Update - Kailey's Spay

[Chaser]

Well, this doesn't usually warrant a whole post but I'm so proud of our girl I just wanted to share!

We took Kailey in this morning and she was SO scared when we left it just broke my heart! :sad: But the vet was great - got down on the floor and gave her cuddles when we left

She was described as a "perfect patient" and when we picked her up, the vet tech said when she brought her out to us that she sat for her leash and sat and waited for doors!!!! I am SO proud of her! IMO, a dog that behaves well for other people is a very good dog, and I'm just so pleased that she did so great! (Confession: Chase does NOT act this good for other people )

Anyway, the poor girl feels crappy and is exhausted. When we got home she literally walked two feet in the door, collapsed, and passed out! We really had to coax her to go out for a pee. We're letting the dogs interact tonight b/c she is so tired she won't even lift her head. Chase just checks on her and gives her kisses Once she's feeling better she will spend more time in her crate, alternated with Chase in our room while she roams the rest of the apartment and stretches her legs. They can't play together at all as of tomorrow because as soon as they see each other they do a flying tackle sort of thing that would spell disaster for her stitches

She'll sleep with us tonight. Normally she's pretty sneaky and gets into things , but tonight she doesn't even want to move an inch so I don't think she'll be finding any trouble!

[14+kitties]

I'm very glad things went so well for the pretty girl. Enjoy the quiet tonight. The next few days are going to be fun!! on a successful op!

[hazelrunpack]

I'm so happy Kailey did so well! It's always a big load off our minds when the surgery is over.

Do you have a Dreaded Elizabethan Collar for her if she gets itchy and wants to lick? The itchiest part is usually about a week into the recovery.

[SolaMio]

That's great, Chase_Mom, I'm sure Kailey will recover quickly. In fact I'm amazed by how quickly dogs bounce back by such a major surgery. It's such a worry when they're getting it done though. for a speedy recovery

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

Do you have a Dreaded Elizabethan Collar for her if she gets itchy and wants to lick? The itchiest part is usually about a week into the recovery.

That cone is a must ! And if she gets too hyper and wants to play , this will calm her down.

Good girl Kailey !

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

That cone is a must ! And if she gets too hyper and wants to play , this will calm her down.

We didn't get one b/c hubby insisted she would be fine - changed his mind 1/2 an hour after getting home! I TOLD him she would be a licker!

Anyway, she's so sleepy tonight it seems okay and we're watching her superclose, but will pop out to an open vet's office in the a.m. and buy one.

Does anyone know if pet stores sell them? Or does it need to be a vet? If so that's fine, we know of several around here that are open until noon tomorrow.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Chase_Mom

Does anyone know if pet stores sell them? Or does it need to be a vet? If so that's fine, we know of several around here that are open until noon tomorrow.

I've never seen those in pet stores.

Like Hazel mentioned , the critical "itches" will be in a few days , when it starts to heal. You turn your back for a few seconds and there goes one of the stitches ... not all dogs but some.

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

I've never seen those in pet stores.

I didn't think so - we'll just pop into a vet.

Like Hazel mentioned , the critical "itches" will be in a few days , when it starts to heal. You turn your back for a few seconds and there goes one of the stitches ... not all dogs but some.

She already seems to want to lick....I would guess because it is tender and sore. We want to have it ASAP just so it's handy if we feel we need it, or have to leave her alone at all. It's weird having to worry about this....Chase couldn't have cared less about his!

[Chaser]

Question: Has anyone with a recently spayed pet been given dissolving stitches only? Chase needed to have his taken out, but this vet only did dissolving and said we don't have to come back (unless concerned).

Did these work out okay for your pet???

[wdawson]

keep a very close eye for infection.....trust me ....if the redness and a little swelling is there after 4 days....go for a recheck.

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by wdawson

keep a very close eye for infection.....trust me ....if the redness and a little swelling is there after 4 days....go for a recheck.

Will do - fortunately hubby is a paramedic and better able to monitor things like that then I am (I don't even want to look!). He'll be checking her incision regularly.

[wdawson]

Originally Posted by Chase_Mom

Question: Has anyone with a recently spayed pet been given dissolving stitches only? Chase needed to have his taken out, but this vet only did dissolving and said we don't have to come back (unless concerned).

Did these work out okay for your pet???

maggie was spayed about 6mths ago.

done by laser , but there is still an incision....yes she had the dissoving stitches.....they never fully dissolved and a few had to be removed by hand.

[Chaser]

Originally Posted by wdawson

maggie was spayed about 6mths ago.

done by laser , but there is still an incision....yes she had the dissoving stitches.....they never fully dissolved and a few had to be removed by hand.

Kailey's was laser too - thank you for the heads up! We'll watch for any that don't dissolve.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Chase_Mom

Question: Has anyone with a recently spayed pet been given dissolving stitches only?

