Seroma

Question: Does my puppy have seroma or is his hernia opening back up after surgery? My puppy had a umbilical hernia repaired Monday with stainless steel sutures. The reason they used stainless steel is this is the second surgery on it in the past 3 weeks. It came back open the first time, now Im worried it is coming out again because it is swollen out. The vet told me it would swell and to come back in 4 or 5 days to drain it. He said it was called seroma when it filled with fluid. How do I tell if it is just seroma or has the hernia site opened back up? Anyone with experience on this please let me know any info you have.

Answer: You can't really tell. A seroma is a fluid filled space, so it should be soft and squishy. If you are worried thought run him to the vet, if he is in trouble then he'll be ok and if not at least you'll have some peace of mind!

Question: how long does it take for a seroma to be reabsorbed by the body, post infection? If some one has had surgery to abdo and 13 days later was readmitted with a sepsis (which was infected fluid). Now is producing more fluid and the wound opened up but has since healed. Is now left with a small ball of fluid. How long will it take the body to reabsorb this fluid?? The patient is now fit and well. BTW - the abdo surgery was a DIEP breast recon, 2 years post mastectomy.

Answer: This sounds localized and if you speak with your Dr about it, an aspiration should take care of the problem. I've had fluid removed myself and my Oncologist was wonderful. I didn't feel anything. The fluid was not reabsorbed by my body, it only increased which is why he had to aspirate it. Then it never returned. So talk to your Dr about it if you haven't already, but don't let it just stay there. Good luck

Question: is a seroma common in dogs after spaying? My dog was spayed last week, she licked a stitch out, I took her back to vet, they glued the incision and said she was getting a seroma, they RX'd an anitibiotic and told me to put hot compresses on it 3 x a day, it doesn't seem to be getting any smaller....I am a little concerned? The dog is not in any pain and it doesnt' seem to be bothering her.

Answer: How many days has it been since you've seen the vet? A seroma is basically fluid under the skin, and it should begin to get smaller within a few days. If you dog is still picking at her incision site, she needs somethign like an e collar or else the seroma won't get any better. If you are concerned, just call the vet office again and let them know what is going on. They should be able to tell you how long it will be for the seroma to shrink

Question: My Weimaraner was diagnosed with seroma. Any ideas to keep him busy while he's on bed rest? Natural sedative? He suffered from a laceration and since he's a Weim, we had trouble keeping him calm and unactive. We went for a walk before his wound had healed and he's now suffering from seroma underneath his stitches. He's already got so much penned up energy, I think he's going to explode! I'd like for him to pass the time by chewing bones, but wondering if there are natural sedatives to help him relax a little. Thanks.

Answer: You could give him Benadryl to help calm him down. If he really refuses to settle down your vet can also prescribe some sedatives for him as well.

Question: I had by-pass surgery on my leg in 2008, a seroma developed, the surgeon needle drained it twice, each time i? after re-opening the incision I kept the incision open for 20 days, it drained constanly , when incision closed seroma pocket filled again. This is very painful and keeps leg and knee swollen 24/7 Should surgery be done to remove the seroma, can a seroma be removed, if surgery is the answer is this major surgery???? I need relief in some manner for this.

Answer: We almost never "needle" a seroma. We always open them & drain them. The surgery is much less (usually) than the initial bypass.

Question: Can I have radiation with untreated seroma? I had a lumpectomy two months ago. I have much pain at the biopsy incision. My surgeon and cancer specialist are ignoring my cries of pain and soreness. I am due to have radiation in 1 and a half weeks. What do I do? Thanks

Answer: Seroma or Sarcoma? Radiation is never given for seroma.. either you wait to let it resolve by itself or drain it but never radiation.

Question: seroma weeks after breast cancer op? I have painful swelling and have to get doctor to drain fluid. Had a lumpectomy. Have others had this and for how long. This has been a month after surgery.

Answer: A friend of mine had a lumpectomy to deal with her breast cancer and some swelling can occur for several months after surgery (including for mastectomy-my mom had this done for her breast cancer). I would recommend getting back in touch with your doctor to let them know that you are very concerned about this and want to see what additional suggestions they may have.

