Max's Surgery Day

[Mommy2Max]

Hello Friends!

As promised, I'm keeping you all updated on Max's surgery (neuter).

Things went wonderfully yesterday.


First, I just want to say that the vet was wonderful. If you recall, Max's original vet was old school and didn't want to perform the surgery until he was 6 months old. He was very nice so, this isn't anything against him. However, Max humps everything in sight and he began marking so, I caved to pressure and decided to have him neutered. It is such a confusing decision to make. One of the things against early neutering is they believe that the dogs may get bigger than they were intended due to the delay in the closing of growth plates that testosterone brings on. However, this doesn't happen until 6-12 months depending on breed and bone. So, I would need to wait until he is a year old if I want to ensure everything is set. That increases the chance of behaviors such as marking and mounting - hormones, they rule the world. Anyone with more knowledge than I, please correct me if I am wrong. Long story short, I decided to go ahead with the neutering despite my feelings of guilt. I'm not saying it is wrong to neuter but, I kinda feel for the little guy.

If you are in the Seattle North Sound (Mukilteo, Lynnwood, Everett) and you are looking for a vet, send me a message and I'll give you his information.

Onward to the day of surgery.....

We had to drop Max off at the vet between 8am and 9am. I filled out some paperwork and they took Max's temperature and weight. The vet came out and spoke with my husband and I for a great length of time to assure us of everything and answer any questions we may have. It as a great relief for me and I felt confident that Max was in good hands. I had done a lot of reading the day before about the what to look for. He assured me that Max would be given fluids and that someone would be watching him during anesthesia. He used internal dissolvable stiches and "glue" for the external incision - which is quite small. The surgery takes about 20-30 minutes and they would call me when he was done to let me know how everything went. Max needed an exam before surgery to make sure that he was okay to go ahead as planned. Everything checked out A-OK. I left him with my husband's t-shirt to calm him down (the scent can keep them feeling safe) and some dog food because he is a picky eater.

I recieved a call around 11am telling me the surgery went very well and that he was just coming out of the anesthesia. They kept him until 3:30pm to make sure he continued to do well.

When I arrived to pick Max up he was doing a little whining and whimpering but, was looking well overall. He was really wet around his mouth and paws. It was either some of the fluids coming out or drool. He drools a lot when he is nauseous. Personally, I think it was the fluids because it was coming out of his mouth like rain - no joke. They shaved a portion of his legs for the IV. They couldn't get it in on one side so thay had to go for the second leg. He looks like a poodle that was groomed by a cross eyed intoxicated groomer. I just got over the last short haircut. C'est la vie!

We took Max home with instructions: No jumping or running, No excessive stair climbing, no "rough-housing" with people and pets

Also, I need to check the incision daily for signs of redness, swelling discharge and excessive licking. For the record, he has none of that. It is very slightly pink and he hasn't touched the area. So, we didn't need an e-collar or the onsies I purchased - hahaha. I know, I'm not normal.

I also went home with a certificate of vaccination for rabies, neutering and Avid Microchip - all of which was done yesterday. The tech forgot to show me that the chip is working but he has to go back in a few weeks for his second bordetella shot. I'll check it then. I was also given pain meds for Max - four days worth.

I have been feeding him his favorite - chicken. He is picky and wouldn't eat his kibble. He needs to eat before he gets the pain meds. I also thought moist food might be more comforting for him. I'm pretty sure by tomorrow he'll get his kibble despite his refusal.

He was a little "out of it" and whimpering here and there but, overall, he has been behaving like his normal self. He is eating, urinating and deficating like usual.

If anyone wants a break down of the bill, send me a message. I'll let you know what I paid. In these hard economic times - I understand.

I'll update you later about today's behavior but here is a sneak peak.....

HE IS STILL HUMPING!

~Danielle

Making Sense of Pre-Anesthetic Bloodwork

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

He most likely doesn't need pain meds. Ned was fine. Not much licking and ready to play etc pretty quickly. We kept him as quiet as we could but we have other dogs and he played etc. He also had the disolving stitches and they disolved just fine. Ned was just shy of 4 months. Our other dogs were neutered at 3 - 4 months and they also had no complications. Hope this helps your worries.

[2SCdoodles]

I have two doodles. One is a humper still! Both were neutered before they left their breeder at 8 weeks of age. The interesting thing is that only one lifts his leg. The other squats. The one that squats is the one that humps. He gets really worked up after a grooming session! He is wild! I have been embarrassed repeatedly because I can't keep him off his brother to get him out the door at the groomer's!

We are glad that Max is doing well.

[Mommy2Max]

I did have pre-anesthetic blood screening @ a cost of $52.00 USD. It was optional but, that is my only fear of surgery. Maybe it is a requirement in your state?

[Crazy Doodle Lady]

Did your vet do any presurgical blood work? My vet told me that they now require it for all dogs and that it is an extra $80. I never had that with my other dogs. Not sure if it's a new way to get money out of you or if it's a good idea to do.

Glad Max is doing well. One more week of worry here.