72 hours post surgery...

[FlorallyBankrupt]

...and my dog doesn't seem to be getting back to himself at all.

He was entire and he's always been a lovely passive dog, so I wanted to let him be - but he had a retained testicle and I was getting lectured about how he was at risk of a torsion, cancer etc. So I put the surgery off as long as I dared but he finally had a laparoscopic castration this week at 20 months old.

All went well, he's got 4 incisions - had a post-op check up yesterday and they were happy with him. He's eating well (better than usual in fact, he has IBD), no vomiting or diarrhoea, drinking, peeing, pooping less regularly than usual but he has been (once in the last 72 hours, that was a lot of poop).

On his first day home he was as you'd expect - drowsy, disoriented, but still trying to jump up at the doorbell or run out to the garden like his normal self. He's on pardale for pain relief, once a day.

But from day 2 but he's been trembling and hiding, doesn't want to move. If I put a collar and lead on him he'll drag me out of the gate and pull like a train - as soon as I take his lead off in the garden after a 10 minute potter around for toilet, he drops to the ground or just stands where you leave him. If encouraged to move around he won't walk, just skitters on his belly or rolls.

I thought it was the surgical recovery shirt so I removed it and tried an inflatable collar, but he just sat stock still staring into space for 2 hours until I relented. I've tried letting him go nude during the day when I can watch him as he doesn't typically fuss the stitches, but NOT having it on at all seems to freak him out all the more.

So I've gone back to leaving the shirt on all the time and he's more relaxed, but still reluctant to move around. He can walk because he'll walk on the lead, and of course he acted completely normally when we went for his vet check up.

He doesn't want to be indoors, just wants to lay on the cool grass - I'm having to take his meals and water bowl out to him!

I know he's just had surgery and his anatomy has changed forever, and I know he feels sore and uncomfortable and probably pretty crap. Maybe adrenaline takes him through walking and vet visits, and at home he just wants to hide away?

I thought he'd be a bit brighter this morning but he's not. I assumed he'd just be a quieter version of his usual self, but it's like he's not my dog at all - worse still, he's started behaving nervously when I approach him.

Wow, that was long.

TL;DR - 72 hours after castration op my dog is acting oddly, reluctant to move around, shaking and not wanting to be indoors. All clinical signs normal. Springs to life on a lead but otherwise nervous and trembly when approached.

Just a bit worried and looking for reassurance via others experience. Sorry for rambling.

I don’t know but didn’t want to leave you hanging with no reply. Could be the pain while it heals. If it’s his first experience of pain it could be upsetting him, not knowing what is happening to his body, why he feels so hurt.
My breed tends to be one of the really stoical ones, they can be really in pain but never show any signs, not as great as it sounds as you can sometimes miss a problem starting.
You could ring the vet, ask to speak to one of the vets, explain how he is & see if they have any advice or want to see him.

Mine always seeks out cold places like the bathroom floor or shower floor when in pain. I would contact your vet and ask them to check him over given that he wants to be outside.

I also have a dog that changes every time he has been in the vets for an operation as he associates different noises and things with being afraid.

As we only saw the nurse yesterday I'll doubt they'll be concerned about him - he was letting her touch all the wounds and didn't bat an eyelid, and he's letting me look. One of them looks a bit puffy which she said was "stitch reaction", whatever that means, and he's made the scrotal incision sore by licking it for a few mins on night 2 when we were asleep (we think).

But none of them are really red and angry or weepy, they're nice and dry. I expect he's just feeling some pain, and that will be new to him.

He's verrrry slightly brighter in the last hour - he rolled over and made to play just now, although only for a few seconds, and he's wagged his tail a bit. But still not straying far from his spot on the grass outside my office.

He doesn't seem "sick", he's eating really well and always perks up if he thinks there's food coming.

I had a dog speyed about six years ago, and it really upset her. She was a different dog for weeks, possibly longer. She was so nervous afterwards, approaching being neurotic.

She did go back to being herself, but it took a long time. I have had lots neutered before, and one since, and they've all been fine, but this one dog was so sensitive to it.

Did they not give you any pain killers to give to him?
It’s funny how they differ. Some are SO stoical yet others are real babies when it comes to pain.
When do you take him back to the vet?

I had a super neurotic terrier spayed years ago, I swear that was the point she went from being a bit snippy to full on aggression!

This little guy is the easiest dog in the world, takes everything in his stride usually. He's on Pardale for pain relief (it's paracetamol, he can't have anti inflammatories due to IBD) , but only once a day for some reason so it must be wearing off by afternoon.

He had his 2 day post-op check yesterday, and isn't due another until next Friday.

I just took him for another 15 minute mooch about - he actually ran away from me putting the lead on, but once on he bolted for the gate. Spent a lot of time scratching up grass but no poos, which he really needs before he explodes. But we saw other dogs and he was his normal silly self, rolling on the floor to greet them.

