Koda is getting spayed next week and I'm kind of nerveous. Is there anything I should know/buy beforehand? Any behavioral things I should be aware of?

The biggest trouble with Meeks spay was keeping her from jumping on furniture. Different vets have different recommendations for how long but ours said to keep her from running and jumping for ten days. It was hard to do! They also can't lay down in the grass so that's something to consider. Some recommend leaving the cone on for awhile, some say just keep an eye on her and others say put a tshirt on her so you might want to see what they say about licking prevention.

One thing meeka did that I had never seen before was for about a day after her surgery she was really paranoid and jumpy. She didn't recognize us and freaked out at any sound. The vet said some are just affected by the anesthesia that way. She normalized after a day or so but my gosh it was weird!

Good luck! And I'm sure everything will be just fine

It's relatively straightforward. You don't want her bothering the stitches, and the cone of shame is recommended, some don't need it, that'll be your call. Coming off the anastesia (sp?) will have her sleeping a lot her first night. Then after that you don't want her over exerting herself so you have to keep her as calm as possible, and that can be pretty difficult. They generally recover quite quickly, and except for a few whimpers sometimes from moving to fast or something, you probably won't even know she's had an operation. I know with mine, except for the pain meds given at the time of the operation, none were given or prescribed but that may vary with each vet (I'm really not sure on that)

The anesthesia can affect each animal differently. Like Jimmy said, a lot sleep the rest of the night. Banner (although neutered) cried, whimpered and paced all night long. Just trying to give you a heads up .

Nothing to add, everyone gave great advice Tyler. Just wishing you and Koda a quick recovery when she has her spay.

Tyler, nothing really to add to the good comments already give - but one thing, if you're nervous about her getting spayed, take a deep breath and relax. We all, already, know that our dogs will work off of our emotions - your apprehension will make it more difficult for her.

None of the females I've had spayed have ever needed a cone and only one made me nervous with her licking. But it was never aggressive (like trying to pull out stitches) enough to really concern me. Weigh the advantages of a cone -vs- her anxiety with the cone and do what feels right.

Thank you guys for the reassurance. Another question I have is, Should I take her for walks? If so, how long should I limit them too. Knowing my Koda, she WILL NOT stand for no walks for a week. She would be so heartbroken. Maybe if I could take her somewhere to sit and people watch?

Also, how long should I wait (days) to resume regular play and walks? Is it more of a she will tell me or is there a recommended amount of time?

It's been my experience that she will tell you. I would lean toward doing multiple shorter walks on easy terrain for a couple days. Stick to clear paths with no climbing or tall grass that can reach up and rub the incision. Not sure where you walk but mine are usually woodland trails is why I add that last part. I've never needed to keep one of my dogs to no walks for a week or even no play for a week. Just keep her a little less rowdy than normal and you should be good.

You can probably be prepared for a VERY drugged up dog when you pick her up.  I let mine get into my vehicles on their own if they could ... they know how much the stitches hurt ... I did lift one in.

The last couple of dogs I've had spayed went something like this:

• [Too drugged to do much of anything but since they've not had anything to eat or drink for 24 hours more or less, that wasn't a problem.]
  
• I'm not hungry, but I'll drink a gallon if you'll let me - don't give in to this, limit her drinking somewhat. [No medical reason but you will want to limit "in'n'out" for a bit.]
  
• I wanna go out.  Well, really no I don't. Well, maybe I do.  (see second note above)
  
• Let's go for a walk.  (15 steps down the drive) Okay, I'm done.
  
• What's for lunch?  Ugh, I'm not hungry.
  
• I gotta go out.  But I ain't gotta go ... (expect this early on, a couple of days for the side effects of the anesthesia to wear off)
  
• Let's go for a real walk. (Halfway around the block) Okay, I'm done.
  
• Let's go play. ( No! )  Oh, please ...  ( Give in ) That feels funny [lick lick] ( Stop that! )
  
• What's for lunch?  Is that all you're gonna give me??
  

That should give you an idea of what the first three days or so are gonna be like.  Like I said before to cone or not is your choice depending on how much she irritates the stitches.  I was never overly concerned about licking unless she looked like she was trying to get the stitches out (one dog out of three and she just got 'yelled' at.)

My experience Tyler, was exactly like Jenn describes. Mishka was even jumping on the bed (before I could stop her) like on about the third day. Walks were kept short and around my own neighborhood (although I think your idea of sitting somewhere and people watching is pretty cool, it's something I never really thought of and Mishka is happy just people watching) neither of mine needed the cone but that's like Al says, a case by case basis...I'll add though that I think where they are shaved, begins to get stubble very soon and it does seem to bother them in that they'll immediately go down to "itch" it and can be confused with licking or biting on the stitches. I think the hardest thing you will experience through this is...leaving them in the vets office and walking away from her, ugh, it killed me! Kohdi especially, I had tears! lol

Tyler, my experience with Miya...Dopey the first day, mopey the second, and then by the third day she was ok, like Jenn said we went at her pace, because she knew what she felt well enough to do. My freak of a licker/nibbler never bothered her stitches, she did lick here and there, and I was ok as long as I didn't see her little front teeth start to nibble, then like Al, I told her enough. She had no cone. The vet will give you instructions, so do follow them along with watching her and how she is feeling. Watching the world go by with her best friend will pass the time away nicely those first few days.

Good luck with Miss Koda!

