Prevalence Of Spay Complications

[tinydestroyer]

My cat, Lucy, was spayed last year (at 5 months,) by a local vet, and suffered a complication wherein her internal stitches completely came apart. Her insides were falling through the abdominal wall (under the skin,) in a fairly serious hernia. According to the vet who ended up fixing the situation (not the vet who spayed her,) this was due to the spaying vet using inadequate / ineffective "whip stitch" horizontal stitches which came apart too easily. I think this is probably true, because Lucy is a very calm cat who was kept in complete isolation for recovery. Both vets were at the same office, and the office covered the cost of the surgery. Furthermore, during the week immediately post-spay, the original vet attempted to diagnose other potential reasons why Lucy may have this huge bulge forming on her incision site (seroma, inflammation, etc.)

Now, on to my current issue: I have two coworkers who got female cats from the same litter approaching 7 months now. My coworkers are now telling me they're reluctant to get their cats spayed because they saw my cat go through multiple misdiagnosis and complications. I believe my situation was probably pretty rare, and that the risks of leaving their cat unspayed are far higher still. One coworker told me that even if that's true, she doesn't want her cat getting a seroma.

How can I reassure them that these complications are rare, and convince them that spaying is probably the best choice for their kitties? Are there relevant statistics on spay complications I can present, or criteria I can look up so they will feel more confident in the vet they choose? I feel a little responsible for their decision by sharing my story when I was in the middle of a stressful situation. Thanks so much for your time!

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

My cat, Lucy, was spayed last year (at 5 months,) by a local vet, and suffered a complication wherein her internal stitches completely came apart. Her insides were falling through the abdominal wall (under the skin,) in a fairly serious hernia. According to the vet who ended up fixing the situation (not the vet who spayed her,) this was due to the spaying vet using inadequate / ineffective "whip stitch" horizontal stitches which came apart too easily. I think this is probably true, because Lucy is a very calm cat who was kept in complete isolation for recovery. Both vets were at the same office, and the office covered the cost of the surgery. Furthermore, during the week immediately post-spay, the original vet attempted to diagnose other potential reasons why Lucy may have this huge bulge forming on her incision site (seroma, inflammation, etc.)

Now, on to my current issue: I have two coworkers who got female cats from the same litter approaching 7 months now. My coworkers are now telling me they're reluctant to get their cats spayed because they saw my cat go through multiple misdiagnosis and complications. I believe my situation was probably pretty rare, and that the risks of leaving their cat unspayed are far higher still. One coworker told me that even if that's true, she doesn't want her cat getting a seroma.

How can I reassure them that these complications are rare, and convince them that spaying is probably the best choice for their kitties? Are there relevant statistics on spay complications I can present, or criteria I can look up so they will feel more confident in the vet they choose? I feel a little responsible for their decision by sharing my story when I was in the middle of a stressful situation. Thanks so much for your time!

There is very little in the veterinary literature about the incidence of spay neuter complications. This is in part because these are the most common surgeries performed in small animal veterinary medicine and in part because the incidence of complications is extremely low.

The more important point is that the incidence of pyometra (a life threatening uterine infection) in older intact female cats and the incidence of mammary neoplasia (the 3rd most common cancer in cats and almost always malignant) are as high as 20%.

The risks for the cats of surgical sterilization are minimal in comparison to the risks associated with leaving them intact.

 

[tinydestroyer]

There is very little in the veterinary literature about the incidence of spay neuter complications. This is in part because these are the most common surgeries performed in small animal veterinary medicine and in part because the incidence of complications is extremely low.

The more important point is that the incidence of pyometra (a life threatening uterine infection) in older intact female cats and the incidence of mammary neoplasia (the 3rd most common cancer in cats and almost always malignant) are as high as 20%.

The risks for the cats of surgical sterilization are minimal in comparison to the risks associated with leaving them intact.

Thank you for your answer. I suspected as much. I wasn't aware of the 20% risk of pyometra. My approach to convince them has mostly been centered around preventing litters and heat behavior, which was rebuffed as selfish by these particular cat owners. One, especially, seems to believe its cruel to impose "unnatural" ovariohysterectimies on cats (a position which I think is ridiculous.)

Maybe if I take the approach that it is safer for the cat, and therefore less selfish, they'll come around. I'm directing them to your site, as well as sending them each this quote from your FAQ:
Fact: “Cats spayed before their first heat cycle have a 91 percent lower risk for developing mammary cancer,” says Mechler. “This is a wonderful benefit, because mammary gland cancer kills an estimated 75,000 cats every year. In fact, cats have a greater risk – by 1,500 times – of dying from mammary gland cancer than from contracting rabies.”

Although it doesn't reference surgical complications directly, maybe it will make a bigger impact in those terms. I appreciate your time.