# Miniature Poodle Different / Strange After Neuter



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

This made my heart ache. I so understand. I have similar fears about spaying Peggy (surgery is booked for May) and I know I’ll be watching her like a hawk after, watching for any changes to her temperament and ready to chastise myself at the slightest hint of regression or new issues.

All that said, it _really_ does sound to me like your boy is just in pain. After my last girl had hip surgery, she retreated into herself for almost a month afterwards. It wasn’t until my parents came to visit with their dogs that the Gracie I knew re-emerged. She’d simply been healing.

I would really scale back your expectations right now. Your boy can feel your anxiety, I promise you. Just do your best to give him a calm, safe space to heal from the physical and mental trauma of surgery. It’s far too early to consider this a change in temperament. Just try to think about how you’d be behaving if you were sore and groggy.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Perhaps it's the pain medication playing a large factor. I hope he's himself again soon!


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Have you tried giving him super delicious treats yet?


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm guessing it's still pain and stress. 

Galen's vet told us a two week recovery period. Galen was utterly miserable for the first two days. He still had fluid in the scrotum at five days, although it didn't seem to bother him overmuch. He was bouncy and uncontrollable at 10 days, so we let him go back to doing his normal activities a little earlier than the vet recommended.

What sort of cone do you have him in? One of my coworkers thought she was doing her dog a favor by using a Comfy Cone, which is nylon quilted cone. She thought the dog would appreciate the comfort of a softer collar. Unfortunately, her dog is skittish and totally freaked out when it realized the nylon cone prevented it from seeing to the side. She had to switch the dog back to a stiff clear plastic cone.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I recall a schnauzer I knew who would completely shut down if you put a coat on her. It’s definitely worth considering that your boy’s new clothing and collar might be affecting him similarly. And I agree re: the comfort collars. When researching one for Peggy, I read multiple reviews that said what @cowpony described.


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

I'm betting it's the pain medicine. is is Tramadol? That stuff is a really heavy and a sedative, he may be feeling kind of "drunk" and confused. He may be back to normal after it's out of his system  Tekno had surgery to close a hernia and was completely zonked on his pain meds, he started acting normal again by around day 6 or 7, about 3 days after the medication was stopped.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

I'm no vet, but my thoughts are that it could be a combination of the Elizabethan collar and reaction to the anesthesia and/or pain meds. I've had a lot of animals altered over the years (dogs and cats), and never used an Elizabethan collar on my of them.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

I totally understand your concerns. While I knew I had to neuter Bobby I wanted to wait longer than we did. He was neutered at 13 months. I was very concerned about his personality changing. If it’s of encouragement to you, once he was fully recovered, he was back to his normal self, including, LOL, leg lifting (not in the house though 😉) 
With that being said, it really did take a good couple of weeks if not more to be fully himself.

Bobby was extremely subdued with the cone. He was a master licker, the third cone being the charm. For him, although it was sad, he absolutely had to have it on because no matter what, he kept licking without that cone. We needed him to be subdued as even with the cone he kept trying. We actually gave him Benadryl because he couldn’t tolerate the medication the vet gave him to keep him subdued. It was sad to see him this way but we knew it was necessary but temporary. Medications can definitely have an effect and I’m guessing once your boy is no longer taking meds he will start feeling a bit better and more himself. You said your dog was wearing a surgery suit too.

Nothing is normal in his world right now. It’s still early in the recovery period. Some dogs bounce back quickly but some need more time. Bobby definitely needed more time. He was in pain, uncomfortable, itchy, desperate to lick. His recovery just wasn’t as easy as my previous dogs. After the first few days, which were a bit rough, things started getting a bit better every day. I would say though, for the first week especially, he was nothing like himself. I think things will get better for your little guy. Hang in there! I hope this encourages you.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

My boy took as long to recoup from his neuter as my girl girls did from there spays. My vet said it was a little more painful for a boy than a girl and I agree.


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## mcloverdale (Aug 4, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> This made my heart ache. I so understand. I have similar fears about spaying Peggy (surgery is booked for May) and I know I’ll be watching her like a hawk after, watching for any changes to her temperament and ready to chastise myself at the slightest hint of regression or new issues.
> 
> All that said, it _really_ does sound to me like your boy is just in pain. After my last girl had hip surgery, she retreated into herself for almost a month afterwards. It wasn’t until my parents came to visit with their dogs that the Gracie I knew re-emerged. She’d simply been healing.
> 
> I would really scale back your expectations right now. Your boy can feel your anxiety, I promise you. Just do your best to give him a calm, safe space to heal from the physical and mental trauma of surgery. It’s far too early to consider this a change in temperament. Just try to think about how you’d be behaving if you were sore and groggy.


