SPAY next week.. any suggestions/advice?

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Lucy turns 5 months April 6th and is scheduled for her spay on the 7th. Any suggestions/advice on what to expect the first few days home? We have a comfy cone for her, and of course her crate to keep her quiet for short periods of time, but I wonder just how much the crate will help when she really wants to get out and MOVE. She's an active girl. Thanks for any/all input.

[Lynne B]

I'm having Murphy neutered tomorrow, and I am putting a baby gate on the room that I spend the most time in (home office) I will keep him in here with me during the day and put him in his crate in the bedroom at night. My main concern is keeping him away from his big brother Beck who I am sure won't understand that they can't wrestle for a few days. When I had Beck neutered, they told me to keep him quiet for a week- what a joke, within 48 hours we almost had to sit on him to keep him from running and jumping

[Cindy Herrod]

The first day, they are really calm anyway from the drugs and anesthesia, so she will probably just want to lay down and sleep that evening and night. Belle was actually pretty calm the first couple of days, she is normally quite active, but we did not engage her and she pretty much stayed calm on her own. We also did not use a cone (I am thinking that licking wasn't a problem because she couldn't reach that area, but I may not be remembering correctly. The only thing that we really did any differently is lift her up and down from the couch, so she wouldn't jump up or down, but that is about it as I recall.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Just try to keep her from jumping on things. By day 3, Peri was totally fine and ready to go crazy. Crate didn't help - she wanted to be loose! In our case, the calming sedatives didn't help. LOL - it all turned out okay though! It will be okay....

[Minga & Malu & Costa]

The younger they are, the quicker they recover. Usually by the next day they are pretty much back to normal. There is no need to "keep them quiet" for a week. If the dog feels good, she will play, if not, she won't. Let her be your guide. I would just keep it below rambunctious for the first couple days, but any surgeon worth the money will have great sutures that shouldn't rip except under extreme circumstances. And depending on what type of stitch they do, you may not even see the stitches on the outside. Just depends on the vet and what they prefer.

I have been working in/around vet clinics for 20+ years both as a technician and in the office (since I was a wee little lass at age 11 as a volunteer!) and my mom is a vet. I also applied to vet school here in Texas 3 years in a row, but got my PhD instead. It's a competitive field! In case you were wondering about my qualifications :)

[Lynne B]

I kind of figured a dog will only do what they feel up to doing, but my concern is that Murphy wrestles constantly with my older Labradoodle Beck, and I'm afraid that he might get injured when playing- how long would you suggest I keep them apart? (it's going to be tough- those two act like siamese twins, they do everything together)

[Leigh & Allie]

Allie's stitches were on the inside so I had NO problem at all with her licking her site. I would ask if your vet can do this type of stitches. I went to this vet in particular because he could do the stitches on the inside. The only problem was trying to prevent her from jumping on the couch ( her favorite place). I did walk her on a leash for potty breaks but other than that it was a non issue.

[Minga & Malu & Costa]

Yes, you can ask if your vet can do a buried suture.

Don't worry, everything will go great!

[Sandy]

We spent a week with the cushions flipped up on the couch so Toby wouldn't try to jump on it. :)

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all your feedback. All great suggestions. I remember (sort of, since it was 23 yrs ago) my cat's spay going really smoothly, with her being out of commission for only about a day or so. I imagine a dog wouldn't be that much different. I WILL ask about internal sutures as that seems the way to go. My vet's skills are cutting edge, so hopefully it won't be a problem. Its hard not to worry... even the anesthetic could cause problems. My father's Springer Spaniel has mini seizures now when she gets overly excited or physically taxed, ever since having a growth removed from her eyelid. A side effect from the anesthetic. She's only 5 so there's lots of years left with having to deal with and manage that. Then, of course, no one wants their baby to be in pain or uncomfortable.

We have gates up to limit Lucy's roaming around the house (and jumping up on beds and sofas), although we may have to set up a temporary gate to the stairway. Lucy LOVES running up and down the stairs. Other than that, we should be all set as far as preparations.

We always take her out on a leash for potty breaks so she won't be getting herself into trouble while outside.

Thanks again everyone!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

On our walk today we stopped in to Lucy's vet's office (its only a block away), so I could get Lucy weighed and ask about the buried/invisible sutures. My vet does perform that kind of incision close so we're good to go. Lucy weighs 32-1/2 lbs., up 5lbs from 2 weeks ago. My how she's growing!

[Leigh & Allie]

I don't think you will have to worry about her licking her site due to the buried sutures. I have noticed that a lot of people have trouble with that and have to put their dog in a cone. From what I have read this seems to be the biggest pain, so you will not have to worry about that. I was worried about anesthesia also because Allie had a heart murmur when she was little but she had no trouble at all and I was able to take her home the same day as the surgery. I have heard that some people have to leave their puppy overnight. That would have killed me. Lucy will be fine.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Just wanted to report in on how Lucy is doing since her spay yesterday. The surgery went well and her incision site is really quite small. It looks really good, not red or swollen at all. Lucy was quite pathetic looking and RESTLESS yesterday. I thought she'd want to sleep all evening/night, but no, she paced and walked all over the house instead. Must have been a side effect of the anesthesia, as she's sleeping a lot today. She's been eating and drinking well, playing quietly with her stuffed animals and chewies and taking long naps. Normal eliminations too. So, all in all, its been really easy. Didn't use the cone at nighttime, either, as suggested by my vet. Lucy looked so miserable with that thing on and I hadn't seen her touch her incision site so I gave in and took it off. No problems. Vet says she'll feel pretty normal by tomorrow, but no forced exercise or rough housing for the next 7 days.