Neutered and licking

Durbkat · 01-03-2008, 08:02 PM

Snoopy just got neutered today but they didn't give him a cone as I don't think they gave him enough time to wake up and see if he was going to lick. Well now Snoopy tries to lick everytime I take him out to go potty as he will stop every few steps to try and lick and he licks inside as well when he thinks no one is looking as I say "Ah ah" everytime I catch him doing it. I think they should have given him the cone but oh well. Anyway, my question is, how would I keep him from licking during the night? Since I can't watch him, do you think he will just go to sleep or would it even matter if he licked. When I called the vet assistant said that if he continues to lick and it turns red and swells then he will need the cone.

Annamarie · 01-03-2008, 08:13 PM

he should definately have a cone. if he pulls open the stitches it can be a veterinary emergency.

our dog spent 48 hours crying nonstop because he hated his cone so much. we took it off and put some doggy diapers on him so he couldn't chew and watched him every second. at night we put a baby one-sy (aka sleeper) on him as well.

Durbkat · 01-03-2008, 08:15 PM

If he is still licking tomorrow do you think I should call the vet and ask if I can have one?

I have never had a dog before so I don't know if this is normal, but I lifted him up to look at where he had his surgery and it smells bad, the best I can describe it is the smell you smell when you get a tooth pulled. It's also red, which I assume is normal? So is this normal?

briteday · 01-03-2008, 08:31 PM

You can get one from the vet but they're probably cheaper (and you might still get one tonight) from a pet store.

Durbkat · 01-03-2008, 08:34 PM

They sell them at pet stores? Hmm.. I may be able to go tomorrow, the pet store closes in 30 min and it takes about that long to get there. Thanks for the tip briteday. I edited in a question in my above post.

Annamarie · 01-03-2008, 08:46 PM

you might be smelling dried blood or iodine. you could call the vet in the morning to make sure but it sounds normal to me. of course without seeing it in person i can't say for sure.

if you don't have access to a cone or anything tonight you could put a loose pair of boxer shorts on him for the night.

Durbkat · 01-03-2008, 08:51 PM

Thats what I was thinking it was, dried blood. I don't have any boxers, he sleeps for long periods of time so hopefully he won't lick.

Oh, almost forgot. How long should I keep the cone on him?

Annamarie · 01-03-2008, 08:55 PM

until the stitches come out unfortunately. even if the incision is healed, if the dog rips the stitches out it could be bad news.

Durbkat · 01-03-2008, 08:59 PM

It's those dissolving stitches, so they don't come out.

animalcraker · 01-03-2008, 10:43 PM

When you do get a cone you need to make sure that's it's long enough to go past his nose, that way when he turns we won't be able to lick. The size around the neck doesn't matter that much since it can be easily adjusted. Until you do get the cone you can use a small t-shirt that covers the area. It's really important that you keep a cone or t-shirt on him whenever you can't watch him, including when he sleeps. And even with disolvable sutres you'll still need to prevent him from licking for 2 weeks.

Willowy · 01-04-2008, 12:48 AM

I think the smell is just surgery smell......Betadine or something. I didn't notice a smell with the dogs, but whenever I have a cat spayed/neutered (which is often---I do some rescue), they smell weird for awhile. Nothing to worry about.

I don't know how to advise about the licking. Moose licked his surgery site constantly for 2 weeks, and it healed up just fine. Either the vet didn't stitch him, or he pulled the stitches right away, because he didn't have any stitches when I picked him up from the vet. And he had been boarding for 3 days after the neuter (I scheduled it that way), so I figured the vet could keep an eye on him, and HE didn't say anything about stitches, or about the licking being a bad thing. I suppose if Moose had chewed the area, I'd have been concerned. And I've had cats lick their neuter sites, with no problems. I don't worry about neuters too much. It's just a little flesh wound; it's not a like a spay, where their insides could fall out if they pulled their stitches.

Durbkat · 01-04-2008, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by animalcraker

When you do get a cone you need to make sure that's it's long enough to go past his nose, that way when he turns we won't be able to lick. The size around the neck doesn't matter that much since it can be easily adjusted. Until you do get the cone you can use a small t-shirt that covers the area. It's really important that you keep a cone or t-shirt on him whenever you can't watch him, including when he sleeps. And even with disolvable sutres you'll still need to prevent him from licking for 2 weeks.

Do the cones come in sizes such as, small, medium, large, and stuff like that? My grandma is going to get it but I have to be leaving for work soon. I don't think she should be bringing him to the pet store as he is still in pain.

Inga · 01-04-2008, 09:45 AM

Yes, they do and each one is also adjustable on it's own. Snoopy would need the small one and probably made as small as it goes. How is he doing now? Usually it only takes a few days and the dog leaves it alone. Often getting his mind off of it with play and such helps. Use caution when he has it on so he doesn't run into anything. He won't be able to judge where the edges are.

Durbkat · 01-04-2008, 09:51 AM

Well he still tries to lick it occasionlly but he doesn't move around. He will take a few steps from his bed to his food and water bowl and then back to his bed and thats it until he gets thirsty again. He hadn't pee'd since 4pm yesterday till around 8:30 this morning and even then he pee'd sitting down with his back left leg lifting him up slightly so he wouldn't pee on himself. He woke me up about 4:30am howling so I took him out but he wouldn't go. He hasn't pooped since wednesday.

Inga · 01-04-2008, 09:53 AM

He was also off food for a little while before the surgery. Has he eaten now? He will get better in a day or two. Keep an eye on how much water he intakes. Don't want him to dehydrate. If he misses a meal or two he will be fine. He should recover quickly.

Durbkat · 01-04-2008, 06:50 PM

Yes he has been eating, he has eaten all his meals real fast, which is strange as he always waited a few min after the food was put down to eat. He hasn't been drinking much, just laying around so I had to put the bowl in front of him. He pee'd this morning and he held it till just now as it still hurts him to stand up. He pooped for the first time today but my mom said he was moaning the whole time. He is getting more back to himself as he actually sniffed around first and squatted like he normally does which is a good sign. He hasn't been licking anymore so we didn't get the cone.

Durbkat · 01-07-2008, 04:11 PM

Update! Snoopy is doing much better and has returned to his old self except for some accidents. Here are some pics of the surgery area, do you all think he is healing nicely?

To me it looks like he didn't remove all of his testicles but I have never seen a freshly neutered dog before so I don't know if its normal or not.

Annamarie · 01-07-2008, 06:59 PM

he's probably just swollen and may have some edema, that's normal. eventally the sack will shrivel up like a raisin but for a few weeks or months he may have a bit of an empty pouch there

Inga · 01-07-2008, 07:03 PM

Yup! Looks good. It will just take a little time to go down. When the fur grows back it will look better as well.

Durbkat · 01-07-2008, 07:07 PM

Thanks inga! It just looks really gross right now.