Maisie is being spayed tomorrow . This wasn't planned until next month, but she has an infected, broken baby tooth that won't come out so the spay has been brought forward so we can do both under general anesthetic as the same time. We're not due to go to the vets until lunch time, so I think it will be a long morning with the absence of breakfast! She's having the laproscopic op, so any tips on recovery will be much appreciated. Thank you.
Re: Spay tomorrow Good luck! Penny had a laparoscopic Spey, and there's some pics of her wounds in one of my threads called 'Penny got speyed' or something similar lol she had three wounds on her abdomen, each about an inch long. The one closest to the tail end is the main one to keep an eye on in post op care as that's the one they can reach for licking if they don't have the cone on! Also I think that's the one they actually remove parts from so it's a bit bigger and more invasive. Her wounds were glued rather than stitched or stapled so they looked a bit crusty to begin with but they soon cleared up. I would advise to bathe her tonight if you can as you won't be able to for at least ten days after the op and with the cone on they can't lick themselves anywhere. I found dog wipes really handy for giving her a freshen up in the days after. I found I didn't really need the cone of shame but all dogs are different - Penny paid no attention to her wounds at all so I only put it on her overnight and when I was at work as a precaution; I left it off the rest of the time. You might find she's a bit reluctant to eat or drink with it on so it's ok to take it off for this. Also she will need to figure out how to get through doorways without bashing it as that can give them quite a fright! Exercise-wise I did 2-3 on lead 10minute only walks for the first three days, going to 2 on lead 20minute walks on days 4-6 before starting to let her have a small amount of off lead time from day 7 as she was going stir crazy! Obviously exercise is dependent on how well she is recovering - Penny was like normal from the day after we brought her home but obviously we were conscious of the fact that she had had major surgery! Your vet or vet nurse is probably best to advise you on exercise when you have your post op check a couple of days after. Diet - I was advised to feed a soft bland food for the first 24 hours due to the anaesthetic and they have a tube down their throat which can also give them a sore throat and bit of a cough for a day or so (my vet provided me with some prescription sensitive food as part of the package) but you may be advised to feed soft food for a little longer while her mouth heals as she is having a tooth out as well. You may well get given some antibiotics because of the tooth removal as well as pain medication.
Re: Spay tomorrow Poor Maisie.....this time next week no horrible tooth and if any of the other dogs are anything to go by she'll have been driving you nuts for days already as she'll feel fine and you'll still be managing her exercise . Lots of luck
Re: Spay tomorrow Thanks everyone! Feeling awful at the thought of putting her through it! Thanks Lauren for all your advice, good thought on food, I'd better get some chicken and rice ready!
Re: Spay tomorrow Good luck Debs. I reckon the "feed me" eyes in the morning will be pretty hard. Hope all goes well
Re: Spay tomorrow Molly was spayed in April. She had a conventional spay as my Vet doesn't do the laparoscopic spay. My Vet keeps them in overnight so they can have pain relief. She didn't have exterior stitches and left the wound alone so didn't have a collar. I feel it is only fair to warn you that if you have her spayed tomorrow, Tuesday, by Thursday your biggest problem will be the "keeping her quiet" bit.
Re: Spay tomorrow Hope all goes well with Maisie today. I also hope you are ok too. Keep us briefed on her progress. I have had 2 Newfies spayed many moons ago the old fashioned way. It did not bother them at all, back to normal overnight with no problems. Hope all goes well p.s don't feel bad for a moment about it. A pyometra is deadly so you are doing the best thing, it just does not feel like it just now but next week it will
Re: Spay tomorrow Wishing you both well for today. I expect you'll be glad to get her there now - it's the waiting around that's hard, isn't it.
Re: Spay tomorrow Good luck today My vet gave me a can of wet food for that evening and for meals after that I fed chicken and rice. I never bothered with a collar, but from a previous injury I know Harley doesn't lick the wound site. I am post spay day 8 (emergency soya due to pyrometra) and Harley is nearly back to normal......trying to jump, run around, having mini hoolies etc etc, basically everything she's not supposed to do! I didn't walk Harley until day 3 - she was very sleepy the first few days especially as she had antibiotics and painkillers. We are currently doing 3x15 mins walk a day, this will be upped to 20 mins per walk tomorrow. We all took turns and slept downstairs with her for a 5 days. Please let us know how she is later x
Re: Spay tomorrow Wishing Maisie well for tomorrow , one of mine had this method of spay , recovering much quicker than the usual method too but having said this , Millie had the conventional spay and didnt need the cone either , was raring to go after a couple of days
Re: Spay tomorrow Thank you for all your advice and well wishes. We've been delayed going to the vets until 1pm! Oh those "please feed me eyes"!!! I'll let you know how we got on later this evening. Thanks for all your support.
Re: Spay tomorrow So, we eventually went to the vets at 1pm (what a long morning of pleading, starving eyes), and I stayed with Maisie for her premed. However, by 5pm had a call to say she had not had her op due to a couple of emergencies and now have had a call to say she is only just in surgery so will have to stay overnight. God what a long day! Hope she copes with being away from home The experience will either make or break her dislike of being left alone or away from me.
Re: Spay tomorrow Oh that's not an ideal situation at all! I'm sure she will be too sleepy this evening to know where she is, especially as they are only just operating now - I would have thought she'll be conked out til morning. Are you able to pick her up in the morning or do you have to wait til later in the day?
Re: Spay tomorrow Not sure yet Lauren, have to phone about 10am to see what's what. Very quiet here, I don't like it!
Re: Spay tomorrow Yeah I bet that's strange! Penny has never stayed away overnight before, I know I would miss her loads if she ever did!
Re: Spay tomorrow Oh no, poor you, that's so stressful. From Maisie's point of view she will probably not notice being away overnight as she'll be sleepy from the anaesthetic - but of course you'll worry (I would!) Hope you'll hear when she's out of surgery.
