Keeping Puppy Quiet After Desexing

[Budyjelle]

Hi there. Maxine was desexed on Thursday. She is six months old and 8.4 Kg. When I brought her home, I had her on a short lead inside with short trips outside on lead also. She slept overnight in her soft crate as usual.

On Friday, it was pretty much the same routine.

Today, she seems to be back to her boisterous self. I managed to distract her with mild "hide and seek" type games and inside on lead time but this arvo, on a usual toilet run, she went crazy zooming arond the back yard, leaping about and generally frolicking.

The suture line is dry, not swollen or red (invisible sutures that dissolve)

My question is that the vet advised 10 whole days of confinement and keeping her quiet and I am wondering how I can achieve this?....

Do I lock her in the lounge with me for that length of time?

Should I ask for sedation for her (or me LOL)?

Is the vet just being extra cautious?

Help?

[lucknow]

Your vet was not being extra cautious, your dog has just had a major internal surgery that puts women in bed for weeks! The more active she is the more irritation occurs around the internal sutures. Most commonly a dog will develop a seroma as a response to excess activity which is a sign to slow her down. Sometimes that swelling is excessive and requires draining. Other times internal stitches will tear through, obviously a major complication! Licking or chewing at the surgical site can result in irritation, infection and even ripping through of the skin and muscle layers. General advice is to keep her as quiet as possible, lead exercise only as required.

I would distract her with bones, treat balls, etc. In place of a walk training sessions with plenty of thinking to tire her out might help. Sedation is not usually required unless complications arise. Also remember this is only for 10 days, now only 8 to go!

Best of luck, advice is easy to give, implementing it is another matter & I don't envy you!

[charli73]

Hi there. Maxine was desexed on Thursday. She is six months old and 8.4 Kg. When I brought her home, I had her on a short lead inside with short trips outside on lead also. She slept overnight in her soft crate as usual.

On Friday, it was pretty much the same routine.

Today, she seems to be back to her boisterous self. I managed to distract her with mild "hide and seek" type games and inside on lead time but this arvo, on a usual toilet run, she went crazy zooming arond the back yard, leaping about and generally frolicking.

The suture line is dry, not swollen or red (invisible sutures that dissolve)

My question is that the vet advised 10 whole days of confinement and keeping her quiet and I am wondering how I can achieve this?....

Do I lock her in the lounge with me for that length of time?

Should I ask for sedation for her (or me LOL)?

Is the vet just being extra cautious?

Help?

hi,

Just try to keep her quiet, maybe inside with lots of toys to chew.. our GSD pup was done 2 months ago and within 1 day she was active and going for the stitches, wound weeped then dripped bloody fluid for days which vet said was normal.. In the end we had to sedate her which I HATED doing..

If you feel she is too active consult your vet, as a last resort depending on how the wound heals. I think the big plastic collar drove us more crazy than her..

We also rolled the ball along the floor for her and taught her tricks that she didnt need to move much for, ie- focus and shake.

Good luck and hope she heals up well!

[Mystiqview]

she needs to be restricted for at least 7 days as others have said to give time for internal stitches to heal.

You may also need to invest in an elizabethan collar (bucket) to go over her head if she worries her stitches as they start to heal and get itchy. You do not want her licking, or chewing them. They can get infected or pull making the wound gape and then get infected.

Like others have said, give her plenty of chew toys/bones to chew rather than maybe feeding her kibble for food.

You may have to crate her or restrict her to a small room.

For toilet runs, I would take her out on lead so she cannot run around and be stupid.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

my pup is used to being in a crate so i kept her in the crate for the time . i took her out for toilet breaks, gave her lots of chew toys in the crate, took her for a stroll around the garden on a leash, gave her frozen chicken wings. it was really hard and we were both stir crazy at the end of 7 days!!!!

she had an inguinal hernia op at the same time so it was really important for me to keep her contained.

[jillybean]

My dog was desexed and had a hernia repair done together. Day 2 post op she was completely back to normal, running up and down the stairs, jumping up to put her paws on the table etc. I couldn't do anything to keep her quiet! Anyway, she came through it all fine so I wouldn't be overly concerned about your pup.

