Staining

Question
QUESTION: We have two Bichons, one is 6 years old and the other is 5..The 6 year old, just underwent ( 7 weeks ago ) knee surgery (Extracapsular repair - Lateral Fabellar technique ) due to a cranial cruciate ligament rupture.  Within one week after the proceedure she has developed excessive staining, not only from her eyes but also from her rectal area, her vaginal area  around her mouth and any area that she is licking..i.e her leg....
Both dogs are on WELLNESS food products, and there has been no change in either of their diets. The other dog show no signs of any staining at all.

Could this staining be as a result of the anesthesia? Or is an alergy of some sort a possibilty? What would you sugget as a remedy?
We have spoken with the surgeon and he has never seen staining after surgery.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as we are beside ourselves with this problem.
Thank you in advance.

ANSWER: Licking will cause this and anaesthesia makes dogs lick. Rather like we do after taking pain killers we get itchy skin.
Either remove the dog from dried food at the moment or bathe eye area in lemon juice diluted with warm water and vegetable oil daily, the stain will lighten to a brown colour then slowly disappear.



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

QUESTION: Thank you for the speedy reply.
I can undersatnd her licking around her mouth and even for tear area..I can also understand this for the area of her leg where she might be licking, and I do appreciate your reasoning, However I do not think that this answers the question as related to the very evident and excessive brown staining around her vaginal and rectal openings...The staining around these areas appeared at the same time as the staining around her mouth and eyes....Its as though ANY bodily fluid from ANY of her orifaces is causing this staining.

Your thoughts on this further clarrification to our problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your input on this issue.




ANSWER: Is she spayed?
If she isnt spayed then it is likely heat season.
The rectal staining will be her licking at her anus, likey cause is the anaesthesia , this makes her stools rather hard which in turn will or rather can impact her anal glands , this will indeed cause her to lick that area. Her urine will be heavily drug contaminated as propafol (sedation) will come out through her urine, she will want to lick at this, Non-infectious inflammations of the vagina also occur due to the effects of shampoos, detergents, cleaning agents, and other solutions. The severity of these is dependent on the properties of the causative agent.So she may have been bathed by the vet before surgery on her rear legs and she may be reacting to that. Also the other dog may be licking her as an aid to helping its injured canine friend, they can and do groom each other in times of stress. I would give her some fibre in her water benefiber is a great tool for adding fibre into their diets, this will alleviate any rectal compaction due to painkillers.

Hope this helps.



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

QUESTION: Thanks again for the speedy reply.

Firstly..she is spayed!
Now a lot of this problem is starting to make sense...However...how long does it take for this sedative to clear their system..as I said..her operation was now 7 weeks ago.
Yes there was a deep hot pink coloured anti bacterical wash done on her rear end prior to her operation ( this has also badly stained her rear area and repeated washing does not remove it ) And..yes her stools have been markedly hard and she hs been having some trouble in eliminated.
If in fact that this staining could be caused by the anaesthesia, should be be taking in excess of 6 weeks for her system to eliminate this propafol sedation agent?
Sorry to keep aking questions about our issue but it really is an issue with us.
Thanks again for any further clarification and/or input from you.

Answer
Hi Please dont worry about asking questions that is what I am here for.
The actual sedative will come out of her system very quickly however as with all chemicals its the residual effect that remains for a while longer and its that  which causes side effects. The wash was probably hibiscrub and or iodine  and that dries the skin and makes it tight, so its no surprise that she is licking her rear end. To reduce impaction start to give her some fiber in her diet and try to reduce dry foods, use cucumber, apple, pear and chicken skins etc to soften her stools. Use fish oils in her diet for about 6 months to reduce skin irritation which may become a habit. I am also not surprised that she was in need of an operation on her knee , it is sadly a consideration after spay procedures which many vets forget to inform clients of.

Use oily fish as part of her daily food roitine and also I suggest the use of Glucosamine and chondaritin daily for her to assist her legs. It is also important to use quality proteins whe bones need to heal so use fresh chicken and fish like salmon and mackeral for her daily.

Good luck

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