My puppy thinks she's being tortured...(another spay question)

15 years ago

Thanks for all the advice about spaying dogs. It was very interesting to see the wide diversity of cost!

Teddy was spayed at a PETA clinic over the weekend (Sunday morning, actually). The cost was $90, which *included* a microchip and registration for the microchip. That's a LOT better than the $350 I was quoted at the local vet (with $65 more for the microchip).

So, 16-week-old Teddy came home yesterday and she was a little loopy from the general anesthetic for about two hours. After that, she bounced up from my lap and was ready and rarin' to go.

This morning, I gave her the pain meds (as directed) and hoped it'd make her a little sleepy. No such luck. As I write this, she's tethered to the couch (at my feet) by a short leash and seems quite certain that her life is over.

When we went outside for the potty walk in the back yard (on leash), she was bucking like a bronco because she wanted to go play.

She's been spending more time than usual in the crate but she doesn't like that either. I've surrounded her with fresh bones and chew toys that doesn't interest her.

We're supposed to keep her quiet and level (no jumping, no stairs) for seven days. She's already bouncing off the walls. What do you do?

I'm tempted just to put her in the crate and walk away, but she screams like a banshee when I do that.

How do you keep a herding dog (puppy!) quiet for seven days?

Rose

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

ruthieg__tx
15 years ago
You just do the best you can....
susan_on
15 years ago
Once this is over and she can run again, she will forget all about it. Just remind yourself that it's a very temporary state. As for keeping her quiet-what Ruth said.
Related Discussions
My first puppy! What might she be?
Q
Comments (61)
skatiero, I am so excited by your post! Most definitely you may use the picture!! I looked at your website a while back when you posted it and was so impressed, both by your work and at how great you look. You had been saying you thought you didn't look well and I can't remember whether or not I posted to you at the time, but I'll tell you now that I thought you looked great. And I am always in awe of those who can channel their creativity into such fabulous works as yours. I'm very sorry about your Maltese. It is so hard to lose a pet - you do have to go through a mourning period, I think. We lost our dog, who was 16, last summer and didn't really feel ready for another until now. I married my dh when Luke (the dog) was 9 years old, so this is my first experience with a puppy. What do you think about this new name? DH even agreed to it. Our 5-year-old suddenly came up with the name Cricket, and we really think it fits. I think we could still use Shortcake as an endearment, too. Believe it or not, it even ties into the girls' desire for a Disney princess name, as Cricket is one of Mulan's companions and is supposed to bring her luck :) Cricket/Shortcake now knows how to sit, lie down, and roll over, though that one requires a treat in the hand for prompting. We're still not quite there on housebreaking and I'm not sure what I might be doing wrong (if anything). She doesn't go in her crate, she does go outside when I take her, she tells me sometimes when she needs to go out but she sometimes goes again inside or she will pee outside and then poop inside. Luckily, the floor is hardwood, but I always said I'd never had a pet that pooped in the house. Hopefully, it's a temporary training situation.
...See More
Puppy Vaginitis: Spaying vs. Heat Cycle
Q
Comments (8)
I am old enough to remember that the "common theory" about 35 years ago, was to have the dog spayed at around 8-9 months, preferably before first heat. This for health reasons already stated. This theory has changed (for reasons good and bad, mostly bad as far as I'm concerned) to having the dog spayed at around 3-4 months. Vets have different opinions on all types of animal health issues. I have learned the hard way, to research everything and ask questions about medication. I specifically ask for a time limit on when I will start to see positive results. I make sort of a check list, and then compare that to what vet recommends. If research goes against what the vet wants to do, I ask her why she wants to do it. I think the subject in general is very complicated. After tons of research, I was really disturbed and worried about reconstructive surgery my vet recommended for one of my dogs that has a history of UTI and an inverted vulva. After I made this statement to her, I told her that I would never put my dog through the process. Mainly because there was no guarantee that the surgery would fix the problem. Further research and consulting with two other vets, put me on a path to where she has been fine for the past 7 months. BTW make sure one of the cleaningÂs you do is just before bed time. This is when the bacteria is most active, when the dog is asleep for the night. Good luck! SG
...See More
question regarding spaying and recovery...
Q
Comments (11)
I had my Sheltie spayed at just over 6 months. My big concern was the urinary tract infections possibly caused by inverted vulva's. Hers is iffy and I was considering waiting until she actually came in to heat. Anyway, I decided to go ahead since there is no guarantee that it will stay protruded after the heat cycle. And dealing with a dog in heat is a PITA. I've not heard of the incontinence. With mine I just restricted her to the kitchen/family room. I didn't want her going up/down the stairs. Also, when I took her outside I would always leash her. And the first three days I carried her up and down the stairs of the deck. I kept her on a leash for the first week. I didn't want her running around and chasing the squirrels. I had her spayed at a clinic. Spaying is such a run of the mill procedure, I wasn't going to pay some outlandish fee for the operation. Your pup should be fine. The clinic did call and check on her. I would wait a full two weeks before going to the dog park. You don't want her going at full speed. Though it's hard, try to limit the bouncing. One thing, if this is your first Sheltie you should be aware of various drugs that affect this breed (and Collies) in a detrimental way. There is a certain heart worm medication that is a no-no. I'm always questioning the vets since my last Sheltie was overdosed and then they tried to pass it off as vestibular disease. That one in particular was always very sensitive to all medications.
...See More
Puppy question
Q
Comments (5)
It's all very typical puppy behaviour, and your existing dogs will growl to teach the pup when he has crossed the line by getting close to their food or biting their legs etc and lakota will learn from that. "Lakota is ADHD we think as he can't seem to focus on one toy at a time." just about all pups act as if they have adhd :), puppies have a short attention span and they are energetic but you dont want lakota to learn to entertain himself because that often leads to chewing things or digging holes or other problematic behaviour. Dakota is a baby, and you need to engage with him and keep him occupied, and exercise and games are a great way to get a pup to burn off energy in a positive way, and a more tired lakota will not pester the older dogs so much as well. I think all he needs is regular walks, throw a ball or toy for him and play with him so he doesnt get bored or have too much pent up energy. My dogs are 2 and 3 years old and they still have energy to burn so I play with them everyday and take them for walks to tire them out. puppies are a lot of work and lakota is just being a pup. He will outgrow some of the biting behaviour as he gets older but pups bite and chew all the time. when my pup bit me on the hands I yelped and it didnt work with her but she did mostly outgrow it and learned to bite more gently instead of painfully.
...See More
Mystical Manns
15 years ago
This is just one of those situations where you have to be firm with her, for her own good.

