Slow Recovery from Castration?

[BNM1980]

My 7-month old puppy Blake was castrated yesterday at around 11 o'clock, and I'm a bit worried about him. It is the first time I have had a dog fixed and am not sure what to expect. It would be helpful to describe my dog's recovery and check it against your experience. My vet says there's nothing wrong, but I'll get to that in just a moment.

 

Basically, my dog now absolutely refuses to walk, and can only sit or lie down. I've tried treats, and gently leading him by the collar, but he just doesn't want to walk. This is making things difficult for us because he can't go toilet if he doesn't walk around. If I carry him outside, he'll just sit where I place him, and shiver (it's minus 8 outside) and then I have to carry him inside again. He's gone toilet in his crate (actually a large cage) since he came back from the vet.

 

Generally, he seems to be in pain. Until late last night he was moving about and whimpering. He is constantly trying to lick his stitches (he is wearing an Elizabethan collar) and has little "fits" where he'll whimper a lot and try hard to get at the incision.

 

He's gone from charging about at a million miles per hour to being completely stationary. He is definitely afraid to move. He just sits in one spot looking pitiful. I know he's in recovery, but it's not like I want to take him jogging; I'm just concerned that he can't even walk outside to go toilet.

 

I am taking him back to the vet tomorrow for a follow-up, but, without going into details, I have reason to question the vet's competence, and will be looking for a new vet. In the meantime, is all of this normal? Am I being a worry-wort, or is something wrong? How long until he's back on his feet?

[Smokjbc]

My 7-month old puppy Blake was castrated yesterday at around 11 o'clock, and I'm a bit worried about him. It is the first time I have had a dog fixed and am not sure what to expect. It would be helpful to describe my dog's recovery and check it against your experience. My vet says there's nothing wrong, but I'll get to that in just a moment.

 

Basically, my dog now absolutely refuses to walk, and can only sit or lie down. I've tried treats, and gently leading him by the collar, but he just doesn't want to walk. This is making things difficult for us because he can't go toilet if he doesn't walk around. If I carry him outside, he'll just sit where I place him, and shiver (it's minus 8 outside) and then I have to carry him inside again. He's gone toilet in his crate (actually a large cage) since he came back from the vet.

 

Generally, he seems to be in pain. Until late last night he was moving about and whimpering. He is constantly trying to lick his stitches (he is wearing an Elizabethan collar) and has little "fits" where he'll whimper a lot and try hard to get at the incision.

 

He's gone from charging about at a million miles per hour to being completely stationary. He is definitely afraid to move. He just sits in one spot looking pitiful.

 

I am taking him back to the vet tomorrow for a follow-up, but, without going into details, I have reason to question the vet's competence, and will be looking for a new vet. In the meantime, is all of this normal? Am I being a worry-wort, or is something wrong? How long until he's back on his feet?

 

 

Did the vet give you pain medication? Do you see any swelling? Some dogs are more sensitive than others, he may just need some pain meds. Most dogs do better after neuter than spay but occasionally you get one that feels the pain more and needs a little medicine .

 

Not a vet, just working for one.

[BNM1980]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Yes, we got a few pills from the vet, which are helping, but it still clearly causes him pain to walk.

 

No swelling, but he is very tender and his hind quarters seem kind of "saggy".

[ziggzmom]

My 7-month old puppy Blake was castrated yesterday at around 11 o'clock, and I'm a bit worried about him. It is the first time I have had a dog fixed and am not sure what to expect. It would be helpful to describe my dog's recovery and check it against your experience. My vet says there's nothing wrong, but I'll get to that in just a moment.

 

Basically, my dog now absolutely refuses to walk, and can only sit or lie down. I've tried treats, and gently leading him by the collar, but he just doesn't want to walk. This is making things difficult for us because he can't go toilet if he doesn't walk around. If I carry him outside, he'll just sit where I place him, and shiver (it's minus 8 outside) and then I have to carry him inside again. He's gone toilet in his crate (actually a large cage) since he came back from the vet.

 

Generally, he seems to be in pain. Until late last night he was moving about and whimpering. He is constantly trying to lick his stitches (he is wearing an Elizabethan collar) and has little "fits" where he'll whimper a lot and try hard to get at the incision.

 

He's gone from charging about at a million miles per hour to being completely stationary. He is definitely afraid to move. He just sits in one spot looking pitiful. I know he's in recovery, but it's not like I want to take him jogging; I'm just concerned that he can't even walk outside to go toilet.

