Neutering

[assumpta]

Hi, my male dog is being neutered next Tuesday. What do I need to know or do for him after the operation? Age unknown as a rescue, one vet thought 10 months another thought 4 or 5 years, does age make a difference to recovery. I know that he has to wear a collar and has to be quiet for 10 days. Anything else?

My dog didn't stay quiet for 10 days! He was totally perky after a day or two. The hardest thing was walking him on the lead, when he was used to charging about the park. He had loads of energy. He wasn't keen on the collar of shame either.

For most dogs neutering really is a not a big deal. I know it's a bigger op for bitches, but the dogs get an easy time. Expect some swelling where his balls were, this goes down eventually.

If you're supervising him closely and he's not bothering the wound then he doesn't need to wear the collar - some dogs find bashing into things with the collar on more distressing than if they were just allowed to get on with it quietly!

He will likely sleep or be very woozy for 24 hours after the anaesthetic and then could quite well be back to his normal self, dogs tend to recover very quickly (it's a bigger op for bitches) and you'll just have to try and manage lead walks as best you can until all the swelling has gone down and the vet gives you the all clear.

Just a word of caution on the collar - if you take it off, make sure you supervise very closely indeed. It doesn't take much licking to remove stitches (which can mean a whole other operation). Personally I wouldn't risk it, but it depends on your dog. Mine can remove or destroy all cones (though I think this is unusual because it shocked the vet when we said we had to have a spare).

Hope it all goes well for him and he is back to his bouncy self in no time.

Definitely echoing the caution to keep a close eye on your dog if not wearing the collar. My mum suspected that our dog had burst his stitches and took him to the vet because she was worried, it turned out he had burst them and because he'd had his breakfast he couldn't get an anaesthetic for more stitches. Instead the vet gave him two quick staples poor old boy.

Can't advise on the recovery time because my dog was a lot older but I know people whose younger dogs have bounced back quickly :) just give him lots of fuss.

Great news that he should recover quickly. It gives me shivers thinking of his stitches bursting though! He does tend to groom 'down there' a lot, so I think the collar may need to be on! Do the stitches just dissolve, or have they to be removed by the nurse?

Most vets use dissolving sutures for castrates with just a wound check at 10 days to make sure everything is healing well.

Labradors and elizabethan collars (lampshades) are not a great mix and we usually have to replace them on the bouncy labs as they have smashed them
up!

A good alternative is an inflatable ring that goes around the neck to stop them bending neck to reach area - our local pets at home sells these.

Please don't take the collar off, so many wounds break down due to licking and people make the mistake of thinking they will be ok without after the first couple of day - it's actually after the first few days the wound is itchy and very tempting to be nibbled!! Some dogs can get away with a pair of child's shorts when being supervised but I doubt you could get away with this with your average lab!!

Yep 10 days lead walking only, try and restrict jumping Ie into car onto sofa etc and stair walking.

Hopefully your practice will give you all the aftercare advice and never worry about ringing up if you have any questions.

Try not to worry to much it's a simple procedure for the boys and the usually go out as happy and lively as they came in!!

My Cocker spaniel was neutered on Wednesday. We put the lampshade thing on when he came home - and he hated it. Far from bashing around, he just sat in one place staring sadly at the floor. It wasl ike he thought he couldn't move with it on. When we went to bed and put him on his bed - he was still in the same position when we came down the next morning. I think having his peripheral vision obscured freaked him out.
I haven't put the collar on since - I am home most of the day and he sits at my feet so I am able to keep an eye on him. I do like the idea of an inflatable ring though, as he has licked the area a couple of times ( I might try and find one - because as the area heals it is more likely to start itching)
I have taken him around the block on the lead for 15 minutes today. He doesn't seem any worse for wear from the anaesthetic - just his usually bouncy self. He has a post op visit this evening :)

Hi, my boy is a terrier mix. I am not sure if he will manage his crate at night if the collar is too big, but I think he would be more settled in there rather than on his blanket. Do your dogs sleep all over the floor or have a particular spot that they stick to?

