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Old September 14th, 2004, 01:09 PM
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Writing4Fun Writing4Fun is offline
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My silly, itchy puppy!

Phoebe was spayed on Friday. She was doing quite well. By Monday, her behaviour was a little strange. She'd walk around really quickly and kind of low to the ground, and then suddenly lie with her belly flat against the floor. Then she'd try to drag her belly along the floor. She would try to hide under furniture she clearly couldn't fit under. She would try to scratch at her belly with her hind paws, and was succeeding a little. The incision looked like it was healing well - no redness, weeping or swelling. I attributed her behaviour to the itching of the regrowing fur. But this morning, she was actually hiding under our beds (which is no mean feat, since there's only about an inch of space down there due to underbed storage). When she wasn't under the beds, she was under my legs. The quick walking and laying flat was even more pronounced, to the point that she'd by lying quietly and suddenly jump up, zip around the room, and then try to hide under whatever furniture she could find. When I checked her incision, it seemed ok, but the area surrounding it was bleeding slightly, like she had scratched it raw. I took her to the vet, and they said the incision was ok, it was the damage she was doing with her back paws. They suggested I put baby socks on her back paws to keep her from scratching, which I've done.

Is there anything else I could be doing for her? Is there an anit-itch cream I can put around the incision (not on it) to help with the itching? Should I try wrapping a dressing around her abdomen to cover the incision so she can't drag it along the floor? The poor baby is really not acting like herself.

Sorry for the lengthy post!
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Old September 14th, 2004, 04:05 PM
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call your vet back and wrap it or put a shirt on her to keep it from rubbing and irritating the stitches. ask the vet about the anti itch cream I'm unsure about that
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Old September 14th, 2004, 04:08 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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I'm guessing it's itchy and also a little hot so the floor is cool.

Take a really good look at it and feel it with the back of your 'clean' hand to see how warm the incision is.
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Old September 15th, 2004, 07:57 PM
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Update - I love my vet!!

We took Phoebe to the vet as soon as hubby got home this afternoon. The stitches were almost all gone, but her incision wasn't opened ... yet. They were surprised that she was such a happy and active puppy so soon after surgery. Unfortunately, that meant that there was no way she was holding still long enough to heal properly. They also noticed the beginnings of an infection. So, they put her on antibiotics, and suggested that she stay with them for a couple of days for the "forced inactivity" she'd need to heal properly. I cringed and asked how much this was going to set me back. "No charge" was the answer. Aren't they the sweetest?! So, if all goes well, I pick her up on Friday morning. Can't wait to have her back, hale and hearty, and ready to tear around the backyard after two days of R&R!!
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Old September 15th, 2004, 09:16 PM
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great to hear that she will be feeling better really soon...you have a cool vet
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  #6  
Old September 17th, 2004, 11:12 AM
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Update!

Phoebe is home today. Yippee!! She's not quite as hale and hearty as I was hoping, though! The inner incision is healed, but the outer skin is still open, so it's another week of forced inactivity. Talk about a stir-crazy puppy!! At least there is no sign of infection, and she hasn't really been scratching at it. She seems more interested in scratching at her neck, where the cone has been for the past 3 days. Right now, though, the baby is feeding himself some Cheerios, and the puppy is happily cleaning up after him!
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Old September 17th, 2004, 01:24 PM
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Shelly Shelly is offline
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Glad to hear she is back home, and doing well.
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