She's getting spayed in two days....

[Lucy & Ellie]

Lucy will be getting spayed and I just wondered if there's anything I should know or expect.  We're just new to the world of puppies so I really know nothing!

[Judi Kilpatrick]

Our 2 boys were neutered about 3 weeks ago, something that helped the boys were the pro-collars, they are an inflatable collar that is much more comfortable than the horrible cones, at least they could lay down and sleep with these on and we didn't worry about them licking or chewing at the incisions. They are available at Petsmart or Petco if you have them in your area, well worth the price. Good luck, Lucy will not feel very good for a few days, just keep her as quiet as you can and give her lots of hugs..lol

[Mireille Renaud]

Good luck Lucy! We just had our little boy (6.5 months) neutered last Wednesday (6 days ago). We kept his cone on until this morning, and because his incision has been looking great and he's been mostly leaving it alone (he was still able to lick it with his cone on!), we decided it was time for it to go. He is SO happy today!

When she gets home, expect some crying and some jelly wobbly legs! Our Cashew whined a lot the first few hours he was home, but by the next day his tail was up again and although he was more sleepy than usual (which, by the way, is totally welcome when you are told to keep your puppy under wraps for A WEEK!), he was very happy to be home. Now, 6 days later, he's back to his old self. It will be rough for a few days but she will bounce back in no time :)

Advice: get her plenty of new chew toys you know she'll like to keep her busy the first couple of days. I stuffed a Kong and a couple of hollow marrow bones with peanut butter and froze them the day before, and would give Cashew one when he got restless and we were still restricting his running. Good luck :)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Our biggest chore after Enzo was spayed, was keeping her calm. No running and jumping a hard concept for a puppy to understand!
Invest in a SOFT cone! The big, bulky, plastic ones that the Vet sells are awful. The soft comfort cones are much more manageable and quiet! Enz was able to use hers as a pillow at night.
Our Vet warned us against covering with shirts, shorts, etc. The incision needs air to heal and the coverings cause irritation.
Just keep an eye on the incision for redness and any sign of infection.
Wishing you luck on the spay......keep yourself busy the day of.....I worried all day until she was back at home with us.
Keep us posted!

[Liz]

Cooper was neutered about 2 weeks ago and his sister (lives with family) was spayed around the same time.  Cooper bounced back more quickly than she did for sure.  She was out of it for longer, likely due to the pain meds.  I agree with everyone who said keep some "quiet" activity toys around.  Coop was very well fed last week with lots of extra Kongs.  The vet recommended getting a puzzle toy or two which was a good idea (new treat ball) to keep him mentally rather than physically exhausted.  By day 3 he was back to his old self (except for the shaved arm for the IV -- really wish the vet would have told me about that -- Molly didn't get one) and was back at daycare at a week out.  Sister is taking it easy for a full 2 weeks per her vet's instructions, but was raring to go by about 6-5 days out.

He hated the cone and cried from the time I got him home until 2:30 am when I realized he could reach around the cone to the incision and I gave up and took it off. I tried one of the blow up ones after that, but he could get around that too. He never really licked so I didn't bother trying anything else.  Worked out fine.  

Good luck!!

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Yarrow was spayed in March.  She was very sleepy and wobbly the first night and I slept downstairs next to her.  I was concerned about her being in pain so I asked the vet for some pain medication for after the 24 hour dose wore off.  In hindsight, I should've swapped the pain meds for a couple of days worth of tranquilizers!  24 hours after surgery she was eating and drinking and wondering why we weren't going out to play as usual. 

She was in no pain and just super bored!  With her cone on, Yarrow jumped the gate I placed at the bottom of the stairs to keep her 'safe' on the main level.  I nearly had heart failure sitting just a few feet away and unable to get to her and stop her.  Then she ran upstairs and jumped onto my bed.  So much for keeping her from running and jumping for 7 to 10 days.  I don't know how but she healed up perfectly. 

So my advice would be to have a bag of tricks to pick from to keep her quietly entertained.  I got Yarrow some long lasting bones and new toys to try to keep her occupied.  Another thing that I think is common is that Yarrow had been completely potty trained but the spay surgery caused her to have a couple of accidents.  Her leash walking regressed too because she had so much pent up energy and was not allowed to run it off.  It will not be an easy time but it will only be a few trying days.

[Lucy & Ellie]

Thanks everyone!  Lucy did great today.  Like you all said, she is wobbly and drowsy.  It's pretty cute really :)  And it's nice that she's just so calm and snuggly! 

It's going to be tough to keep her calm once she feels normal again I'm sure!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Thanks for the update! Glad all went well.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

:)