Just Wanted to Share the News

[Rhoda and Asta]

Asta saw the Vet today and received his last round of shots.  Hooray!!!  In two weeks, he can go out in mixed company.   He is 17 weeks and weighs 28.80 lbs.  He is growing so fast as the attached photos show.  Who knew he could reach the counter top already :)

He is scheduled to be neutered (laser procedure) on Friday.  I would appreciate any advice/info on what to expect.

Thanks.

[Laura and Angus]

What a cutie!! With neutering, I'd say the hardest part for us was going 2 weeks without letting Angus run around or jump up on things. He has a hard time keeping still...we had lots of indoor activities and got him some puzzles and things to play with to keep him occupied without running around. Good luck with the procedure!

[John M]

What a cutie!

I just had Winston neutered a month ago, and at the same time his dew claws were removed. The one thing that I wasn't prepared for was the hard cone he had to wear for 22 days (hopefully it will be less for Asta). Because of his dew claws I was really limited to the large hard clear plastic cone and by day 5 Winston would walk his head into the cone when I held it in front of him--nothing pulls on your heart strings than a puppy who looks up at you with eyes as if to say "what did I do wrong". I think it was harder on me! NO I KNOW IT WAS!

Keep an eye on his wound for any drainage--should be none. There may be bruising and swelling like Winston had but within 10 days it was pretty much cleared up. I pretty much kept Winston on lock down to the house the entire time and just counted down the days--on the last day we went to the butcher shop for a fillet for me and a fresh bone for W!

Good luck!

[Rhoda and Asta]

Thanks for the advice. Asta's dewclaws were removed by the breeder before I received him.  I did discuss the cone with the Vet.  She will be doing laser procedure which means there will be not external sutures.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Cute, cute!!

Laser surgery is awesome- I'm glad that you have that option as it makes for much less pain, swelling and irriation afterward. I literally had to search for the incision on Winnie after she had it done- it was hardly noticeable.

Like others have said, the hardest thing was keeping her to "quieter" activities. We went for long walks, but couldn't do any off leash running, ball playing or doggy daycare. Keeping her from jumping up was next to impossible, so we did the best we could. Winnie didn't need a cone, which was nice.

Best wishes! 

[Gretchen Nastrom]

I was a mess when we took Preston in to get neutered, but he did just fine!  He had the laser procedure as well, and the day we picked him up, he was so excited to see us that I thought he would be "normal" when we got home.  I think his excitement at seeing us took every ounce of energy though because the rest of the night he was so out of it.  He had to wear a cone and kept running into walls.  At one point he put the cone on the ground and gave out a big sigh.  I felt so bad!  But really it was just because he was so tired and needed to sleep.  The next day he was much better and it was easy to forget that he had been neutered.  A few days after his surgery he was red and swollen, so I took him to the vet, but he hadn't done any damage.  The biggest challenge was just keeping him calm and quiet.

Good luck!  The best part is after it is all done and healed and you know you don't have to worry about it anymore.

[Rhoda and Asta]

Thank you all so much for your encouragement.  My baby is so rambunctious, I know that keeping him quiet will be a challenge.  But I'm up to it :)