# Neutering next week. Anyone have some helpful tips?



## jachambers (Jun 6, 2008)

Hudson is now 13 months and will be getting neutered next week. I would prefer to keep him intact till 18 months but cant since all of the local kennels (and dog parks) require your dog be neutered after 6 months of age for boarding.

Last time my husband and I went on a vacation (March 2012), we drove 2 hrs to board him at a facility outside Charleston, SC, to avoid the issue. Unfortunately, we do not have the option this time.

Does anyone have any helpful info? What to expect following surgery? How to restrict his activity?


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Bully sticks... lots and lots of bully sticks. Oh, and raw meaty bones. We haven't been through a spay surgery with Riley, but she did have a really bad knee injury and we had to find ways to keep her still for long periods of time. The crate was very helpful. She spent about a week in the crate with only minimal trips outside to go potty. If he normally has an insane amount of energy they may give you sedatives to help him relax. Keeping a leash on him at all times will guarantee that he can't run around. I'm glad you waited at least 13 months for him to develop! Most people barely wait 6 months. :-\

Can you find anyone nearby to watch him for you when you go on vacation?


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## jachambers (Jun 6, 2008)

Thanks for the response! 

Unfortunately, none of our friends can watch him while we are gone....and honestly, I don't know if they could handle his energy  

Our breeder advised us to wait at least a year and warned us a vet would recommend much earlier. I just wish we could wait longer. It's very frustrating that every kennel and every dog park in our area require spay or neuter to attend. In fact, all of the dog parks around us make you fill out an application, pay a fee, and show paperwork. I wish it was a little more "dog friendly" 

We are having the procedure done at a local no-kill shelter and I was told they usually don't give out any medication. I'm planning on calling his routine vet to see if they will prescribe something.

Thanks again for your response.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Jasper just got neutered a couple of weeks ago when he was 16.5 months. Here's what we did:

A bully stick. Lots of bones. I bought a new toy called a Monster Ball, which is basically the "head" of a "monster"--you can put treats in it so he has to work to get them out. I scheduled the surgery for Thursday morning, and took off through Monday (looking back I didn't need to take all of Thursday off, since he wasn't ready to pick up until 5 anyway) so that I could keep an eye on him for the first few days.

The first night they're pretty groggy and out of it. Jasper was a little afraid of the cars, especially in the dark that first night. So don't be surprised if he acts a little out of character at first. IF they give you pain medication, you start it that night. It's not usually anything fancy--Jasper just got Rimadyl (carprofen) for 4 days. To be totally honest, he probably didn't need it past that first night, when he was whining a little bit.

The next morning, if he's anything like mine, he's all, "Surgery? What surgery? I feel fantastic! Let's play!" That's when we started with the bones/bully sticks/other mind-occupying stuff. I did let him walk slowly up and down the 5 steps to my building on his own, and I let him pull himself up onto the furniture as well. The more activity the more swelling, but I tried to keep it to no more than that. Lots of slow, on-lead walks for short amounts of time. If the surgical area looked a little red or swollen after a walk, I'd get him to lay down beside me and put an ice pack on it for a while. 

As crazy as Jasper is, after about a day, he picked up on the fact that I was purposefully restricting his activity, and he was surprisingly patient about it. I thought for sure one of us would be dead by the end of this.

I also took pictures of his incision area daily, just so I could keep better track of how he was healing. He was still pretty red and swollen up until about day 5, and then it just got a lot better looking really fast. It helps if your dog knows "leave it!" so that you can keep him from licking the incision. Most vets do internal, absorbable stitches, and then glue the skin shut over the stitches. Jasper didn't need to go back in, but my vet did do a follow-up phone call about three days in.

Also, Jasper's appetite was down because he wasn't getting as much exercise. Don't fret about that too much--he basically only ate one regular-sized meal a day, but he got extra calories from his Kong and Monster ball. Also, take the opportunity to do some freshening up on his training, or teach him a new trick! And don't discount the mental stimulation of going to visit someone else's house, or having visitors over. We did that a couple of times, and that really helped.

After 6 days, I started taking him on some short jogs at a slow pace (I did follow up on the ice pack after that), and decided it was ok to take him back to the park after about 12 days. The vet said 5-7 days of restricted activity, but he plays really rough, so I wanted to keep him from interacting with other dogs at the park for as long as possible.

Oh, and I don't know if this is an option with your clinic, but I did not personally opt for the blood panel or the IV fluids. The vet didn't really think he needed either, as he is young and healthy, and had no kidney/liver diseases in his family history, and he was fully descended. Neutering is a very quick, relatively routine surgery--a skilled vet can be done with a dog in 15 to 20 minutes, as long as both testicles have descended and there are no unexpected complications. 

Whew! Sorry so rambly--I was just typing whatever came to mind!


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## jachambers (Jun 6, 2008)

Thanks so much for the response! It's greatly appreciated!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/male-dog-neutering.html
Long and informative site. Answers at least 90% of questions, IMO.

Not really here to dispense any post op advice, only neutering operation we lived through was with our cat.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Redrover your post was really interesting. The only dog I have had neutered was my current Dane. 

He was 21/2yrs old when we had him neutered (just finished growing and maturing). I don't know whether the method used is the normal method in the UK or not. Basically he had a small insiccion in the scrotum through which his "bits" were removed. He was given an injection of long lasting antibiotics. The incission was left open (to drain) = no stitches, no pain killers, no antibiotics. He had no swelling and the next day he was back to normal. He was walked as normal and could do as he wanted. It never bled and it was as if he had never had anything done.

What does please me is that despite the castration at our vets he is always very excited to go to the vets - never had a dog like that before.

Hope all goes well with the op datacan :'( :'(


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Maybe it would be a good time for Pup to spend a little time with a bird dog trainer instead of a boarding kennel? We bird dog guys don't mind bejeweled boys... you're pup will become acquainted with his inner dog and it's kind of a stick your tongue out at the mandatory spay/neuter elitist crowd all at the same time. Likely cost similar to board rate only too.

Maurice Lindley is in Piedmont, SC and known all over the country. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive from Charleston but you won't find any better. I'm pretty sure he even works with a transporter and could arrange a pickup/delivery. google lindley kennel and you'll have his contact info. Summer Camps are very common with bird dog guys for vacationing families and help keep the lights on and feed bowls filled.

Ken


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

hotmischief said:


> Hope all goes well with the op datacan :'( :'(


 ??? ??? hot, it's not Sammy's op... not doing it... (not yet) 


I am a little  Jasper did but at 16.5 ... such a little trooper ... all the best Red, keep him safe.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Time off from work and as many long lasting treats as possible. We did it two days before thanksgiving do we'd have 4 days with him. Vet suggested sedatives for Dozer (known in their office as the crazy dog). I opted out until I came home at lunch (5 days post op) and his incision was bleeding a little. Which was bec he licked it after shredding the first cone. Got a second cone, shredded by EOD. These things r only good for supplying mental simulation of figuring out how to get it off. And yes, he'll be ready romp the very next day.


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

datacan said:


> I am a little  Jasper did but at 16.5 ... such a little trooper ... all the best Red, keep him safe.


That's just the way the timing worked out for us. We're moving in with another couple, and they have an intact female dachshund (they're hobby breeders)--I had planned on doing it somewhere between 16 and 19 months anyway, as I'm not planning breeding him and it was the best option for us. Between the stress of a new home, new people, a new dog that would be going into heat not long after the move, and our crazy vacation plans, I ended up doing it a little closer to the early side of things. Of course, he hasn't really noticed at all.  Still as crazy and wild as ever! Proved all my friends that said, "Oh, neutering will totally calm him down!" completely wrong, since they didn't believe it when I told them it wouldn't! Ha.


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