I'm obviously going slightly mental as I was sure the OP said Labrador - clearly not - apologies!!
Yes i think vision and spatial awareness are definately affected by the lampshade collars. The clear ones are better than the coloured ones for this obviously.
Yes the inflateable ring ones are a godsend for the bouncies and the terrifieds!!
Definately try to get one or persevere with the lampshade. Collars can equal miserable dogs but not as miserable if needs further surgery due to nibbleing at wound :-(.

All this advice is very welcome. I will have a look at inflatables, but will they not burst if he manages to lie sideways and 'pop'?

Well I went to the pet shop today and got another lamp shade - but a much smaller one so we shall see if he is happier with that. They didn't have an inflatable ring.

My dog sleeps in his crate - but with the door open so he can stretch his legs around the kitchen.When he wore the lampshade we pulled his blankets out onto he floor - he still had the choice of the crate if he wanted - however as I said he didn't move all night and was very miserable :(

Oh dear battery, I hope he is feeling a bit better this morning. Not looking forward to op, I hope he doesn't wake too early on the following few days after op as dd1 has GCSEs. I am having to reinforce happy time in his crate as it is, as he seems to have gone off it somewhat. Sitting here typing while he is in there sleeping with door closed so he can see me if he wakes. This is my weekend sorted!

He is much better now :) We haven't had to use the lamp shade again thank god - the poor thing was so folorn I felt awful! He went back to his sleep pattern staright away, and the day of the op he had scrambled egg for tea as recomended by the vet. The next day he was back on normal diet.

We are on day 5 post op now - we went for a walk last night in a really quiet area so he wouldn't meet with any of his doggy friends :)

Good luck with the op - I am sure the humans feel worse than the dogs do!

Glad he is up and around. I just got a letter from vets asking him to be brought to them clean so as to prevent infection, and with empty bowels, a big ask with the weather as it is, but i will pavement walk anyway. They also asked if we want a blood test before hand in case of any kidney or anaemia problems at a cost of £45. Did you have this done? They seem to recommend it.

No we didn't get offered a blood test. We did with my cat last year but she is older at 13.
Our pup also had a little lump removed from the side of one of his nipples, and they removed a baby tooth that hadn't come away and was obstructing the other teeth. He was also micro chipped! So a lot for one day.
We had to take him in starved and with one of his blankets to wake up on. I was worried about him needing a poo, as he always does one before breakfast (which he did ) but then has another about 10. However he was fine but did do a wee on his blanket which the vet washed for us.
Are you going to have the bloods done?

Not sure, they do say they definately advise for over 8, but we think he is 3 or 4, it not sure. Vet said he could be up to five years old looking at his teeth, but goodness knows what he was been fed in Ireland. They tend to have different ideas on what to feed. I would not have thought about it apart from the fact that his urine is always very yellow, but I don't know if this is normal or not. Do you? He usually drinks quite a bit, between a bowl and a bowl and a half each day, depending on weather and activity. Is that enough? Plus he was on anti biotics, and metacam for a couple of weeks when we first got him, for kennel cough. We got him on 28 April.

My dog drinks quite a bit too , if his urine is yellow maybe he is not drinking enough? If it would reassure you then get the bloods done. I would x

I had a chat with the nurse as he very kindly did a wee on the floor and she said it looked fine, so didnt get bloods done. He has had his op, and is sleepy, but up and about at vet. I get him at 4.30, and have some plain boiled rice and chicken fir him. Did yours get a funny tummy? I have some pro kolin, should I put a smidge on his food?

No he didn't have a funny tum. I gave him some scrambled egg later that night and he was fine. If anything he went the other way and was a bit constipated. He did drink lots of water though, the first night is the worst as I was worried about him, but he was fine. Yours will be back to his normal self in no time :)