# Two weeks-SERIOUSLY? (spay question)



## puppymom

Sophie had her spay on Tuesday, came home that night and is doing GREAT, you wouldn't know she had surgery. If anything I am having to watch that she doesn't do too much. 

Our "recheck" is next Thursday, 15 days after her surgery, she has internal dissoluble stitches (no stitches outside). I asked when I could bathe her and the Vet Tech said not til her recheck. SERIOUSLY?

I am a Cardiac Nurse and we send our Open Heart patients home with instructions to shower by day 4. I know it isn't the same but TWO WEEKS? Her back end is already in need of some attention, I'm trying to figure out how to wash that with out getting her belly wet. 

Is two weeks normal?


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## silverhaven

I am in then same situation now. Lola was spayed yesterday, she is so far in great shape, buuuuuut this morning she went to poo and OMG. all stuck to her. I insisted on bringing her home, good I did I think because she woke me at 5 in the need to go, she would have been sitting in it for hours at the vets. I had to do a fairly thorough job, usually this would have been straight in the sink. My hubby had to hold her still while I used the no rinse shampoo, being very careful to not go near her stitches. Took me a good 1/2 hr. Not a good start to the day.

Anyway, yes, the vet said 10-14 days before a bath. She is wanting to be active so she is confined in her crate, she is on a mix of pain meds that uses morphine and metacam, hopefully that will knock her out.


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## cyndrae

I think they told me the same and I made it for 1 week then gave in to the need for a bath.


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## TraceyTracey

My maltese had a really rough time with her spay recently, it is 8 days since her spay and she is only just getting back to normal. 

She had a really bad stomach due to the meds so her bottom was very dirty for a couple of days. I had to shampoo her bottom in the sink on 3 occassions last weekend. Her front paws were resting on the side of the sink and her two back legs were in the sink. She did not seem to mind as as we have done this before so she knows the drill and trusts me. My partner helped me. I gently towelled her and because her front was elevated her wound stayed dry. I used baby shampoo and detangling spray and then gently brushed her out a bit later when she was dry. I did not use the hair dryer because I didnt want to put her through too much. 

Yesterday, 1 week after the op, I gave her a full gentle shampoo, I covered her incision with a waterproof plaster and made sure that I did not rub it or rub shampoo near it. She was fine and her incision was dry and looks like it is healing well.

Its been a rough week for her, bless her, but at last she seems to be getting back to normal and smells great... :thumbsup:


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## puppymom

silverhaven said:


> I am in then same situation now. Lola was spayed yesterday, she is so far in great shape, buuuuuut this morning she went to poo and OMG. all stuck to her. I insisted on bringing her home, good I did I think because she woke me at 5 in the need to go, she would have been sitting in it for hours at the vets. I had to do a fairly thorough job, usually this would have been straight in the sink. My hubby had to hold her still while I used the no rinse shampoo, being very careful to not go near her stitches. Took me a good 1/2 hr. Not a good start to the day.
> 
> Anyway, yes, the vet said 10-14 days before a bath. She is wanting to be active so she is confined in her crate, she is on a mix of pain meds that uses morphine and metacam, hopefully that will knock her out.


Sophie;s first day home she pooped at least 5 times and it was runny and messy. I used dry shampoo on her but. SHe has firmed up now, I assume the first day was from the anesthesia and such. I guess it's better too soft than too hard. 

I am so thankful that Sophie is crate trained, she seems to have no pain at all and wants to play play play. At least in the crate she stays quietly.


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## puppymom

TraceyTracey said:


> Yesterday, 1 week after the op, I gave her a full gentle shampoo, I covered her incision with a waterproof plaster and made sure that I did not rub it or rub shampoo near it. She was fine and her incision was dry and looks like it is healing well.
> 
> Its been a rough week for her, bless her, but at last she seems to be getting back to normal and smells great... :thumbsup:


Sorry to hear she has had a rough time of it!!

I can get some tegaderm (occlusive dressing) from work, that is a great idea. I'll wait til next week to give the incision a good 7-10 days to heal. We are going to have to do a butt wash in the meantime though.


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## jmm

You can bathe her after a week. I would restrict her activity for the full 2 weeks if at all possible.


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## puppymom

jmm said:


> You can bathe her after a week. I would restrict her activity for the full 2 weeks if at all possible.


THANKS!

I am never sure what "restrict" means, how much walking can we do? RIght now she is pretty much in her expen, or on the couch or bed next to me. We go out every few hours and I do let her walk in the drive a little. I keep her on a leash because she would like to take off and run. 

Does that sound "restricted" enough?


