My sisters dog died after a routine spay - vets please weigh in
My sister’s healthy 5-year-old German Shepherd underwent a routine spay on October 6. Her preoperative bloodwork was unremarkable, and we were told the surgery went well.
During anesthesia, she experienced some hypoventilation and heart rate changes, but we were told she was stable afterward.
At discharge around 6 in the evening, Kimber was extremely lethargic. She could stand and walk briefly but repeatedly sat or dropped back down and ultimately needed to be carried. We questioned this but were told dogs recover differently from anesthesia.
My sister found Kimber dead in her kennel around 5 AM the following morning.
Necropsy findings:
Significant internal abdominal hemorrhage.
Bruising/hemorrhagic changes involving other organs, including the spleen.
The veterinarian stated the surgical sutures were intact.
The veterinarian suggested surgery may have triggered an underlying autoimmune or coagulation disorder.
The clinical summary also mentioned possible trauma, which we don’t understand.
The veterinarian has been cooperative and covered the necropsy and cremation. We’re not looking to assign blame, just understand what happened.
Questions for veterinarians:
Does this sound more consistent with surgical hemorrhage or an underlying clotting disorder?
Can a surgical vessel bleed even if the sutures remain intact?
Could her weakness at discharge have been an early sign of internal bleeding rather than anesthesia?
If hemorrhaging was identified before discharge, could she potentially have been saved?
What necropsy findings would definitively distinguish a surgical complication from a coagulation disorder?
We have her anesthesia records, postoperative monitoring records, and necropsy summary.
We’re devastated and just want to understand whether this was an unavoidable complication or something that potentially could have been caught sooner.
Any veterinary insight would be greatly appreciated.