Hello to all,

We are having our little lad neutered on Friday, and I am just wondering
if anyone has any suggestions as to how we can make the healing process
has comfortable as possible?
I am not sure how he will be afterwards.

Has anyone who has been through this got any suggestions of how to make
it a bit easier or just general experiences?

Thanks, Louise

ps I do not want to debate on pros/cons or whether I am doing the right
thing, as we made this decision before we had him.

Hi Louise,
When we had our aussie boy done, I felt dreadful for putting him through it, but I have to say, he recovered really quickly. The night we brought him home, he was really groggy from the anaesthetic so we just let him sleep on a big beanbag downstairs, he got himself into a comfy position and stayed there. We just took him into the garden a few times that first night, so he could wee as he was a little unsteady on his feet. I slept with him (I know....... but I am a real softy where my dogs are concerned):-) The following day, he was much better and it didn't really seem to bother him much, we just stopped him from licking the area, so he didn't make it sore. We also limited him to short walks for a week or so, but by the end of the first week, he was off running with the other dogs, no problems. He ate and drank as normal........ I think it is worse for the owner sometimes, I am waiting to have my bitch spayed now and dreading it. although I know she will be fine.
Hope everything goes well for him and for you :-)
Gabrielle x

Hi Nicola and Gabrielle

Thanks for your replies, feel a little better now.
I will make sure we set up a little comfy den for him to go and sleep
in then in the living room so he is lovely and comfortable and warm.
I am just a big fuss pot really, so I suppose I will quite enjoy
fussing over him!

Nicola, just a quick question as I am not very experienced with dogs (i.e first ever dog! gulp!)
when you say you had his dew claws done...what does this mean, what does it entail and why did they need 'doing'? I am just interested.

Thanks,Louise x

Hi Louise,

Sorry! Jay came from a farm (not a puppy farm!! his parents are working sheepdogs! eeek high herd instinct!! :D) and while I believe home bred litters often have their dew claws removed when they are very little he still had them when we got him at 8 weeks. The vet 'suggested' (I'm not cynical! :D) that he might need them done as they were quite tight and might get caught/ripped especially as he will be a very active dog when he is older. As he was going under for the castrate she did them at the same time so as not to put him under again (I have been told it can be quite painful when the dog is a bit older). Basically he was shaved, the claws (thumbs) removed and then stitched. The wounds were dressed and I had to try and keep the bandages on for 48 hours at least. One lasted 36 hours, the other the whole time! The vet said there should have been a fair amount of blood, but when she took his off the vein she was expecting wasn't there! :( I suppose thats a good thing but I hope he's not 'missing' any mojor blood vessels!!

Louise, I'm sure that I saw on an old post of yours that you were feeling young in the dog world? Am I correct? If I am, then I just wanted to say that I am only 22 and often feel very young! So if you want to chat, just give me a shout! :D If I have got it wrong and just patronised you then feel free to tell me off!

Nicola & Jay xx

Hi,
I had Jay done on his 6 month birthday (21st Feb) and he is completely fine now. :)
I had his dew claws done at the same time and to be honest they bothered him more than the castration (big horse type bandages!). The vet gave us a lampshade to put on him but when he had it on he would not move - just stood there with his head down, so we took it off and whenever he went to lick we just said no and he stopped :) The thing that worried me the most was his bowels, the vet advised us to give chicken and rice in the evening (we got him back at 4.30pm) - but he did not defecate for a very long time until 2 mornings after- I thought he had a blockage, but then it just just seemed to return to normal, and the vet says this is normal.
He just seemed a bit sleepy in the evening, but was his normal self the morning after :D
We had lead walking only for 10 days (but this may have been mainly for his claws) and as he is a BC I played 'mind games' with him to keep him stimulated.
I was soooo worried before and during the whole day, I rang my friend who is at Bristol training to be a vet and she was reassuring me about anesthetic and how simple the op is - but I didn't really feel better until I got him home. The vet was very good, and we went back the Monday after the op so she could check him over, and then the Monday after that to get his claw stitches out.
I hope this helps, please let me know how you boy gets on :)

Nicola and newly neutered Jay!

Hi, hope all goes well on Friday. I think the most important thing is to keep him warm, quiet and comfortable, on the way home from the vets as well as at home so keep the car really warm. He should be able to walk out a short way to do his wees but take him on the lead in case he gets dis orientated, which he might until the next day. Offer him a drink every couple of hours or so for the rest of the day as ops do dehydrate them. If he wont drink you could add some glucose to the water. Unless he is actually asking for food I wouldn't feed him til the next morning to give his system a rest after the shock of it all.

Dogs are often a bit bound up after the aneasthetic, so you could add a little vegetable oil to his meal if he normally has a "good" tummy. Make sure he can sleep peacefully. I would only put a protective collar on if he is licking too much. I give 1 of each: Arnica and Hypericum tablets crushed between two teaspoons and put on the tongue, just before the op, when I pick them up and about 3 times a day for 2 days afterwards. They really help with shock and healing and can be given alongside anything the vet precribes.

Hello,
You've had so much excellent advice, there is not much else to say but, good luck!
I had my little Chihuahua castrated at 6 month and he coped really well. The next day he was back to his usual impish self!
Bye for now,
Barbara