# Keeping your puppy calm after spaying??



## coconutsboston

My lil girl got spayed on Monday.  The vet told me to keep her away from stairs, not to let her jump, and basically to keep her calm to avoid bursting her stitches.  The first day, she was SO sad to watch, she felt so icky and was still pretty doped up.  The next morning, I could tell that I had my lil terrorist back.    However, the FIRST thing she did was take a flying leap off the stairs, and jump on my brother, and practically drag me outside to go potty.  Since then, she hasn't slowed down a bit.  I have been keeping her inside her crate except for eating/pottying, and a few mins of (calm) play.  When she starts getting jumpy and running, I put her back in because I'm SO worried she is going to hurt herself.  I know I shouldn't keep her in there because she's got so much pent up energy, but I don't know what else to do to keep her relaxed instead of doing all the things she isn't supposed to.  

I'm wondering too, if it isn't due in part to her still taking pain killers twice a day.  They are also to prevent infection, so I don't want to stop giving them to her, but I'm afraid they're numbing her up so she doesn't realize she's hurting herself and that's why she's being crazy.  

Does anyone have any experience to share?


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## miss alice

first, thank you for being a wonderful mommy and getting her spayed!!! <<APPLAUSE>>

does she do well in a crate? if not, do you have a play pen/ x -pen device? basically, you need to confine her so she does not run/jump everywhere. When my girl was spayed, I kept her in her play pen, with her crate, water and food. So, she was not able to run around b/c I didnt want her stitches to pop..Please do continue to give her the pain meds as prescribed by her vet. Is it a 3 days thing? Mine was...I think it is important to give them pain meds as the doctor recommended...

if you dont have a pen, how about a baby gate? use the baby gate to confine her to a room? give her some toys, fav treats, etc. She will be fine but this recovery time is crucial..you must limit her freedom to run and roam!

(((HUGS)))


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## Cindi

Don't feel bad about keeping her in the crate. If she doesn't mind it too much I would just continue to keep her in there to keep her quiet. Most animals are not really hurting after the second day so she might just be back to normal already. I just had 6 foster kittens spayed and they were all up and around like nothing happened the very next day. How long do you have to keep her quiet? Do you have to go back to get the stitches out or do they dissolve? Just try to hang in there for a few days then she can go back to being your "lil' terrorist". Love that...too cute.


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## boxermomof2

coconutsboston said:


> Does anyone have any experience to share?




I would keep her in the crate and when she is out, keep her on a leash to keep her from jumping. I know it seems unfair but she can injure herself if you don't control every move. 
My boxer girl pulled her stitches from too much activity.
I know how nervous you are!! I remember is well.

I'm not spaying my mastiff puppy until she has finished growing(for a mastiff that is 2 years old) so hopefully I won't have the same problem because she will be more mature.


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## dorcast

That is one of the hardest parts, they get spayed when they are still at such an active energetic age. My dog also seemed to feel better by day 2, and it was so tough to stop her from playing!

You can work on training with her. Things like sit, stay, or whatever you've been working on that isn't too active.  Do it repeatedly, mix up the order of things. Exercising their minds helps tire them too. I sometimes take a muffin tin, put treats in some cups, and cover them all with tennis balls. They'll work on sniffing out the treats.  It's a good rainy day activity too. Uses her brain a bit and passes time without being too physically active. 

We also went through a lot of flossies and bully sticks. Things that keep her occupied chewing for longer stretches of time.


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## coconutsboston

Thanks for all the help!  

She doesn't mind being in her crate really; the only time she whines in there is when she KNOWS there is something going on in the living room and she feels left out.  Aside from that she sleeps or plays with her toys.  

The meds are a 3 day thing, I think today is her last day (or tomorrow morning), and her stitches thankfully dissolve so I don't have to make another vet run unless they start looking infected or swollen.  

I definitely have to keep her on a leash (typically a harness, but the vet said that's a no-no until she heals) because she is an escape artist.  If she ever got off her leash, I'd never see her again.  When I take her out and the other doggies or people get her excited, I usually kneel down beside her and make her sit so that she isn't jumping all over.  It's driving her nuts that I can't take her to the park or the courtyard to roam around because there are a lot of stairs.  

I love the muffin tin idea!  I will have to try that even when she gets better.  I have realized that if I put an empty water bottle in a long sock and tie it off, it keeps her busy for hours.  It must be the noise it makes when she flattens the plastic.  When it's in the sock, she can't chew off bits of plastic and swallow them.  

