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Just had Molly Spayed..so sad :(

Mandy and Molly

Active member
Hi guys,

I just picked up my princess from the vet :(

She had HUGE anal Glands which i expected from her scooting the last couple of days. She also had an umbilical Hernia..which i was told from the vet was hereditary! Which was a shock for me! I would have expected this to not have happened in a 'good' breeder.

Also she had an ear infection which i figured. And i asked the vet 3 weeks ago to check it out to which they apparently checked out and found nothing.

Thank goodness for this elderly man who looked at Molly today!

She is whinging and doesn't lay down much and seems to be extremely upset. The vet told me Cavi's don't bounce back too well straight after surgery as a lab would. So i expected her to be like this.

Any tips for me for those who have gone though this? I am so heart broken at her state as she is usually so affectionate and bubbly and extremely crazy-active!

I also got a cone from the vet to place on her head as I'm scared she will lick/bite her stitches. :cry*ing:

Shes laying infront of the heater right now trying to get comfy :(
 
Hi there,

Bless little Molly, your vet is right about Cavvies- IMO they dont bounce back at all well after spay surgery- at least the ones I know anyway.

Ruby was just inconsolable and she wouldn't move in the cone so I went out and got her an oversize t shirt to wear to protect the wound and she was much happier after that and she spent a lot of time crated while she rested as I didnt want her jumping up and down.
She was crate trained though so was perfectly contented in there.

I had to hand feed her for two days and make her drink as well as she literally wouldnt do anything for herself!

She was back to her normal self with in a few days though and with restricted exercise for a week or so was well rested.

She actually wasnt interested in her wound though!

Just keep her still and rested and she will be happier in a few days- its a big Op for a little dog!
 
Ohhh, hang in there. This sounds exactly like Brooklyn. Just remember that everything is okay, otherwise the vet would have never let you take her home.

To start, Brooklyn had an umbilical hernia. It is actually common, not necessarily "heredity" and does not at all mean that she came from a bad breeder. It is quite a seen thing in cavaliers (and other breeds too, so don't worry about that). I know with Brooky, my vet said that she had to cut a bit higher because of the hernia, and that caused Brooky a bit more pain because she had more stitches.
As for Brooklyns first night home, it was HARD. She cried all night, shook horribly and was just sad. Hang in there...this is pretty normal. You have to understand that they "went to sleep" and woke up in pain and in a bad way. No one told them they were having surgery. No one told them they couldn't have babies some day, no one told them they would undergo what a human would call a "major" operation. So, they wake up, and part of it is total confusion and part of it is pain. I think we think "desexing" is so normal because we talk about it so commonly, but really think about it, it is a painful thing. Dogs just can't talk.
So just be there for her, know in your heart and head that the vet would have never let her go home if she was not okay to do so and just expect to get a bit less sleep for the first night. The second night for Brooklyn was MUCH better...and Brooky even had some additional complications.

Is she on any pain meds? Call you vet in the morning if tonight is particuarly hard and tell them. They might up her meds (mine did) just to get her through that first few days. Some dogs cope well and some just don't...that does not mean they are in danger, just maybe need a bit more to make them comfortable to get through the"hump". I called my vet first thing in the morning to tell them what a hard time Brooky was having and they helped a lot, with advice, what I could do and generally to calm my head. I would try that. I also put a fleece/sweater on Brooklyn for a week. That helped her a lot to regulate her temp and keep her comfy.

It is hard...I know it is!!! Just hang in there, everything is okay. Just keep telling yourself "the vet would not let her go home if she was not okay"...but she did have major surgery, so she is in pain, and will hurt. You will be amazed how different she is in 3-5 days! These first few days are hard though, stay strong!

Oh, try to make her some scrambled eggs, maybe chicken. Bring her water and just keep her calm and will you. The cones suck, but they do help. She will take a day to get used to it. It is so hard on us and them, I know.

Hang in there, you are doing everything right!!!! This all sounds normal (though traumatic to go through and really hard...but normal) Hugs to you both.
 
Hi Karen,

Thank you for that :)

Molly ate straight away as she had not eaten from 8pm last night until now-8pm! As she had to fast and then didn't eat while at the vet. She ate just now though and was ready for more! She is yelping loud every so often when she feels pain and keeps walking around in circles in the kitchen, sitting every so often (Unlike the toilet circle). She will be staying in the kitchen over night with the baby gate stopping her from having a big enclosure. (Thank goodness for baby gates!)

i hate seeing her so upset!

She seems to not like to lay down and kept falling asleep while sitting against me! And she was shaking quite violently when we picked her up..and when she walks around she sits and shakes a bit more :( We will be putting the heating on int he house a couple hours before bed so she is nice and warm while in her bed.

I might try the oversized shirt if she doesn't like the cone..Thats a great idea!
 
Hi BrooklynMom,

Thank you for your lovely words, and sharing your story about Brooklyn.

The vet did tell me that they gave her some medication but they did not give me any to give to her.
I am to come back in a week to have the stitches removed and check up on her ears and her anal glands.

Oh i didn't realise it was common for the hernia! Poor animals! The vet made a longer incision to fix the hernia and theres quite a few more stitches than normal in Molly also. She has a small shaved patch on her leg where I'm guessing she had her injections through. I had them give her intravenous fluid whilst under, so she would have the best chance at a better recovery. Also had them run a blood test to check for any abnormalities. It costs me an arm and a leg but well worth it.
Molly is usually quite a 'pouty' dog when it comes to anything really so i didn't think she would be happy after this! And i certainly would be quite upset for a few days if i had the surgery!
 
