Luci spayed today

[Jennifer and Luci]

Yikes, it was supposed to be done next Thursday but they called this morning and wanted to do it today because of a big surgery scheduled next Thursday.  So, in she went!  Mama is a nervous wreck!  She came through it fine and I'll be able to pick her up in a few hours.  Mostly now, I'm concerned about the 'after'.  I have 3 kids here, one with autism who is going to want nothing more than to remove that cone from her head!  10-14 days that thing has to stay on? double yikes!  I plan on her spending a lot of time in her crate tonight and hopefully I can keep him entertained and away from her!  Also going to try some boys underwear and a tshirt to see if that will keep her away from her incision.  She's my first girl dog so I'm not sure exactly where the incision is until I see her.  She's pretty determined when her mind is set to something though so we shall see!

[Lindsey]

Ohhh good luck with her after care!
My baby is getting spayed next Wednesday...I'm a nervous wreck about it!! I don't even know why, I've had plenty of dogs spayed and nuetered, but for some reason I worry about my little doodle.

Way to be a responsible doodle mommy though!!!

[Jennifer and Luci]

I am still a nervous wreck and will be until I get her home with me!  It was so sad, she thought she was going out for some playtime and even the vet said she felt bad putting her under because she just wanted to have fun!  My Luci is one happy girl, all the time.  Hopefully, she forgives me for this!  I was starting to get worried, with her turning 7 months so was glad they were able to get it out of the way today...my luck, by next week she'd be in heat!  I've had boys neutered before and it never seemed a big deal at the time but they keep talking about how this is major abdominal surgery and I'm definitely more nervous this time around!

[Lindsey]

Awww, that would break my heart. I know that is how my Molly will be, all excited to be going and then WHAM-vets office. It's even harder for me because a doggy park is right next to the spay clinic, so she's REALLY going to think we're going somewhere fun :-(
Keep us updated on her recovery!

[Jennifer and Luci]

Yea, thing is she was excited even once she knew we were at the vets!  She loves everywhere and everyone.  She's probably rethinking that about now though :(

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Jennifer...The incision is higher up than the neutering. I kept Izzy with the cone for the first couple days then moved her to an inflatable collar. She wasn't able to get to the incision. The collar is MUCH better. I also put a T-shirt on her and used my daughters hair tie to scrunch it up on her back so the shirt didn't sag. Fill some small kongs with yogurt and peanut butter or anything else and freeze. That will keep her occupied for awhile. Good luck. Sounds like you have your hands full.

[Jennifer and Luci]

Oh my, Izzy looks adorable in her cone of shame!  Thanks so much, I'm off to get an inflatable collar and freeze some things for her.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Oh, thanks:) The vet should be able to give you a collar.

[Jennifer and Luci]

Thanks so much for this idea.  So far it seems to be working great.  She can reach her um..privates which she went right after but I can't tell yet if she can reach the incision since she hasn't tried yet.  Watching her like a hawk at the moment.

[Lynn & Casey]

I didn't use the cone at all and Casey did not have any interest in her incision but... she was very sensitive to where they shaved her. She had a  little razor burn that drove her crazy. I used Vet's Best Hot Spot Spray. It was soothing and did not burn like Bitter Apple. I'm sure Lucy will do great! They really do bounce back quickly.

[Jennifer and Luci]

Thanks Lynn, I sure hope she bounces back quickly.  I'm guessing she won't like the cone at all and I know it will drive my son nuts!  

 

One question, is there supposed to be a lot of bruising?  When the vet called earlier, she told me there would be a lot of bruising around the area from having to cut through and sew the 3 layers back together where they had to get to the ovaries.  

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

We never had bruising.... and yes, Izzy also had slight razor burn. I think that was more irritating than the incision. If Luci has to wear the cone it takes about a day for them to get used to it. All dogs are different and adapt differently. Maybe you can play some game with your son and give it a name?!

Bottom line is...whatever she needs (cone, collar, shirt), keep it on her. If she licks she can get it infected or pull the stitches or glue (however your vet did it). This will prolong the healing process and make it harder on her and your family.

They really do bounce back quickly. But also...Izzy ended up with a seroma (fluid build-up) so we had to keep her a little more quieter. I think I allowed her to do too much too fast (ie walks). She also had a small amount of a sedative which helped to keep her calm...and me sane!!!

[Jennifer and Luci]

She's home and seems to be quite drunk! Poor baby :(.  Big 'ol cone on her head is going to take some getting used to so she can stop bumping into things!  She's so pathetic, tomorrow should hopefully be a better day for her!