[Olive Love]

Hi,
I have a female mini poodle named Olive. She will be spayed soon. On this thread I will be giving updates on her spay and recovery and asking any questions. Olive's spay is tomorrow. Olive is now about 10 months old. My first questions are how to take care of her before and after the spay. Olive's vet has allready told me to not give her food tomorrow morning. Can I exercise Olive before her spay? How can I make sure she is resting after the spay.
Thank you,
Olive Love and Olive

 

[storyist]

The reason for not giving food before the surgery is the risk of her aspirating food when she's under anesthesia, so do that faithfully. Maybe others know of a reason not to exercise before the surgery. I don't, but I wouldn't do more than a regular potty walk - I guess just because I wouldn't do much exercise before going for surgery myself.

The vet will give you post-surgery instructions, which probably will include letting her sleep and rest as much as possible for a day or so, how much exercise to allow after that and for how long, maybe not feeding her the first night after or only a small meal. Mine have never had much appetite the first 24 hours post-surgery, but after that they're back to normal except I restrict exercise as much as possible for the first week after.

 

[Olive Love]

The reason for not giving food before the surgery is the risk of her aspirating food when she's under anesthesia, so do that faithfully. Maybe others know of a reason not to exercise before the surgery. I don't, but I wouldn't do more than a regular potty walk - I guess just because I wouldn't do much exercise before going for surgery myself.

The vet will give you post-surgery instructions, which probably will include letting her sleep and rest as much as possible for a day or so, how much exercise to allow after that and for how long, maybe not feeding her the first night after or only a small meal. Mine have never had much appetite the first 24 hours post-surgery, but after that they're back to normal except I restrict exercise as much as possible for the first week after.

How do you restrict exercise? Do you watch them, do you use a crate? A leash?

 

[LeoRose]

I wouldn't take her on a five mile hike the morning of her surgery, but a bit of a walk probably wouldn't hurt anything, as long as she doesn't get anything to eat or drink while you are walking.

Afterward, if you've got a crate, and she's used to being crated, then crate her. Otherwise, keep her tethered to you (or a sturdy bit of furniture that doesn't move) so that she can't run around as soon as she's starting to feel better. No jumping on or off furniture. Leashed walks only.

 

[Olive Love]

Thank you,
I have decided to keep her crated. How long should I keep her crated? Can she drink water at all?

 

[LeoRose]

*Please note that you should always ask your vet for specific instructions. The following is just based on my personal experience.

When she gets home, she probably won't feel like eating or drinking for a while. If she's fairly alert, then you can offer her a small amount of water. Just don't let her suck down a whole bowlful, or you might just get it back a few minutes later. If she's okay after that, you can offer her small amounts of water throughout the rest of the day. You can offer her a small amount of food for dinner, but if she doesn't eat, then that's fine. By the following morning, most of the anesthesia should be out of her system, and she should start eating and drinking normally.

If she is still pretty Froot Loops when you bring her home, just pop her in her crate and let the drugs wear off, and wait until later in the evening or even until the next day to give her anything.

Some dogs take longer to come out of anesthesia, and some anesthetic drugs are eliminated from the body faster than others, so there is no set "she will be feeling good by X:00" timetable.

It goes without saying that if you have any concerns about anything, to contact your vet. .

 

[storyist]

At the age mine were spayed, they were still spending nights in a crate. I didn't crate them during the day, just kept them in the house in the same room as me - outside only on leash. Mine always wore lampshade type hoods after the surgery, and I left them on except for potty walks - and times I could really pay attention to the dog - until the stitches were out. In the case of more recent spays where the stitches didn't need removing, I'd do that for at least a week, until I was confident they weren't going to lick the site and irritate or open it. Wearing the hood also discouraged any wild behavior.

What you'll need to do depends in large part on your dog and your circumstances. If you don't get specific instructions from the vet, ask. Answering your questions is part of the service they're providing. Same for if you have more questions after you get your dog home. Don't be shy, call and ask.

 

[Olive Love]

I just picked Olive up. Her spay went well and she is wearing her e-collar. She is very sleepy and Olive has no energy at all. It takes all her strength to even sit up with her head held high. Her vet gave me some instructions and medications. I hope Olive recovers swiftly.

 

[K9luv]

Glad she is back home! Sleepy Olive is still tired from surgery, i'm sure she'll feel back to normal soon. Glad it went ok.

My 1st dog got up and tried to walk for a drink, he walked sideways and fell over. If you haven't already, I would offer a bit of water to Olive where she's lying when she starts to be more alert and stronger (has her head up). Seems obvious, but we didn't know 😱

 

[Olive Love]

I slept on a matteres in Olive's pen. We had a great night. In the morning she ate her pill but she rejected her siringe. She has a bit more energy so I am in her pen most of the time to keep her from jumping and trying to escape.