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## jmm

Short leash walks are fine. No running, jumping, or rough housing with other dogs.


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## puppymom

jmm said:


> Short leash walks are fine. No running, jumping, or rough housing with other dogs.


Got it! Thanks!


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## silverhaven

puppymom said:


> Sophie;s first day home she pooped at least 5 times and it was runny and messy. I used dry shampoo on her but. SHe has firmed up now, I assume the first day was from the anesthesia and such. I guess it's better too soft than too hard.
> 
> I am so thankful that Sophie is crate trained, she seems to have no pain at all and wants to play play play. At least in the crate she stays quietly.


Oh! I am hoping the poop thing will stop now. She is in great shape now, only the day after. Actually happy and playful. I let her out of the crate to go potty and she took off sideways to grab a toilet roll to play with. Wow! resilient. She also had 5 teeth pulled, microchipped and dye in her eyes. She is resting now beside me all stretched out and happy. Eating, drinking, and the other Lol. The crate training is fabulous in these occasions. The vet at techs. really appreciated how lovely her personality is and that she let them do anything. :chili:


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## LJSquishy

To help keep her bottom clean, you can use hypoallergenic/unscented baby wipes. They seem to work fairly well when you can't fully wet them down.


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## silverhaven

LJSquishy said:


> To help keep her bottom clean, you can use hypoallergenic/unscented baby wipes. They seem to work fairly well when you can't fully wet them down.


Thanks for the advice  I do use those but believe me 100 wipes wouldn't have worked for her this morning :smpullhair::smpullhair:


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## puppymom

Baby Wipes, DUHOOOO, I should have thought of that!!


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## nekkidfish

I really hope that your babies all get back to normal soon!!

Is the recovery, etc. the same when boys get neutered? I thought I'd read that it's a lot easier with the males.

HUGz! Jules


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## puppymom

nekkidfish said:


> I really hope that your babies all get back to normal soon!!
> 
> Is the recovery, etc. the same when boys get neutered? I thought I'd read that it's a lot easier with the males.
> 
> HUGz! Jules


Well, that is what I always heard but I gotta tell you I had a much more traumatic time with my boys. Ty wouldn't walk for a week!!


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## silverhaven

nekkidfish said:


> I really hope that your babies all get back to normal soon!!
> 
> Is the recovery, etc. the same when boys get neutered? I thought I'd read that it's a lot easier with the males.
> 
> HUGz! Jules


I don't think it could be any easier than it seems to be for Lola. This is only day one after spay and my biggest problem is she wants to act totally as normal. You wouldn't believe that she had had anything done, unbelievable.


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## CeeCee's Mom

Oh poor baby!!! Keep the back end clean Mommy......I am so glad she came home in such good shape. The vet must have done a fine job!!!!:chili:


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## EmmasMommy

This just kills me.( I am a RN for humans) Feces anywhere near the wound is bad. Much worse than gentle soap and water on any sealed wound.( Fresh wounds and its even worse- call the vet) 

Wounds are generally not open at all after 5-7 days (unless there is a problem). If you need to wash urine or feces off of a wound, gently pour soapy ( any gentle soap) warm water thats been previously boiled( boil the water x 3 minnutes & then let it cool to a warm tepid temperature) and rinse well with the cooled sterilized water. Pat dry with any sterile gauze. Don't avoid washing a contaminated area because you were given a "no bath warning". Use common sense and don't allow any wound to stay dirty. Try to protect fresh wounds from laying on soil (soil is teeming with pathogens) outdoors. So brief walks are goood but don't let the dog lay down on the ground with an uncovered wound.

Just think of what you would let your human child do......with a wound/cut.... no laying on the dirt. Poop or urine on it.........wash it off well with mild soap and very clean water. 

Keep it dry and protected and inspect it a few times a day. Report redness, drainage, swelling, pain, etc

Hope this helps. 

Wounds are wounds whether your a human or a canine.


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## ilovemymaltese

2 weeks? Gigi and her full coat of hair goes between 3-4 weeks for baths normally.  Praying for a speedy recovery!


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## oceanspraylover

I had Harley & Seymour neutered at the same time. The only way I could keep them 'quiet' (Yeah, right) was to have them wear the 'cone of shame'. This kept them from wrestling and running like wild bandits. Both of these guys were ready to hit the floor running after a day. The cones kept them from licking the incision (and each other's, for goodness sake) and slowed their activity level down. They did however learn that the cone became a handy scoop when picking up toys they wanted. :HistericalSmiley:

I also bathed them within a week, being careful around the incision area. I was also told 10 days to two weeks. But boys can get quite dirty in this area as well :w00t:


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