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Keep Calm & Quiet ... yea right?!

2K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  Ajepperson 
#1 ·
So my 10 mo. Luna was spayed yesterday morning. The vet called at noon to say surgery was done around 10 am, she was recovering fast and already alert, to his surprise.

When I was picking her up at the hospital later in the day, they stressed that we should keep her calm and quiet, no running. Um, right?!

When the vet tech brought her into the exam room,
1) she's so happy to see us, tries to do is jump on me & my daughter in the exam room
2) walk out to the waiting room, she sees my son and she starts running to him
3) gets home, lets her big bro sniff her then tries to initiate play
4) wants to go outside to pee, then tries to run around yard afterwards

This morning, she keeps trying to get big bro to play with her, jumping around, etc.

Um, right, keep her calm, quiet, no jumping lol! :doh:
 
#2 ·
Ah yes, it's a difficult but important task!!!

We had to resort to baby gating Belle in the laundry room. It's off the family room, so we opened the door, put a bed in there for her and put a baby gate across the doorway. This way she could still "be a part" of life in the family room and see everything, but the other dogs couldn't get to her and she couldn't get in any trouble. We thought the crate would be too hard on her with the cone of shame so it worked out nicely.

Good luck!!!
 
#4 ·
I wish I had enough gates but my house is open concept and the openings are wide. Luckily her big bro isn't falling for her attempts to play. We let our jack russell & toy poodle out together and Luna by herself on a tether. This has cut down on outside play.

The vet office did call just now to see how she was, said she was so sad yesterday. I told them you wouldn't know she just had surgery other than her wearing the cone, the meds are working as she shows no pain. The only hard part is toning down her excitement with everything.

My kids are sitting on the floor to pet/play with her so she doesn't jump. We always made her sit for "head rubs" and this calms her down a lot.
 
#5 ·
I'm not sure what you mean by tether, but she needs to go outside only on a short leash to potty then back inside, where she is either on her short leash or in a crate. She just had major abdominal surgery and it's up to you to enforce these restrictions until she is healed.
 
#6 ·
I'd also like to stress the importance of keeping them still for the recommended time. The painkillers they get after surgery makes them feel wonderful, so they do too much. And the skin heals a lot quicker than the insides, which can't be seen. All those internal muscles have to heal with rest. And I agree - it is extremely difficult to keep a young girl still for that amount of time. I had to keep Lily on a lead ties to me for two weeks, or lock her in the laundry (which was very small) if I had to go out without her. She hated it, but two weeks out of a life is a very short time.
 
#7 ·
I am in the same boat with my 7 month old but he had shoulder surgery!!! It is nearly impossible to keep them calm and he has sadly spent a lot of time in his crate. It sure is a lot of work to keep the playing down but like the others said, well worth it in the end!
 
#8 ·
The tether I refer to is a short leash we have for when she goes outside, otherwise she runs around the yard.

I have my jack upstairs where he can lay on his bed or go in his crate, he can avoid her as the stairs are currently blocked.

During the day she is allowed on the main floor only. She has access to her bed in the diningroom and food/water bowls are in the kitchen. I may bring her crate down so she can go rest in there and I can get things done.
 
#9 ·
The tether I refer to is a short leash we have for when she goes outside, otherwise she runs around the yard.

I have my jack upstairs where he can lay on his bed or go in his crate, he can avoid her as the stairs are currently blocked.

During the day she is allowed on the main floor only. She has access to her bed in the diningroom and food/water bowls are in the kitchen. I may bring her crate down so she can go rest in there and I can get things done.
That's a good idea. You also should be careful about stairs. She should be on a leash, walking up and down slowly. I carried Shala up and down for the first two days - but even at three years old, she is smaller than many 10 month olds. If you can't carry your girl, just make sure she is walking, not running the stairs. The two week healing period is really crucial. She will feel great, so it is up to you to keep her quiet. It is REALLY hard - but a small blip in the course of her whole life.
 
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#10 ·
I found with my "kids" after being spayed or neutered that a large Kong filled with peanut butter or a marrow bone became my best friends. They kept the dogs occupied and quiet for a while and they would happily go into their crates to enjoy these treats. Good luck. I know keeping them quiet and not allowing them to run, jump and play is hard. It is, as others have said, extremely important however.
 
#11 ·
Luna doesn't like being carried & at 68 lbs. it is a bit of a struggle to do so. We try to slow her as much as we can, but she is ALL puppy.

I have her on a short leash near her bed.

Today, she started after her big bro & he responded by playing with her. I have her leashed near her bed and he is leashed to the dining room table. My bil's toy poodle wants nothing to do with either lol
 
#12 ·
Luna doesn't like being carried & at 68 lbs. it is a bit of a struggle to do so. We try to slow her as much as we can, but she is ALL puppy.

I have her on a short leash near her bed.

Today, she started after her big bro & he responded by playing with her. I have her leashed near her bed and he is leashed to the dining room table. My bil's toy poodle wants nothing to do with either lol
Yeah, I can understand that. My nearly 4-year-old is only 49 pounds, so I sometimes forget she is not the norm.

Keeping her on leash and separated from the other dogs is a good idea. It will feel like a LONG two weeks, but it will pass.
 
#14 ·
As Glenhaven mentioned, there are very effective medications that are paralytics (they reduce movement but don't sedate the dog mentally). One very common one is acepromazine, usually referred to as just 'ace' (and not the same as ace inhibitors used in humans--and animals--to treat high blood pressure). When my Pirate was neutered he was full of energy and there was nothing I could do to keep him calm and quiet. I called the vet and picked up the med that day (the evening of his surgery). I used the ace as prescribed and it really kept him from all his puppy antics. I'm not a believer in drugging people or animals, but with surgery it's imperative that the 'patient' be calm. An incision that splits open.... well you can imagine (it's call dehiscence, and it can easily be life threatening).

The combination of the pain medications and the 'ace' make for a much safer recovery. My dog actually seemed relieved not to be active and bouncing. Spaying seems to be a much more invasive and major surgery than neutering, so it's probably particularly important to keep a female quiet after spaying. I'd call the vet and ask their opinion, but every dog I've had has had ace post-surgery (different vets). I'm sure some will disagree about prescribing, but you always get differing opinions from medical professionals (human and canine).
 
#15 ·
Well, we just took her to her 2 week post op vet visit and he said her incision site looks nicely healed. He asked if she was kept calm and quiet and I responded with "Yea right, she got the memo but she doesn't know how to read". We all had a nice chuckle over that.
 
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