Question: What do u do if you have a Blood Hematoma/Seroma on your breast from an auto wreck & you are nursing ur infant I have a sore blood Hematoma/Seroma from stretch,tear or leak in a blood vessel in my left Breast ive iced & ill heat later but does any one know what 2 do if u r going though this while nursing? It makes it more pain full , but if I stop ill Engorge & thats painfull happened in a car wreak any sugesstions would be helpfull tell I see my ps on tues thank u so much ,...MUAH

Answer: Icing and compression is the best thing until the swelling and inflammation are abated. After that, moist heat applied several times a day will cause the hematoma to re-absorb. Just don't apply heat until your sure the swelling has stopped or it will just increase swelling. Good Luck

Question: my cat has a "seroma" after being spayed? the vet says they're not worried about it at this point, but to watch for signs she may be getting sick. i read up about seromas on a few different websites; some say it's normal and will heal on its own, others say it's a sign of a poorly done suture, and so on... is there something i can do to help it? has anyone else had their animal have a seroma after surgery?

Answer: Been there done that. Seromas can form for a few reasons the most common is the animal being too active after surgery and not kept confined or quiet, while it is possible it could be the sutures (if the secondary layer of sutures is too loose); that isn't the cause I normally see. It is fairly common as far as minor complications go and usually not a big deal unless the seroma pocket is large then it can be drained easily with a needle, becomes infected or pulls the sutures open. Keep an eye on it for any changes, but your kitty should be fine. They are more common when the incision is on a low part of the body, gravity can help them form. A seroma is essentially a little pocket of serum seperated out of the blood that has collected there. My pitbull Brujah had one form on his lower shoulder a couple days after he had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor (grade II Mast cell). I assisted in the surgery and everything looked great with sutures etc then, and I confined him and (tried to) kept him quiet and he still got one. But it all healed up just fine. There's not much you can do, you can keep the area clean, just with plain warm water is fine and keep an eye on it. Oh, and an e-collar if she is licking at the area! Good luck, I'm sure she'll be doing better soon!

Question: Dealing with my dog's seroma? My dog developed a seroma on her back after a surgery and our vet recommended that we put a hot compress on her back several times a day to reduce swelling. However, everytime we do this, she fights us and freaks out because she think its uncomfortable. We are making sure that the compress isn't too hot, but she freaks out anyways. Does anyone have any advice about a method to this that she might be more comfortable with? Also, if you have any tips in general about treating seromas we would really appreciate any input.

Answer: Restrict your dog's activity. You don't need to do the warm compress, it will go away on it's own. It's NOT painful (if it becomes painful it means it's infected). Do not poke it, do not let your pet or other pets lick at it. Keep it sterile! We do not like to drain these because that makes them more suseptible to infection. It's most likely from over activity and will go away on it's own over time. Or try holding a wash cloth under hot water, ringing it out and hold that over her back.

Question: Hematoma to seroma? I had a bad hematoma under my left armpit. It has gone down, but now there is pain on the side of my left breast and it feels filled with fluid, is hot, and burns to the touch. Could the excess fluid from the hematoma have now formed a seroma?

Answer: It is possible, but you should really contact a doctor. You may have a bad infection. Good Luck!

Question: My bird has Seroma please help!? My bird has Seroma and we keep going to the vet to get it drained but it continuely comes back! My lovebird is on medication too... what can i do to help the seroma go away? please help another thing that worries me is that the area that the seroma is in affects her breathing. please help! :) we have gotten another vet opinion, its just that the seroma is CONSTANTLY coming back and there seems like theres no way to stop it! we can t even put heat and pressure on it because my bird is so little, if we put pressure on it, she wont be able to breathe... i really need help. thank you guys for the all the answers.

Answer: Get another avian vet opinion maybe.

Question: What can be done about swelling after hernia surgery? I had an umbilical hernia repair 4 weeks ago but the doctor couldnt use mesh. Since the day of the surgery Ive had a softball sized hard swelling at the site that the doctor said was a Seroma. He said it sould resolve in a few weeks but it is the same size it was the day after surgery with no decrease in swelling. It is painful and not decreasing in size. He didnt say anything about draining it. Should I be concerned, what should I do?

Answer: putting ice on it

Question: Seroma on c-section incision? It seems that a seroma has formed on my c-section incision, other than minor scabbing, some oozing, and discomfort, how long would it take to heal? do seromas really heal on their own? It has been almost 5 mos, and I would expect all to be healed completely. One OB says to wait a couple of weeks and it should heal. Any experience or advice?

Answer: I have had 2 c-sections and never expeirenced that! You should get a second opinion! Mine was healed 6 weeks after delievering! Good Luck!

Question: Doggy Seroma........? ? I took my dog back to the vet today- she had a lump removed last Wednesday. What used to be a golf ball sized lump became a grapefruit sized lump.... He said it was a seroma, a pocket of fluid. He drained it, and gave us an ice pack to use a few times a day. Anyone else had a seroma on their doggy? It's in her mammary tissue. I'm wondering if it will come back, and how often we have to do this! All I can do is wait.

