joebeans said:
My José was neutered today and I've never had a dog go through it so maybe I am just paranoid, but, I am noticing tonight that his scrotal sack is swollen and there appears to be fresh bruising appearing. There is no active bleeding, but it is tender to the touch to him so I am concerned. I have given him a baby aspirin for pain/inflammation control but I will be calling the vet in the morning to check on it. Anyone noticed this before after a neuter?
2 questions, are you seeing actual swelling (fluid build up under the skin) around the scrotum, or is the scrotum itself just loose.
It's not abnormal for the scrotal area to be sore post-neuter, since during the first part of the surgery, the dr has to physically peel the testes from the spermadic cord/scrotal skin, and area of ligation usually bleeds a bit or the skin tears post-op. However, it's usually not traumatic enough to make a dog bruised to the point of extreme pain. If your buddy is still in pain tommorow, I'd ask your vet for some pain medication or NSAID to ease the swelling. Most vets today are pretty good about pain management, and really most neuters are relatively painless, as the surgery only takes a few minutes and isn't nearly as invasive as a spay.
If you are seeing "black and blue" coloration on the skin, and it is very swollen (even if there is no fresh bleeding), I would highly consider taking him to the ER. These are indications of hematoma, bleeding out, and it's possible a ligation may have slipped. Any signs of dizziness, extreme pain, difficulty breathing, acute lethargy you should be wary of. When the vet examines the scrotum they will be able to tell you exactly what's going on. The best case scenario it's just tissue damage at the suture site that causes the bruising and serum fills the space. Worst case scenario, there's a problem and you'll be at the vet already to take care of Jose.
Let us know how your dog is doing!
-Nate