Not for spay but both Bailey and Chloe had surgery on their eye lids , and they got those dissolving stitches. It healed ok , I could see the stitches for a long time though , but it didn't seem to bother them.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Chase_Mom

We'll watch for any that don't dissolve.

They do but some take a long time , too bad you don't live closer ,I could lend one to you , I have 3 different sizes of cones

[Sylvie]

So glad its all done.

She will be really sleepy from the drugs tonight but will bounce back pretty fast. I looked at them at petsmart but did not like the way theystayed together, mind you this was quite a while ago.

I got mine from the vets, not too expensive. If you have any problem give me a call in the morning, our vet is open till noon.

A couple of our foster dogs had the dissolving stitches - no problems

I bet Chase was happy to see her come home.

take care and have a good sleep.

[hazelrunpack]

Did the vet give you any pain meds, Chase_Mom? We've noticed that the NSAIDS, like Deramaxx, for instance, seem to make our dogs a little more mellow during the itchiest parts of healing.

Kailey will heal great and before you know it, you and she will have forgotten all about her surgery!

[wdawson]

oh yea they do bounce back quick.....tommorrow.....

[allymack]

woo! its good to hear that her surgery went so well! i have actually gotten to sit in on a spay once, its was a pretty little GSD girl, its really interesting. anyways, enjoy the peace and quiet

[Chaser]

Yeah we figure tomorrow we'll be on "Stop Kailey From Bouncing Around Duty"!

Hazel - other than a shot of Metacam today, no pain meds. But I do have homeopathic doggie calming pills (with tryptophan - you know, the natural "turkey dinner" sedative?) that I can use if she seems antsy.

Sylvie - Thanks, will let you know if we have any trouble finding one, but i'm not too worried. If they try to charge us $30 or something ridiculous though I'll be calling you - your vet is much more reasonable!

[rainbow]

Hope you're getting a good night's sleep tonight.

[Winston]

Hows Kailey this morning? The cones are probably around 20.00 or so from the vet at least thats what I was charged with Winston many yrs ago. I would highly reccomend it. Especially when she is in the crate. it will help alot!

Bet she has much more energy today. I think they just get so woozy after all the drugs.

[badger]

20 $ for a piece of plastic? Highway robbery. My vet gives me one automatically, bet it costs him 5 cents.
She won't like it one bit, but it beats having to watch them 24/7. I generally wait to see if they lick excessively. Some of my boys barely glanced at the 'damage' but a girly incision is probably a different matter.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Winston

The cones are probably around 20.00 or so from the vet at least thats what I was charged with Winston many yrs ago.

Originally Posted by badger

20 $ for a piece of plastic? Highway robbery.

$20.00 ? Badger is right !! Mine were all under $10.00 , even the extra-large one !

it was so cute when I bought the one for Chloe , so tiny

[Chaser]

Oh my....we are SO !

I KNEW she would be compulsive about it - we were both waking up every 10 minutes last night. Every time we heard her tags jingle we knew she was licking. Got a collar today and it was $20.00.....and I agree it's ridiculous! But we had to have it ASAP b/c she's been so bad, so we couldn't really shop around. Poor girl absolutely hates it, so we're not subjecting her to it during the day since we are home and can watch her closely.

She ate and drank this morning....slightly more energy but she's still not interested in playing with Chase so that's one less concern for us! She just seems to want to be near us and nap. Last night was SO strange....I think she was really in pain, and she kept running away and hiding in corners It was really strange, and I felt awful that she was so upset. Seems better today though.

[Sylvie]

Hey, just want to mention that the drugs are not out of her system yet and some dogs and people do have weird reactions.:sad: I know I had nightmares for weeks after. Don't think it would be the pain, more the reaction to the drugs. Glad she is doing alright otherwise.

[krdahmer]

Glad to hear surgery went well... hope she recovers quickly! And I would have to say the hiding in corners is probably because she was still a bit dopey from the drugs.... Smoke did something similar... she kept camping out at the door, even fell asleep sitting up in front of it. She was just really whacked out the night of the surgery and until about dinner the next day.

[14+kitties]

Just say no to drugs! That's what was probably making her seem wonky last night. I think it's comical to watch some kitties' reaction to the meds. The huge eyes especially! My last one I think had too much because she really seemed to take a long time to come around.

As a few people have mentioned.... the dissolving stitches sometimes take a long time to disappear. All of the kitties I have had done had them. I know with my girls some of them still had a stitch a month or so after but they are gone now. If it really bothered them they took it out themselves. Most of the time they left them alone. I figured better to leave them if they weren't giving them problems and let them dissolve naturally.
Never had to have a collar for any of the little angels. Knock on wood! Now I've said it I will probably need one for the next one(s) I have to do.

[growler~GateKeeper]

If Kailey was licking last night she was probably just irritated & a bit sore there.

I agree not only the drugs but also the anaesthesia will make for some strange/dopey reactions for the next day or so.

sppedy recovery Kailey