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Neutering...

Nicki

Moderator
Bruce and other chaps on the board, please cross your legs NOW!!

Poor Jack is going in to be neutered tomorrow :( He has been used at stud so we think it's the fairest thing as he will not be having any more girlfriends {he is sterile anyway}.

Jack and TedBear have been trying to establish who's boss, but they are so evenly matched - TedBear is bigger and has more testosterone as he's younger, but Jack is heavier and more experienced - that they can't seem to sort out who should be boss.

So we are having frequent boxing and mounting sessions, which really are not a goood idea for TedBear with his COMS...

We really thought he would just submit to Jack, as he's always been so easygoing...but he had other ideas :lol:

Please think of Jack tomorrow...and I'll post when we get home, hopefully mid afternoon UK time.
 
Good luck Jack! You'll drift off and when you wake up, no more worrying over the fishing tackle! You'll be nice and aerodynamic! :)
 
Ohhhh Jack - don't worry you want even notice them missing. We are going to get Ozzy done soon (have to save a bit as it costs 220.00 GBP at our vets). :yikes
 
Yikes, for a neuter? That is three times what mine charges and mine would be one of the pricier in Dublin. :yikes

Have you phoned around? Or spoken to Dog's Trust about their neuter schemes? Often the SPCAs will hold clinics for low cost neuter as well.
 
Thanks everyone - and Bruce, Jack says he's very pleased to hear that LOL

Jack is fine - the nurse said he was fine until he saw me and then he got a bit shaky LOL He was very pleased to see me. He had a couple of molars that were a bit plaquey so they've cleaned those up too, but other than that was great.

He is a bit cold and shaky now so is wrapped up in a blankey on the couch cuddled up to hubby. I've been dosing him up with homoeopathy and rescue remedy, I'm sure he'll be up and about and bouncing in no time!! Keeping him quiet will be the problem!

Claire, I haven't got my bill yet...they are sending it on, but I'm sure it isn't anything like that much. I guess you are in an expensive area for vets, but do think about Karlin's suggestions. Hugs for all the gang, especially Ozzy - tell him it's ok, Jack says the "aerodynamic" look is in this season ;)
 
Something we do with puppies if they feel a little cold is to warm a heavy towel in a microwave. Works very well. Just be careful not to leave it in too long or you can scortch or burn it; takes a little trial and error to start with.
 
Thanks Bruce, I put a hot water bottle under him for a bit {with a cover on and under a blanket} - but this is a good idea, will remember that for the future.

He's fine now, ate a small amount of Naturediet for tea {chicken and rice, so gentle on the tummy} and has settled in a crate in the sitting room!!
 
omigosh. i'm so glad Jack made it through ok. Zack is scheduled for Saturday morning and i have such a feeling of dread. how come they get cold? i'm so worried about him. he's not used to being in a crate at all anymore. I'm having it done Saturday so i can be with him all day Sunday, and i can probably be wiht him all day Monday too, just to help him stay quiet and safe. It's really freaking me out. i had two other dogs and my cat spayed and didn't think twice about it. the cat seemed pretty affected by it for a couple of days. i don't remember the dogs having any reaction.
i hope zacky's going to be OK. No dog park for him for a while i guess. I wish it was all over, the surgery and the recovery. i don't know what to expect. but it's reassuring to hear about Jack and that he's ok. do they need pain pills? do they have trouble peeing? someone at the dog park said they are swollen for a while. how long? does it need ice on it? thanks for the idea about the towel in the microwave. What kind of homeopathic remedies are helpful? My vet is holistic and i hope she can recommend some remedies, but i don't think she's up on that. The other doctor in that office is, and i could've had him do the surgery last Tuesday, i had an appointment but i chickened out and cancelled it, that was the second or third one i cancelled. I decided i want him to have it done by the doctor who saved him from his eternal diarrhea and vomiting back in March. Of the three vets i called, this one is the most expensive, $200. 220 pounds is astronomical.

I guess i should give him arnica montana, right? what potency? my own doctor told me that all the plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills have their patients take arnica post op because of its known promotion of rapid wound healing.

i think i need a librium or something. wake me when it's over...
 
Hooray for Jack! Glad to hear he is out and about!