Thank you 🙏 Yeah I think he was one of the unlucky ones and is just having a harder time than others. We took off his surgery suit this morning and noticed clumps of hair shedding. Trying to stay calm and strong but just so worried about him—every minute of the day.


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## mcloverdale (Aug 4, 2020)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Perhaps it's the pain medication playing a large factor. I hope he's himself again soon!


Perhaps! He’s off pain meds now so we shall see. Thank you 🙏


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## mcloverdale (Aug 4, 2020)

cowpony said:


> I'm guessing it's still pain and stress.
> 
> Galen's vet told us a two week recovery period. Galen was utterly miserable for the first two days. He still had fluid in the scrotum at five days, although it didn't seem to bother him overmuch. He was bouncy and uncontrollable at 10 days, so we let him go back to doing his normal activities a little earlier than the vet recommended.
> 
> What sort of cone do you have him in? One of my coworkers thought she was doing her dog a favor by using a Comfy Cone, which is nylon quilted cone. She thought the dog would appreciate the comfort of a softer collar. Unfortunately, her dog is skittish and totally freaked out when it realized the nylon cone prevented it from seeing to the side. She had to switch the dog back to a stiff clear plastic cone.


We’ve been switching between a pillow collar and the clear plastic one. We sometimes take it off so he can breathe and relax a bit (but he can’t leave our sight when it’s off) and still seems very sad and uncomfortable with or without the cone.


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## mcloverdale (Aug 4, 2020)

Phaz23 said:


> I'm betting it's the pain medicine. is is Tramadol? That stuff is a really heavy and a sedative, he may be feeling kind of "drunk" and confused. He may be back to normal after it's out of his system  Tekno had surgery to close a hernia and was completely zonked on his pain meds, he started acting normal again by around day 6 or 7, about 3 days after the medication was stopped.


He’s on meloxicam! I’ve stopped the pain meds moving forward since it’s been more than 4 days now. Gonna try benadryl or maybe some CBD treats instead. Thank you for this! I hate painkillers myself, I never take them.


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## mcloverdale (Aug 4, 2020)

Spottytoes said:


> I totally understand your concerns. While I knew I had to neuter Bobby I wanted to wait longer than we did. He was neutered at 13 months. I was very concerned about his personality changing. If it’s of encouragement to you, once he was fully recovered, he was back to his normal self, including, LOL, leg lifting (not in the house though 😉)
> With that being said, it really did take a good couple of weeks if not more to be fully himself.
> 
> Bobby was extremely subdued with the cone. He was a master licker, the third cone being the charm. For him, although it was sad, he absolutely had to have it on because no matter what, he kept licking without that cone. We needed him to be subdued as even with the cone he kept trying. We actually gave him Benadryl because he couldn’t tolerate the medication the vet gave him to keep him subdued. It was sad to see him this way but we knew it was necessary but temporary. Medications can definitely have an effect and I’m guessing once your boy is no longer taking meds he will start feeling a bit better and more himself. You said your dog was wearing a surgery suit too.
> ...


I’m sorry that Bobby had such a terrible experience and it’s so comforting and encouraging that Bobby eventually came back to his old self! I guess Marcel is going through the same experience but day 5 now, I still don’t recognize him at all. Even this morning, he hides from my husband and I and has zero interest in life. Feel like he’s associating the trauma of the surgery to us or something. We offer him his most fav treats in the world but nothing. Just very fearful of everyone and everything. 

Will keep you updated for sure if we see any progress. Thank you 🙏


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Poor little guy.😔
Please do keep us posted. What a difficult time for all of you.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

mcloverdale said:


> He’s on meloxicam!


The side effects of this medication in humans includes nervousness. In dogs: “Change in behavior.”






Meloxicam (Metacam®, OroCAM®, Loxicom®, Meloxidyl®, Meloxicam Injection, Meloxicam Solution for Injection)| PetMD | PetMD


Dr. Stephanie Howe explains how meloxicam works including possible side effects and frequently asked questions.



www.petmd.com





Hoping this means you’ll see some positive changes as it leaves his system.



mcloverdale said:


> Even this morning, he hides from my husband and I and has zero interest in life. Feel like he’s associating the trauma of the surgery to us or something. We offer him his most fav treats in the world but nothing. Just very fearful of everyone and everything.


