# Advice about sleeping after a neuter...



## Karen519

*Briana*

Briana

Do not take the cone off!! You don't want him to chew and lick and get an infection!
I took the cone off only if they wouldn't go pee and poop and then I put it back on.
Also, took it off for eating.

How big is the crate you have for him? 

I would just sleep on the floor with him, with some comforters for padding, or do you have a blow up mattress that you both could sleep on.


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## Karen519

*Bumping*

Bumping up for more comments!


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## bljohnson4

Karen,
Thank you for the suggestion. Sleeping on the floor is the only think I can think of too.  I'm definitely not taking the cone off! I believe his crate is 42 or 43 inches long.


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## Karen519

*Bl*

BL

All I know is that we have the LARGEST CRATE they sell and I know the cone fits in it. 

All of our dogs have always been freaked out by the cone and run into walls and everything, but after a day or so when they realize that you aren't taking if off they get used to it. As I said I only took it off so they could eat and go potty, etc.

When does he go back to the vet for a recheck?
The vet might have some ideas, too!


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## Rainheart

Some options like Karen said a bigger crate, or get a different cone. They make blow up cones like the kong cloud and they also make soft fabric cones instead of the hard plastic ones. Just make sure you size them correctly. You need one that is at least a few inches past the end of the muzzle. If it looks too large then it is probably correct. 
You could also get an xpen or just confine him to a room or bathroom instead of the crate for the next 2 weeks.


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## bljohnson4

Maybe we will have to shop around tomorrow (doubt anyone is open today) and see if we can find any bigger crates...we definitely want him to be comfortable and he loves his crate. He already has 3 crates so adding in another one is no big deal (1 for the living room during the day if we are gone, 1 in our bedroom for night time, and a soft sided travel crate) . 

I was shocked by this yesterday, but our vet said she won't have him come in for a follow-up appointment unless we notice any problems. He has the dissolving stitches. They are closed today but I will also give her a call tomorrow just to see if she has any other ideas.


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## cgriffin

Yes, it is routine not to come in for a follow-up unless there are problems like redness, puffyness, excessive drainage at the incision site.
Did you get some pain meds for your boy? That might help at night to get him to sleep more comfortably. 
I also say, don't take the cone off.

My senior lab mix was fine sleeping with the cone on in his dog bed after surgery, but it always depends on the dog.

Good luck! He will be just fine.


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## bljohnson4

Rainheart, I am planning on having him stay in the bathroom or laundry room when I have to go back to work on Monday....thank you for that suggestion, glad someone else thinks it is an okay idea! I wish I could do that at night too but I think he would be super bummed if I made him stay somewhere away from us at night time. Getting an xpen might be another great idea for night time though. Maybe if I put that right next to the bed, then he would still be close to us but I wouldn't have to sleep on the floor next to him. Too bad everyone is closed today!


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## bljohnson4

Cgriffin, we are giving him 50mg Rimadyl every 12 hours for pain.


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## cgriffin

Yep, confinement is probably the best, when you are not home. Nothing wrong with bathroom or laundry room or x pen.


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## cgriffin

Great! I am glad to hear he is getting Rimadyl.


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## bljohnson4

Thanks, I really love my vet, I know she wants him to be as comfortable as possible!


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## Rainheart

I doubt anyone is open today, too, but go out tomorrow for your boy.

Also we always check all surgical procedures 10-14 days later. Even routine spays and neuters just to double check. It is a free visit we just want to make sure everything looks alright.


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## OutWest

Poor baby! I hope he's more comfortable today. Did the vet send you home with some pain meds?

When Tucker was neutered, I let him sleep on the floor of my daughter's bedroom with a baby gate in the door. He did for about a week. He had never slept outside the crate either. We had to police the room carefully as he would scarf around and want to chew on stray socks, etc. when the cone came off, he went back into the crate. 

This week he has a sore paw and is again wearing the cone to stop the licking that caused it. I have set up a slightly larger crate however, since we brought Bella home a month ago, and he slept in there with the cone on last night. He didn't like it but after he got comfie, he was OK. 

Hope that helps! Another thought--when Tucker was a baby and antsy, or now when he's restless before bed, I sometime gave/give him a bit of melatonin. Makes him mellow and calm. As a puppy, I put it into warmed goats milk. Worked very well.


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## Max's Dad

Poor guy. Max was also neutered at 8 months. He only wore the cone for two or three days, as I recall. We never went back to the vet, as everything healed-up ok. Max slept in our bedroom on the bathroom floor, so there was no change in his routine. X-pen next to the bed sounds like a good plan.


