Spleen Removal Recovery
 

Hi, My dog had her spleen removed 48hrs ago. She's been home and is doing well. I have not recieved news on the biopsy and I am simply focused on surgery recovery for the time being. She does seem bored and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of VERY low-impact activties we can do to get by through the next few days. She's 13, we've always been having fun, but I am too tired and worried to creatively come up with new mental activities for us. Thanks

Have you tried stuffing a kong with plain yogurt and treats, then freezing it? She might enjoy just sitting and working on that. :thumbs up Remember to use plain yogurt with active cultures and no artificial sweeteners, fruit or added sugar. The yogurt is even good for her since it's a mild probiotic. :D

This is going to strike you as silly, but one thing that my dogs love is storytime. I'll sit where they can get comfy and then I just read to them. They seem to like the sound and even if the book is dull, you can make it sound really interesting to them, just with inflections in your voice. :o (No, [I]really[/I]! My dogs love it!)

Did you get some pain meds for her? They'll likely make her a bit more quiet than usual. That'll help, too.

:goodvibes: for good results from the biopsy! I know how difficult the wait is. Please let us know how they come out. :grouphug:

First of all, welcome to pets.ca but sorry to hear that you are going through a difficult time right now. :grouphug:

As far as some mental stimulation you could try feeding her meals in a Kong or other treat dispenser. Or hiding some treats around the house and getting her to find them. I'm sure some other members will be along soon to offer more suggestions.

I hope your girl has a speedy recovery and the biopsy is negative ....please keep us updated. :fingerscr :goodvibes:

I'm sorry you and your dog are facing this problem. Spleen removal was very hard on my dog. She didn't get to come home for several days after her surgery. It sounds like your dog is doing better than my dog did. You will want to keep her still and quiet for the next week or two. My dog was very docile following her spleen surgery so keeping her quiet wasn't that hard. What she enjoyed was me sitting near her and petting her, talking to her and singing to her. Similar to the story-telling mentioned above. She loved to look out the windows and doors, so I pulled all the curtains back so she could see and put soft bedding in the sunny spots where she would lay. I spread out clean towels on our deck and let her sit outside for short periods of time. After a week or so, we began doing little short 5 minute walks. I fed her small, frequent meals during recovery. I also gave her small treat tidbits and we played a game where I would put a treat in one hand and then let her nose the hand to find it. I used a treat ball that she could easily manipulate as well.

:pray: that you get good news with the biopsies. The wait seems so long. One thing we faced was that without her spleen, my dog did get odd, random infections. The spleen works with the immune system. Give your girl a big hug from me. Please let us know how she is doing. I will keep you in my thoughts.

ChelseaMay, any updates? Keeping your girl in my thoughts.

Little girl is HEALING not bored
 

:2cents:Any surgery is difficult to recover from and your darling girl is letting her body do what it needs to do - REST & RELAXATION. She's NOT bored she's healing internally. This is not the time to introduce any new foods, treats or anything else. Let her guide you and stick with her routine as much as possible, give her peace and quiet and she'll let you know what she is feeling up to doing.
After surgery dogs do tend to get cold easily, and I learned from watching "Dogtown" on National Geo. channel after my 11 year old Sophie had two cancer surgeries recently, to make little nighties to keep her warm. Use clean T-shirts and cut the arms off to allow freedom of front leg movement, then slip the neck hole (expand if nec.) over her head, the shirt will be loose on her body, without making it too tight on her tummy pull it up on her back (near tail) and loosely tie a knot or use a non-pulling fabric hair elastic to fasten. Do not use any type of pin which could open and injure her. Of course make sure that this doesn't interfere with her bandages and/or stitches. Get well soon!:pawprint::pawprint: