# Spay Question



## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

Well....at 7 and a half months we spayed Pippa. She came home this evening and is currently laying on her dog bed not moving, but shaking a little . Quick question though....what is the best way to carry her? To get into our yard, there are 2 small stairs and I want to try to carry her down them. Carrying her out of the car though caused high-pitched screaming and her trying to bite me (the poor girl is in so much pain :'( ). So, I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to make it less painful.

Many thanks.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Is she on pain meds? She shouldn't be hurting so much that she screams when you carry her.  It may work to create what we call a "doggie burrito". You can do this by wrapping a blanket around her several times with only her head sticking out.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I've heard it said that the pain is actually helpful in keeping the patient still after surgery. On the other hand, I just hate to see any living thing suffer! Have you asked your Vet about pain meds for a few days, just to keep her a little more comfortable? Poor girl... I'm sending Get Well Wishes. Or as they say in dog obedience school, "HEAL"!  The "doggie burrito" sounds like a good idea!


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

The "burrito" idea is a good one - thanks! 

She is on Rimadyl...but I am not supposed to give her any until tomorrow morning. She still won't eat or drink anything (the vet says this is normal for now) and I'm not planning to leave her side for the next 24 hours...I imagine she will sleep better than me tonight! This whole experience is really teaching me how hard it is for me to see my girl in pain. Thanks for the get well wishes mswhipple.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Vizslas are generally a bit sooky with operations. But, as for going up two stairs, make her walk. Gentle walking is good for them, it reduces the chances of clots, it starts working the muscles that were cut and starts binding them back together. You would do more damage picking her up than letting her slowly make her way of the stairs. When I picked up Zsa Zsa after hers, she was very groggy and very frightened. But, I just pretended everything was normal and let her walk from the Vet to the car and get in slowly by herself. Same when we got home. Slowly out of the car and slowly walked into a spot for her to sleep and rest comfortably. 

She will sleep a bit, but try and get her up infrequently to go outside for a wee and a little walk in the yard if possible. I did slow walks starting the very next day also. I say this coming from a position where I have personally had some very major abdominal surgery several times in my life and this is without doubt the best way to start the recovery. The body is a wonderful thing and the more you tell it you need these things to work, the more it works on getting them going again. Dogs are way tougher than us, so she should be able to handle it fine. Just no big stretching of the area through hard running or playtimes. 

Most dogs will let you know they are good to go. I had to seriously keep a lid on Zsa Zsa after her operation. She was wanting to bolt around and play the very next day. I kept a lid on her for about 4 days and then she was literally back to full speed.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

We had Sadie spayed about 6 weeks ago (see the posts I made for lots of ideas & suggestions to help you though a difficult week). We carried her by grabbing her back thigh with one hand and putting the other hand under her armpit & on her chest on the other side. Totally avoid her mid section.

We never had the pain screaming like that. But every dog is different - your dog may have a low tolerance for pain. Sadie went up & down 1 or 2 steps with no problem - from the beginning. We didn't let her go up & down the main stairs for a full week - we blocked them off.

Good luck. It's rough going through it but it will soon be a distant memory


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Pumpkin was spayed last Thursday (15m). She spent the night at the vet, and the following day, she was fairly quiet (pain med). Licking her leg (IV site) a lot, so we did put the lamp shade on for a while. She was in no pain, but we gave her pain meds on Saturday as well, because she was rebounding without skipping a beat. The vet said no running or jumping until the stiches come out (7-10 days)....yeah right : I just picked her up the best way I could getting her out of the car last Thurs. It has been sort of a non-event (other than cutailing activity), so I have no good advice. I hope your Pippa is feeling better & continues to recover without incident. Good Luck!


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

Our vet showed us the best way to pick Holley up after her surgery since we had 2 flights of stairs to go up and down at the time. You stand with the dog in front of you sideways and put one arn around the front securely and the other arm around the back and lift. It makes their legs go in a little but never causes stretching which can pull the stitches. Worked for us but so glad we are beyond that now.


