Aftercare for neutered puppy.

El Guapo!

I brought my 6 month old puppy to be neutered this morning and I just collected him an hour ago. I was already kind of having second thoughts about getting it done as I didnt want to put him through any unnecessary pain, but now I'm really regretting it.
Since I got him back home he hasn't stopped crying and he's obviously in a lot of pain. He's constantly shaking and I dunno how to help him.
I have him up on the sofa beside me and a couple of blankets over him to keep him warm but every time he moves he yelps out in pain and he's clearly in a lot of discomfort.
Also he has a cone on his head and he keeps trying to lick the wound but in the process he keeps stabbing the wound with the edge of the cone and I'm worried he'll really hurt himself and rip the stitches out. There's no bandage over the wound either. Is this normal??
The vet said he needs to keep the cone on until he gets the stitches out in 10 days time and I just know he'll do himself damage between now and then.
Sorry for the long post but I'm just worried about him and feel awful for putting him through this. I'm just wondering is all this normal? How long will it take for him to get back to some kind of normality? I just want him to be comfortable. Any tips/advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

RubyGirl

I got 3 of mine done and the day/night after the op was the worst for them.

They were in pain, vet said if they were still in pain following day to get more pain killers. She was sore but was able to move about and did alot of sleeping. None had a cone and they all licked the area so I just let them and watched the stitches but lost none.

Maybe take the cone off for a while and see how she get's on.

El Guapo!

Thanks for the reply.
The vet didn't give us any pain killers for him. She said she already gave him a pain killer that will last 24hrs. He's sleeping now but I'm not looking forward to when he wakes up. He's the type of dog that will try to pull the stitches out so I think I'll leave the cone on for now. Dunno if it'll last the full 10 days though.

monkeysnapper

i got my dog done a few years ago and he didnt seem to act any different to before he had op, then i got my bitch neutered, it was terrible!!! like yours she was crying for a day after and didnt have any interest in going out for her walk which was unheard of!!! i felt terrible!!!! i was on the brink of taking time off work to be with her, id say it took a good 2 weeks to get her back to normal!! again like you i got no pain killers and was told she just has to get over it, ... im not sure id ever go though that again !!!

Carol_1985

We got our girl done a few months ago. She was very down when we collected her. I was nearly crying at one stage I felt so guilty.:o we took her cone off straight away because it was bothering her so much. She kept licking her stitches but never tried to bite or pull them out. Her wound healed perfectly so I wouldn't worry about him licking the stitches.

The following day she was back to herself. The big problem we had was trying to keep her calm and stop her from running and jumping. I'm sure your dog will be fine in the morning. If not give your vet a shout.

Jimbob 83

When we got our lad done he was like 5-6, he just lay down on a towel and he was up and about the next day, exercise helps the healing process alot.

Hardest thing is to control their weight after, be as hard as you can or it will only lead to issues down the line.

LucyBliss

The whole combination of the after-effects from the anaesthetic, some soreness from the procedure and tiredness might have been too much for the poor thing. Sleep isn't just a good healer for humans so hopefully a sound rest will help take the edge off.

I would keep the cone on. The pup will get used to it and while it's a dog's first instinct to lick a sore or healing area, the stitches need to stay in and he could chew on them and then it's another trip to the vet! I'm not being hard hearted or anything like that but sometimes it's necessary to be a bit firm to avoid a mess later on!

But you know your dog best. If you think that tomorrow he's in as much discomfort as he is today or you're not happy with how he's getting on, then ring your vet and get advice from them. You sound very concerned and that's to your credit but remember that they pick up vibes from us too so be careful that you're not inadvertently giving him 'OMG!' vibes when he's awake, and I say this as someone who had to learn to do that while lead training one of her dogs.

I realise now how lucky I was when I got mine done three years ago and there wasn't a bother on them. But I recall getting the dog before that done back in 1999 and she had stitches with no bandage and she found it very hard to lie down for a week. So it can vary from dog to dog.

Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Any chance of seeing a picture?

nala2012

I felt so bad for my dog after I got her spayed but after 2 days she was back to herself the hard thing was keeping her quiet for the ten days.
She got a cone because she was licking her stitches and the vet said that licking can cause infection. I took the cone off when I was with her and just said no whenever she went to lick the area.
I took a week off work and I'm really glad I did because she was able to have the cone off more. It was huge and meant she couldn't walk around the room without banging into something! I've since seen an alternative to it. It's like a ring that you blow up and put around their neck.

El Guapo!

Thanks for all the replies. I'm just worried about him as he's very whiney all day and he's in a lot of discomfort. He's really going nuts now in the past half hour or so trying to get the cone off. I really want to take it off but he only wants it off so he can have a go at the stiches.
Myself and my gf both have the week off work so we can keep an eye on him so that's a bit of a comfort.
Another thing is it's now been 6 hours since we picked him up from the vet and he still hasn't peed yet. I'm not sure if he can't or if he just won't. I think that could be adding to his discomfort.
I'm going to stay up with him all night if I have to so I can make sure he's ok because he's really getting agitated now.

Anyway here's a pic of the patient!

nala2012

He's so cute! Also he looks like he's feeling very sorry for himself.
If you're worried that he is in more pain than he should be then I wouldn't hesitate ringing your vet tomorrow. My vet was really good and I brought Nala in day after she was done because I was afraid she had been at her stitches. All the aftercare was included with mine and if your vet is the same don't feel bad calling them and bringing him for check up.
Also Nala didn't go the toilet until the next day and didn't eat either. I just gave her scrambled eggs and a pain killer the vet gave me.

The Sweeper

You could try taking the cone off and watching him like a hawk, then putting it back on if he's unsupervised.

The pain and soreness is important after an operation. Animals can't be told to 'rest and go easy' after a surgery. Without leaving them in agony (which isn't the plan at all), discomfort and soreness is important to getting them to rest up and not move and so on. The couple of days of tenderness helps encourage them to stay quiet, and that's important to give them a chance to heal.

falabo

painkillers for 24 hours ONLY ?? mine were on painkillers for 7 or 10 days cant remember ...

Salt001

I had my girl spayed, she was very sleepy and quiet for a few hours and threw up a couple of times but by late that night had come round.
Just tried to keep her quiet for a few days after,easier said than done .
She didn't have a cone or any pain killers to take at home.

But like people can have different reactions to surgery and have different pain thresholds animals are probably the same.
How is he now?.
Any improvement?
If he is still upset or in pain in the morning ring your vet.
Lovely cute pics btw.

Evac101

Our dalamation really didn't like the cone so we taped on her doggie jacket for a couple of days instead - worked like a charm (admittedly it was during a cold snap in November though :P )

El Guapo!

He's just nodded off there a few mins go but that probably won't last long. I honestly think he's just more annoyed at the cone than anything else now at this stage. But I don't think I can remove it without him going to town on the stitches. He was going mad to scratch his face but couldn't because of the cone, so I gave him a good scratch and he went asleep. I might try take the cone off in the morning to give him a bit of a breather but I'll have to watch him closely. I was just worried about him not having a pee in so long because he never goes this long. I'll just keep an eye on him and see how he gets on.
Thanks for all the advice folks. Much appreciated.

Salt001

Evac101 wrote: »

Our dalamation really didn't like the cone so we taped on her doggie jacket for a couple of days instead - worked like a charm (admittedly it was during a cold snap in November though :P )

well I would't worry about the dog overheating for the next few days.
There is snow,hail and or sleet forecast for tonight and tomorrow :eek::(

SillyMangoX

Hi there! He is quite a small dog so would you consider maybe putting a baby grow on him? Just cut a hole for the tail It will stop him getting at the stitches without the discomfort of a cone. Only thing is you will have to still keep a close eye on him, he might manage to get at them through a baby grow but it does offer some protection

Zapperzy

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

When we got our lad done he was like 5-6, he just lay down on a towel and he was up and about the next day, exercise helps the healing process alot.

Hardest thing is to control their weight after, be as hard as you can or it will only lead to issues down the line.

It certainly does not! Not quite as serious with castrations but certainly for a bitch spay (or any abdominal surgery) you should definitely not be exercising them or letting them run around. They can and will rupture internal stitches leading to infection and possibly having to go through another general anaesthetic again to open them up and re-stitch them. For the sake of 7-10 days cut down on the exercise, on lead short toilet walks only.

