any experience with fecal incontinence after tail amputation?

[jck219]

hello all,

this is my first post. my 3 year old girl had her tail amputated 2 days ago after a year and a half of trying to treat her chronic tail pocket infections and skin irritation conservatively. she had an inverted screw tail which was extremely tight and difficult to care for. we saw 2 vets both of whom recommended the surgery after telling us it was the worst tail they had seen in practice. we went to a reputable animal hospital with an experienced surgeon.

we brought her home yesterday. she seems to be doing ok in terms of pain control. however i am sick with worry because she is having almost constant poo accidents. her stool is very loose so i am trying to tell myself it is just an upset stomach from anesthesia and the antibiotic that she is on. overnight she dropped two very small formed stools in her sleep... so it's not only diarrhea. she does not seem to realize when she is going and that is making me so worried that this is due to a complication from the surgery. my mind is racing and panicking about how i would be able to care for a fecal incontinent dog (one with a long life ahead of her). i am losing my mind after just 24 hours of constant butt wiping and cleaning poo from the floors and her bed.

our surgeon was confident that there was no damage to surrounding nerves or muscles. he said that it could be that her entire backside is in pain and irritated. he said to feed her a bland diet and wait it out.

i did a lot of research prior to making the decision to have the surgery done. i think read every thread posted on this site about tail amputation. with the exception of one person who had issues with wound healing and infection after surgery, the majority seemed to have an excellent outcome.

can anyone please provide some insight on this? is this normal? will it pass? or should i just start ordering the dog diapers now?

worried sick,
b's mama

[bullmama]

I think it's normal, but let's ask @Libra926 and @cali baker as they have both had tail amps.

We've had an obstruction surgery and worried just like you, she was leaking acidic poo for about a week and it was burning her bottom awful. I had to wash her bum in the tub every couple of hours. Hope your baby will be okay!

[Libra926]

Although I'd like to say it's normal after surgery, we honestly did not have any poop problems at all.
We did have loose stool for a while, but he was able to control his bowels.
I know it's a very complicated and very touchy surgery. There could still be some numbness. Often times when a human has surgery the area of the incision is numb for a few weeks.

[jck219]

thank you for your replies. today seems to be bit better so far but she also doesn't have much in her stomach. it is just sickening to think that we thought we were doing what was best for her but may have created an even bigger problem.

[bullmama]

thank you for your replies. today seems to be bit better so far but she also doesn't have much in her stomach. it is just sickening to think that we thought we were doing what was best for her but may have created an even bigger problem.

As Christine always says, breathe!!! Don't worry yourself at this point, it's a bit early to do that. Meds, anesthesia, trauma, stress, these are all things that could be causing the issue. Good news you see an improvement so take a deep breath and don't worry yourself sick just yet. Positive vibes will help heal your baby too!! You've done much caring and searching to help your baby so remember no matter what, you make a good choice to help her.

[2BullyMama]

thank you for your replies. today seems to be bit better so far but she also doesn't have much in her stomach. it is just sickening to think that we thought we were doing what was best for her but may have created an even bigger problem.

Keep us posted.... sending lots of positive vibes and prayers. agree with the others, give it some time to settle down for all the meds

[GiGisMama]

Hi - I just read your post from last year. If you are still on here, I would love to hear how your baby is doing. I have the identical story to yours happening right now. We have a female english bulldog 15 months old. Fought tail pocket infections for 6 months and gave in to tail amputation. It has only been 4 days but I am scared to death we have made a terrible mistake and she has permanent damage. Poor girl is a mess and so are we. Would love to hear how you all are doing now!

[nycbullymama]

One of mine has terrible diarrhea that he couldn't control after his palate surgery. It even became bloody after a few days.
We were told it's stress induced colitis and it's very common after surgery.
He was put on Metronidazole and it worked, the bloody diarrhea stopped.

[GiGisMama]

Thank you for the post nycbullymama... I am trying to think positive and this is all just post surgery normal/medication induced incontinence. Such a miserable thing to go through, first you have a traumatic surgery and now she has a raw booty So hard to keep it clean and not irritate it more.

[nycbullymama]

Thank you for the post nycbullymama... I am trying to think positive and this is all just post surgery normal/medication induced incontinence. Such a miserable thing to go through, first you have a traumatic surgery and now she has a raw booty So hard to keep it clean and not irritate it more.

You should still call your vet and let them know. They should give you something for it since diarrhea can lead to dehydration.

[GiGisMama]

Yep - I spoke to them this morning, she is drinking lots and loves crushed ice. They also put her on anti-diarrheal medicine this am, we did the bland diet for 24 hours after surgery. Will go back to that tonight again!

[2BullyMama]

Hi - I just read your post from last year. If you are still on here, I would love to hear how your baby is doing. I have the identical story to yours happening right now. We have a female english bulldog 15 months old. Fought tail pocket infections for 6 months and gave in to tail amputation. It has only been 4 days but I am scared to death we have made a terrible mistake and she has permanent damage. Poor girl is a mess and so are we. Would love to hear how you all are doing now!

Ellie gave you some great info... @cali baker might have some insight too as one of her boys had this procedure done too