Two tiny sores Health

Tikva had her staples out last week, ten days after she was spayed. She has acted like a lunatic since the spaying, no problems whatsoever. But I managed to have a look at her earlier and she has two tiny pink sores when the staples were.

She is not niggling at them but I am sure they should not be like that. So I called Michal and she will come here on here way to the surgery in the morning.

But if Tikki was in pain, would she not show it? I knew she was too young to be spayed and she has been racing around like mad - I do not think that is right.

All my female dogs had pink sores where they had stitches [use stitches here not staples] they disappeared after 2 weeks. x

Little One and Pereg had stitches. Ram had wanted to use staples for Pereg [I do not remember if he spayed LO] but because I had not removed staples before he used stitches for her. I know how to remove them now but preferred Michal to remove them.

Michal will call round before she goes to the surgery tomorrow to make sure everything is OK. I just do not feel happy about these sores. Probably nothing but I would rather Michal checks the little booger.

Just in case...

It never hurts to have an expert check these things out.

I doubt it's anything to worry about. x

Best to get checked but I'm sure it will be ok.

My Breagh had a lot of external and internal stitches with her spay which from memory wasn't that far off the time she was stapled following her emergency bloat / torsion operation.

Some staples came out and left a big winking hole which I had to get redone. Some of them flared up and she ended up on anti biotics to be on the safe side.

All ended well though apart from the cone of shame.

Tikva just had three tiny staples - it was such a tiny incision - and even though I now know how to remove them she is such a wriggler that no way would she have kept still for me, which is why Michal came round to remove them. It took both of us to hold her down as well, one at each end!

Chris - after having had to have Pereg pts on 1 April, and then losing Ziva on 1 May - well, that was the last time I saw her before I had to go into hospital, it was the person "looking after her" who somehow lost her, I would go spare if anything happened to Tikki. She might be the most difficult puppy ever, and oh boy does she bite [only me though] when she feels like it, but she is wonderful with other people and fantastic with small children.

She lets them cuddle her and play with her - cuddle me? You must be joking! But she knows Michal and will let her check her tummy. I hope...

Little One's internal stitches could always be felt and she never needed a cone. But then she was a very placid little girl. Pereg, who was much bigger at 9 months [she weighed 13 kilos as against LO's 5 or 6, did need a cone as she was a monster and I still had LO who she used to play with. Tikva is smaller than LO was but she is rock solid muscle, hence weighing 6 kilos. Michal did bring a cone round when she brought Tikki home after the spay, but I never put it on her as she did not seem to notice her tummy. I was also not sure how she would move around in her crate if she was wearing a cone, even though her crate is quite big.

I had checked her tummy the other day - it looked fine although I could feel the internal stitches - but it was only yesterday that I noticed the two tiny sores. They definitely were not there last time I looked and I only checked yesterday because for the first time since she was spayed I noticed her licking her tummy. And I got bitten for having dared to look!

Michal telephoned and apologised for not having come here on her way to the surgery this morning - she was a bit late taking her little girl to kindergarten. But she will call in after surgery closes at 2pm. Said it was probably nothing but will bring some cream/ointment in case she thinks it is necessary.

The place looks like a tip heap, Tikva having emptied out all her toys and made a total wreck of the place. So what. The carpet needs vacuuming but I cannot get it out. So what.

Tikva is the important one, not a messy carpet.

Michal has been and left some cream - she said Tikva was OK just the wound had two tiny swollen sores but it was not important so not to worry, but how can I now worry?. The cream is for twice a day and she will come back to check on her next week.

Tikki adores Michal - and Michal adores Tikki - it is so good to have a vet who is like that. Just as Ram was like that with Pereg. I think I am very luck to have vets like that.

It's extremely important to have vets that care. We had a wonderful vet here that really became involved with his charges. Unfortunately, he left last year to go back to his homeland. Much as the other vets seem to know what they are about, they are not Paolo and we really do miss him.

I'm so glad that little Tikki is just giving you a scare and that it's nothing major. Getting that cream on a couple of times a day I bet is fun x

I am just so lucky. Ram was wonderful with Pereg probably because he, himself, was epileptic. Although he had had brain surgery and said he had not had a seizure in a long time, but he still said he was epileptic and he knew more about canine epilepsy than most vets. And I trusted him implicitly. He knew when I said it was time, he came round at 1am to give her peace.