Also with Brooklyn's shaking, the vet recommended that we put a hot water bottle with her the first few nights. That helped a lot and she was always curled right against it.

Be prepared that she might cry herself to sleep. It's okay. She is so confused at why she feels pain and will want you 24-7 for the first few days. Just be strong!

And like Karen, I hand fed too for the first few days ;)
 
Yes, the hernia makes for a larger incision. Not fun for them, but it is what it is. Poor thing.

If she has a rough night, I would call the vet and ask for pain meds to give her. My vet has a lot of cavaliers in and she said that she knew they didn't take to pain that well so she gave me 3 days of pain medication. I think it really helped her so if she has a rough night, call you vet and have them help you. It is really important because there is not reason why they need to be in more pain than is needed. I think people take de-sexing so lightly because it is a common thing, but in reality it is major surgery, so if she has a rough night, make sure that you get what you need to make her more comfortable (y)

Hang in there!!
 
I wouldn't worry too much–usually the owners are a lot more upset than the dogs :) . At this point, I have neutered a couple of hundred rescues, most of which are back to their normal selves within 24 hours. Only one has ever had any complications, and they were minor.

Some vets do give extra pain medication, but I have never found this necessary and my own vets actually don't. If anything, a more typical problem is the dog wants to be far more active than she or he really should and the issue is more one of trying to restrain them from wanting to be too active. For most dogs, the greatest level of discomfort will probably come at the point where they are ready to have their stitches out, because they tighten up as the wound heals and they can get itchy and uncomfortable! Anyone who's had abdominal surgery will know what I am talking about! :) If your dog is truly really restless and uncomfortable, then I would want to talk to the vet–that wouldn't be a common experience as usually they are just sleepy for the next 24 hours.

Most dogs actually don't need the cones on their heads (despite the fact that vets always give them out!) and most dogs also find the cone is more distressing than any other single aspect of having surgery. A lot of us just use a baby onesie -- you can usually get them at charity shops for next to nothing–and cut a hole for the tail and that protects the stitches and keeps most dogs from chewing on them. I have almost never had any dogs that wanted to chew stitches, however. A bit of licking is fine. I certainly would at least remove the cone during the times when you are home with her.

Some of us have posted pictures before of our dogs wearing their baby gear! If you do a search, it you will probably find them.

Umbilical hernias are extremely common in this breed and it is pretty normal to have them repaired at the time of a spay or neuter. That said, they shouldn't be common and they aren't a trivial issue and are an abnormality that can cause serious problems if they are large–which is why vets tend to want to repair them (though often they disappear of their own accord by the time a dog is old enough to be neutered–this happened with 2 of mine). They probably are a hereditary aspect of this breed, unfortunately.

If you have a dog that is showing any sign of real distress, you should of course contact your vet right away just in case there is any risk of a problem. Most dogs will not have a difficult night their 1st night back–they will be so groggy and tired from the anesthesia that they sleep pretty soundly. I know it can be worrying for an owner anytime their dog undergoes a procedure, but keep in mind that this is one of the most common procedures performed by a vet throughout their career and they generally will do hundreds every month! If you ask a vet how many have complications, it is a miniscule number and tends to be from a dog that starts to pull out its stitches too early, which is why vets tend to be extra cautious and always issue a cone–but truly, they are probably only really needed for about 5% of dogs, at least in my experience.
 
Hi Karlin,

Thank you for your kind words :)

I hope she is resilient enough to bounce back after a couple of days!

I think its almost more traumatic for me!!

Unfortunately iv never had a baby so i don't have any onsies, although i will surely look for some in the shops tomorrow!

Its so sad that dogs are prone to so many horrible things :(

Thank you again for all your information, it is very helpful!
 
Hi!
How is Molly today? Karlin and the others made some very good responses, and my experience is that even cavaliers react very different to anaestesia. My Molly is tired for a couple of days, Éowyn runs around in the garden after a few hours.
I hope Molly is much better today :hug:
 
Hi guys,

I think Molly forgot she had an operation! She is as insanely active as ever! The 2nd night was wonderful, she didn't cry and im fairly certain she was in NO pain as she kept on trying to jump up at me and jump up onto things. I have now blocked off nearly every tempting area/object in the house! Whilst i'm at work she is confined to the kitchen ONLY and has been quite patient whilst in there. (Usually she has all of outside to run around in too)

Her stitches will be coming out in 10 days time, and she hasn't tried biting them. However i have caught her licking them a couple of times and have corrected the behaviour each time. I guess it just feels a bit funny now.

Im so very happy so that she seems back to normal. I guess she has forgiven me now lol!

:)
 
I'm so happy to read that Molly has bounced back. When Sophie was spayed, she was fine and bounced back within hours. We had to work to keep her calm, from the moment she got home. Clearly she is hasn't read the veterinarian books....
 
Hehe i know what you mean! I think i would be feeling sorry for myself still! But Molly is a pretty happy go lucky pup, so i guess she took it in her stride!

Would have probably liked her to be not 'quite' as active as she is, just so it would make my job easier trying to keep her still!
 
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