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the get well wishes and ideas! We had a long night last night (Pippa would not eat, drink, or go to the bathroom). I slept downstairs next her and tethered her leash to me so I could feel her get up (in case I slept through hearing it). She was up at 1:30, 4:00, and 6:00 and FINALLY went to the bathroom at 6 (first time in 20 hours....not joking!).

I got her to eat some rice and ground beef (with fat strained away) for breakfast and she also drank a little water. She's been sleeping on and off since then. Just woke her up and took her out again, but no bathroom for her (it doesn't help that it is raining here today!)

So we will keep at it and hopefully she will be on the mend soon. Although, I went back and read a lot of older posts about recovering from spay and SO MANY people say, "My Vizsla bounced right back the next day!", which of course makes me a bit nervous.... ???


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the support I have gotten over the past couple of days! Pippa FINALLY seems "brighter" today ( we are at day 4). She is back to (almost) regular meals and is taking some some short leash walks (vet-approved) and has more energy. 

Quick question for all of you who have been through this...did you notice any changes in your Vizsla's toileting needs? Pippa has started waking up at 4:30 for a bathroom break. She immediately goes back to sleep until 630 or so (which was her regular schedule), but she used to make it through the night no problem. Also, she is still crying a bit when having a bowel movement. Her stool is not too hard, so it is not that she is constipated. Just wondering if that is normal also??

We'll call the vet Monday to make sure, but I had hoped by today some of these issues would show some improvement... 

Again, I can't thank everyone enough for all the get well wishes, the "hang in theres" and the information.


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## tavasz (Jan 15, 2012)

Your little girl is obviously a sensitive soul. OK so most do bounce back quite quickly but equally some don't. In respect of the toiletting the muscles will have been affected by the surgery and whereas she may have been able to wait until 6.30. that may not be entirely possible for her just at the moment and should improve as she recovers. Not quite sure about the bowel movement but if she is not able to take her usual exercise it may be more difficult for her to pass a motion but I would definitely run that one past the vet. If she is still uncomfortable you could try the homeopathic remedy arnica (child's dose) to help with the inevitable bruising. This should not interfere with conventional medication. I hope she recovers very soon. Out of interest was there any specific reason for spaying her so early or was this just a vet recommendation if you did not intend to breed from her?
Rosemary


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

Hi Rosemary - Welcome to the forum and thanks for your suggestions!

Our vet actually recommended we get Pippa spayed at 6 months. We felt that was too early, especially after reading some posts hinting at this on the forum and then doing our own research. I know that there has been some good research that has come out recently suggesting that puppies should go through the first heat cycle. Unfortunately, with both my husband and I working, we had a hard time figuring out how to give her the exercise she needs and how to keep her "safe" during the cycle (which we know typically lasts 21 days). If I could have stayed home, I would have had her go through her first cycle in a heartbeat. We looked into having someone come to the house to help us take care of her during her first heat cycle (with our work schedules), but to be honest, many dog-walkers/dog-sitters were incredibly nervous about signing on for that...

So...we called our breeder and asked when the females in Pippa's line usually come into season. She said at 8-10 months, and typically earlier rather than later. So she suggested we wait until the last possible minute (7 1/2 months), but then to go ahead with the spay.

We do have a sensitive V :. Most of the time, I actually love it - she is truly Velcro (more so since her surgery!) and has been a great dog so far in all aspects - awesome on the trail, great with many kinds of people and dogs, and just an all-around LOVE. Just hoping we get over this hurdle soon and she continues to heal and get better.


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## Coya (Aug 20, 2011)

Glad Pippa is doing well! Coya gets spayed on the 24th...I'm anxious just thinking about it  I hope it's a quick recovery!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Pleased to hear she is doing well. It is horrible watching them go through all that. Even though we know it is for the best and a little pain is a lot of gain. But how do you ever explain it to those sad questioning eyes?? 

Even the initial battle I had with Astro putting a dressing on his paw was horrible, but when they are sick, or recovering from an operation, you really do feel for them. I don't think I could be a vet... even though I would like to be.


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