In fact looking at him now I'd say he's improved a bit. Thanks for the responses, it's nice to hear from others!

Poor little chap. He’s gorgeous. Is he a Border Terrier?
One of mine has IBD been on meds for thirteen years.

My lab was a bit weird when he had his operation, the painkillers seemed to make him a bit spaced out. He was ok after a few days and trip to the vet to double check all was well.

Yes, border terrier - after 12 years of a vicious neurotic Patterdale, he has such a lovely temperament we can't quite believe our luck. We adore him (I guess IBD is the payoff, but it's manageable with diet for now)!

He perked up a bit yesterday afternoon, and actually wandered around the garden for a few metres which is the most steps he's taken off a lead since the op. Oh and he managed a poo at teatime. But he still keeps flinching and leaping away from what I imagine must be twinges at the surgery site.

He's subdued this morning but he's due a painkiller, so I'll go sort him out. Bless him, I just want my happy dog back and he keeps looking at me sorrowfully like I've ruined him forever.

He seemed much better first thing but he refuses to come indoors - like he's associating it with something awful.

If it was done laparoscopically they'll have inflated the abdomen which can sometimes leave pockets of gas which cause random referred pain - in humans shoulder pain is common. I'd ask for meloxicam or a similar non steroidal in addition to the pardale

Aldo try and discourage him from lying in wet grass, it will increase his risk of infection if his wounds are dirty and damp

You could also try a cool mat

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/dog/dog-beds/cooling-dog-beds-and-mats

Thanks @Veterinari, appreciate that. He's got a cool mat but won't lay on it, contrary little devil.

He was really happy and waggy to go out for his 10 minutes earlier, much more like himself, and he scoffed all his breakfast - but once back home, he seems fearful and doesn't like being indoors. It's raining now so I've carried him in, put him in his favourite spot in the living room and closed all the doors - he's settling now (well, licking his paws, but he's not going near his wounds) but give the choice he'd rather sit outside.

He was really poorly at Christmas when his IBD kicked off, and I remember he just wanted to sit outside in the wind and rain rather than be cooped up. I think it's just his thing.

He doesn't strike me as being in pain - no panting or rapid breathing, not particularly restless, sleeping deeply when he lies down. Physically he's much better and moving around more easily - he just seems unusually nervy, although his tremoring stopped yesterday.

I suppose that's just the after effects. Poor boy.

@FlorallyBankrupt
He doesn't strike me as being in pain - no panting or rapid breathing, not particularly restless, sleeping deeply when he lies down.

None of those are validated signs of pain though

The signs you've described would fit with mild to moderate pain (likely originating from insufflation gas rather than the surgical incisions) on a validated scale

csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/anesthesia-pain-management-pain-score-canine.pdf

Ooh okay, thanks - I'll give the surgery a call and see if he can have something else on top of the pardale.

Would that fit in with him having had the surgery on Tuesday?

Thank you for your advice.

Yes
At the very least there's no harm in ruling it out.
A behaviour change after a known painful procedure is most likely to be due to pain

Makes sense. Unfortunately the surgery said the vet would call me after consult ends, but they close in 15 mins so I don't know how I'm going to collect anything.

I found mint tea almost miraculous in relieving post-caesarean gas pain which nothing else touched. Mint in moderate quantities is quite safe for dogs. If you have some, you could try it.

By way of an update, he is much improved today. The vet did call back - at 5pm yesterday afternoon!

He was reluctant to start any form of NSAID as it could trigger a flare-up of the bowel condition, so instead he doubled the Pardale dose and suggested spreading it out across the day. That does seem to have made a difference, he is showing much more of his usual personality and behaviours today even if he is still occasionally snatching round at himself and scrubbing his body along the floor.

He's worked out he can "scratch" his itchy stitches by licking the front of his thighs, which jiggles everything else around to relieve the itch! I've noticed that a few stray hairs have been caught in the scrotal stitches - that's enough to make anyone uncomfortable...

But his digestion has caught up now, his appetite is okay, and he's stopped spending all his time outside. He even did a lap of the house clutching a toy crocodile earlier, so I guess he's on the mend.

Thanks for all the advice.

Glad he's feeling better.
Post surgical pain is rubbish and can present in odd ways, glad the pain relief has been upped

Thank you, yes he's doing much better on the spread out meds - vet said he must be metabolising it quickly!

After a bit of a mad dash around with the excitement of visitors at the weekend he suffered for it last night - I'd gone away for work for the night so he was unsettled anyway, but he was restless and DH said he took himself through the dog flap and sat outside in the rain at 4am. We know he's feeling off when he does that.

But he rallied after a dose of of paracetamol this morning and has been fine all day - ran around with his toy when I came home, tripped up my mother-in-law so she fell over in the garden then emptied her handbag all over the lawn, so I think he's feeling better.