Jump to content
BC Boards

Advice on spay recovery?


Recommended Posts

I'm about to have my 7 1/2 old puppy spayed. I'm worried about being able to keep her inactive for two weeks. She is my first BC, and seems to really need some sort of exercise/activity each day or she starts getting crazy. Would love to hear some advice from experienced BC owners on how to handle her recovery period.

post-20015-0-02098500-1505232690_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grit your teeth and put her in her crate for at least the first few days. If you have an X-pen she can graduate to that if she stays calm enough. If not, it's in the crate for the whole time, with all walks on leash.

 

She doesn't have to like it, but you need to be firm in your resolve as it's in her best interest. I had to have a somewhat older but still young dog on crate rest for months while a herniated disk healed. It wasn't easy but it saved him from having to have surgery.

 

Do an internet search for "crate games" to give you some ideas for things to occupy her brain while she's resting. Invest in some Kong toys to fill and freeze for her meals so that she can work on it for a while. Good chew toys like antlers and cow hooves can be helpful. Try rotating through several types to keep her interested in them.

 

Good luck. And remember there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks GL. You haven't exactly painted a rosy picture, but I appreciate the candor. I do have an X-pen so hopefully she'll be ok in there after being crated the first few days. And I will invest in some new elk antlers and such. Not looking forward to this... lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know every dog is different but when we had a 1 year old spayed she rested herself the first night and second day home. She wasn't interested in doing much.

The third day she was ready to go and we kept her to just leash walks and trick training inside. By the the 5th or 6th day it was pretty much business as usual with off leash walks/runs. We did no fetch or swimming though for a while longer. I think the vet also advised 1-2 weeks of rest.

I would suggest doing trick training, filling and freezing kongs and just regular leashed walks for a while. It's a good time to let her know that sometimes life is boring but she still needs to chill/behave in the house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can do this. For perspective, I'm currently in the middle of 8-10 weeks of crate rest with a BC. Poor dog had a stretch of five weeks earlier this year.

I'll echo the Kongs and limited activity training games - we're doing lots of "hold" practice . Also stuff like sitting on the floor while watching TV and doing gentle massage. And put all the toys in a closet or something before she comes home - out of sight out of mind hopefully.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just wanted to echo the admonition to be strong and do what it takes. 7 years ago our Aussie pulled half her stitches out - and had to go back in for another round of sedation and sutures. Costly and very uncomfortable for her. Hang in there! :) Two weeks will pass before you know it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. I just moved her date back to the 26th. One of my friends informed me that the Humane Society of Delaware performs the surgery much cheaper that a vet charges. My vet was going to charge $282 and the HS is only charging $150, which includes a 3 day supply of Tramadol. I'd rather have the vet do it, but money is tight right now so I have to go the cheaper route.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Well thanks for the advice everyone. 5 days in we are doing very well. I just looked at Mancer' s incision and it looks to be healing nicely. I actually haven't even needed to crate her very much. She's spent most of the time in the x-pen and has handled it very, very well. She's complained a few times but when I talk back to her she has listened very well and settled down. It kills me not to be able to take her out running, and to not be able to have her lay in my lap every night, but it's all for the best and God willing we'll be back to normal soon enough. Ugh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ack! Vet here. They should NOT be back to normal running and playing less than a week after surgery. As the body heals and replaces the initial tissue laid down immediately post op, the incision becomes weaker before it becomes stronger. For a spay, 2 weeks of actual rest. Just on a leash to potty. No jumping onto or off of furniture. No long walks, no running.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ack! Vet here. They should NOT be back to normal running and playing less than a week after surgery. As the body heals and replaces the initial tissue laid down immediately post op, the incision becomes weaker before it becomes stronger. For a spay, 2 weeks of actual rest. Just on a leash to potty. No jumping onto or off of furniture. No long walks, no running.

 

Thanks Liz. Yes, that is pretty much the plan but thanks for reinforcing it in my head. 2 weeks with the conehead on and confined to the x-pen or crate.

 

Interesting that you say just on leash to potty. Some have said that it would be ok to actually walk her on a leash, which I was considering possibly doing tonight. I know she really misses her roughly 30 minute walk through the neighborhood, which she typically gets almost every day. I was thinking I might just give her a short walk today, just down the street maybe a dozen houses and back. But you are saying that is too risky?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...