bladder surgey

Question
QUESTION: Hi, My yorkie had surgery on june 16th he had stones removed from the inside of his stomach and where he pees from. He has not been the same since. I took him back to the vet two days after the surgery because he was bleeding a lot and still having a hard time urinating. They did more xrays and noticed a small stone left behind.  The vet said he would have to do surgery again to remove it, but not yet because its to soon after the first surgery.  My dog has spasms when peeing and falls to the ground. He is also having problems pooping. It takes him at least ten minutes before just a little comes out.  I feel the vet really did a job on my yorkie.  Could the vet have made a big mistake and did something wrong? Why is my dog not getting better yet?

ANSWER: Well leaving a stone inside the bladder is certainly not a good thing. Your dog is suffering from the results of trying to recover from a bladder surgery but still having a stone inside is causing much inflammation and obstructing the stream of urine coming from the bladder.
In male dogs this can be very serious in case a small stone gets lodged inside the urethra, the tube that the urine leaves the bladder by and out of the penis.
He is having spams because he is in a lot of pain. Even defecation is painful because of the pressure on his bladder and because the urethra is right under the colon as it travels out of the body.

You need to ask the doctor how long he plans on waiting to remove the second stone and if there are smaller stones in the urethra. If he doesn't know then you need to tell him to take another xray and find out!
If you are not comfortable with this vet then get your records and take him elsewhere. You are not bound by law to this vet.
He should remove the last stone, however, for free and I cannot imagine a new vet will do that. If the stone is semi-large it is possible that it might be dissolved with diet. Only S/D and Canine C/D by Hills does this.

But first of all call the vet and tell him/her about the pain your dog is in urinating and the problems he is having moving his bowels. It is VERY important that you know whether or not there is a stone in his urethra.

I hope you get this solved and that your little guy gets well soon.
Please let me know what you find out.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well my little guy had his second surgery yesterday.  I picked him up tonight and he seems to be doing well except I know he is in a lot of pain. The vet said the stone was pretty big and could not believe he missed it the first time. There was no charge for the surgery. This Vet was very professional and honest about his mistake.  I hope my little guy has a speedy recovery and can't wait until he is back to normal.  Thanks again for answering my questions.

Answer
Michele,
I am very glad he came through with flying colors. It is heartening to hear a vet admit his mistake and correct it.
You did right and so did he.
Good for you both. The pain will pass and your little guy will be good as new soon.
Thanks for letting me know!
Much appreciated.