I had my darling dog spayed on Friday.  She's a 15 month old Estrela Mountain Dog.
Apparently the operation took longer than expected because she had problems with blood clotting.  The vet said she lost quite a lot of blood.

She is OK now but has been lethargic all weekend.  I've got to make sure she takes it easy because if she bursts her stitches it will be an emergency due to the clotting problem.

The vet said they suspect lungworm and have given me treatment for that, but they don't know for sure and testing for lungworm is more expensive than just treating it.  We could have blood tests done to find out why she isn't clotting properly, but the vet said we might as well wait until she needs another op before doing the tests.

I asked what if it was an emergency and the vet said if it was an emergency she would be bleeding anyway.

Should I just accept this?  Should I be worried?  She has never had any health problems before.

There is a condition where the platelet count is low. I personally would be asking for a blood count to be done. There is a treatment for this condition but I just can't remember the name of the condition at this moment but will be back when I get more info.

Right the condition is called Thrombocytopenia but also there is Von Willebrands disease which is prevalent in certain breeds. Now I am not for one minute suggesting that she has either of these conditions but in my opinion it is best to be safe that sorry. I would ask your Vet if he would check her out.

It was thought that my dog had a clotting problem because he had dental problems and I woke one morning to find blood everywhere. He threw up loads of blood that he'd been swallowing overnight as well. His gums were bleeding but would not stop. I had to carry him to my vet he was so weak and it was touch and go because he had lost so much blood but he came through in the end. He's not had any problems with his bleeding since though.

Unfortunately a large number of dog breeds suffer from one of the many blood clotting problems. Some breeds are now making a determined effort to eradicate it from the breed by selective breeding. Mind you it will never totally disappear whilst people breed as a job and are only interested in numbers not health

Testing for Von Willebrands is not complex or difficult, just needs a sample.  Not sure if it s the same gene in most breeds but if so then a cheek swab for DNA testing is all that would be needed.

remember make sure you have some bandage material in the house, a small cut paw could take a while to stop bleeding.
when the vet said she lost a lot of blood, did they take any blood samples at this point? to check her platelet counts or her PCV? (packed cell volume)?

If it was vWD wouldnt it be on the KC website for breed sites as a breed specific problem? 

If it was vWD a test conducted by your vet would not be the recommended test, the best one is via the KC and they send off to Finnzymes.  If vWD was suspected surely your vet would know this?  Could you phone your breed club or look on their website for related health problems?  Speak to Dr Jeff Sampson at the KC - he might have some advice, he is very helpful.