When we had both Tallulah and Mysti spayed (different occasions), they came home from the vet and by the next morning were raring to go. We kept them each penned for five full days, and they were only let out on leash. Had a bad experience many years ago with a cat that was spayed and we didn't restrict her ... which taught me that the animal REALLY DOESN'T KNOW BEST.

LOL!

You can use this for a very special 'bonding' period, if you keep her leashed to you rather than in a crate. Of course, you may need to take some kind of patience-enabling substance to get through the days!
FlamingO in AR
15 years ago
You could take her for a long, slow walk on a leash, several times a day. That's about it. It's hard to keep a puppy down. Watch for swelling under and around the stitches and make sure she doesn't lick or chew them too much. If she does, make her an Elizabethan collar. Yeah, you might as well let think her life is ruined forever! lol

Dogs and cats have amazing recuperative powers, I think in a day or 3, you can slack up a bit on the rest, just try to keep her from jumping.
socks
15 years ago
What a darling puppy. Shelties have such neat little paws.
wildchild
15 years ago
I don't give my dogs pain meds unless they show that they are really uncomfortable after a spay or neuter. A little discomfort isn't such a bad thing when it comes to getting them to rest.
silvercomet1
15 years ago
Any chance the pain meds themselves are making the puppy hyper? I know some pain meds actually make me extra-hyper instead of sleepy, so it's possible they're having a contrary effect on her.

She's adorable!
Jasdip
15 years ago
She's SOOO cute!
I know when we got our cats spayed and declawed (different times) we had to keep them from jumping. It was impossible to keep them off the bed if they wanted on. Between the spaying and declawing, if it hurt, they only did it once.
It's impossible to keep an eye on them all the time...
marilyn_c
15 years ago
After a couple of days, my dog was more or less back to normal. I gave up on trying to keep her confined. The main thing is that they don't chew on the incision. My dog didn't, and except for taking her every where I went, so I could keep an eye on her, and curtail her activity somewhat, she was loose around the house and outside. And, I agree with Wildchild. I didn't give my dog the pain meds after the first day

Such a cute pup you have!!!
peoniesandposies
15 years ago
Hook her leash to your belt.

Then she gets to walk around some but at a non-frenetic pace. She'll get some added stimulation and not feel like she's abandoned.
blueheron
15 years ago
Oh, she's adorable. I love Shelties.
hale_bopp
15 years ago
Biiiiiiig kisses from her KT auntie, LOL!!! I don't know about keeping a pup down, but I would snuggle that dog to death, ROTFL! : D

Blessings,
Haley

My puppy thinks she's being tortured...(another spay question)

Comments (12)

ruthieg__tx

susan_on

Related Discussions

Mystical Manns

FlamingO in AR

socks

wildchild

silvercomet1

Jasdip

marilyn_c

peoniesandposies

blueheron

hale_bopp

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US