Neutering

[Account Deleted]

Hello all Otis was neutered  on Wednesday,  I bought him a soft collar (donut kind)  so far so good, but the vet told me to be in it for 12 days ??  Just want to know if anyone else use the soft doughnut ecollar and how did it work ?

Edited July 28, 2017 by Account Deleted

[Sam I Am]

Mixed results with a soft collar. What we use are baby onesies, a pair of scissors can modify it to fit the pup. Works great.

[Account Deleted]

Soft collar is working, don't want to take the chance of him licking through the onsies

[hheldorfer]

I think 12 days is a bit long.  Seems it wouldn't be necessary once the incision is healed, which should definitely be sooner than 12 days.  Vets tend to give one-size-fits-all advice in these situations.  You be the judge - if the incision looks good you can always try removing the collar for a while to see if he tries to lick.  

[JoJo]

Agree!  With Pepper, the vet didn't even recommend a collar, but I was afraid she'd lick at night.  I found I only had to leave the cone on when I wasn't paying attention to her.  We used it about 5 days, then she just quit bothering the incision.  My vet also said 2 weeks no activity at all, but we only lasted a week there.    

[Account Deleted]

Ty! 

[Dempsy's Mom]

Hang in there Otis!

[Corn Niblet]

Gus was neutered on july 26.   The vet did not think he would need a cone or collar. He had pain meds for three days and antibiotics for a staph infection that was found on his belly the day of surgery.  All so nine retained puppy teeth had to be extracted.  His throat was examined to see if there was any reason for his inability to bark but nothing was found.  He never bothered his surgery site at all.  Hopefully Otis is feeling much better now.

[Account Deleted]

Poor Gus!  When they shaved Otis 's neck, it turned bright red and oozing week later,  it must have been a reaction of 6 month flea collar and plastic donut. He is on dermatone for his neck three times a day.  Needless to say I threw the collar out. ? The only time I put the onesie on him is when he's in the crate and I have to go out .  It has been seven days now .   I hope Gus is doing better !

Edited August 1, 2017 by Account Deleted

[Moto-Rama]

Ist , Apologies for the Topic Resurrection of a 5 year old conversation.

Fergus is on day 3 Post-Op.

The vet "fixed him" and also repaired his un-closed umbilicus. They close the deep wound with dissolving sutures, then use surgical glue to tidy up the outer incision. They prescried trazadone and gabapentin, and an NSAID  for "calming" and to reduce any post-op inflammation. The vet's written instructions say "E-Collar on when unsupervised", 14 days. No jumping, running, playing with other dogs. No stairs for the first 4 days, slow on stairs therefter till recovered.

He's been in good spirits, but his appetite and elimination habits have been a little skewed. I had to take him out last night at 2:00 AM for a pee break.  He's got a new vocalization, too. It's a combination of growl and grunt. I think it mean, "I want 'Something', but I don't know what it is, exactly."

Our vet says, "cone on if unsupervised". We'd remove the cone for meals, bathroom breaks but Fergus has been uncharacteristically snippy and growly whenever we've attempted to remove the collar. OK, fine, it'll stay there. I am guessing the medication, and the whole experience of losing  his boy parts is a lot to take all at once. No problem. We are just accomodating him has much as possible to reduce the stress.  

Medication:

This AM: I opened a can of "wet dog food" to give him his NSAID. He flat out refused to touch it, with the medicine mixed in to the gravy. The nose is working well.

Hmmm. Plan B. I gave him cooked ground beef, then dessert of peanut butter laced with the NSAID. Mission accomplished.  

It's hard to tell if the meds are calming him as intended, or if he's just less active as part of his recovery. So far watching the 2018 documentary "Crowned", about the Westminster Dog Show has been a good distraction for him. First dog I've ever had that actually watched the TV screen. I set up a place near the front window for him to watch the goings on outside. It's a big hit,  so I may leave it setup even after this is over. 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2022 by Moto-Rama

[Hillscreek]

Angus was neutered at six months. No collar, no meds. Just kept a close eye on him the first few days. Walked on leash .No jumping for a while. Crated at night. Stitches checked regularly. He ate his usual food. No elimation problems. He smelled the area frequently at first and almost but did not lick it. He was ready to roll after a couple of days and it was quite a challenge to keep his activity level down!

Each dog is different. Go with what seems to work for your dog. The meds may cause a reaction. 

 

 

[bradl]

I think we've had about a half-dozen Cairns neutered, spayed, or surgeried over the years and none have worn a cone yet. Meds for neutering varied with procedure and times.

In the wider circle of local Cairn folk, most are the same although the occasional individual dog has indeed needed a cone (or  one of those thick soft neck rings that serve the same purpose) because they were indeed being a pill about insistently licking their wound.  So as with most things dog-related, mileage varies.

[Moto-Rama]

It might depend on the surgical technique and how they prefer to close a wound. Surgical glue for the final close was used on Fergus. I know from personal experience that type of closure needs to be dry and clean or is an invitation to problems.

I just do what the doctor says, then if something goes awry, it's not my fault. 2 weeks out of a dog's entire life isn't much, unless you're on day 5...

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Moto-Rama
Typo

[bradl]

22 hours ago, Moto-Rama said:

I just do what the doctor says, then if something goes awry, it's not my fault

There's a lot to be said in favor of keeping the warranty intact (so to speak). 

[Eliz222]

I put off having Atticu's "family jewels" removed for 6 more months. He will be 18 months old then. I bought a soft donut to use when the time comes. Finch used on without a problem.

Scout was the only dog we had that was stubborn as a mule with hers. We actually had to duct tape TWO large plastic cones together (to make it extra long) because that little stinker could get to every part of her body with just one! A true Cairn stubborn streak!