 

I am taking him back to the vet tomorrow for a follow-up, but, without going into details, I have reason to question the vet's competence, and will be looking for a new vet. In the meantime, is all of this normal? Am I being a worry-wort, or is something wrong? How long until he's back on his feet?

 

 

Hi,

 

Could it be, at least partly, that the Eliz. collar is what's causing him not to want to walk? I know the first time any of my dogs has had to wear one they act like they can't move.

 

Hope Blake is feeling much better soon~

 

Janet

[DTrain]

All of my guys have been up and running around with no problems very quickly. They were up, active, playing and eating the same day. However, I do not blame him. Keep a close eye on him and give him his pills, watch for swelling or color changes and call your vet if you are concerned about anything. I am also curious about the color, he may hate it, my dogs do. If you are able to keep a very close and constant eye on him try taking it off and see what his response is, it could change everything. Caution though, do not let him at the stitches. If he is better without the collar and there is nothing else going on you will know what the problem is. Give him something to chew on or a toy to play with although not too active. Let us know how he does.

[afrancis]

Could it be, at least partly, that the Eliz. collar is what's causing him not to want to walk? I know the first time any of my dogs has had to wear one they act like they can't move.

 

I was going to agree with this. Did he walk at first, bump into things and then stop walking altogether? This is the routine for my Skye, when she needed one after surgery in November. She is a very sensitive girl and refused to walk while wearing it -- to the point where we replaced it with a t-shirt so she would move around again.

 

If you're in the States, you could try replacing the E-collar with that other thing ... Mary can remind me what it is ... a collar that's inflated and is much more benign around their necks I think they sell them at the pet store.

 

Nevertheless, be vigilant like DTrain says, advocate for him at the vet's, and if you don't get satisfaction, go to another one.

Good luck,

Ailsa

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

We never use the collars post op but, I'm not advising you to take it off if you think he needs it. I have seen some males have alot of pain post neuter usually older guys who walk like john wayne post op for 2 days and make me carry them from the vet office. LIke everyone else says if he doenst discolor or swell it's probably fine.

[Northof49]

We never use the collars post op but, I'm not advising you to take it off if you think he needs it. I have seen some males have alot of pain post neuter usually older guys who walk like john wayne post op for 2 days and make me carry them from the vet office. LIke everyone else says if he doenst discolor or swell it's probably fine.

 

 

I rceived your PM but can't reply to you.

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

I rceived your PM but can't reply to you.

 

 

email me at friendsofpep@aol.com Eileen can you figure out what is wrong with my pm account?

[SincereArtisan]

You could ask your vet for more pain medication?

 

Check the incision site, to be sure there is no swelling, redness, etc. It could be your puppy is just sensitive. One out of every 20 or so dogs that get castrated at our vet are a bit sensitive about walking the first couple days. Some of them balk at both the discomfort and the E-collar. Most of them are pretty out of it until about day 3, when they start to perk back up.

[Barb Scott]

My 7-month old puppy Blake was castrated yesterday at around 11 o'clock, and I'm a bit worried about him. It is the first time I have had a dog fixed and am not sure what to expect.

 

I am taking him back to the vet tomorrow for a follow-up, but, without going into details, I have reason to question the vet's competence, and will be looking for a new vet. In the meantime, is all of this normal? Am I being a worry-wort, or is something wrong? How long until he's back on his feet?

I'd be calling my vet right now...this is not normal!

Barb S

[BNM1980]

Thank you for the feedback.

 

In reply to the above questions:

 

Yes, he did bump into things with his collar—a lot. But I took it off when I took him outside to go toilet, and he still wouldn't walk.

 

The vet didn't give us any pills at first—just a shot, and told us to come back the following day for another shot. We requested pills and were given two doses of 2 1/2 small pills; a day's worth, or 5 pills in total. I don't know what they are, but it doesn't seem like enough.

 

We don't like this vet at all. We saw him smack our dog for licking his stitches when we were there to pick him up, and when we went back to say that he was in pain, he more or less laughed it off, as if we were mollycoddling him. He seems entirely unsympathetic, perhaps even incompetent. For example, he had to ask us what breed Blake was when filling out the form, and Blake has classic BC colours and markings. I mention this because it raises the possibility that the operation was performed poorly.

 

We are taking Blake to a new vet today.

 

However, he does seem to be a bit better today. He walked outside, very slowly, and then sat. He will tug at the rope, and is eating. In fact, I've never seen him wolf down his food so fast. But he still doesn't want to walk, even if everyone in the family stands ten feet away calling him—he just sits in the same spot with his ears pricked.