Answer: Keep her from licking the incision area. Seromas can be caused from the friction of licking. Keep your dog quiet IE no jumping. Sometimes seromas have to have a tube inserted in them to help with drainage. Sometimes a wrap can be done to keep the seroma form forming. Seromas can be hard to prevent especially in situations where a lot of tissue needed to be removed. A seromas is essentially a "sterile abscess". Talk to your vet about other preventitive measures.

Question: My dog has recently developed a half ping pong ball sized lump on the top of his head, near the occipital bone? I'm taking him to the vet on Monday. Some suggest this may be a seroma (sp?) caused by hitting his head. He did hit his head pretty hard recently. The bump is hard, moveable, and does not seem to bother him. He doesn't do anything when touch it or move it. Any ideas or answers until we get to the vet?? He is only a year and a half old!

Answer: im not quite sure but i remember my dog having a lump sorta like that and it didnt bother her either. i remember it wasnt anything serious so i think your dog will be fine :]

Question: Puppy has a seroma bump...! She got spayed on the 24th of July. I couldn't keep her calm so I think she developed an seroma. It's smaller then a tennis ball but a bit bigger than a golf ball! And it's looks like it's all liquid and she is in no pain at all. I have an appointment on Tuesday. Should I still go to the appointment or will warm compresses do the job!? And can I do anything else to help? Yes all of her sutures are dissolved, her wound looks absolutely great! And the bump appeared i'd say maybe 5 or 6 days after her surgery.

Answer: If she were our patient we would drain the seroma at no charge. It will help it heal faster.

Question: How do I help reduce the size of a seroma on my dog? My dog had to have a leg amputated due to cancer. A week after surgery a couple of seroma's started to appear so I took him to the vet and meds were changed and he got a couple of injections to stop the bleeding he had. The vet says it look fine and it is normal, but I know I can help it heal quicker. Would I need to apply a warm or cold compress to the seroma? I thought applying a warm compress would help the body absorb any fluid, am I correct?

Answer: As long as your vet has seen it and is not worried about having to drain it, you can apply a warm compress to the seroma 2-3 times a day for about 10-15 minutes. The warmth will help the body to reabsorb the fluid that is being held in that pocket. A cold compress is usually apply during the first few days post surgery and will not be affective at all. In fact it is likely to slow the healing process since the warmth is what helps to absorb the fluid.

Question: Has anyone had a seroma last more than 6 months after a c-section? I had my daughter in late July, and I still have the seroma resulting from the staple removal. I've had the doctors look at it and tell me that is it healing just fine. For the first couple weeks,I had to pack gauze in it to prevent infection. I still have drainage from the seroma almost 8 months later. I have a high white blood cell count, and I've been experiencing intense nausea and digestive problems due to the infection. Has anyone else ever experienced this with a seroma? and for this long?

Answer: i had my daughter july 27th via c section. my doctor used desalvable sutchers inside and glue and tape on the outside. it healed within days..my scar looks like a tiny 4 inch purple line and its fast fading. before i had my c section i talked to my doctor about staples. he told me they were barbaric. that no good doctor should still use them. u should sue ur doctor. i was feeling good after just 9 days after birth...still took it easy but thats all. no pain..no lumps or drainage...sorry. u should go to a different doctor!

Question: Post Op tummy tuck... need advice about seroma? 20 days post op for breast implants, tummy tuck, and lipo. A few days ago, I sneezed a few times and felt a small tearing sensation in my upper abdomen. The pain lasted a few minutes. Now I have developed a seroma in my upper abdomen with slight pain and discomfort when moving. My next appointment is in 6 days. Few questions here: 1. Should I continue to wear my binder? 2. Would the binder push the fluid to other places(ex. above the binder)? 3. Does aspiration hurt? 4. What is involved with aspiration, do they numb it first? 5. Should I call my doc and let him know about this new development or should I just wait til the appt? 6. Is there anything I can do to increase absorption of the fluid?

Answer: 1- wearing the binder may help reduce the amount of seroma fluid produced. 2- It may push fluid elsewhere or stop production. Seroma fluid is thought to be produced by friction or movement along the tissue planes, so the binder may help with preventing excessive motion. 3- typically very little, since the area of skin that had surgery is relatively numb. 4- it's option to numb or not before needle aspiration. The aspiration is just placing a needle through the skin into the fluid pocket, and aspirating it out. 5- I would definitely recommend contacting your doctor ASAP. The sooner he/ she knows about it, the sooner the seroma can be resolved. 6- talk to your doctor, but wearing a binder and needle aspiration may help.