Our little baby girl, Coco, has just been spayed.
We needed to do this as there is a heriditary condition in her family (hydrocephalus) and we don't want this passed on to any babies. We never intended to breed her anyway as she is a member of family and not just a pet.
As soon as she was 6 months old (on the vet's advice) we put her in to be spayed.
The procedure went well, and she is now in recovery mode. I couldn't resist popping a photo on here with her in her "collar".
Post Recovery
For those of you who are thinking of having your pet neutered, I am not going to comment on your individual choices. I just wanted to share a few hints for post procedure recovery.
They will need to wear a collar, bodysuit, or similar for at least 7 days. Please think about how your dog will eat and drink. Some bowls may not be suitable for your dog if they are wearing a collar (generally smaller bowls are better as they can get the collar around it and bend their head down to eat).
We hand fed Coco for the first day as she gradually got used to eating the food herself. This was partly as she was still recovering, and partly to get used to a new routine. We were so please that after a day she was able to eat and drink from her bowls quite well again. After four days her eating was back to normal.For the first 24 hours it is recommended to feed your dog "simple" food such as scrambled eggs or boiled chicken. Coco had never had these before (she just has dried kibble). She initially rejected her kibble on her first feed, but the scrambled eggs and boild chicken had her eating again. Subsequent meals for two days were a mixture of kibble and eggs/chicken, and we are now back to her normal food. Although we do have a little lady that now likes eggs and chicken and can sulk if there isn't any in her bowl! (Yes, we have a dog that will lie down next to her food and ignore it, if it isn't what she wants).
Your dog will need to be kept quietly for the first 7 days. This is mainly inside, with quick trips out just for toilet breaks (or indoors if your are using puppy pads). After 7 to 10 days (after a post-procedure check up) you can start taking your dog for short 5 minute walks per day, builing up over a few weeks to their normal routine.
If you have an energetic dog, after 7 days you may be pulling your hair out if they are indoors all the time. But keep focused. This is the time that is needed for the incision to heal and the skin and muscles to knit together properly. We were lucky in that Coco just wanted to sleep and "mooch" around the house.
Hydrocephalus
I wanted to just mention what this was.
Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid in the brain. The excess fluid puts pressure on the brain, which can damage it.
The damage to the brain from hydrocephalus can cause a wide range of symptoms, including:
- headaches
- sickness
- blurred vision
- difficulty walking
Hydrocephalus can be fatal.
One of Coco's brothers was born with hydrocephalus (congenital hydrocephalus). This is a hereditary gene - not every pup born will have it, but there is a much increased risk. There is not a lot you can do for dogs apart from look after them and love them until the condition gets to stage where the dogs quality of life is not sufficient. This may be days, months, or years dependant on the severity of the hydrocephalus.
Coco's brother was very lucky in that we believe it was not days or months (a few years - albeit a shorter life span than normal) and his breeder also decided to keep him so that she could love him and look after him as long as possible.