 

My theory is that he was not given enough pain-killers after the operation, and movement caused him a lot of pain to the point that he is now too afraid to move. That, and the difficulty of moving in the eliz. collar.

 

Thanks for your input, everyone. I'll be sure to post back and let you know how he does.

[DTrain]

I trust Blake will be back to normal shortly. Keep a close eye for any changes. By all means if you do not like a Vet do not go back and do not hesitate to voice your opinion and advise. When we moved for the west to the east we had a lot of trouble finding a Vet we like. We were somewhat spoiled out west, our Vet was also a very good friend. However, I expect a Vet to know his business and be very good at what he does in the same way I expect my family doctor to know his business. I have high expectations and I have the right to feel that way. I know my dogs well and I do not hesitate to offer any input I think could be helpful in any situation and I do not hesitate to ask questions. I expect a teamwork effort with my Vet. I want the Vet to understand my dogs from my perspective and I expect to understand his perspective. Only when I can develop this sort of relationship with a Vet do I fell comfortable. I want to help my Vet any way I can when my dogs need help and I expect my Vet to respect that and take an interest in my dogs as he should with every dog he or she treats. I like our new Vet. He told us right up front that he has not worked with other working dogs. He wanted to understand what was unique about our dogs, their environment, there work and any situations that could possibly contribute to a problem. I feel very comfortable with this, he knows his business, he is a good Vet and he has made a good effort to know my dogs and ask for my input. For example, I took my dog Pete to the Vet last Saturday with a concern about a leg problem. Pete has seen this Vet three times. If my Vet did not know Pete he would never know that Pete works. Since he does not see other working dogs in his practice he may assume Pete is a pet. He does not assume anything and he reads his charts. While examining Pete he asked informed questions and I gave informed input. He took the time to be careful to understand how Pete developed his latest problem, he took a course of action considering all possibilities unique to Pete and gave his recommendations on what I need to do with Pete to care for him. I left feeling very good about our visit and very good about my Vet. I am sure my Vet felt very good as well. I was not left with any unanswered questions. My Vet was satisfied he had all the input he needed to make the right call. Pete is getting good care and this is the way at least in my opinion the process should work. I trust you will find a Vet you can feel confident about.

[Lewie'sMom]

Keep us posted on Blake's recovery.

 

And I agree about finding a new vet. Sounds like the first one needs a different profession.

[BNM1980]

Today I took Blake to a new clinic. The vet examined Blake and said he was fine. She said the incision looked fine too, but that the thick nylon stitches had not been properly trimmed, which could be causing him irritation. The ends of the nylon stitches were indeed about 3-4 centimeters long. She trimmed these and gave us some more pills. We'll be going back there to have the stitches removed on Tuesday.

 

So it appears to have been something as small as improperly trimmed stitches.

 

I have been through a living hell in the last couple of days. With my dog refusing to walk, he has not been able to go toilet outside and has been going in his cage almost as soon as he is put back in it. Hardly has he finished then he dives for his stitches, which means—however fast I rush in with a plastic bag over my hand—he ends up getting feces on himself. We are not able to bathe him because of the incision. Instead, we have tried to wash him with wet towels. At times it has been necessary to clip matted fur. Add to this the anxiety I have felt, the sleepless nights due to constant movement and whining, and Blake's hyperactivity due to not getting any exercise, and Monday to Thursday pretty much feels like a thousand years.

 

I cannot wait until this is all behind us. For us human members of the pack, but especially for Blake.

[silhouettestable]

Awww, poor Blake and poor you. It sounds like a trying time for everyone. I have to say that none of my dogs have experienced any kind of trouble like you've described after neutering. Aside from sometimes being a bit dopey the first day they're completely themselves and keeping them settled is the hardest thing I have had to deal with. I've never used a collar on them (I'm always there to watch them and the crate is beside my bed so they're near me at nighttime too). Also, aside from whatever pain meds are given while they're at the clinic they never get any anything else and haven't acted bothered at all by their surgeries. Always happy and playful and no trouble walking or going outside. If they ever offer to lick at the incision I'll just say "ah ah, no licking" and they quit but maybe because they're under close supervision they rarely even try. I also usually get them something yummy to chew (like a new smoked marrow bone) so that the have something to take their mind off the incision.

 

My neighbour has a couple of little mixbreed fluffballs (sorry, that's just my nickname for them) that she had spayed a while back and one of them seemed to have some trouble with that. I was told she was acting uncomfortable and would sometimes kind of yelp and jump like something hurt. She was also on pain meds for a while and after a few days started feeling better.