Cocoa got spayed yesterday and wont leave her stiches alone....

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I hear some of you talking about shirts for them?  How do you do this?

[Becka]

Lindsey, if you look at the pictures on my page you can see how I put one of my old shirts on Sadie. I knotted it at the bottom to keep the stitched area covered. But she wasn't very interested in her stitches to begin with--if it's a real problem with Cocoa you might be better off with the cone.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I've not had much luck trying the shirt or toddler underwear on the fosters that I had that were spayed/neutered.  My girls left their stitches alone.  I'd guess also that you are going to need to go get a cone.  Just make sure to keep an eye on them to make sure there isn't some reason they won't leave them alone other than they are just stitches.

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I took one of my shirts and so far its working.   Vet is open 3 more hours so going to keep a close eye and if she is still messing with them I will have to take her up to get fitting.

Other issue is she has peed in the house 2 times and once in her cage... very unusual for her. Called vet and they said could just be a side effect from the drugs yesterday or her body is changed and might take her a day or so to re learn it.  Anyone else have this issue?

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Did the vet not give her a cone? I'm surprised if they didn't.

If you can get one, it would be very handy to have on hand--just in case she figures out how to work around the shirt!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Our vet let Luna go home without a cone, but that's because they had kept her overnight for observation (their standard procedure) and determined that she didn't need one.  They said if she fussed with her stitches to come back and get one.

Lindsey - it's probably just a side effect from the drugs, she may just be sleeping super soundly.

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I was shocked when DH came home and no cone.  They did not keep her overnight and I figured they would.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I had no luck with the shirts, shorts, etc., when my foster was spayed. She was a standard with a long body, and no matter how I adjusted any shirt or shorts, she managed to get at the stitches. She and I both hated that huge hard plastic cone the vet gave her, so I bought an inflatable one. I figured I could always use it for Jack (or another foster) at some point, as I have never made it through any dog's lifetime without needing a cone at some point (besides spay/neuter surgery). With the inflatable one, she could eat and sleep in relative comfort and couldn't get at the stitches.

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

So far the shirt seams to be working. I am also shocked she let me put it on and has left it in for over 5 hours now.

[Bonnie and Kona]

We had a Golden who had many many opportunities to wear a t-shirt. He was perfectly fine with it. He also had to wear a cone often and could manage anything with it on... including negotiating the dog door with ease. None of our other dogs were as adept with the cone... practice makes perfect, I guess. The reason I would want a cone in addition to using a t-shirt is for nighttime or if you have to leave Cocoa alone for a period of time. Maybe it is the boredom but when our dog was left alone he would trouble his stitches, but never when we were with him.

BTW our two doodles didn't bother their surgical sites from neutering at all, but females have more extensive surgery so I don't know if that would cause more desire to get at the wound site.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

My Sophie got a UTI following her Spay.  She was doing the same thing as your little one.  She would just lay on her pillow and pee without even realizing she was doing it.  Also, you can get a cone at a pet store as well if the vet isn't open.