The anaesthetic takes a lot out of them, so that coupled with the discomfort and pain will make them look and act a little worse for wear. It's normal not to have a bandage on it. The 24hr painkiller is pretty standard too, if he's still in a lot of pain tomorrow don't be afraid to ring them for tablets, some dogs are just more sensitive than others. I'v seen dogs walking around with a broken leg dangling there and their still walking around wagging their tail, generally small white furries practically howl when they see a needle!

LucyBliss

Aw, poor gorgeous pup looking all sad eyed.

Has he had much to drink today since the procedure?
I'm trying to think when mine got spayed and I don't think we got any painkillers at all to take home. But then, they were only too delighted for me to come and get them afterwards because once they woke up, they were bouncing around the place and being bonkers. Then they came home and chased one another around the garden when I let them out to pee. I nearly lost my life, thinking of burst stitches and what not. I was very fortunate that their healing process was matched by their high spirits, but after that they were only let out on the lead until I was sure that they were healed enough.

That's great that you're both off work. I can imagine it would be very difficult to go to work in the morning and not be fretting about how he was getting on. Certainly, I wouldn't be able to do it.
I hope he (and you) have a good nights rest and that he's feeling a bit better tomorrow.

Amzie

Oh your pup is gorgeous!! Don't worry he will recover, when I had my pup also 6 months at the time neutered, he leaped and bounded out of vets, no cone,he's a Samoyed so maybe the fluff kept him going mad at the stiches. I was given about 2-3 days of painkillers I think nd they did work for him. I stayed up all night with him after the op as he was so quiet nd was whining a bit, next morning though he was dying for a wee nd after that he seemed to get his energy back. I had to watch Him nd make sure he didn't run around like a mad thing and rip his stiches!

Op that's gr8 you have the week off you can keep a good eye on him, just be careful not to fuss too much over him as they def pick up on you being stressed

El Guapo!

He's been eating & drinking as normal since about 6pm but just hasn't went the toilet yet. I'm staying up tonight and watching him to make sure he's ok. He's napping for about 20 mins at a time and then waking up and crying for 10-15 mins while trying to rip off the cone and get at the stitches.
I'm sure he'll be back to himself in no time but he's just having a rough day today.

Amzie

@dean09 that's a good sign if he's taking food and water, water is most important cos the anesthetic really takes a bit out of them! hope He gets some sleep the cutie!!! It will be all worth it and especially health benefits for your pup

El Guapo!

Just an update on how he's getting on now......
I sat up with him till 5am and it was awful. He cried most of the time and was in a lot of pain every time he moved. He only had short naps in between whining. Then I went to bed and my gf got up and say with him. I got up at 10 and he seemed better than he was last night.
In the space of the last 2 hours or so he has really perked up and has started jumping up and down from the sofa (much to my panic!).
He has even went the toilet a couple of times which is a weight off my mind. He's killing me with his farts though! I think that may have something to do with him having his anal glands expressed yesterday too.
All in all he seems to be slowly getting back to his normal self albeit with a few whiney moments in between. He had a rough night but seems to be coming along nicely now. Still not too fond of the cone though!
Thanks again for all the advice everyone.

monkeysnapper

thats great to hear!!!! well done on you for doing the nightshift, hope you didnt watch any home shopping channels and spend all your money

El Guapo!

Hi all,
Just have another question about my dog again.
He's been doing really well since getting neutered on Monday and is basically back to his old self again apart from today.
For the past few hours he's been driven demented with the itch and is constantly trying to lick and scratch the wound. It looks a little bit raw and I don't want him to cause an infection. He's whining and dragging his arse along the floor to scratch it.(That part is quite funny to watch but I feel for him!)
I was just wondering is there anything I can give him or put on the wound to help ease the itch? Something like Aloe Vera or something? I'm doing my best to keep him from getting at the wound and he still has the cone on but he can still reach it even with the cone. And I know as soon as I go to bed tonight and leave him alone he'll go nuts (excuse the pun!) scratching it.
Is there anything I can do?!