Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the cold and bright weather. Our lovely 8.5month old Murphy was castrated yesterday - all went swimmingly and he was awake and chirpy shortly after. He is wearing a 'cone' to protect him from licking the wound, but he HATES it, understandably! He is whimpering constantly - we know he is not in pain because if we take the cone off, he is absolutely fine. But I want to leave it on on all the time so as not to confuse by constantly taking it off and putting it on. I wondered if anyone has any useful tips for distraction while he's in the cone? I've tried to give him rawhide chews (his favourite thing) but he drops them and then can't pick them up because the cone is in the way, and he can't seem to settle comfortably. I know it's early days and he'll probably settle as the day goes on, but i'd be really grateful of any tips to help ease the process along! Thanks so much in advance. Laura & Murphy.
Hi Laura. When Willow was spayed, I used an inflatable Buster collar when she couldn't be supervised, or if she was fussing. I think these are a lot easier on the dog than a traditional plastic cone: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buster-279805-Inflatable-Collar-M/dp/B007GH3UES They're not ideal for all injuries, because the dog would still be able to reach, for example, a front paw, but for neutering, it's perfect. I know others have used soft cones with success, too, which are also a lot more dog-friendly than a plastic cone. I did lots of desensitisation with the Buster collar before Willow was spayed, so she had positive associations with it - obviously too late for you, but I'd advise it for anyone else reading this thread, so that it's not yet another source of stress after the operation. If he's not fussing the wound, and you're around, I'd just leave the cone off, and only put it on when you have to leave him alone.
When Juno was spayed she only had the cone on when she was left alone and unsupervised - overnight and shopping trips. The rest of the time she was cone free. If Murphy isn't worrying around the operation site, and is happier without the cone, I personally would leave it off and lots of fuss and treats when you need to pop it on. Good luck
Thanks so much for your responses - we did spend some time familiarising him with the cone pre-op which helped a little, but he's still not a fan (who would be?!). Thanks again for the help.
Do you actually need to use a cone at all? I have had four bitches spayed and three dogs castrated over the last 40 years and never had to use a cone for any of them.
I`ve never used one post spay or castration either, guess I was lucky . Millie needed to wear one after her eye surgery, for a month, so we bought a soft buster one which she didn't mind at all .
Can I ask what the general consensus is on not neutering a male. Our dog is very gentle and submissive (so far, 10 months) and, as I can control him we we go on walks, I am wondering whether I need to have him done.
Here is some information that may help you come to a decision: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/should-i-have-my-labrador-neutered-the-latest-evidence/ Personally, I have chosen not to have my male dog neutered. In some places, there is strong cultural pressure to have it done, and some daycare facilities insist on it. Since this isn't an issue for me, I decided to wait and see whether Shadow had any issues that were sexually oriented and I couldn't train out. That hasn't been the case - so far, he's shown no interest in bitches in season, so there has been no need to even consider it. If he did start to display signs of sexual behaviour that I couldn't control, I would investigate chemical castration in the first instance to determine whether his behaviour would be altered for the better by the procedure. It's pretty final to have bits chopped off and I wouldn't want to risk other behavioural issues surfacing after the event. The chemical route gives you a "try before you buy" option
I had cone nightmare after Simba's neuter op. He would have worried at the stitches constantly without it. I resorted to holding chewies for him as he couldn't hold them himself. He didn't really mind the cone itself though, but the constant crashing around wore the edges out quickly, which meant we duct-taped them, which meant Simba had a lovely game of "chew the duct tape" which meant buying a second cone and perfecting the art of removing one cone while at the same time putting Cone 2 on, to be followed by bash, bash, bash and soon Cone 2 needing repair and duct tape to be followed by doing the same procedure over and over again and doggy mummy going quietly insane.... But I'm sure your situation won't be like that! I won the lottery in Cone Nightmare, most dogs sail through without too much fuss.
oh you did Lisa,I can't read about a cone without thinking about you and Simba ,you had a really rough run with it. My dog had his tail docked at the same time as he was neutered,it was a nightmare getting it to heal so we did away with the cone as we had to go on 24 hour supervision to stop him wagging his stump against something.I made him wear it at night though in the unlikely event I might get some sleep and miss a lick....often he was agitated but it wasn't the cone I think he was in quite a lot of discomfort. I used to hold a toy for him to chew on,or a stuffed Kong,toys stuffed into a pair of tights for him to chew through to and i just used to buy cheap soft toys to sacrifice to him.One memorable night when i was shattered and he wouldn't settle,I just sat and 'fed' him toilet rolls to chew....I was a bit delirious by that point I think! It will feel like an age but the time will pass quick and you can start walking him without it when the vet says you can starte his excersise,good luck x
i've never used a cone when i've any dog neutered, they were all fine. I just made sure they didn't lick. the only time I've had to use on was when doug wsa really ill and a soft collar was not good enough to stop him licking. It was a very traumatic time any way and in the end I slept with him and lay on his feet at night so He couldn't lick his badly infected feet. It ws so bad it makes me feel sick just thinking about it it was the worst time ever. I only used the cone whe he had to be left as it was so bad the vet thought he would have to amputate toes. Like fiona I haven't castrated my young male. He's fine so why put him an op. My vet said leave him he's fine. Theres lots of information out there on the pros and cons and I would do anything until you're sure its a necesity. I gave into social pressure when Old dog was young but I never willl again. I sure Doug my old boy wouldn't have had they type of Lupus he has if we had left his endocine system alone.
When my last Lab was castrated the wound was very small and he only had internal stitches. These days the wound should be very small, have you tried Murphy without the cone, you may be surprised that he doesn't pay any attention to it.
When Finn was neutered I tried a lot of different things to prevent him for licking at his wound, or tearing the stitches out. First it didn't seem he would touch it, so I kept an eye on him. After 2 hours he started to pull at the stitches and lick them. I then put on one of my t-shirts the other way around at his behind. He was so angry then with me, that he sat in his crate backwards to me for about one hour. I went out of the room and when returned after 1 minute he had the t-shirt off and in the crate. I went to the vets to collect a sturdy cone. Then Finn went nuts, panting and very frightened. Then of to the shops and bought a inflating plastic cone. No success, he got that one off after a few hours. Then I looked and searched the Internet and found this! He let me put it on and gave him a sense of safety! This is what I ordered. It is also suitable for dogs with an itch and is also used for scared dogs. Here is the link: http://www.medpets.nl/recovery+suit+hond/ Annemarie
