachbummer (May 10, 2011)

Hi all,

This is my first post on this forum. My husband and I just recently adopted a beagle mix puppy, Oliver. He's 5 months old and is our baby. Today I took him to get neutered and when I picked up him, he was covered in poop. It wasn't just a little bit, either ... he had it matted on his butt, his legs, and his tail. The vet tech that brought him out to me just said, "Yeah, he's been pooping A LOT, I tried to wipe it off", but she was really unapologetic and nonchalant about it. He also peed right away when he saw me, which is something that he never does so I didn't come prepared with napkins. The vet tech acted annoyed and then she didn't clean it up or offer me napkins to clean it up, so it was awkward. I was also taken aback that she was annoyed by a small puppy peeing on the floor after surgery, especially since they give them an IV of fluids during the procedure and it's pretty common that dogs will have to pee frequently. The poop was so bad that it got all over me when I picked him up to put him the car, and he just looked miserable.

Also, they didn't give me any after-care information whatsoever. I had to ask about everything, including whether to give pain medication ("Don't give ibuprofen, it's deadly to dogs" is what the vet tech casually replied), whether I could bathe him to remove the poop (no was the answer), and whether I needed a cone (they didn't offer one, but gladly sold me one for $18 once it was apparent that he was ripping at his stitches). I had to try to bathe him once I got him home because the poop was so matted in his fur that wiping with a wet cloth was not working. I just gently washed his backside and left the rest of him unwashed, but he was obviously unhappy about it and he actually tried to jump out of the tub at one point. That was my fault and I'm so lucky his stitches didn't come undone, but the point is that I don't feel like I should have had to be washing matted poop out of my dog's fur after surgery in the first place.

My question to all of you is whether or not I'm overreacting. I'm really upset by all of this, but I've never had a dog before so I don't know if it's normal or not. I have to go back in 10 days to get the stitches removed, but after that I'm thinking about switching vets. They also didn't tell me I would have to come back in 10 days when I scheduled the appointment OR when I dropped him off this morning ... they just casually told me it on my way out the door when I picked him up this afternoon. What if I had had plans to go out of town or something? Strange. 

Sorry this is long - if you're still reading, thank you.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I often have cats smell as though they peed on themselves after surgery, but I'm never quite sure if it's really pee or if it's the Betadine scrub I'm smelling. And I suppose it's to be expected that a pet may pee on their blanket and it would rub off on their fur. I've never had a pet come back covered in poop, though. Was he fasted the night before surgery? If so, you'd think he'd be out of poop by the time surgery was done.

Was this a shelter vet or low-cost spay/neuter clinic? If so, sometimes the sheer volume of animals they care for can mean that one animal may not get the most individualized care. I probably wouldn't expect much to happen if you complained in that case. But, if this is a full-service, full-cost vet, I would complain. I don't see any reason for any of that to have happened. I would call and ask to speak to a vet directly (not a tech or receptionist)--the vet might have to call you back; they're often busy--and calmly tell them everything that happened and how dissatisfied you were with the quality of care you received. Maybe you just got the bad vet tech.


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## MafiaPrincess (Jul 1, 2009)

I'd be upset. Did you choose this vet clinic for the neuter, or was it the place you adopted from, their choice? I've had multiple vet clinics I couldn't get along with. I've been told I'm hard to handle and my dog research is moronic because I won't feed science diet. I shop with my money these days. Crappy customer service, I walk. 

I may have finally found a vet I'm willing to deal with, but I've had a multitude of bad experiences. That said, I've had 3 surgeries between my two dogs, and neither one came home poop covered. It's not just the poop, it's the attitude from the tech as well. I'd switch vets and politely let the clinic you are leaving know why. I've had receptionists go pretty red when I've told them I won't be returning and why. In a few cases I was asked to write a formal email. 

I've been given a cone once, and had to pay once, and wasn't offered one once. The extra charge sucks, but the place I was given a cone, the cost of everything was higher.


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## beachbummer (May 10, 2011)

It was regular vet office - I paid $250 total, so it wasn't any sort of discounted rate. It's actually a very busy vet office in the area, and they have a separate kennel and grooming building in addition to their clinic. I chose them specifically because of the good reviews I read on Google, but I guess I was wrong. The vet office is run by a husband and wife team (both vets), and the wife just had a baby and is out of the office indefinitely, so her husband has had to take all her patients. Maybe they're especially stressed and overworked right now, but I still don't think that's a good excuse for my dog to have apparently sat in his own waste all day. Also, I never saw the vet at all, only the vet tech. Maybe that's normal since it's a routine procedure, but I would have liked the vet himself to have walked out and told me everything went okay.

We just got Oliver a few months ago, so we took him there for his first set of vaccinations and then a month later for his neuter. The first time I took him there everything was mostly fine, except for the fact that they really pushed Science Diet and had never heard of any of the high-quality brands. I started him off on Canidae and he had an allergic reaction to it, so I switched him to Nature's Variety Instinct line, and he's done really well on it. The vet was not happy that it wasn't a "puppy formula", but I politely told him I thought it was an appropriate food. They also pushed certain flea medications and told me things like Frontline and whatnot are a waste of money and I had to get prescription meds, which I've since been told is not necessarily the case. I'm okay with that, because I prefer a pill form for flea control anyway, but I don't appreciate the misinformation.

