Here at Tripawds, we talk about Seromas a lot. But what exactly is a seroma? According to Michigan Veterinary Specialists,
“Seromas may occur at the surgical site. A seroma is an accumulation of fluid in the tissues. The body will usually absorb the fluid, but the fluid is sometimes drained if needed.”
My new Tripawd buddy Titan wants you to know, if your dog is about to undergo amputation surgery, it’s important that you know about seromas. They can occur anytime after a surgery like amputation, spaying, etc., but they are relatively harmless.
According to Northern California’s Veterinary Surgical Associates:
If the region around the incision becomes progressively more swollen, your pet may have a seroma, which is an accumulation of fluid under the skin. This occurs most often with dogs that are very active immediately after surgery.
Titan and his mom have graciously sent us some photos of his really gnarly seroma (warning, these photos are kinda gross!). Lucky boy, he got it taken care of and everything is fine now and he’s well on the road to recovery. Whew!
Update (04/24/09): Our favorite online vet Dr. Patty Khuly discusses post-op incision site care and treatment in her Dolittler blog.
Gosh, great post! And, it’s important to show the photos so that people may better understand exactly what a seroma can look like. Thanks to Titan’s mom for sharing those photos!
Love,
Vicki, Blazer & Kimber
Just an FYI Titan’s seroma did heal even though they had to do sticthes on the under layers of skin. They couldn’t restaple it. But it healed nicely we will see when his fur grows back. If you think your buddy has a seroma be peristant so they can drain it. It has been a month since Titan’s amputation and he is doing GREAT well better than Great. Another great tip is since they couldn’t restaple I used hydrogen peroxide wipes to keep that area clean of infection
Heidi and Titan
Yes, thanks. I’ve been in tears for 2 hours since I left the vet today and my little Sasha has to have an amputation because her broken leg won’t heal and she’s 13 years old. This is a great site ’cause I’m scared to death and need to just throw myself into everything I can read before I schedule the surgery.
Fawne, try not to be scared. We send our love and healing thoughts to Sasha. If you need any support or just want to talk, please join our Forums, we’re happy to help any way we can. Good luck.