# Recovery after neutering



## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Hi! We are planning to neuter Parker when he is 10-11 months old which will be in Nov. What is the recovery process like- how long did it take to get back to active life, and how long did the e-collar have to be worn? Did any of your dogs experience any complications post surgery? Sorry for all the questions but being our first time, we don't know what to expect and you always give very helpful advice and insight!
Here's my boy, he's 6 months and weighs 49 lbs!


----------



## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Jake never wore the E collar. I guess it would depend on how long your pup will be alone. The vet will tell you to keep them pretty calm for 10-14 days. Chloe was back and wanted to run around the next day after her spay. Males are a lot easier then females after fixing.


----------



## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Parker will be alone for about 4 hours in the morning and then for 2 hours at a time in the afternoon until 6:00 when I get home. I work part time and have the flexibility to drop in and check on him after that first chunk of 4 hours in the morning. Why do you say that males recover faster than females?


----------



## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Because with females it's a big surgery. Your taking parts out. At the time Jake was neutered my mom worked 4 hours. He did fine without a collar. You will just have to see if he bothers the area or not.


----------



## GoldenLabMix (Dec 3, 2015)

WE never had an e collar. They said to call if we needed one but we didn't. He was completely out of it the first night. The next day he was alone for 2 chunks of 3 hours. He wanted to run again that day. We were home for the weekend and his energy came back easily. It was hard keeping him calm but he healed well.


----------



## Amystelter (Jul 31, 2013)

*Possible complications*

As with any surgery there are risks. Very low risk and common but I wanted to share my experience. My Louie was neutered two weeks ago and he developed a scrotum hematoma. Sounds worse than it is. They had to keep him an extra day for the swelling to go down but then he came home. I had to ice it twice a day for 5 to 10 minutes. After a few days we went back for a check up and the doctor prescribed cold lazar treatments twice a week for a few weeks. All it is is blood and fiber accumulated where his testicles use to be. The body typically takes care of it itself but it can take up to a month. So, my Louie is not getting any worse but it's not getting better either. Seems just bad luck with him but he also got kennel cough so be sure he has his bortatella shot up to date. Although there is some controversy about that shot as well. 

Louie was 10 months and I did it earlier than recommended because I was anxious to get him back into daycare. Not sure what your situation is but if you can wait they say 12 to 18 months is ideal. That is when they are full grown. There are hormonal benefits in the growing process so it all really depends at what stage of growth your boy is at.

I certainly do not want to scare you. Just be aware that there are some risks. Some vets take the sak off but I am not sure why or why not. Might be something to look into. I think that would have prevented it but I am no expert. Good luck to you?


----------



## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm glad that it's low risk and that it didn't get any worse for Louie. The main reason why we want to get Parker neutered is because we are going on vacation in December for a couple of weeks and most pet hotels don't let dogs socialize with other dogs if they are not neutered after 6 months. We want him to be able to have a fun time without us and not miss out on any play time with other dogs especially since he'll have to stay there for 2 weeks. We want to do it in November so that in case there is any complication post surgery we'll have time to deal with it and help him get back to normalcy before we leave. 



Amystelter said:


> As with any surgery there are risks. Very low risk and common but I wanted to share my experience. My Louie was neutered two weeks ago and he developed a scrotum hematoma. Sounds worse than it is. They had to keep him an extra day for the swelling to go down but then he came home. I had to ice it twice a day for 5 to 10 minutes. After a few days we went back for a check up and the doctor prescribed cold lazar treatments twice a week for a few weeks. All it is is blood and fiber accumulated where his testicles use to be. The body typically takes care of it itself but it can take up to a month. So, my Louie is not getting any worse but it's not getting better either. Seems just bad luck with him but he also got kennel cough so be sure he has his bortatella shot up to date. Although there is some controversy about that shot as well.
> 
> Louie was 10 months and I did it earlier than recommended because I was anxious to get him back into daycare. Not sure what your situation is but if you can wait they say 12 to 18 months is ideal. That is when they are full grown. There are hormonal benefits in the growing process so it all really depends at what stage of growth your boy is at.
> 
> I certainly do not want to scare you. Just be aware that there are some risks. Some vets take the sak off but I am not sure why or why not. Might be something to look into. I think that would have prevented it but I am no expert. Good luck to you?


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Parker's a good looking boy.

When my boy was neutered, I got an E collar from the Vet, he never needed it because he didn't bother his incision. He was shaved too close, had a lot of knicks and skin irritation, I put some generic neosporin on it and it healed up quickly. 

My Vet clinic gave me a post op instruction sheet, he was on limited activity for 14 days. No running, jumping, he had to be taken out on a leash anytime outside to prevent him from running. After 10 days, I took the leash off of him and let him run because he was healed up. 

I took him for lots of walks, the first few days I didn't take him too far, as he was healing I increased the distance and amount of time of walks. 