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overreacting. Thanks for replying .


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

MafiaPrincess said:


> I'd be upset. Did you choose this vet clinic for the neuter, or was it the place you adopted from, their choice? I've had multiple vet clinics I couldn't get along with. I've been told I'm hard to handle and my dog research is moronic because I won't feed science diet. I shop with my money these days. Crappy customer service, I walk.
> 
> I may have finally found a vet I'm willing to deal with, but I've had a multitude of bad experiences. That said, I've had 3 surgeries between my two dogs, and neither one came home poop covered. It's not just the poop, it's the attitude from the tech as well. I'd switch vets and politely let the clinic you are leaving know why. I've had receptionists go pretty red when I've told them I won't be returning and why. In a few cases I was asked to write a formal email.
> 
> I've been given a cone once, and had to pay once, and wasn't offered one once. The extra charge sucks, but the place I was given a cone, the cost of everything was higher.


My dogs have always come from surgery clean. When my epileptic dog has pooped and peed on himself during a seizure, they always send him home clean. There is a charge for an elizabethan collar - but if you bring it back, they refund that amount. I prefer the blow-up donut collars and have a couple just in case. I do have a dog currently wearing one. The vets I go to send home pain medication after surgeries.


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## Maggie Girl (Feb 27, 2011)

I'd be pissed. Even if it's not their fault he pooped all over himself if he's in _their_ care they should give him back in a presentable condition. Just like if you're babysitting, you don't send the kid home covered in mud, poop, or whatever, no matter whose fault it was they got dirty. I don't see how the tech could've handed you your dog covered in poop and felt like that was "okay". :nono:

I would definitely call and speak with the vets themselves and explain the poop, the tech's demeanor, and the lack of information given to you. No matter what business, customers/patients should be treated well. The bosses will probably be glad to know since this person represents their livelihood and if this kind of stuff happens regularly it'll damage their reputation.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I would be extremely upset if it was me or my dog. Yes, animals after surgery can mess themselves, yes, puppies can pee on the floor..but that is no excuse to not clean the dog up (even if this means you waiting for them to do it) and happily cleaning up the pee mess. I would be on the phone tomorrow (though I would have demanded to see someone right then) and ask the vet to call me and be very clear (but polite) about how upset you are with the service and the condition of your dog. 

And yes, post surgical pain relief is common practice nowadays and I would have insisted on meds. 

I hope your pup's recovery goes smoothly and that you get the issue at the vet resolved. I would also be looking for a different vet.


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

I'm originally from the south and find that unfortunately you really have to shop around to find a really good vet down there. I was mortified when I found out my last dog's first vet when she was a puppy reused needles on every animal he saw in a day.:rant: 

I would definitely complain, leave a bad review of them online and switch vets asap.


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

Fuzzy Pants said:


> I was mortified when I found out my last dog's first vet when she was a puppy reused needles on every animal he saw in a day.:rant:


Whaaaaa?


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## Fuzzy Pants (Jul 31, 2010)

luvntzus said:


> Whaaaaa?


Yeah, that's what a former vet tech of the clinic told me. We never liked that clinic and had long since switched vets when I met the former vet tech that told me. I'd like to wish he was lying but I don't think he was.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Absolutely call and speak to management! That is reprehensible, and I would be mortified if I got my dog back in that condition.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Animals should be cleaned up before being handed back to their owners. Or if they weren't able to get it all off, they should at least be very apologetic about it.


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

I would be finding a new vet. I'm sorry, but the way they acted was not a good sign to me. 

As for the physical, I used to volunteer at a vet clinic and stood in on a bunch of spay/neuters. I never ever saw a dog poop on itself after surgery or anything like that. But I'm no vet, so maybe it's normal in some cases. Not sure.


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## Beadecker (Feb 19, 2020)

Not only is it wrong, the vet failed to keep a surgical area during their control clean and has medical liability. My dog was returned covered in feces after being neutered. I was told to clean him. I used dog shampoo. My dog got a terrible painful infection and the new vet said it was from leaving feces on his surgical site, body and legs. It was dried on his fur upon pickup, so it was there for hours. The Vet should be reported to their peer Vet group and reviewed for following standard of care for a sterile surgical environment and post op, clean dog.


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## Beadecker (Feb 19, 2020)

Beadecker said:


> Not only is it wrong, the vet failed to keep a surgical area during their control clean and has medical liability. My dog was returned covered in feces after being neutered. I was told to clean him. I used dog shampoo. My dog got a terrible painful infection and the new vet said it was from leaving feces on his surgical site, body and legs. It was dried on his fur upon pickup, so it was there for hours. The Vet should be reported to their peer Vet group and reviewed for following standard of care for a sterile surgical environment and post op, clean dog.


If the Vet cared about the safety of your pet during and post surgically, they would not have let it happen. Complaining to a bad vet, not complying with state laws, isn’t going to matter to them. They should have their license removed or be put on probation until they have corrected their poor judgment.


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## LeoRose (Aug 20, 2015)

This is a nine year old thread, and the OP hasn't been back since.


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