Keeping a hyper pupy quiet after surgery

winnie

i posted this under a differnt thread but wanted to make this its own topic so it would get attention....as some of you know Syd got spayed thursday....she started to swell were her sitiches were and it started to look like a golf ball...i took her to a vet today were they drained it and gave her antibiotics....anyone know how soon after this draining should i start to see the swelling go down? It looks the same to me 12 hours later...also i have to keep her quiet and she is sooo hyper all the time...i am afraid she will keep aggrivating the swolen area....anyone have any ideas on how to keep a hyper puppy calm and keep her from running around and trying to play with Winnie? I keep her in the kitchen when i am gone but i feel bad leavig her in there all the time for two weeks...she would just cry the whole time...anyone have any ideas...she still has this golf ball lookng thing on her tummy....will it ever go away Sad

nern · Moderator Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Posts: 5042 Location: NY

Natalie was very hyper after her surgery. My vet gave me tranquilizers for her to keep her calm as she was very concerned that she would rip her stitches.
I have no ideas but maybe someone else can suggest another way to keep her calm.

goob · Senior Member Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 810

Duct tape and rope? Laughing

(kidding, no one try that, just in case)

Keep her on a leash when she's out with you if she can't dive around and go ballistic if she's been doing that. I believe you already said you have her seperate from your other dog? That's a good idea for now, as rough play will really put a strain on the sutures. Try giving her bones or chews to keep her occupied and let her expend some energy without acting like a little maniac Laughing

If all else fails, the vet can probably give you some meds to slow her down a bit unti lit's ok for her to return to normal activity.

susan_cude@hotmail.com · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 6:07 am Post subject:

Hi Winnie, I'm so sorry for your furbaby Sad

Goob gave you wonderful advise! he said exazctly what I would have said. I know she probably does cry in the kitchen, but her safety is paramount at this point, so i would just give her toys, something that smells like you and chews, until she's healed enough to be let out with the other one. Besides perhaps she doesn't really cry all the time that you're away, it just seems like it because that's what you see.

Hope she gets better real soon! Hang in there girl!

Susan

P.S. Give her a pat from me Very Happy

winnie · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:22 pm Post subject:

Oh I also wanted to tell you guys what happned when i went to the vet....My normal Vets office is very far from home and the reason I go to one far from home is because one of my best friends work there, I know everyone, and the vet is fantastic! (she even let me sit with Syd until she woke up from surgery) Yesterday since school started agian and I had to meet the lady I am renting the house from, I did not have the time to drive to my normal vet, so I took Syd to a vet that is one block from my house (I have heard good things about them too) Well I told this Vet that she had just gotten spayed and that she got all swollen and it needs to be drained...I also told him that Syd had just had a big meal...this guy says he wants to put her under anthestsia(sp), reopen her up, and put a drain in and leave it in for three days, then bring her back and take it out! I was thinking to myself this guy probley just wants my money, and there was no way I was going to put Syd under agian unless my normal vet whom I trust was doing it, also she had just ate! So anyway I just had her drained, but when I talked to my vet later in the day, they said he was probly trying to get money out of me and it was a good thing i didnt go for the antesthesia(sp) I was just really glad I new some things about dogs and I didnt do it....sorry just had to vent...i wont be going back there agian. Made me mad

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

Ack! Good for you in going with your instinct!

Sometimes they are not just trying to get your money, but instead are just overly cautious. Either way, it's good to go with your gut feeling or get a second opinion. It was like this when Nala hurt her foot - our vet gave her a sedative so he could do x-rays. I asked another vet later and he said he would have sent her home with pain meds and done x-rays the next day if it wasn't any better. Live and learn, I guess.

(On a side note, I looked at the pain meds that were given to Nala when she hurt her foot. The vet said it was just "Advil made for dogs". I didn't give it to her as he instructed, because the pain was the only thing keeping her off the foot so it could heal, but I did give her one dose before bed on the first day. I looked at the bottle a couple of days ago and saw that it was RIMADYL!! I didn't know what that was at the time. I can't believe I gave my 5-month-old puppy such a controversial drug, and I can't believe he even prescribed it for her!! Aaaargh!)

Anyway - back to the question. To keep her quiet, find something REALLY good to chew one - bones, bullysticks, whatever she absolutely loves. You may have to crate her, or keeping her tethered to you might help. Keeping the other dog away from her is good.

Jamiya