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Dog crying, shivering, swollen nipples 4 days after spay. Normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 2 years and 4 months old | 7 lbs

My Dog Kumai was recently spayed, and it has been 4 days since. She has been eating her pain and inflammation medicine every 12 hours as instructed. But she cries and shivers every second of the day unless she is sleeping. Her underside around and under her nipples seem swollen and bigger than it was before the surgery. I was wondering if this looks serious, or if it looks like it will go down with time. thank you so much for providing this service!

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on July 4th, 2017

The incision and area actually look very good. There appears to be no bruising or redness. Some post op swelling is normal but is not cause for concern. If she was in or near heat at the time of spaying, this could account for what you are seeing. Any swelling should resolve given time. Continue to medicate her as directed by your veterinarian and monitor for lethargy, bleeding, bruising or for an open incision. An e-collar (cone) is always recommended after surgery to prevent licking of the site.

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Based on the photographs, there does not appear to be any significant swelling or redness. However, I am not actually there to feel and palpate the affected area that you are concerned about. If you are appreciating any increased heat in this area, it could potentially be a sign of infection (that may or may not be related to the recent surgery). As far as the surgical site, it looks great. There is no evidence of discharge or redness. You could definitely take Kumai's temperature and see if there is any increase (above 102.5 is an elevated temperature). The fact that she is spending a lot of time crying out in pain is more concerning than anything, since this obviously means she is uncomfortable for some reason or another even in the face of the the prescribed medications. If things don't get better in the next day, I would give your vet a call and see if he can take a look at the situation and determine if an antibiotic might be required. Hope this helps!

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