post surgery problem

Question
Hello, Our problem started when we decided to take our dog Sprocket, a Red-Bone Coonhound, in for a small growth removal on her right side of her body.  The vet used gas for sedation.  She was on antibiotics (Cepheilexn) four days before surgery and after.  Surgery was on Tuesday in the morning we picked her up at 6:00 P.M. that day.  Her eyes were semi closed when we brought her home.  But seemed ok.  Wednesday she spent the day sleeping.  Thursday morning we noticed that her left eye was all white, which we learned was her third eye-lid.  We called the vet who himself wasnt present at the time.  The intern recommended that we get her to a vet hospital immediatly. By this time her left eye was completely unseen, and her right eye was starting to follow.  When we arrived at the hospital their first diagnosis was an abcessed tooth.( Which we later found out that her tooth to the fine.)  She did have some swellen in her face on both sides. (Folowing is the surgery report from the hospital.  Presenting Complaint: 03/18/2004 - Elevated 3rd eyelids, swollen face, lethargy, not eating, decreased thirst / Cyst removal 2 days ago; 03/19/2004.  Physical Exam: - mm:p/m crt 1.5s QAR T 102.7/ 3rd eyelid elevation Lef worse than rught, left side of face swollen, left eye slightly  exophthalmic- more form on retropulsion than right. / Painful jaw on opening / Mouth: Mod gingivitis, teeth okay, red lesion medial to upper carnaissal tooth on left side/ CV: sinus rhythm, no murmur, HR 120, fair fem pulses ? Resp: clear RR 36/ Abd: tense, not painful, norm bord liv/spl/ NMS: cr n 2-12 wnl, normal ambulation / LN:ps, man,pop-wnl;    Diagnostix Test: 03/18/2004 - 1.CBC:RBC 8.76/2. [re anesth chem: BUN 6.1 (7-27); 03/18/2004: Pre-Op Bood Panel IH - CHEM:BUN 6.1 (7-27) rest normal      CBC:HT 54.7% (37-55), midly high RBX and HGB, rest normal; 03/19/2004:Culture- Aerobic & Anaeriobic; 03/19/2004: Radiographs- Multiple View ; 03/19/2004       Diagnosis: - 1. Painful jaw, retrobulbar swelling, hyperemic lesion in soft palate medial to carnaissal tooth; - Probable retro abcess.      Surgical Procedure: 03/19/2004: Biopsy I; 03/19/2004: Misc. Surgical - tru-cut biopsy - ; 03/19/2004 - An incision was made caudal to the upper molar on the left side. A culturette was placed into the retrobulbar area through this stab incision. No purulent material was observed. Tru-cut biopsies were taken from a swollen area at the commissure of the jaw and lateral to the dental arcade.    Anesthetics/Medications: 03/19/2004 - Premendication with butorphanol and glycopyrrolate, induction with propofol IV to effect, intubated and maintained with isofluence and oxygen.)  End of Report .........  We had asked several times if this problem could stem from complications from the previous surgery.  One doctor from the hospital said yes it could, and another one said no, highly unlikely.  They said they have never seen a case like this before.  They said we can either bring her home now while waiting for biopsie report, or leave her there.  She was not eating or drinking at the hospital.  So we decided to bring her home.  When she got home she immedietly starting drinking a lot of water and took the first doce of antibioctics.  The Next morning she had made a 50% recovery.  2 days later she is back 90%, her right eye is normal and her left eye is 50%.  We are just looking for an honest answer if this could have resulted either from post traumatic stress, or from using the gas.  Any edvice you can give us on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Rick!

Anytning is possible. Your dog could have reacted to any of the medications. It's unusual to get a reaction to Isoflurane (gas anesthetic-since its all metabolized in the lungs), but the injectables sure. Propoflo is made out of Soy, so there is a small possibility there. Stress is a factor as well as the antibiotics <- they do cause reactions in some animals, diarrhea ususally the most common.

I hope your dog is feeling better. If you have any questions in the future about your dog during a situation, don't ever hesitate to get a second opinion by another vet in your community!