Keep an eye on his incision to make sure it doesn't get infected, otherwise, he should heal up fine without any problems, follow the Vet's post op instructions.


----------



## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Okay, thanks so much for your advice!



CAROLINA MOM said:


> Parker's a good looking boy.
> 
> When my boy was neutered, I got an E collar from the Vet, he never needed it because he didn't bother his incision. He was shaved too close, had a lot of knicks and skin irritation, I put some generic neosporin on it and it healed up quickly.
> 
> ...


----------



## 3181wly (Nov 22, 2015)

Don't know what an e collar is, but my Doc got neutered three weeks ago. He was slow the first day, fairly well back to normal in 3. The Vet said to keep him calm and not do active stuff for at least 2 weeks minimum. Doc has done just fine. He is a few months beyond two years old. All is well.


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

BillBRNC said:


> *Don't know what an e collar is*, but my Doc got neutered three weeks ago. He was slow the first day, fairly well back to normal in 3. The Vet said to keep him calm and not do active stuff for at least 2 weeks minimum. Doc has done just fine. He is a few months beyond two years old. All is well.


Also known as the Cone of Shame... sometimes it's an inflatable donut collar... basically any collar or cone-like structure that goes around the neck and keeps them from being able to lick the spay/neuter wound.


----------



## 3181wly (Nov 22, 2015)

Oh, now I know what you are talking about. No cone needed with Doc. Thanks.


----------



## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Good for Doc for healing so quickly. E collar is a recover collar worn around the head to prevent them from scratching or licking the injured areas/ incision site. People also call it "the cone of shame" in a funny way  I tried to upload a picture but it won't show up for some reason. 



BillBRNC said:


> Don't know what an e collar is, but my Doc got neutered three weeks ago. He was slow the first day, fairly well back to normal in 3. The Vet said to keep him calm and not do active stuff for at least 2 weeks minimum. Doc has done just fine. He is a few months beyond two years old. All is well.


----------



## BajaOklahoma (Sep 27, 2009)

Just an idea - take a daily picture of the incision area. Once it is completely healed, delete them.
But if you have an issue, you can look back to see what it was like before.

Banker was neutered at 18 months. Our vet at the time keeps males overnight and females for 2 nights. He basically keeps them sedated for the first night, then starts weaning them onto an oral pain med, feeding them and making sure they can pee and poop before going home. The females are on a very slow taper schedule. so they stay another day. It's worked well for us for the 17 years we've gone to him (4 female dogs, 2 male dogs and 3 female cats). Our dogs loved the vet and it wasn't traumatic for them to be there (they pull on the leash to get into the vet's office). Our cats were crated in our large dog crate until we were sure they got along with the dogs and could get out of the dog room without assistance (a pass-through). The vet was surprised how calm they were in the cages. 
The first 24 hours post-op is the most critical for issues, so I was good with them staying.

We have a new vet (our old one retired due to health issues) and they don't keep them overnight. Boz, our Old English Sheepdog, with be neutered in December at 20 months. He should be old 100 lbs at that time, so this will be interesting.


----------



## Siandvm (Jun 22, 2016)

BajaOklahoma said:


> Just an idea - take a daily picture of the incision area. Once it is completely healed, delete them.
> But if you have an issue, you can look back to see what it was like before.
> 
> Banker was neutered at 18 months. Our vet at the time keeps males overnight and females for 2 nights. He basically keeps them sedated for the first night, then starts weaning them onto an oral pain med, feeding them and making sure they can pee and poop before going home. The females are on a very slow taper schedule. so they stay another day. It's worked well for us for the 17 years we've gone to him (4 female dogs, 2 male dogs and 3 female cats). Our dogs loved the vet and it wasn't traumatic for them to be there (they pull on the leash to get into the vet's office). Our cats were crated in our large dog crate until we were sure they got along with the dogs and could get out of the dog room without assistance (a pass-through). The vet was surprised how calm they were in the cages.
> ...


Great idea to take a picture of the incision -- I may suggest that to my clients in the future. 

It is very unusual these days to keep a patient overnight for a routine spay/neuter, especially if there is no overnight care. If there were complications or the surgery was for less than routine reasons or the animal was sick (think pyometra) then overnight with fluids may be called for. 

I always recommend that people have an e-collar just in case. It only takes a minute for them to rip up their incision, even if they have no external sutures, so even if you have the collar off when you are watching, they should wear it when they are unsupervised. Also, as wounds heal, they itch, making them even more likely to be messed with. 

If external sutures, they will likely be removed in 7-10 days (sometimes less sometimes more, but the longer you wait the more likely they are to stick and hurt when removed). Staples usually removed in less time. Reduced activity for 10-14 days, as others have said.


----------



## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Thanks for your insight. Taking pictures of the site is a good idea and we'll be getting an e collar, that's for sure. Just hope Parker doesn't feel too uncomfortable in it.


----------

