Hello. My two-year-old female dog was spayed four days ago. Immediately after surgery I noticed a rash about 1 inch above the incision (not touching the incision). Is this normal? How do you care for the wound and the area aound the wound? Can I use hydrogen peroxide?

Su
Miami, FL

I suspect that your dog is suffering from clipper burn–the equivalent of razor burn in people.

Surgical procedures must be performed in a sterile manner. That means that the surgeon and the surgical area of the patient must be prepared in a fashion that eliminates as many bacteria as possible. Hair, it turns out, harbors massive amounts of bacteria. Hair is the enemy of sterility in surgery.

Surgeons scrub their hands with antiseptic solution. They don masks to prevent breathing or sneezing bacteria into the surgical site. Surgeons also wear surgical caps to keep their bacteria-ridden hair from falling into the sterile area.

Surgical patients have their hair removed with clippers (or, rarely, razors) in order to create a sterile area. The skin is then scrubbed with antiseptic solution before an incision is made.

Some animals, like many people, are sensitive to clipping or shaving. In these individuals hair removal can lead to irritation of the skin. I suspect that is what is happening with your dog.

The worst clipper burns I have seen have occurred in male dogs after neutering. The procedure requires that the scrotum be clipped. Unsurprisingly, this area is very sensitive and highly prone to clipper burn.

Most cases of clipper burn subside after several days. It is important to keep your pet from licking the area–this can exacerbate the irritation. A dreaded cone collar may be necessary to protect the site.

I do not recommend using hydrogen peroxide because it can be irritating to the skin and make the problem worse. However, ointments containing cortisone often help to alleviate the pain, burning, and redness that accompany clipper burn.

I’d recommend that you have the vet who spayed your dog take a look at the site. He or she should be able to help with the problem.

Photo: no sign of clipper burn on Recy.

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Have you ever heard of a French Spay? I took my Yorkie to a vet to get spayed, and they almost lost her. The vet said that she was oozing blood from some of her organ tissues, and couldn’t find where the blood was coming from. So, instead of doing a regular spay, and make more cuts on her, the vet did what she called a French Spay.

Laura
Somerset, CA

Until you wrote to me, I had never heard of a French Spay. And a Google search revealed that the term isn’t commonly used. But after sorting through several worthless links, I found a discussion forum that seemed to offer the answer. A French Spay is an ovariectomy.

Normal spays, as every vet I know performs them, are ovariohysterectomies. In this procedure, the ovaries and uterus are removed from the body. In a French Spay only the ovaries are removed.

A French Spay will render a dog infertile and will eliminate heat cycles. Because the uterus need not be transsected, there is less risk of bleeding during surgery. However, a dog with an intact uterus will be at slight risk for uterine infections or cancer later in life.

If your dog was bleeding abnormally during surgery, a French Spay probably was a wise choice. However, I am worried about the abnormal bleeding. Bleeding like that doesn’t just happen–there has to be a reason.

Yorkshire Terriers and other small breeds of dogs are prone to a problem called liver shunt. This can lead to bleeding problems (and many other issues) in some cases.

I’d recommend that you pursue this matter further. Blood tests and diagnostic imaging may help to determine whether it is safe to correct the inguinal hernia that you have described.

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