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## bljohnson4

OutWest, thank you for sharing and for the advice. Cooper is on pain meds (Rimadyl). 

I'm feeling quite horrible about this whole process. Just noticed Cooper had some yellowish discharge coming out of his penis so I called the emergency vet (since my normal vet is closed). They said not to worry yet....just keep a close eye on it. If it gets worse or smelly, then I'm going to call back. I'm going to call my normal vet on Friday just to let them know about it too. It doesn't seem to be bothering him though. He is eating, drinking, and using the bathroom normally. Poor baby!


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## bljohnson4

Thanks for sharing, Max's Dad.


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## OutWest

bljohnson4 said:


> OutWest, thank you for sharing and for the advice. Cooper is on pain meds (Rimadyl).
> 
> I'm feeling quite horrible about this whole process. Just noticed Cooper had some yellowish discharge coming out of his penis so I called the emergency vet (since my normal vet is closed). They said not to worry yet....just keep a close eye on it. If it gets worse or smelly, then I'm going to call back. I'm going to call my normal vet on Friday just to let them know about it too. It doesn't seem to be bothering him though. He is eating, drinking, and using the bathroom normally. Poor baby!


Try not to worry too much. He's probably just fine--he's a healthy young dog. If you're worried about the discharge, you could put a warm compress/wash cloth on it. And, if he gets swollen, you can put an ice pack on it. The best indicators are that he's eating and eliminating normally. In a couple days or sooner, your biggest problem will be keeping him quiet!


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## Thalie

I second (or third or fourth) the X-pen by the bed idea if he is used to sleep close to you. We used one after a CCL surgery on Spip the Lab. We wrapped it around the dining room table to make a big crate and it was the only thing big enough for her to be able to turn around comfortably in the huuuuuge cone we had to have her in.

If he will let you you might try to ice the incision sites (for about 5 minutes at a time, wrap the baggie of ice in a dish towel) at least a couple of times a day to avoid swelling (or to bring the swelling down if there is any). You might try some valerian at night time (not a sedative, a relaxant) to help him go to sleep. If you do that choose a good quality one (GNC is pretty good) but check with your vet first.

The yellow discharge might just be smegma (Smegma: what is smegma?). He very probably produced some before but cleaned it off himself; since he cannot do that with the cone on, clean if with a warmish damp cloth (no soap). Neutering will reduce the quantity of smegma produced in the future.

We resumed walking 48 hours after the girls' spay (we would all have been bonkers within the first week if not); just kept them from running, jumping, and with Flem, wrestling with big sis Spip.


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## bljohnson4

Thank you both for your advice. I seriously would go crazy if I couldn't get the advice from all of you dog experts on this website! It does make sense that I haven't seen the smegma in the past since he is very good about cleaning himself and now he can't....I hadn't thought of that. I will wash it off for him and see if he will let me put an ice pack on him. He is finally relaxing now and taking a nap .


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## bljohnson4

Cooper's set up for tonight . We moved our full size mattress to the floor next to our bed so Cooper can either lay in his crate, on his dog bed, or on our full size mattress which I will sleep on. Hopefully this will work much better than last night's arrangements!


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## cgriffin

Looks comfy,


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## bljohnson4

Hehe...I think it was. He was still pretty restless last night though. I think it is that horrible cone's fault! He is now napping next to me on the living room floor .


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## OutWest

bljohnson4 said:


> Cooper's set up for tonight . We moved our full size mattress to the floor next to our bed so Cooper can either lay in his crate, on his dog bed, or on our full size mattress which I will sleep on. Hopefully this will work much better than last night's arrangements!


Ha ha... That is too cute. The things we do for the furbabies.


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## Thalie

Awww, your people really love your very very much, Cooper. Bear with the cone a bit more and you'll be free to romp, play, jump, and go back to your regular routine in no time. 

This is a great setup you made up. I hope he gets used to the cone enough so that you can both rest at night.


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## bljohnson4

Yes, so true. We do love him very much!! I've never had my own dog before and I never thought I could love a pet this much. But he is our big baby!

I'll let Cooper know you are thinking about him. He seems to be moving around a lot better with the cone today so I'm hopefully he (and my husband and I!!) will get a good night's sleep! Thank you for checking in .


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## bljohnson4

We finally got a good night's sleep!  Cooper was up 3 or 4 times during the night to adjust his position but otherwise he slept all night! I think we are all feeling much better today and we are on our way out the door for a nice walk. We have only been going on short walks but I think we are going to add a little bit of distance on this morning since Cooper needs to get some crazies out .


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