Just got back from the vets with Nero and he isnt very happy at all. Just keeps whimpering and isnt very steady on his feet yet Is this normal? Also the vet has given us a cone of shame but I haven't put it on him yet. Should he keep it on all the time? or is it best to see if he starts to lick the wound first?
I expect it's just the after-effects of the anaesthetic, which will probably wear off in a couple of hours. He doesn't need to wear a cone provided you are watching him to make sure he doesn't lick or chew his stitches. I'd put it on at bedtime though. Hope he feels better soon.
Whimpering and being a bit unsteady is not all unusual just after the surgery. Some dogs whimper and some don't. It's best to let Nero curl up and sleep. With the cone vets will always advise that the dog wears it 24/7 but on reality we all do something different . When Juno was spayed I left her without the cone when we were with her and on walks and popped the cone on when we went out shopping and overnight just to make sure she couldn't lick stitches.
These things affect different dogs in different ways. My Willow was very sad and upset after her spay, whereas most are absolutely fine. It didn't help that the vet I saw when I picked her up gave us the wrong tablets.... but anyway. If he's the same tomorrow, I'd pop back to the vet for a chat about it, and maybe some pain meds. I had one of those inflatable collars for Willow, which was great as it was so much easier for her to get around in than a big cone, and we did some desensitisation to it before the op, too, so it wasn't a big deal. I only put it on at night time and if she started fussing at the site; most of the time she didn't need it at all. She also had a very attractive string vest to wear I'd agree about putting the cone on when you're not there with him, just in case, so at bed time and if you go out any other time. Hope he feels better soon!
Thanks everyone, its not nice seeing him like this but I hope he will be back to himself tomorrow. Im off work for a week to be with him so ill keep a watchful eye He hasnt drank any water since I been home but ill try to get him to drink some again later as he is having some much needed sleep now
I'm sure he will drink later when he's had a sleep. Let us know how he is tomorrow, but don't be surprised if he's bouncing around he same as normal in the morning
Poor love , Sam was exactly the same, he cried for hours . I fetched an old mattress into the sitting room and he reluctantly got onto it . We were advised to make the room dark, so we turned off the light and he eventually settled to sleep. If its any comfort , I woke to the noise of a wagging tail , soon back to normal . I was given collar but thankfully didn't have to deploy it as Sam seemed uninterested in the stitches ,best play it by ear .
Hope he's feeling much better soon. I think that the after-effects are more to do with the drugs they get, which I think can make them feel very odd and disoriented. He should recover quickly from the actual surgery.
My dog cried for several hours, it is the effect of the anaesthetic (but if worried do check with vet), the next day he was fine. Though I must admit it is stressful the first evening. My dog's wound was very small and I had no need to put a collar on, never have done for any of my dogs' ops.
Ah hope he feels better soon.....the forum dogs seem to react differently but what you describe sounds normal enough...my dog was neutered at the same time his tail was docked.....healing his tail was such a focus that his neuter wound and recovery went by pretty much unnoticed.....I had to supervise him 24/7 as he could reach his tail wound site even with the biggest cone on,so he stood no chance of going for his neuter wound but to be honest he didn't even try.Dexter was collected from the vets at 5 pm the day of his operations.he was a little groggy but by 6 am the next morning it was normal exhuberant service resumed ....then you've got the problem of reminding them they've had quite a big procedure and GA when they want to bounce all over you and the house as they normally do! X
Its almost bed time and he has drank some water at last and ate some scrambled eggs. He is still crying quite a bit and still feeling sorry for himself Just managed to pop the head cone on him ready for bed, he did initially try to get it off but seems to have settled a bit with it on now. I hope he doesnt manage to pop it off during the night
Midge always reacts badly to anaesthetic. She is the smallest lab out realy tiny but when she has an op she develops the howl of a timber wolf. She howls like this from the moment she is starting to wake until I pick her up and take her home. I rang to see how she was when she had her first op and could hear a very big dog howling..... the nurses told be it was midge and that she had been doing it for about 4 hours on and off. She does remain groggy for a lot longer than my other dogs we just have to keep an eye on her.As soon as she hears my voice she stops. I supervise her closely for the next 24 hours as she does seem recover her usual bounce . I never really used the cone of shame on any of my dogs ops I just keep a close eye on them and sleep with them is necessary. I've been lucky they have been good about leaving their stitches alone. The anaesthetic can stay in the body for a long time I just keep a close eye on my dogs for about 2 weeks.
He kept the cone on all night which is good just taken it off him. He is better this morning and has more energy but he is still whining a bit. He has a checkup appointment with the vet tomorrow anyway so ill mention it to them then if hes still whining tomorrow
Glad to hear that he's better this morning. Hopefully the whining will ease as the anaesthetic works out of his system which can take a couple of days. Just keep an eye in him and if you're unsure ring the vet for a quick chat.
Poor boy. Lilly had 24 hrs of real pathos after her spay. Demanded to be hand fed ( LOTS of chicken and rice) Totally ignored her wound. Right as rain 2 days after. Wishing you a quick recovery mate.
This evening he has started licking the wound all the time so had to pop the cone on him. He spent a while frantically trying to get the cone off, it was very upsetting to watch but he has gone into his bed now to sleep thank god
This morning disaster struck! Came down to find that overnight he had managed to get his cone off and has destroyed it! Also he was licking the wound so I have no idea how long he has been licking it overnight Its now very red and irritated, I hope the stiches will not come loose! Luckily he has a checkup booked for this afternoon so the vet can look at it. Not sure what to do regarding the cone now as he knows how to get it off and probably will do the same thing again tonight On the plus side...he is definitely back to himself now!