Michal is just incredible. She picks Tikva up and cuddles her - and if you can imagine a puppy giggling, that is what Tikki does. I did not think anything was really wrong but better safe then sorry and I will never regret what I have to pay for a call out charge. Tikva is happy with Michal and that is the most important thing.

As you said Chris - a vet that cares is worth their weight in gold.

Malka you're going to have to grow more arms/hands to hold Tikva why you put cream on tummy

I hope I will not have to but she only needs a little bit of cream twice a day.

Mind you - knowing Tikki...

...anything could happen and she only needs a tiny bit of cream on her tum tum.

And I will sit on her if I have to!

I did not have to sit on her.

Well, only a bit...

...and she only bit me...

...well only a bit.

I cannot find what this cream is. Not on Google and not on Medic, which has all prescription drugs on. OK, so my copy of Medic is maybe a year or so old, but why can I not find it on Google? It is C P B Cream - prescription only, and made in Israel. But why can I not find it anywhere? And even with a magnifying glass I cannot see if the tube is 50ml or 60ml but the contents are

Chloramphenicol 3%
Prednisolone 0.5%
Lidocaine 2%

I know what they all are, and what they are for, but Michal brought it in the tube, which was not in a carton so did not have a leaflet. The law here is that all drugs, whether prescription or OTC, have to have leaflets in three languages. Ivrit, Arabic [which is the second language here], and English [which is not a legal language even though it is the language used for all diplomatic dealings.

This tube is in Ivrit although the contents are in English. But there is a telephone number so I will call them tomorrow. All I know is that Tikva has to have a tiny amount twice a day, but for how long?

And if she bites me again I will bite her!

No wonder I could not find the cream on Google or Medic. It is made by a compounding pharmacy especially for possible ouchies for small dogs for whom stronger antibiotics would be too much.

It is only supplied to vets and as yet they do not have the tubes in cartons or with leaflets. Which explains everything.

It was, however, very comforting to be able to speak with their head pharmacist and have everything explained to me. He also said that if Tikva still has the little sores - actually more like tiny pink swollen lumps rather than actual sores, after a week - and this cream should only need to be used for five days - they will send me another tube without charge.

@Malka Did you phone?
I haven't heard of this product, but I think 5 to 7 days is usually recommended for applications containing steroidal ingredients. In practice they are often used for longer on the epidermis, but I would imagine Tikva would heal quickly, and not need prolonged treatment.

Pleased that you were able to speak to someone who was able to put your mind at rest.I know how frustrating it is when you just can't find out what you want to know!

@CaroleC - yes I telephoned and left my number for the head pharmacist to please call me back, which he did within about ten minutes. You would not have heard of this product as it is made by a compounding pharmacy for small dogs.

I had thought it was special having read the ingredients, which were rather small, but because I could not find it on Google or on Medic, it worried me. I am a bit fussy when I come across something I do not know.

I described the two tiny pink - pimples? - and he reckoned that they were at each end of the very small spay incision and twice a day for a week should be more than enough.

They are not bothering her but this is a puppy who was dancing on her hind legs the day after she was spayed!

@Janet - one thing about this country, as long as you can find an English speaker when you have a fairly serious question, and even though my Ivrit is fine for every day use, I really do need an English speaker at times like this. And mostly you can get hold of one and they are so helpful. The only difficulty is getting through to whoever answers the telephone and explaining why I need an English speaker.

That, of course, if you have finally worked out what the menu is "if you want blah, press this" etc. To actually get through to a human is a miracle!

Things are not looking good and Michal will have a look tomorrow morning.

Whatever this compounding pharmacy has made up has not cleared up the original two tiny sores - one looks really raw now.

But Tikva is as happy as ever, rushing about [when she is not sleeping], but a red, raw, leaking sore is wrong. She was spayed on 23 November, the staples removed 10 days later, and then the little sores appeared, which is why Michal gave me the cream for her.

It was only supposed to be for a week maximum but the sores did not go.

So as the head pharmacist of the compounding pharmacy said to use it for another week, I did.

This evening when I went to put more on it just looked messy. Hopefully Michal will call in on her way to the surgery tomorrow as if not I will try to get David so he can get her in her carry bag and we can get her to the surgery.

Bur I think that the compounded cream has caused the trouble.

And I am worried sick as it looks horrible now.

If you think she has been reacting to the product, I would try bathing the sores with boiled cooled salt water. If nothing else, it will help to remove the residue of the cream.
I hope all goes well tomorrow, try not to worry.