Care after spaying? (And worries before)

Chevy is due to be spayed in 2weeks, I made the appointment today. I just have a few questions and concerns maybe ya'll can answer..


What can I do to make her more comfortable afterwards?

How long does it take for them to be back to normal?

How long do they have the stitches?

Does removing the stitches hurt them?

Do they need pain control afterwards?

How do they act afterwards?



Sorry for all the questions but i'm just worried, i just keep thinking what IF heaven forbid somthing happens during the surgury? I kinda don't want to do it anymore but I know it'll be alright. Its just I just lost spazie last december and Chevy i dont want to lose her to..

but any advice or pointers you guys have would be so greatful

hay,
suki was spayed last year, she was knocked out for 3 days after being spayed. where as some it doesnt bother them at all its like they have had nothing done. It depends on how they react to the anstetic.

My vets used dissolvable stitches, she had an anti biotic shot and pain releif and didnt seem to be in any pain.

I got chicked and white fish in she had tiny meals often i was only going to do this for the 1st night but as she was soo knocked out i did it till she was on her feet.
I also brough the travel cage in for her to sleep in, mine share a 48inch cage but I didnt want michael hurting her (even though he was so gental with her) and brough it into the hall where it was warmer than the conservatory.

Might sound like common sence but life her in and out of the car she may be full of beans after the op but she cant jump etc.

On lead walking till the wound has healed (i think its 7-10 days but im sure some one will correct me)

Most of all try not to worry I was on tender hooks all day, and made sure someone was in for the next few days.

ATD x

Thank you! Like I said any advice is greatful i've never dealt with a spayed bitch, i've always gotten them a few months afterwards!

can i request they give her pain management when she comes home? And can I request pain meds before the surgury?

I mean i trust my vet fully and he gets along so well with Chevy she gets all excited when she sees him.

and is it normal for them to want to keep her over night?

hi
i just wanted to say
i will try and reply to this thread tommorow,i iz a bit kernackered tonight
i am a vet nurse
if u want to pm me any questions or worries feel free
i also had one of my own bitches spayed last month,and believe me,i know how u feel,
try not to worry
take care
ps....ur pm box is full

I had two of my girls done end of Dec, i brought my girls home a few hours after the op, I preferred to do this because the vet does not have overnight staff, and I felt they would be better at home being kept an eye on than in the vets and no one being there if there was a problem.
1st night I just crated them and they slept most of the time, still a little wobbly on legs so I helped them out by putting a large towel under their body and lifting each side gently, mine are big girls so you may not need to do this. stitches were taken out if I remember 10 days later, took a couple of seconds for them to do it, the girls suffered no pain, at the time of the operation they were injected with pain relief, they didnt need any more than this, one of the girls seemd to leak some blood from operation site, I took her back to vets to be checked they were not worried about this said it could have just been a pocket of accumlilated blood that passed out, it didnt happen again and soon started to heal fine, both girls wore collars, til stitches were taken out, for the first week 10 days til stitches were removed I would not allow them to jump up or climb up onto sofa etc, from a few days after the op I took them on gentle lead walks(no running about)for about a month increasing the distance and pace, its now3 months since the ops they have started back swiming, I did decrease their food intake because they were less active than normal, but I have noticed one of them has managed to put on a little weight, she is now on a strict diet, and I have increased her exercise to ensure we get the weight back off, the other girl has managed to stay pretty slim.

It is a worry, but when you take her to the vet, try to stay calm, this will help her recover better if she is not stressed, by picking up on YOUR stress.

Good luck I am sure she will be fine.

mo

thank you!

yes the vet said they would like to keep her overnight just in case something happens, i said well whats the point if no one is here the Vet said they have staff that come in and out at night to check on the animals , you think she will be ok or better off just coming home for the first night?

i will try not to stress when i take her there thank you..

and right now she's 6pounds 7ounces.

I really do think it's worse for us than for our dogs.

Mya was my latest spay, and she whined overnight - I stayed with her to comfort her as she was in a bit of pain. The next morning she was "almost" back to normal, and 24 hours later it was like nothing had happened.

The most difficult thing is trying to keep them calm post-op as they don't really understand why they can't run about etc.

Good luck and try not to worry x

What can I do to make her more comfortable afterwards? - Make sure she has somewhere quiet and comfy to lay where she can see you with fresh water available. Offer a little light food but don't push it if she doesn't want it, just leave her to sleep

How long does it take for them to be back to normal? - Usually about 24hrs they will be feeling back to normal but then the hard part starts. You have to keep them quiet but they think otherwise. The first 24hrs is easy as they are still under the anesthetic.

How long do they have the stitches? - Usually 10 days so for the first few days no walks and then just very short lead walks till the stitches are out.

Does removing the stitches hurt them? - No

Do they need pain control afterwards? - They will have had an injection in the vets for pain, some vets give you some for the first few days some don't. Not all dogs need it but if they do you can always ring your vet and they will leave you some to collect at reception.

How do they act afterwards? - Most are sleepy for the first 24hrs (but not always) then they act normally as I said above then starts the hard part keeping them calm and quiet till the stitches are out.
Its not always that they will damage the outter stitches they can damage the wound inside that you can't see.
Remember its a big op the same as a hysterectomy for a woman and it takes a woman 6 weeks till she feels right again and a woman is not allowed to lift or do anything during her recovery not even lift a kettle.


Hope the answers help you and good Luck although I am sure all will be fine.

My bitch was spayed very recently, she also had surgery on both her eyes for entropion at the same time.

She went in to the vets at about 8am and we collected her that evening at about 6pm. She had been given pain medication and antibiotics. The only medication we brought home for her was antibiotic drops for her eyes.

She was very sleepy the evening of the surgery and not interested in food. The next day she was absolutely full of beans. She was back to eating normal food, very playful and lively. She stayed on lead during walks for ten days but was itching to get out and about straight away but did stick to street walks, to prevent her wound getting muddy. We were also careful to pick her up and put her in the car to prevent her jumping.

It was almost like nothing had happened the following day - amazing. There was no need for special foods or particularly special treatment. Oh and her stitches were dissolvable so no need to have them taken out

thank you for your reply and i think you are right i think its harder on us than it is on them

thank you those answers are greatly appreciated




thank you all advice is helpful

because this will be the first bitch i deal with this