Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

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Mollysmum
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Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

Post by Mollysmum »

Hello, I hope someone can help us. Gracie was neutered in December 2014, when she was 7 months old. In April this year she has a few days of what I was sure was 'heat' behaviour. Took her to the vet who said not possible and decided it was a UTI even though a urine test was negative. Last weekend she once again started showing signs of heat, a lot of yowling, chirping, restless, rolling around, and peeing on the kitchen doors. Took her to vet again last Monday, with a urine sample, vet did a swab test from her vagina (poor puss). Urine sample came back positive for a UTI but the swab also showed presence of heat signs. She said its a very rare occurrence but sometimes during a spay tiny bits of ovarian tissue can be left behind, or can be hidden in some crevice in the cats body, which continue to release hormones and cause heat. She refuses to do a second spay until they do a special blood test next time she is in heat, to confirm what we already know. The test costs £100 and then the second spay will be a bigger operation which they will again charge us for as according to them, ovarian remnant syndrome is a risk attached to spaying.
My question is this, does anyone have any experience of this, and should the vet not be covering the costs of this as it is their negligence in leaving behind some tissue in the first place that is causing the symptoms? What sort of cost should we expect for the operation? I'm really anxious as this is a cost we haven't budgeted for and I feel that the vet has us over a barrel as we just want her to stop going in to heat. She is an indoor cat and the week she was in heat was fairly unbearable! Thanks everyone!
Meandmymunki
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Re: Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

Post by Meandmymunki »

Hi my rescue had a cat in last year, spayed her and re homed her, this year her owners contacted us with same problem, I took her to my vets who said about same blood test, was booked for next day but she came out of season, so following month it happened again and new owners were going mental as all neighbours complained about her screaming and she ripped cat flap out of the door, vets said blood test could be done that day but then had to be repeated in 10 days after a hormone given, then would do surgery if results confirmed. I explained that new owners were going to part with cat if this went on another 10 days and as so obvs in season (and was spayed at a vet clinic since closed down over poor practices) the vet then agreed to just open her up, they found an entire ovary. It is a big surgery and cost £300 and she had a wound from her ribs all the way down, the vets said if she was spayed there they would have covered cost as their error.
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bobbys girl
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Re: Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

Post by bobbys girl »

It is a rare thing (thank God) but I have heard of this before. When I had my dog, Bonnie, spayed the vet warned me about it. I think he had had recent experience of this and it was fresh in his mind. As a vet he was the sort of man who would have done the 'follow-up' OP at cost, as he would have thought the job not completed, though it was not his fault. It really only takes a few cells and the hormones do the rest! :?

I would not blame your vet for this but I think she is being a bit mean expecting you to pay full price for another operation and making you (and Gracie) wait for tests.

I hope you get something sorted out very soon. Please let us know how you go on.
Mollysmum
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Re: Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

Post by Mollysmum »

Thank you both. Yes it is quite rare although a quick search on the internet turns up quite a few cases of it. We have decided to ask a different vet for advice on how they would proceed, just to get a second opinion. We will have to wait for her to go into heat twice as the first time she needs to have the bloods taken and then the second time for the op as she needs to be in heat when its done. She was difficult to live with when she was in heat as we live in a small bungalow and as she is a house cat, there is no escape!! Its lucky she's so cute when she's not in heat :D
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catsue
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Re: Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

Post by catsue »

Years ago we had a cat come into rescue that was already spayed but kept showing signs of being on heat. Our own vet said there was probably a bit of ovarian tissue left and that she would have to be opened up to check. It was quite a long time ago so maybe practises have changed, but he never mentioned having a blood test done and just did the operation. He found a tiny bit of tissue, removed it and it solved the problem. It was a bigger operation as they had to make the incision bigger to have a good "rummage around" but I think it cost us the same as having a pregnant cat spayed.
Last edited by catsue on Fri Sep 04, 2015 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mollysmum
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Re: Any advice on ovarian remnant syndrome?

Post by Mollysmum »

Thanks for that, its really helpful. We are going to talk to another vet next week just to get a second opinion. I'll keep you posted!
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