[Mystiqview]

My dog was desexed and had a hernia repair done together. Day 2 post op she was completely back to normal, running up and down the stairs, jumping up to put her paws on the table etc. I couldn't do anything to keep her quiet! Anyway, she came through it all fine so I wouldn't be overly concerned about your pup.

Each dog is different and handles surgery differently. The "normal" running around for one dog can greatly differ from the running around "normal" puppy behaviour of another dog.

Even in your sentence, I can think of a number of different ways that the dog can be "back to normal" running up and down the stairs, jumping up and putting feet on table.. Your dog may have been more aware of its stitches and been careful, to say not to twist and turn and pull stitches. It also depends on how well the vet stitched up the dog. I have seen some spaying wounds done neatly and some not. Some with very large cuts and some with small cuts.

There are just too many variables to give advice "don't worry about it"

It is not a wise course to follow to say "that dog ran around and got through it fine therefore mine will to"

Not KNOWING what the dog is doing from a web forum perspective, it is better to offer advice on the conservative side than on the blaze-fair side of "It'll be right mate".

[Sandra777]

I would suggest lots of leash walking, slow and on the flat. Playing with toys and moving around in the house surely involves more twisting turning and chances to slip on the floor etc. QUIET slow walk then back in the crate. Two or three walks of 1/2-3/4 an hour each per day wouldn't be excessive - but slow and quiet, and if she's a shocking puller then maybe not!

[persephone]

keeping bitches quiet is suggested for a very good reason!!

The midline incision line is under a lot of pressure..and if it is weakened and sutures break..there is a real risk of abdominal organs being exposed. Not nice.

A spey is a total hysterectomy.......... !

How hard is it really to keep your bitch confined to a room, or on leash for 7 days????????

Not very,if you are consistent.

Weakening of sutures and tearing of skin may not happen often...but it DOES, and is unpleasant and sometimes dangerous.

The vet does not recommend it just because they can........... it is to allow the body the best environment for a total and rapid fusion of tissue,a smooth scarline, and less risk to the bitch.

written from the POV of someone who has seen the results of stitches giving way... not a good outcome.

Two or three walks of 1/2-3/4 an hour each per day wouldn't be excessive

Most dogs don't get that much exercise when they are FIT... personally I think it would be excessive for a post op bitch !

Edited April 13, 2008 by persephone

[Budyjelle]

Thank you all for sharing your greater experience with me...we are back in the lounge with the pup on a short leash and leashed trips outside for the toilet

It is very hard to know whether you are doing the right thing , when you haven't done it before.

[Sheridan]

Sounds like you're doing pretty well.

[charli73]

All a bit scary when you havent been through it like us, I remember calling my sister a vet nurse about 3 times a day!!!

Remembered also to keep our girl quiet we took this time to teach her food refusal/commands... worked a treat! and she didnt need to move much but it tired her mind out.

[Mystiqview]

yep mind training and quality one on one time is great during this period.

Found with the breeds I have had, exercise the mind... and it also stops some of the excesses.

[persephone]

this is the perfect time to teach down-stays, and all sorts of little 'good manners things' like waiting at doors, not jumping on furniiture...

enjoy the enforced training time!

[nanna]

When Shiva was desexed she was back to her normal jumpy kelpie self within a couple of days and actually ended up bumping her wound while we were out (probably jumping onto or off the deck). Luckily the sutures just swelled a little and the wound stayed closed, but it could have been worse - and can happen in a matter of minutes! So from then on she had constant supervision!

For the remainder of the week she spent a fair bit of time contained in the laundry with marrow bones and other toys. Trick and focus training is also a good way to tire them out without too much physical movement.

Some slow on-leash walks are also a good idea as Sandra777 suggested. Go to some interesting new places and let her have a good sniff around - great mental stimulation.

By the end of the 10 days we could tell Shiva was almost jumping out of her skin and busting for a run.... It might be tough, but it's only 10 days and the important thing is that your pup doesn't have any opportunity to do any damage.

Good luck!

[Sandra777]

Two or three walks of 1/2-3/4 an hour each per day wouldn't be excessive

Most dogs don't get that much exercise when they are FIT... personally I think it would be excessive for a post op bitch !

Most dogs couldn't even GET fit on less exercise than that so not sure how you come to that conclusion. Slow walking exercise for that length of time might cover one or 2 km, which is very little exercise for anything other than a Peke.