Meg's mum Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I have been worried about the five days we have ahead with Meg's spay stitches exposed now that the bandages are off. My petstore folks suggested I take a small T-shirt and put it on her twisted at the top of her waiste to keep it from hanging or coming off. (She looks adorable). She keeps rubbing along the walls and glass doors and looks back at her underside, but no teeth or licking. YAY, YAHOO, YEEHA!!! This morning the grass (which needs mowing) was very wet and her T-shirt got sopped, so I took it off and threw it in the dryer. She's been licking from the moment it came off. (The only upside of this, is that she isn't trying dropping tennis balls on my feet anymore.) Hurry up dryer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Don't let her lick. A) It will hamper healing and it can quickly turn into an obsessive thing that will haunt you down the road. I usually apply an ointment with tea tree oil to wounds to prevent licking. I had an OC licker and that would stop even her. My latest favorite is Wound Care For some reason dogs really hate the taste of that stuff (well, it is pretty nasty tasting) - it's worse than that green apple stuff and much better for the wound too (the Wound Care is cheaper , too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 If you have any cardboard of strong paper you could make a cone out of it. After Dazzy's spay the vet gave us a cone for her - and she needed it! If no cone then I too would put some yucky tasting stuff on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 My dog was so depressed with the cone on. Do you have a few spare T-shirts you can use? Then she will never be without one, even if one gets wet and has to be dried. Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I'm going to have hubby pick up some yucky tasting wound care for her tummy on the way home. Thanks for the advice. You'd have thought the Vet would have said something? She's sporting her T-shirt again, and I'm getting into my deep storage barrels for some more. There is no way that Meg would accept a cone. She would jump off the balcony before she'd agree to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 How do you keep the Tshirt on far enough back? I'm thinking River would just lift up the tshirt (think of her standing on hind legs and flashing you). I do already have a cone - my other dog was so depressed when she had to wear it, she wouldn't move. I'm going to try to avoid putting it on River, but we'll see how OC she is about licking. So far she's too drugged up to notice, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 When hubby gets home we'll take a picture. Basically you gather the skirt from the top of her back tight at the region of her waist and the joint of her leg. I tried to make a twist knot but ended up makeing rabbit ears and tying them in a simple knot. Its held up with her rolling on her back and prancing through the blackberries. ACK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katendarby Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Last year, Kate, who's 8 now, had a problem with the spay wire that is left in them after they're spayed. My boxer had the same issue, it snapped and started working its way through the skin. I had her both of them opened back up and the wire was removed. (I guess this is standard practice so that upon xray, you can tell if a dog has been spayed). Unfortunately, after Kate's was done, I dashed out of the vet's office with no cone. Neither did they stop me to give me one. One day later, after all the anethsesia and pain meds wore off, Kate started chewing and opened her suture site. I woke up at 3 in the morning, panicked, ran over to check her and found her incision open and bloody. Packed her into the car and made it to the emergency vet who flushed out the wound, grabbed the stapler (surgical staples, not the desk kind) and proceeded to staple it back together with NO ANESTHETIC! Poor girl was screaming with pain, her anal glands let go and I was a MESS! Moral of the story - never have surgery without a cone, no matter how depressed or funky they act with it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 What do you mean by 'spay wire'. Meg has dissolvable suture thread like that used in human operations. Nothing was left 'in her'. Is this a common practice in California? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Ok I put a tshirt on River last night at bedtime. Couldn't see making her wear a cone inside her crate I tied it around her one back leg from the side and by her tail. Worked out great. Need a bit bigger shirt so I can do it on both sides. I was safe last night cuz she was still a bit out of it, but I think once she figures out where the stiches are, I'll have to keep her more secured. Thanks for the this option. I like it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katendarby Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 The outer incision was closed with regular sutures, but I was told by both of my vets that the inner sutures, in very active breeds, are usually permanent. They also explained the ability to xray and see the internal sutures. Don't know, never had a dog spayed anywhere else than here, by 2 different vets, who used the same practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Some vets use steel suture. We use an absorbable - so it stays in the dog, but eventually dissolves (usually - I've seen two or three where it didn't dissolve all the way and years later you end up taking out a piece of it. This usually happens only on subcutaneous sutures, not ones inside the abdomen.) The steel never dissolves, and is visible on Xray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Appreciate this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Ramsay Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Rebecca: What is the name of the product you like? The link was bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Been using the Tshirt while crating River and it's been FANTASTIC. It's usually wet in the spot where her stitches are when I take it off - so I guess she's licking the shirt (lol) but the stitches look perfectly clean and unabused! Thank you so much for this tip!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2006 Day 8-19, today we've been having difficulty trying to outwit her. She's figured out how to stretch the head hole with her teeth and pull her paw up through then she rolls the shirt around until she can untie the knot. I've had to retrieve the T about half a dozen times. She doesn't get her stitches out until Tuesday! I'm dying to let her exercise at full bore again, and SO IS SHE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted June 9, 2006 Report Share Posted June 9, 2006 You might try coating the incision with neomycin and then spraying lightly with bitter apple or lime. I've used this technique to stop licking of sores or wounds. The neomycin prevents the alcohol in the bitter apple from stinging the raw skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted June 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2006 I've yet to find a flavor, bitter apple, lime, guaranteed this and that, bitter orange, tea tree... that she wouldn't lick. I've outwitted her and anchored the T at the top of the neck to her collar. So far so good. She looks like she's an understudy for the star of "Flash Dance". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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