I will say when I got Mylo neutered he also got cryptorchid surgery done so it was a double procedure... I was so nervous and watery eyed as I left the vet that morning. When I went to pick him up he was really drugged up and he did not want to walk, he would wine after three or four steps and sit down. Now of course the hard part was going to be the getting him in the car. I knew in advance that he was probably not going to be able to jump in the car like usual so I thought about a cool idea to put him in the car. I put my back seats down and brought his big bed along. I thought well I'll put him on his bed and lift him up like that. Initially my girlfriend thought my idea was weird but It worked perfectly! He laid on his bed while me and my girlfriend lifted the bed up in the car. All the way back home he looked drowsy and wasted. Got home, lifted him out with the bed all the to the room with us and there he stayed laying down for the rest of the day like he did the 2nd day too. I got him a soft style cone and he didn't seem to mind it at all. On the third day he was up and good back to being his usual puppy self.

Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the advice. I read them the other day, but was at the dog park, so I didn't want to take my eyes off of my Koda long enough to reply. I've made sure to tire her out as much as possible the days leading up to the surgery.

Jimmy, I dropped her off this morning... It was soul crushing hearing her "woo woo" at my as i left. I was very close to crying, but didn't want to look ridiculous in front of all the other parents.

I do hope she is okay, and I'm REALLY looking forward to snuggles tonight. I get to pick her up at 5 once I get off of work.

Hey Tyler, depending on when they actually do the surgery you may not get any snuggles tonight! You may snuggle, but she may be so far out of it that she'll probably want to do nothing but sleep! Don't be worried about that, it's completely normal. In between the surgery itself and the drugs most dogs are loopy on the first evening and often into the second day.

It's funny (in an odd sort of way) to see the pup want to say "Oh, Hi Dad!" and then be so drugged up that they can't get their feet straight. (( Kinda like watching your best friend on his first real drunk! ))

aljones wrote:

It's funny (in an odd sort of way) to see the pup want to say "Oh, Hi Dad!" and then be so drugged up that they can't get their feet straight.  (( Kinda like watching your best friend on his first real drunk! ))

or like watching your teenage son TRY to negotiate stairs after wisdom tooth extraction.

It looks worrisome to see them so drugged out but as long as they are not excessively hot or high heart rate, everything is probably ok.

Let us know how it goes Tyler. Like Al and Amy said, she'll probly be pretty out of it for snuggles but you can still snuggle, it'll make you feel better for sure. I did with Mishka, I slept on the floor and put her down on a big soft blanket and slept. Whether she knew I was there or not I don't know but it made me feel better.

It's a killer walking away from them isn't it!!! I did have tears with Kohdi, and yeah I probly looked ridiculous to others but, I think of all people, pet parents understand so I wasn't caring too much how I looked, haha.

Try not to stress today! I'm sure everything will be good.

Tyler, please update us. i know it is so tough taking your little girl in, and when you see her next she just wants to sleep. I snuggled with Miya all day when she got home too. And in not too many months I will be going through this again. So hang in there.

Tyler, one thing that Amy mentioned reminded me ... dogs coming off anesthesia have little control over their body temperature. In a warm climate it's easy for them to get overheated - think heat stroke - and I presume, though I don't know for sure, that cold temps could be as much of a problem.

My vet commented that "if you're comfortable then she'll be okay, but if you're hot then make sure you can get her someplace cooler." (( or words to that effect ... ))

And yes, please do let us know how she is when you get her home ...

Hi Tyler! I'm sure Koda will be ok and is in good hands. Your vet will give you complete care instructions at discharge. I understand how heartbreaking it is to leave your girl behind for something she doesn't know is coming. Just be gentle with her and attentive to her needs afterwards and she will bounce back in no time. My Red was back to herself within almost 2 days of rest. Please update afterwards! Best of luck!

C'mon Tyler .... you should have her home by now - well, you should have had her home yesterday afternoon. How's everything going for you and her???

Hey Al! Sorry I didn't post sooner.

She's doing well. When she first got into the car, she was a bit out of it and pooped in the back seat. Luckily I have leather seats and just picked it up and threw it away. She was very loopy and nauseated on the way home, but I got her home and set her bed up beside me in the living room. I sat down on the floor with her so she would be comfortable. (She wants to be right beside me at all times, so I stayed on the floor to keep her from jumping on the couch.) I moved closer to the TV and laid down on the floor so she got up and laid beside me. At night, I picked her up and put her on the bed (the side against the wall so she wouldn't fall off) and she slept like a baby. This morning, I had to go to work, so I put her in her crate and she fell right asleep. She wasn't messing with the stitches (which are on the inside) so I figured she would be fine for a few hours before my mom checks on her.

Overall, I think she's doing fine. I got her to eat a little bit and drink some water this morning. I was also able to get her chipped while I was there, so everything is done.

Here she is once I got her home.

Awww...such a sweetheart Glad to hear everything went well. As for the chip - I had Ami chipped and it gives me great peace of mind, especially when we travel. In the back of my minds its "0k, he's leashed with a safety from his prong to his ID collar, the leash is attached to my waist belt...but...if anything goes wrong he gets loose and he loses his tags, I've got the chip" I like redundancy!

It does give me peace of mind in the simple fact that it's never coming out. Someone steals Koda (There is a lot of drugs and dog stealing and flipping to get money for those drugs here) they can take off her tags and all of that, but never can they take out that chip. I'm constantly on end worried someone will take her.

I like that picture "Oh, daddy make the world stop spinning 'round!!" Glad everything went smoothly and in particular glad you got her chipped, that does bring a peace of mind.

Glad to hear all went well Tyler!! She does looks pretty sad in the pic. By the time you get home today, I am sure she will feel loads better. I agree with the chipping, makes you feel so much more relaxed knowing that if something were to happen she can be scanned and you two can be reunited. Very cool. Keep us posted.