Judy, for males it is often barely even something they notice. They don;t need any pain pills -- they give them a pain injection at the time of dping the surgery and that covers them. It is a really tiny incision and heals really quickly. he will be himself probably about 12 hours after the surgery, once the anaesthetic otally wears off. My guys just slept a lot when they came home, and by evening I was having trouble keeping them from tearing around the house. :roll: :lol:

They are only swollen very shortly -- this can make it look like they weren;t neutered but it goes down very quickly. Within about three days the would will be healing fairly cleanly. You just need to make sure he doesn;t do anything that aggravates it or gets it dirty.

I promise you, he will be back to normal by the next day and you won;t need to do any special nursing of any kind. the only problem sometimes, is that some dogs will try to pull at the stitiches. My two just mostly licked them a lot, which is fine. If he looks like he's trying to pull them out they give you a collar for him or try the onesie route.
 
karlin--thanks for the reassurance and info. wow you had two done at the same time. what is the onesie route? during the night, he still sleeps in the kitchen, fenced in with gates. i won't know if he's trying to chew the stitches while i'm asleep. i hate to leave the cone collar on him during the night, he might even cry about it and make a racket. anyway, it doesn't look very comfortable, i've seen them on dogs who have skin allergies and chew themselves to pieces. i'm glad to hear it won't be very disturbing to him....it's a very short procedure, 15 minutes i think. but they keep him there all day. because of the anaesthesia i guess. ok. i'm fine. i'm not scared. .... :yikes
 
You can leave the onesie on him overnight wthout problems; just make sure it fits well.

Mine were done about two months apart so not simultaneously. But lots in rescue have had a house full of neutered dogs at the same time. :lol:
 
Hi Judy

I know it's hard but try not to worry too much, as the dog picks up on your stress. I think Zack is still quite young too, so they bounce back quicker - Jack is 4 1/2 so it will take him a bit longer.

I dropped Jack off at 9am, they rang me just after 12 noon to say he'd come round ok, and then I picked him up about 2pm - other vets may differ, but this is probably one of the most routine ops they do, and it's unlikely that Zack will need to stay in overnight.

My homoeopath does a "pre and post op" kit. For any anaesthetic, give Phosphorus 200x 1 dose in the morning before the op, and 1 -2 doses after the op if they are vomiting

Either just before or as soon as possible after the op, Aconite 200c then 2 - 3 doses on the day for shock.


For an op with pain { :yikes }

starting from 2 days before the op, Arnica 6x 3 X daily

Arnica 30x Following the op, give 3 doses between end of op and bedtime, the next 2 days, 1 dose 3 X daily{ for up to 5 days if necessary}


In addition, for castration of males, Staphisagria 30c 1 - 3 X following op - can continue if necessary. For intestinal paralysis and constipation, and to prevent fluid build up in the scrotum.


Most vets {even non-holisitic ones!} will usually give remedies if asked. I sterilise a 30ml dropper bottle, and fill it with boiled and cooled water. Then add two tablets of Aconite 200c and two of Arnica 30x. I put a label on it with the dog's name, and ask the vets to give 4 drops into the cheek pouch as soon as they come round from the anaesthetic, further doses if they are staying in.

If they are having teeth extracted, it's much better to give the remedies like this so they don't get stuck in the cavity.

Obviously homoeopathy isn't a precise science and you may see other recommendations but this is what I use. They tend to bounce back very quickly from the anaesthetic and heal quickly too - the vet was very surprised how quickly Peaches healed following her knee surgery.


Jack is doing ok this morning, he is eating well - always a good sign, and pottying ok. He does have some fluid build up so is on the Staphisagria to help with that. He did try to jump up earlier but that hurt, so I have put him back in the crate in the sitting room, so he can see us but not get onto the furniture or anything.

I'm still going out with him in the garden, just to make sure he's just wandering around and not trying to climb the bank or anything! If you're concerned, maybe keep Zack on the lead in the garden for the first couple of days.

We are lucky to have a very large garden, so Jack will just have exercise here for the next week or so, and then lead walks until the stitches come out at 10 days. He has 3 stitches.

Thanks everyone for thinking of us - Jack sends you a lovely fresh smelling kissy as his teeth were cleaned too!
 
:flwr: Jack sounds like he is doing really well!

Like Nicki says, almost all vets send dogs home the same day as a neuter or spay. My vets follow the same schedule as Nicki's -- in in the morning, out by about 2 or after.

