[Corteo]

I took Sobaka to the vet today to get spayed and get microchipped... They said that she is not allowed to run or go on walks for six days (understandably), so I was wondering what you guys have done to keep yourselves and your dogs sane during this time. Sobaka is used to at least three walks a day, and I don't know what her energy will be like by day six ... Any good boredom busters out there? BTW, Sobaka absolutely HATES peanut butter...

Thanks,
Corteo

 

[Sunshyne]

I had the same problem. My vet said 6 months is the best and worst time to spay as they have so much energy!! Chloe was jumping off the couch the day after, of course I put a stop to that, but she didn't seem bothered by the stitches nor her operation at all.

When I would take her out to potty, we would spend extra time in my yard. I let her sniff everything and a few times we just sat on the front stairs and watched people and cars go by. This was also a training tool as I got her to start focusing on me and not be reactive or bark when things went by. I practiced her sit & stays about 5 times a day, but no other major training during that time. I took her out for car rides around the neighborhood just to get her out and for a change of scenery.

My dog isn't into frozen Kongs or peanut butter either. It was really hard to get through, but it was also a good opportunity to do some training and let her have a bit more freedom in the yard - instead of a quick potty break she got an adventure.

Good luck!

 

[briteday]

Day One- not much trouble, she wanted to sleep and lay around...left her in the crate (we have 2 other dogs) other than to potty, eat, snuggle

Day Two - more active and alert, still crated because of other dogs, gave her more time outside when out to potty

Day Three - crated, see Day Two

Day Four - incision looked good, no oozing, no redness, edges sealed together nicely, no rough play but she was glad to be out and about in the house. I gated the other dogs in the family room and kept her with me in the rest of the house

Day Five / Six - same aas Day Four

 

[Corteo]

Thanks for the replies! I'll have to give you guys updates...

 

[DJsMom]

Good luck with it! The time does seem to go fairly quickly. DJ's neutered, but it's basically the same aftercare. And he is very full of energy too!
Like the others have said - lots of potty breaks on a leash in the yard &, in DJs case, more than normal crate time.

 

[tirluc]

i probably will get reamed for this but not one of my dogs were kept "down" beyond that 1st day....they weren't allowed to play as hard but they still got out and exercised at about 1/2 level....i have never had a problem w/ them and they seemed to heal faster than the others i've known that were kept quiet....i let them (somewhat) determine their activity at the time (if they get tired, we quit and, like i said, i don't allow the same distance, jumps are taboo, etc) and incisions were checked often to make sure there was no swelling, redness, popped sutures, etc....but, try to keep a Border Collie down and you're asking for trouble...even for a short period of time

 

[alphadoginthehouse]

I'm glad I'm not the only one...I would watch the incision and keep them as quiet as possible, but dogs generally heal much faster than we do and, in general, will limit themselves if they feel bad. I got Mort the 2nd day after his neuter and they didn't have any restrictions on him at all.

I'm ready for the reaming as well...

 

[dakotajo]

I bet your glad that's all over with when Dakota was spayed they put in those stitches that don't dissolve and they are much stronger. They did that because they knew how bouncy she was and it's a good thing they did too because this dog can bounce around like crazy even when she was blocked off in the kitchen after surgery. She healed great as I'm sure Sobaka will. How much does your gal weigh now? Just noticed she is at the vet right now in your post

 

[Chels_girl]

I never kept any of my dogs out of the game. Just keep an eye on it and let them go. My vet told me when we got my Aussie spayed that it's actually pretty hard for them to pull the stitches. Kali was playing and running on day three and I let her, she did fine.

 

[Mudra]

Xena got spayed on April 8th. The longest day of my life. She stayed overnight at the vet. Picking her up from the vet the next morning was both a happy and sad reunion. Happy because she gets to come home, sad because she wasn't herself. Too drugged to recognized me and her daddy.

I took a few days off work (plus the holiday weekend) so I can properly take care of her. She isn't allowed outside with her brothers unless we are there to supervise. The boys seem to understand that sister has a boo boo and was very very careful with her, she on the other hand is going bonkers wanting to play with them.

I didn't walk her for the first two days and pretty much just let her rest, she is either in her crate or inside the house, the only time she got to go out was to do her business. On the third day, I walked her just around the block so she can have some fresh air.

Her stitches are healing pretty quickly and she is now back to her playful, energetic self. She's still wearing her cone and is getting alot better in maneuvering herself while wearing the cone. The first day home was kind of funny because she bangs her cone on pretty much everything. I took advantaged of the time she is recuperating by really bonding with her.

Right now she's in her crate sleeping. Lately, that's all she does. LOL! But when she is awake, the first thing she does is search for me. If she cant find me, she takes a nap under my office desk and waits there until I see her.