Dogs often don’t take treats when they’re stressed or in pain. They also will hide. That’s normal. I have a heartbreaking photo of my old girl “hiding” behind a potted plant when she injured her leg. Run any concerns by your vet, but then I suggest that you give him space. Give him time.

You noted he is very sensitive. The best thing for him right now might be having no pressure at all to engage or be social. Maybe plan a cozy movie night to soothe your own anxiety and make him a little nest to relax in.

Will be hoping for good news over the next few days. Big hugs.


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

mcloverdale said:


> He’s on meloxicam! I’ve stopped the pain meds moving forward since it’s been more than 4 days now. Gonna try benadryl or maybe some CBD treats instead. Thank you for this! I hate painkillers myself, I never take them.


I switched Tekno to CBD too


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Your concern is understandable, but along with the others, I agree that it's not unusual for post opreative behavior, and it might be another week or so before he's acting more himself.

He'll be picking up on your worry, so try to stay positive for him and just give him the comfort he needs now. 

It's also going to take some weeks for the reproductive hormones to fully dissipate so that's not a concern now and likely never will be.


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## mcloverdale (Aug 4, 2020)

UPDATE 1 WEEK AFTER NEUTER!

To cheer Marcel up (and with his incision fully healed for the most part) we decided to introduce him back into his dog pack that we have with other friends all weekend long and happy to report HE'S BACK TO HIS NORMAL HAPPY SELF! We also stopped the painkillers and started giving him CBD instead which I think helped a bunch. 

We've noticed he's much more calmer and gets tired a lot faster most likely because he's still recovering from his surgery but wow - i think he just really missed his friends! It was a reminder for him that everything is going to be OK and that the grass is still green after neuter! 

Thank you guys for all your support and being there for Marcel - not sure what we'd do without this forum. We'll keep this thread updated on any changes we notice with his overall temperament in the coming weeks.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

mcloverdale said:


> UPDATE 1 WEEK AFTER NEUTER!
> 
> To cheer Marcel up (and with his incision fully healed for the most part) we decided to introduce him back into his dog pack that we have with other friends all weekend long and happy to report HE'S BACK TO HIS NORMAL HAPPY SELF! We also stopped the painkillers and started giving him CBD instead which I think helped a bunch.
> 
> ...


Yeah!!!! So glad he's back to himself!


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Very good news!!! 😊
Thanks for letting us know.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

That’s great news.

I’m so glad you posted this. Not only did you get advice and reassurance, but it will help people like me with a male puppy who may be neutered in the future.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Excellent news - and a huge relief for you that he is feeling more like himself, I'm sure.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm glad to hear he's feeling better and able to play again.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

What a relief! I’m so happy for you and Marcel.


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## Sylvia K (Feb 4, 2021)

So happy to hear Marcel is back to normal  I have had both good and bad experiences with neutering male dogs. One of my toy poodles sailed through the experience almost as if nothing had happened! He definitely didn't like the horrible plastic cone, but apart from that he was his normal happy self. Our other toy poodle had a bad experience. It was a more complicated surgery due to a retained testicle and he took far longer to heal. His beautiful, laid back, happy personality completely changed. Overnight he became a super fear aggressive little boy to the extent that we had to keep him leashed or on one of our laps if anyone came to the house - even people he had known all his life. Strangely, and thank goodness he was fine with us and never showed any aggression or fear towards us. It seemed to be that he held anyone outside of us as responsible for what happened to him. Perhaps he did feel that way. Who knows. Poor little dog spent his entire life being frightened and very unhappy if anyone else apart from us was around. We spent endless hours socialising and training with him but it didn't make any difference at all. It certainly made me super cautious about the whole de-sexing process. Our current miniature poodle is now 10 months old, and when/if we do decide to have him neutered, it will be a vasectomy procedure only. I believe dogs need their hormones just as much as any other species for healthy development, and while some dogs seem to be fine as was our oldest toy poodle, others just don't do as well. Perhaps the dog's innate nature has a lot to do with how they cope as well. There are so many factors that can impact on how any individual dog reacts. Not so different to us really are they? Anyway, it's great that Marcel is doing so well now and I hope he continues that way and has a long and very happy life with you


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