The last rescue fellow I had, CJ, had both his neuter and a hernis stitched up and he wasn;t a bit bothered by any of it as Joanna, who fostered him, can verify! He enjoyed visiting with her two cavalier girls and didn't feel any less manly. :lol:
 
With Busta and Woody, I took them in at 8.30 in the morning (the hardest part is leaving them there - cried when I left Busta). Normally have call at 2 to see all okay and then collect at 4.30 - all I had to do is take up the water the night before and not feed them in the morning.

They had to go for a number 1 and 2 before they went in and the vet said to keep them clean so no muddy walks on the way to the vets. They feed them in the afternoon (Woody ended up with most of his food on his head as he tried to get in the pouch).

Once you collect your vet should give you a sheet on what to do, basically keep quiet and walk on lead for 7 days, we had to go back for check up three days later.
 
nicki thanks for the remedy suggestions. every time i've taken arnica for anything, it's healed much faster than predicted/than the norm, and my daughter too. the vet office i'm going to sends them home at 5, they go in at 10, but you can pick them up earlier if you want. i'll call them today and get it set up so they'll start the homeopathy as early as appropriate.

do they have any bleeding or discharge?

i have a big flat but soft fleece covered pillow, about 4 feet square which he often sleeps on at night. i guess he will know whether he can jump or not? I mean, if he tries jumping and it hurts, he'll probably not try it again right away and will just lay on the floor or on the pillow. how do you know if they're cold? do they shiver?
 
Judy, there was no bleedy or discharge from either of my guys..... they glued Woodys cut shut and he was getting around okay..... be careful him jumping he might catch it (as did Woody when he tried to get into bed at 3am in the morning).

Busta had a cross stitch and we did'nt have any problems with that.

If he is cold he will shiver, Woody started shaking as soon as I got him into the car, but as soon as he was home was trying to run around and play with Busta.
 
I'll bring a blanket in the car when i go to pick him up. i wish it was over and he was all recovered.

i called the vet to talk about homeopathy. she said give him arnica 30c, 2 pills 3 times a day. i would feel better if i could give him the kind you give every hour during the acute phase....

the kind of arnica 30c i have is in the little blue tubes by Boiron and it's in the form of little tiny balls. you put it under your tongue. zack isn't going to be putting it under his tongue. I wonder if there's another form of the remedy i can give him, liquid or something, that would be absorbed better. guess i'll call up the homeopathic pharmacy tomorrow while zack is at the vets.

anyway, she said the sutures are under the skin? she said there won't be any sutures to remove later.

she said she is giving pain medication for me to take home after the surgery and she recommends giving it to him to help him keep quiet. she said she wasn't sure what kind when i asked. she said maybe Tramadal, don't know if i spelled it right. not sure i've heard of it. she said the main thing is for him to be quiet for 48 hours. she said she wanted him not even licking the incision, that could aggravate it, she said there shouldln't be any swelling if things go right. she said she didn't want him to get an abcess and she would have to anaesthetize him again and lance it.

:shock:

she said he has to wear the collar when he's not supervised. she does not want him licking it at all.

she said she gives a shot of antibiotic during the surgery. i think i asked what kind and she said she didn't know, it would depend. that's strange...

Apparently there is elective bloodwork. i asked if they do blood tests before the surgery and she said yes. so i thought that would be covered by the $200. but later she said "if you elect to have the blood work."

Does anyone have any idea whether this is very important? Do other dogs have pre op bloodwork? i would've thought it would be routine. i think people usually have it for surgery with general anaesthesia.

i sure wish it was over. little zack has no idea what's coming. I just took him in the bath and washed his dirty belly and groin area. he's all ready to go. i just wish it was ancient history. i scared. i sure hope everything will be ok and he doesn't have any suffering. i'm afraid he'll cry if i leave that weird collar on him when we go to bed. well... i guess i'll find out soon enough.....i hope my anxiety isn't making him nervous. it's not a florid kind of anxiety. it's more of a vague dull ache. he seems fine, chewing a bully stick at the moment.

:xfngr: :xfngr: :xfngr:
 
karlin said:
.... If he looks like he's trying to pull them out they give you a collar for him or try the onesie route.

what's the difference between the collar they give you and a onesie? oh--i just looked on google--i never heard those called onesies before--the baby shirts that snap on the bottom. i want to get that, it looks like it will be more comfortable to sleep in than those collars. i'm not sure how to fit him, i wish i got it before instead of after. can't be too loose or too tight. i'll get some different sizes.

i have to have him there in an hour so we'll be leaving in a half hour. i'm making a list of stuff i have to get.

here goes nothing...
 
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