blah spaying makes me feel like a bad person
Tomoe got spayed on Monday. I know its something we had to do, and the alternative was less pleasant. But it sure doesn't feel good to have to stick your 6-month-old baby under the knife.
I got the call that they were finshed with her about 4pm. Apparently, when she woke up from anesthesia she was freaking out so they gave her a sedative. So that was awful.
When we went to pick her up she recognized us but didn't want to move. We got her home and gave her a lot of pettin's. She was way out of it.
The next day I worked from home. She came out of her crate but she didn't feel like eating or drinking any water, which concerned me. She would lay down for awhile, then apparently it wasn't comfortable to lay down so she would stand up and just stand there. Plus she was moaning.
She licked some water off my finger but wasn't having food or a real drink. Eventually, I got her to eat her pain pill with a little bit of the pill pocket. After that, she rapidly got it together. She was eating and drinking by mid-afternoon and she even RAN out the door before I could catch her, and went after a squirrel.
But then last night, she started licking at her surgical scar.
So I put the collar on her. And THAT was the worst thing I had ever done to her. It isn't just that she dislikes the collar or feels uncomfortable or inconvenienced by it. She is full-on terrified. Like, she freezes up, if you go to adjust the collar she spasms.
If I didn't know that the risk of infection is great and that she needs to let the scar heal, I'd seriously question whether putting the collar on her is worth it.
Blah, just venting.
I got the call that they were finshed with her about 4pm. Apparently, when she woke up from anesthesia she was freaking out so they gave her a sedative. So that was awful.
When we went to pick her up she recognized us but didn't want to move. We got her home and gave her a lot of pettin's. She was way out of it.
The next day I worked from home. She came out of her crate but she didn't feel like eating or drinking any water, which concerned me. She would lay down for awhile, then apparently it wasn't comfortable to lay down so she would stand up and just stand there. Plus she was moaning.
She licked some water off my finger but wasn't having food or a real drink. Eventually, I got her to eat her pain pill with a little bit of the pill pocket. After that, she rapidly got it together. She was eating and drinking by mid-afternoon and she even RAN out the door before I could catch her, and went after a squirrel.
But then last night, she started licking at her surgical scar.
So I put the collar on her. And THAT was the worst thing I had ever done to her. It isn't just that she dislikes the collar or feels uncomfortable or inconvenienced by it. She is full-on terrified. Like, she freezes up, if you go to adjust the collar she spasms.
If I didn't know that the risk of infection is great and that she needs to let the scar heal, I'd seriously question whether putting the collar on her is worth it.
Blah, just venting.
Comments
Have you tried seeing how she would be with a different type of collar meant to prevent suture licking. Not only do they have a soft cone that can fold over, but there is this sort of inflatable collar that doesn't get within the dogs field of view but still helps prevent her from licking. She may do better with an alternative, and some of them you can try before you buy at Petco or other pet store.
What kind of collar is it? Just the hard-cover cone one they gave you at the vet?
I did not know about trying before I buy! Well maybe I'll get an inflatable one or something if this doesn't work out.
The issue is quickly shifting from getting her to eat and drink to keeping her chill. She is back to 120% normal energy levels according to my wife, who took her turn staying home today.
We opted for Laser Surgery. There was no swelling, no infection, nothing unusual. Her stitches were removed 10 days later. We each took a week off to take care of her during her recovery.
She was disoriented just like Tomoe the first day and not eating or drinking well. It's business as usual the second day onward.
The vet gave her a hard plastic cone that none of us like too much. We only put it on when we are sleeping the first 3-4 days. We stopped using it after all together. Aki got the message that she cannot lick her suture and we do not need to worry about that since then.
She was doing fine going into and out of the surgery. She's fine also when we return to have her stitches removed.
NEVER ONCE I project the feeling of sympathy or sorriness. I just tell her that I'm proud of her, and don't let anyone do those "weird" sound to show that they are sorry for her surgery.
Also, because of the advice from this forum, Aki has tons of socialization since we got her at 10 weeks old. She feels safe everywhere she goes and with everyone she meets so far. That might have helped.
Take these 2 weeks as an opportunity to bond more with Tomoe. She'll come out of the experience closer to you both.
As of today a little over 2 weeks since surgery, she is running and being silly as before. She did have kind of a growth spurt; she's taller, longer, and stockier now.
I went for the laser. It was nice, but males aren't as evasive as females anyways.....I had taught Koda "leave it", and it only took one time of me saying it for him never to touch his stitches again, so thankfully no cone. That would have made me feel worse. I feel for you, it really sucks putting your baby under the knife.
Oh, and Koda threw up everywhere from the anesthesia!
I tried putting that collar on her when she was in her crate and there is NO WAY I can leave that thing on her. She just sits there frozen with her muscles all tense and a look of extreme terror on her face. I am sorry, I cannot do it. I couldn't work from home all day today, so she is in her crate without a collar and that's as much as I can do. I'm taking that thing back to PetCo tonight and exhanging it for an inflatable collar if they will take it back.
FYI, the "comfy collars" may allow your dog to put their head down comfortably, but they totally block peripheral vision. If your dog is like Tomoe, that's one of the scariest possible things. If you are looking for an alternative to a standard plastic elizabethan collar, go for the inflatables.
Maybe the inflatable collar works similarly to an Anxiety Wrap.