We took Cooper in to be spayed this morning. I'll be worrying all day, but I expect she will do fine. I'm a little worried about her behavior when we get home. Putting the cone on her may be a real issue, and generally being quiet is not her normal mode. (years ago when Tilly was spayed, she came into the house and jumped over the couch) We will probably keep her on some mild sedatives for a few days to keep her calmed down.
Aw, bless. I think you have to see how she's is. My Willow was subdued for days afterwards. None of this manic behaviour people told me to expect. I didn't use a cone, but an inflatable Buster collar, which I'd desensitised her to beforehand. She only wore it when I couldn't supervise, or if she started to fuss. I think it's a lot nicer than a big cone, as they maintain their manoeuvrability and range of vision. Can you get one of those?
I have had five bitches spayed over the years and have never used a cone. These days the wound should only be about 1". They are usually very drowsy the first evening, but become quite lively by the end of the next day. I am sure you won't need sedatives.
I didn't use a cone either just kept a very close eye on her. she was really sleepy she howled at lot she does when shes had an aesthetic . She was uncomfortable but didn't develop any infections. It was ok I just spent a lot of time with her
Keep busy for sure. Cooper will be fine. You need to go shopping, spend some money, distract yourself, clean cupboards, whatever floats your boat. Lilly didn't need a cone either (though she did for a back leg skin biopsy a year or so ago) Just take it slowly, all will be fine.
For a spay I only needed the cone with the cats. I always get a cone though, or I have one on hand, because if I do need one I don't want to have drive to the Vet to get one, or wait till the next day for them to open to boot. I bet you are home now, is she still groggy? That first home time is when they might fall down stairs or whatever you have in your house that you never thought could cause a calamity. I always sleep downstairs with them the first night.
She is still pretty groggy. The surgery prep was more difficult than expected, and the surgery took quite a while. Because she is so skittish around instruments, they did the pre surgery blood work today after they had given her some "happy pills" They still had quite a battle getting the anesthesia started. She has 5 prescriptions to take, including tranquilizers, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, pain killers, and a gastric coating, because she threw up after the surgery. That's more meds than I had after my 5 hr hip surgery with two units of blood. So far she is not drinking or eating, so we are behind schedule on her meds. She is so nervous that we don't dare force them. She seems to be getting a little less nervous, so hopefully in the morning she will eat, and we can get her to take her meds. Initially she would not come into the kitchen, but stayed in the dining room where it was dark and quiet. She would get up and move if we came over to her with anything in our hands, even treats, but I think it is getting better. The vet said not to try using a cone, because of how skittish she is. We have one of the inflatable collars if we need it, but so far it is not a problem. We have the stairs blocked, so we have to take her out the front door with only two steps. One or both of us will be home with her all day for the next three days.
Ah, bless her poor little love. Hopefully she'll start to feel a little better once you can get some water and meds in. Good luck.
Fingers crossed she's fine without the cone. Belle didn't need one, she was back to her normal self the next day once the anaesthetic wore off, it was as if nothing had happened (and it was a complicated spay). A whole week of lead walks was a nightmare, she was used to freedom.
We are of to the vet this afternoon, to have her belly wrap removed and the IV line removed. They don't usually leave an IV line in, but they thought it might be a good precaution, given how difficult it was to get it in originally. The sedative seems to really knock her out. We are going to 1/2 dose next time. While she was in surgery she vomited stomach acid into her esophagus so she has Sucralfate 3x per day to soothe her stomach and esophagus. She is also on Carprofen and Tramadol for pain, though she doesn't really act like she hurts so much as just being out of it from the Acepromazine (sedative) She hasn't eaten any thing but some snacks so far, but our vets are not worried about that. I need to get some real food into her so I can start the Amoxicillin. I made a spread sheet to keep track of the meds. There are 5 of them and some have different time intervals. I think Tilly had a much easier time when she went through this, but she was only about 7 months old, and she is smaller dog.
Bloomin' heck - if I was taking all that I would be a zombie. Sucralfate is mingin' - good luck getting her to take all that. Poor girl, hope she doesn't need all that for too long. Hope too she is OK on her return vet trip Going to be a tough few days for you all.
Trip to the vet was uneventful. She is starting to drink and eat now so that is good. She acts more normal, and will go out on a leash any time. We reduced the Acepromazine dosage to try to get her leveled out so she will stay quiet, but not wobbly. Trying to keep track of all these drugs and the timing on them is a pain. I built a spreadsheet to help me.
