When your dog was spayed, was she CRAZY trying to get at her stitches?

TibetanFan · 10-20-2007, 10:37 PM

My dog was spayed 2 days ago. She's wearing the cone because she was constantly licking. Now she keeps suddenly jumping up (quick - like she was bit by a bug) and spinning around trying to get at her stiches. It seems to be getting worse not better. She's on a pain med. and the vet said to give her Benydryl to keep her calm. But even on both those she's having a really hard time. The incision looks fine to me - not infected. I'm hoping she's reacting that way to ichiness - that would explain why the pain med and Benydryl aren't giving her relief. What else could it be? Did anyone else's dog act like this? I feel so bad for her. She can't get comfortable.

briteday · 10-21-2007, 12:30 AM

Some dogs just handle things differently. Our dogs are small. I have one due to be spayed on the 29th. In the past I have cut off the top ribbed part of a clean white crew sock (good use for the socks with holes in the toes!) and slipped it over the abdominal area covering the stitches. In conjunction with a cone for the first day or so, this seems to work pretty good for us. If your dog is larger perhaps you could use the sleeve from an old sweatshirt or sweater.

My dogs are usually back to themselves in about 3 days.

squirt1968 · 10-21-2007, 01:23 AM

my dog did those quick jumps with a whine some for a couple of days but she did not bother her stitches other than some mild licking, nothing that bothered the stitches

Annamarie · 10-21-2007, 01:30 AM

our dog is male but when he was neutered he reacted more to the cone than to the stitches. we got him one of those doggy diapers at the pet store and watched him like a hawk so he could have the cone off and he was a lot happier. he didn't really care about his stitches, just sniffed them a few times more to see what the heck was there and why his nuts were gone

if you do a search online there are some inflatable or soft elizabethan collars that might help instead of the cone, if that's what's bugging her (pinching her maybe?)

you could also try giving her something really tasty to chew on like a big beef leg bone that might keep her mind off it.

soothie · 10-21-2007, 05:37 AM

Both my rescue dogs were spayed 2 days ago.

The male is fine but my female, 9yo is looking abit distressed this evening. She looks abit red and swollen and keeps trying to get comfortable. A few times today she has rushed outside to eat grass so she looks to have a tummy upset too.

I haven't let her do much licking but she doesn't seem to be attacking the stiches.

She is panting abit as well, so I'm worried she maybe in a bit of pain. Its hard to say it was very warm here today so the air conditioning has come on. It's another 13 hours until Monday morning so I'll decide then whether she needs to go back to the vet. I wish they had given me some pain meds as she is a bit of an old girl.

briteday · 10-21-2007, 01:28 PM

I can't imagine leaving the vet with a newly spayed dog and no pain meds. I would rather pay for them and not use them than not to have them. Our vet always offers, but I would ask if they don't offer.

TibetanFan · 10-21-2007, 05:58 PM

I asked my vet twice at pick up time and he said we wouldn't need it. I ended up going back the next day to get it. I'd like to see him have a vasectomy without pain meds!!