How long does the healing process actually last?  My vet's papers said 7-10 days with minimal activity, but that almost seems like it isn't long enough for the stitches to dissolve and everything heal properly.


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## dorcast

7 - 10 days sounds right. I did have to have Olive's stitches removed, and I think I brought her in on day 7 and begged them to say it was ok.  

 Olive also loves crunching on water bottles.  I bought a toy that looks like an animal puppet, and you put a water bottle inside, and she has no interest in it. The sock is great idea, cheaper and probably easier for them to tell the bottle is inside.


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## coconutsboston

^^ I think it's the combination of the sock, the knot, and the extra material.  She picks it up by the knot and swings it everywhere, then lays down with both paws over the bottle and just crunches it.  

Did Olive have a bit of a knot where the stitches were tied?  I'm not sure if it's just because hers are dissolvable, but it feels almost like a keloid.  Given, her stitches still haven't started to dissolve.  My dad saw her today and said that's what it was supposed to do, but everything worries me since she's my lil baby.


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## dorcast

I wouldn't worry until the stitches have dissolved and the wound is healed.  As you said, it's probably just the knot or the beginning of the stitches.


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## coconutsboston

Another update:  I let her sleep in my bed with me last night (even though I know she really isn't supposed to yet).  She woke up burrowed waayyyy down under the covers, and then came up to me to spoon (her absolute fave).  Apparently that was ALL it took to calm her down from being wilder than a March hare to being the sweetest puppy ever.


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## Cindi

How sweet. Fur kids are the best. 






coconutsboston said:


> Another update: I let her sleep in my bed with me last night (even though I know she really isn't supposed to yet). She woke up burrowed waayyyy down under the covers, and then came up to me to spoon (her absolute fave). Apparently that was ALL it took to calm her down from being wilder than a March hare to being the sweetest puppy ever.


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## IcansPotaFake32

I cuddled my dog a lot after he was neutered.  He just kind of sat next to me and snuggled.  We did keep him in a crate or with someone when I wasn't home.  He acted like a freak in the back yard once the meds wore off but I took him out there on a leash. I felt terrible for him but he made it through just fine.  I wouldn't have wanted his stitches to pop out.  WOuld have been a pain (literally) for him to have to go through sewing up again.


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## Lakritze

I just kept my crazy bulldog a little calmer than usual but we didn't change anything after she was spayed. She played (not too wild) and we went for walks as always. I wouldn't worry too much. And you are right, she probably just needed to be with you to calm down.


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## Alizxa

i just adopted my little puppy bella from the human society and they require that your animal be spayed. from what i've heard pediatric spaying begins at 8 weeks, which bella will be next week, and its completely safe, and i don't oppose so please no lecturing from those who don't agree with it. i just wanted to know what should i expect her to be like after her surgery? how long will it take her to recover? is she gonna have to wear a cone? i know to keep her calm and no rough housing or much playing...but what else should i expect?

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## queennadine

^Our Cleo was spayed at about 15 weeks and she was pretty out of it the rest of the that day. By day 2, she was back to her crazy self!

I scheduled the surgery on a Friday so I took that day off and then had the weekend to keep her quieter than normal. 

Cleo didn't have to wear a cone, but I do know of dogs who do because they mess with their stitches. GL!


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## NemoAndChula

Puppies recover so quickly. Your little friend sounds adorable. I don't have any new advice, but I just wanted to say thanks for being such a great Mom for your little fuzzy pup.


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## Alizxa

i just adopted my little puppy bella from the human society and they require that your animal be spayed. from what i've heard pediatric spaying begins at 8 weeks, which bella will be next week, and its completely safe, and i don't oppose so please no lecturing from those who don't agree with it. i just wanted to know what should i expect her to be like after her surgery? how long will it take her to recover? is she gonna have to wear a cone? i know to keep her calm and no rough housing or much playing...but what else should i expect?

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## coconutsboston

^^Mine didn't have to wear a cone, but my friend's did. As far as her personality goes, she recovered the next day.  The first day, she was so sad, and just laid around looking like she'd had the crap beat out of her.  When I'd try to take her out to potty, she was so drugged up she'd just fall over.  The next morning, keeping her calm was a pipe dream.  I didn't make her walk down stairs for probably 2 weeks, and the wound took about that long to heal up (probably from her being hyper).  I did have pain killers & an antibiotic to give her, but that didn't slow her down one bit.  
I had to take her to a new vet recently (one that was closer b/c I thought she was sick), and they were telling me that they do a laproscopic procedure to fix them now, and it's much less invasive and the recovery time is substantially less.  I guess it just depends on how the vet does it.


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