Cindyloos is my first Bitch since i was a child and she is going to be spayed on thursday although I have had male dogs and gone through the worry on op day I have never felt this nervouse about a male being neutered as it seems a lot less invasive.  Cindy has just turned 2 and we have another dog called Milo who is intact.  We have decided to get her done as she is so very small and I was told by her breeder that she is to small to breed from (she is a ckcs but our cat is bigger than her) so we want there to be no mistakes that end up with her pregnant.  I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on aftercare for her I have taken time off work so she will have me at her beckoned call for a few days any ideas how I can make this easier for her?

I think you will be amazed at the recovery power of dogs :)  It's good that you will be around to keep an eye on her but I think you will find she will just rest up for a couple of days while she shakes of the anaesthetic before become more active again.  You just need to keep an eye on the stitches and use a collar or loosely tied on t-shirt if she gets licky with them.  Many vets are using disolvable ones just under the skin now so even that is not much of a problem.  The first evening she may not want to eat at all but if she does something easily digested is best for the first 24 hours or so, white fish, chicken, scrambled egg, rice that sort of thing.

Phoebe escaped out the door the day after her op and went for a race around the field - I nearly died

You honestly would not know she had major surgery. I'm having the vet do my c-section :D

I understand exactly how you feel as I was the same on the run up to having my bitch spayed. I knew I was doing the right thing but I just couldn't help worry about the fact that she was going under anaesthetic and having an operation.  When I went to pick her up and she appeared looking a bit groggy and shaky I felt very emotional.  The vets had given her pain relief so I expected her to be feeling quite sorry for herself the next day when the pain relief had worn off.  Was she heck?  I put the lead on her for her toilet visit to the garden and she was trying to pull me out the door :rolleyes: I had been given painkillers to give her and no way could I get her to take them, so decided maybe a bit of pain wouldn't go amiss as it might stop her overdoing things.  Did it heck?  The day after the op you wouldn't have known she'd had an op at all.  I spent the next 2 weeks following her about worrying about how lively she was in case she tore her stitches.  I did crate her a bit to keep her from jumping about too much as she obviously didn't realise there was anything wrong with her.

I'm embarassed to admit that I cried when I left Molly at the vets for her spay, so I know how worrying it can be.  When we went to pick her up we were expecting a groggy, miserable dog.  However, to the amazement of the nurse, she bolted out of the cage at lightning speed to greet us, tail wagging.  The hard thing is keeping them calm - I was terrified the stiches were going to tear the way Molly was carrying on.  I slept downstairs on the futon with her for the first couple of nights and was glad I did as she was wimpering a bit with the pain (make sure the vet gives you some painkillers to take away with you) and wanted a bit of reassurance.

I had Miami in to be speyd about 3 weeks ago.Dropped her off and picked her up a few hours later..a little bit sore but happy.Let her out the next mornig only for her to sprint up the garden and leap a 5ft fence!!!I was horrified but no damage was done and so all other visits to the garden for the next week were done ON LEAD!!!!!!!!
Archer

Thanks everyone that has put my mind at rest Cindyloo would need a bunk to get over a five foot fence so i think i am safe.

just watch she does no jumping in the first few days, to be safe a week. then dont let her run for another week, so on lead only, after two weeks, the main healing should have been done and you can relax! make sure the nurse shows you how to lift correctly if you need to.

she will have a painkiller after the op, but not be numb when awake. you should watch out for any swelling around the wound, discolouration and weeping. but dont worry, just be aware.

you can always ring the vets throughout the day so you know what stage she is at, i find it helps worried owners to be kept upto date, take care x

I think she may actually enjoy this as she is always looking for a reason to be picked up and carried.  She prefers a carry than a walk