Texas Woman Gets Routine Procedure For Rottweiler At Round Rock Vet. Then She Has To Call The Fire Department

A routine spay is one of the most common procedures in veterinary medicine. But one Round Rock, Texas resident says her dog’s complications triggered a chain reaction: emergency surgery, a “50:50” survival outlook, and medical bills she says have topped $12,000, along with a growing fight over reimbursement and accountability.

The viral clip from Elena Guevara (@elenacecilia) gives a step-by-step journey through the troubling and traumatic impacts of her dog Sakari’s recent surgery, which she said was performed at Vista Vet Animal Hospital in Round Rock.

“I come home, and I go to let her out of her crate, and I see my dog laying there with her intestines coming out of her incision, and I screamed because I thought she was dead,” Guevara said in the clip, which has been viewed more than 118,000 times. “I was afraid that her intestines would just completely fall out or she would die within minutes.”

Guevara said Sakari, her 3-year-old Rottweiler, underwent a spay procedure on Dec. 5 at Vista Vet, a clinic located near the intersection of University Boulevard and A.W. Grimes Boulevard in Round Rock. According to Guevara, the surgery initially appeared uneventful, and Sakari was sent home to recover.

Several days later, Guevara noticed pink fluid leaking from the incision site. She said she contacted the clinic and was told the discharge was normal, described as serosanguinous fluid, a mixture of blood and serum that can sometimes occur during healing. Trusting that guidance, she continued to monitor her dog at home.

But Guevara said the situation quickly escalated. The fluid, she said, turned to active bleeding. When she brought Sakari back to the clinic, Guevara said the dog was evaluated by the same veterinarian who had helped perform the original procedure and was sent home again with instructions to administer antibiotics and sedatives to limit movement.

“She was dripping blood on the clinic floor,” Guevara said in the video. “And they still sent her home.”

A Call for Emergency Help

The following day, Guevara said she returned home from work to find Sakari still inside her crate, but no longer stable with further bleeding and trauma from the wound.

At more than 90 pounds, Guevara said she was unable to safely transport Sakari herself and feared that moving her could cause fatal injury. Instead, she called 911 for help.

Firefighters with the Round Rock Fire Department responded and assisted with transporting Sakari to an emergency veterinary hospital, Guevara said. The dog was rushed into surgery and given what Guevara described as a “50:50” chance of survival. Sakari survived the procedure and remained under intensive veterinary care overnight.

Guevara said the emergency surgery and hospitalization ultimately pushed Sakari’s medical costs above $12,000, not including follow-up care and medications. A GoFundMe campaign created to help offset those expenses includes photos, veterinary invoices, and additional details about Sakari’s recovery.

Veterinary professionals note that while spaying procedures are considered routine, complications can occur. The American Veterinary Medical Association states that abnormal bleeding, incision opening, and signs of internal injury after surgery require immediate veterinary attention and emergency care.

Dispute Over Reimbursement

Guevara said she notified Vista Vet Animal Hospital about the emergency shortly after Sakari was admitted for surgery. According to Guevara, the clinic’s head veterinarian initially promised to reimburse her for the costs of correcting the complication and told her that a check was being issued. She said the clinic later paid part of the emergency bill directly to the hospital, but has not reimbursed her for the full amount or refunded the original cost of the spay procedure.
Guevara said communication with the clinic eventually stopped, and the clinic’s insurance provider has not contacted her.

Patch has reached out to Vista Vet Animal Hospital for comment via phone and email, but did not receive a response by publication time.

Guevara said she has filed a formal complaint with the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which oversees licensing and disciplinary actions for veterinarians in the state. The board confirms that complaints are reviewed and investigated, though details of active cases are not publicly disclosed.

In her video, Guevara urges other Central Texas pet owners to research veterinary clinics carefully and to seek emergency care immediately if post-surgical symptoms worsen or change suddenly.

Many commenters on the clip shared recommendations for emergency veterinary hospitals, while others said the video prompted them to cancel or reconsider upcoming spay and neuter appointments.

Several veterinary technicians and animal welfare advocates emphasized that while mild swelling or light fluid discharge can occur after surgery, active bleeding or an open incision is not considered normal and should be treated as a medical emergency.

Patch has reached out to Guevara via direct message and commented on the clip. We’ll update this if they respond.

@elenacecilia