I try to take her out every couple of hours to go pee and poop. Her brothers cant wait to play with her again. Im sure she misses them too.

Hope SOBAKA heals well.

 

[Mac'N'Roe]

Yeah, my two got neutered/spayed at the same time at 6 months. Upon return the following day, they were almost back to normal. mac was pretty much raring to go, Roe was a little slower the first day. The vet didn't give us cones, but they left the incisions alone. I was very stringint at first about being quiet and not moving, but the BF talked me into letting them be. We pretty much did everything same as normal, but I didn't allow rough play or chasing the first few days. Just normal walks. They healed fine.

Let the reaming begin.

 

[Kyllobernese]

Susie was the first spayed female I had ever had. She came home from the Vet the same day as she was spayed. She never had a cone on or ever even seemed to realize anything had been done. I didn't let her jump around a lot but she still went out into the yard and wandered around on her own. She healed up fine (I did keep an eye on her incision) and was never crated or anything.

 

[Willowy]

i probably will get reamed for this but not one of my dogs were kept "down" beyond that 1st day

I've never restricted a pet after spaying/neutering at all, either. I figure that SHE'S the one who had major surgery, so why should I tell her what to do after that surgery? I wouldn't pressure her to go for a walk, but if she feels like a walk, why should I stop her? If it hurt, she wouldn't do it. Of course, if pain meds are given it could be different.

I can't see how going on a controlled walk would hurt anything. Running, wrestling, and playing in the mud....maybe not such a great idea .

 

[Corteo]

Well, I got Sobaka back this morning. They also removed her dewclaws, so I have to bag her feet when I take her out, because it's very wet here, so walks are not going to happen right now. Her bandages stay on her feet for three days... She is her normal self, very happy to see me. Will let you know how it goes... Oh, BTW, Sobaka waighs 73 pounds

 

[Corteo]

UPDATE: Had to take Sobaka to the Emergency Animal Hospital. She took her bandages off of her paws and several of her stitches came out. She had to get some staples put in, rebandaged, and given a plastic e-collar (which she hates). The vet prescribed some antibiotic pills to give her (which she hates). How do I give her the pills without spitting them out? I tried cheese - she ate the cheese and spat the pill on the ground (a very talented dog). I poured the powder from the pill and put it in the cheese - out came the cheese - she did finally eat it but some of the powder ended up on the floor - Oh the drama!

 

[Mudra]

sorry to hear about what happened to sobaka. This is why we decided to make Xena wear the cone. She's a licker so I didn't want to risk it. She doesn't wear the cone anymore (except at night when she gets crated), her stitches are healing really fast. She's getting her walks again.

ANd my, sobaka is 73lbs??? LOL! Xena is just 42+ lbs!

I hope SOBAKA heals fast!!!

P.S

Is she shooting you looks like this?

One that says, "IM NOT HAPPY WITH THIS CONE!!! take it off!!!"

 

[dakotajo]

hope she recovers quick for you. She's a big girl! Dakota weighed 65lbs. at 7 months, Dakota's not going to be one of the biggest Berners I don't think which is fine, she's probably at 75lbs right now at 10 months and she's more than I can handle

 

[DJsMom]

UPDATE: Had to take Sobaka to the Emergency Animal Hospital. She took her bandages off of her paws and several of her stitches came out. She had to get some staples put in, rebandaged, and given a plastic e-collar (which she hates). The vet prescribed some antibiotic pills to give her (which she hates). How do I give her the pills without spitting them out? I tried cheese - she ate the cheese and spat the pill on the ground (a very talented dog). I poured the powder from the pill and put it in the cheese - out came the cheese - she did finally eat it but some of the powder ended up on the floor - Oh the drama!

O my goodness! Poor little girl! Ornery little girl, lol! Hope she's OK now!
You know, the greenies pill pockets are well worth the investment when having to get pills! I highly recommend them. I think you can get them at about any pet store.

 

[Corteo]

After talking with the vet, we have both decided that Sobaka would be better off not wearing the e-collar. She absolutely freezes in fear when it is on. She will not move, she stands frozen and pants without control! We tried to get her to sit and lay down but her body was so stiff we couldn't get her to "chill-out" at all. The vet decided the stress would be worse on her health than her bothering her feet. We will just have to watch her closely and distract her when she gets obsessed with her wounds.

DJsMom, thanks for the advice! I'll have to look into it!

Dakotajo, it's funny to see her the same size of nearly every adult dog see meets! The down size is the handling issue... She's so strong!

 

[jesirose]

Soft cheese, like laughing cow is the best for pills. Peanut butter is good too. Then you open their mouth and stick it as far back as you can, and they'll swallow it.