Best way to entertain a newly spayed pup

[Anonymous]

Puppy is pretty miserable after her surgery. She managed to remove her cone and lick her stitches so the vet wants her movement pretty restricted over the next 7-9 days to prevent more damage. This is a pup who loves to play and jump on furniture, and now she isn’t able to do much beyond a short outside walk to go to the bathroom. Any suggestions? I tried giving her a chew but she is miserable with the cone of shame and can’t figure out how to do it with it on…the minute I take it off, she licks her wound.

[Anonymous]

Is she in more pain than I might think given how she appears? Maybe I am overstimulating her. I really don’t know what the recovery is for a surgery like this.

[Anonymous]

Blow up donut style collar is better, stops them from licking themselves but not from chewing objects. Id get her that and fill up a kong toy with peanut butter.

[Anonymous]

Our dog just got neutered last week. Did your vet give you drugs to help keep her calm? That has been a lifesaver as our dog is usually incredibly active and wild. We also got him a suitical (from chewy) so that he did not need to wear a cone. We actually put another version from Amazon on top for the first several days to make it extra tricky to get into. He’s a smart guy and I wasn’t sure it would work, but with the calming medication, he pretty much left his incision alone. Good luck! With the right medication and dosage, I think the week will actually go by quickly for you.

[Anonymous]

My dog just finished recovery. He wore a surgical onesie when unsupervised. He didnt lick at all, so I left it off for a few days. He didn't try licking until day 9 but after that had to wear a cone another 9 days. The donut didn't work great but was better than the vet provided cone, he wouldnt walk, eat or potty in the vet cone.

Then I bought a cone called the ZenCone which worked perfectly, I laced it to his harness. He could still drink and acted normal.

The calming meds are a good idea too. Gabapentin is what he had.

I suggest a snuffle mat to tire her out when eating, slow walks in a new place with lots of sniffing, watch a movie next to her and hold the chew for her while she chews, and keep an eye if sutures are rising up. Mine had to gave a knot trimmed (that's why he started licking at 9 days).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our dog just got neutered last week. Did your vet give you drugs to help keep her calm? That has been a lifesaver as our dog is usually incredibly active and wild. We also got him a suitical (from chewy) so that he did not need to wear a cone. We actually put another version from Amazon on top for the first several days to make it extra tricky to get into. He’s a smart guy and I wasn’t sure it would work, but with the calming medication, he pretty much left his incision alone. Good luck! With the right medication and dosage, I think the week will actually go by quickly for you.

This was crucial for us. My dog who was supposed to be drowsy post neuter came RUNNING out of the recovery room and immediately jumped on the couch when we got home. The Vet gave us a sedative, supposedly, but it was an NSAID. He just could not be kept calm enough. We went back to the Vet and Trazadone was a game changer for at least the first few days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blow up donut style collar is better, stops them from licking themselves but not from chewing objects. Id get her that and fill up a kong toy with peanut butter.

OP here, thanks for this - just purchased.

[Anonymous]

Snuffle mat or licky mat. I like lick mats over kongs bc they're easier to clean and a lot of dogs seem relaxed after all the licking. Smear wet food, pb, yogurt whatever on them. I keep some in my freezer to use when I want my dog to work longer.