# Hold my hand through Sophy's spay



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy is booked in for her spay tomorrow morning. I kept her entire for many reasons, but after the vaginal polyp during her last season the balance of risk shifted. She is 13, but fit and healthy, and I trust my vets - we will, of course, be doing pre-op blood tests and taking every precaution and the vet who will be operating has decades of experience - won't stop me worrying, of course!

She will get a bath today, I have baby vests to hand from when Poppy was spayed a few years ago and can improvise a cushion collar if necessary. Vets will supply their usual post op pack of metacam, recovery food, elizabethan collar etc. A comfy crate is ready to set up by my chair - mostly to keep Freddy at bay when he is out of his pen - and I will be carrying her up and down stairs for at least the first week. We are pretty well practised with managing crate rest after her back issues over the years, and both know the drill, and I'm hoping her recovery will be as smooth as Poppy's was a few years back, so that we are good to go by the time we visit family at Christmas. 

Any advice on what I have forgotten, how to make it easier and safer for both of us and most of all reassurance gratefully accepted!


----------



## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

It sounds like you are well prepared and I'm sure she is in good hands. Wishing her a speedy recovery!


----------



## The Popster (Feb 23, 2021)

Hope all goes well, I'm sure it will !!
Our Poppy is booked in January.
Not looking forward to it.
No doubt will be looking for advice when the time comes.
I suspect you are well and truely 'on the ball', and Sophy will be in safe hands!!!
Stressy, I know, but that stress makes you think and act in the right way.
All the V best!


----------



## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

I am sending Sophy all my best! 

Just tell Freddy that if he isn't nice and gentle to his big sister after her operation then he is getting coal from father christmas this year!


----------



## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

I'm holding your hand. Will squeeze tighter tomorrow 🤗


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

(((Hugs)))


----------



## Tierna (Jun 5, 2020)

Beau and I are sending Sophy our best wishes for a speedy recovery. 🙏


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

It sounds as though you have covered all the bases in being prepared. I am sure you will all be just fine when all is said and done.


----------



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Sounds like you have things all covered. I would only add my late girl needed much stronger pain medication than the hospital provided, and we ended up at an emergency practice. So eyes open for that possibility. Anna did have mammary tumors removed at the same time, so had more work done. She was also an older spay at 11.

ETA I'm sorry my response sounded so scary. After Anna got a pain patch and some meds to tide her over until it kicked in, she did just fine and healed up very well. Just wanted to give a heads up maybe extra meds could be needed. Not sure if age was a factor.

I am certain Sophy will do great. Your vet is very sensitive to their needs.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Thinking of the two of you 💖.


----------



## MaizieFrosty (Apr 12, 2019)

Thinking of you and saying a prayer for Sophy right now.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Holding your hand!

I think the worst of it for Peggy was the anesthesia. Since this is unlikely to be the case for Sophy, I suspect things will go quite smoothly.


----------



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Wishing her ( and you!) a smooth procedure and a speedy recovery. Hugs from afar.


----------



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Sending good vibes your way for Sophy !


----------



## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Here is hope that all goes well (HUGS) to you & Sophy.


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Just catching up here. I'm not sure anyone could be more prepared than you are. Keeping you both in my thoughts and hope to hear the all clear soon.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Up in good time, remembered not to give Sophy breakfast (much to her horror and disgust) and I am dressed and ready to leave as soon as it is light enough for me to drive safely.

Putting considerable thought into how to get everyone safely up and down the stairs to and from bed. Freddy cannot yet manage them, so needs to be carried both ways. Poppy can manage down but not up since her recent blip. Sophy will want to go up and down under her own steam, but should not. Left to her own devices she will also hop up and down from furniture, also on the not-allowed list. I think it will be a matter of crating Sophy, carrying first Poppy then Freddy up and putting each in the bathroom or my bedroom with the door shut, then taking Sophy up and sorting everyone out for the night. All a bit reminiscent of the fox, the hen and the bag of corn... And a pen for Freddy may be in order to simplify the bed space.


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I had a taste of that when my boys hadn't learned stairs yet. We didn't have quite the challenge you do tho .


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Dropped off at the vets, forms filled in, reminders given about being careful of her back, and now we wait... I should hear by lunchtime, in 3 or 4 hours time.


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Waiting with you and holding your hand🤝


----------



## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Hope Sophy gets through this with no problems. Holding hand tightly.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

All well, picking her up in a couple of hours at 2pm. Ooooff...


----------



## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Glad to hear all went well


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Glad to hear it went well. Looking forward to your reunion. Slow and easy for a while.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

fjm said:


> All well, picking her up in a couple of hours at 2pm. Ooooff...


Great news! And now the fun begins.  Is sleeping downstairs an option for a few nights?


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I could bring a mattress down at a pinch, PtP, but I think I can get everyone up and down safely if I think ahead. A downstairs bedroom would be very useful at times like these.

Sophy is home, has eaten, but is spaced out and uncomfortable. She screamed when I tried to put one of the vests I used for Poppy on her and it was soon clear they would be too small, so I have thrown together a soft fleece one and will try that later. She took herself into the crate the moment I suggested it and is settled there, working on the wrap where the cannula was. That can come off immediately so I am letting her get on with it. There is a dressing over the spay wound which should come off in a couple of days, and we have a post-op check booked for Saturday morning. 

I think she probably needs a pee - I tried her when we got out of the car, but she wanted to go home, and after a few yards wanted to be carried, so no go. We will try again shortly. Poor sausage, she is feeling thoroughly yuck.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Poor little Sophy.  What an uncomfortable time this is. I’m glad she’s tolerating being carried. That makes things a little easier for you.


----------



## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Gentle pets and get well wishes for Sophy.


----------



## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)




----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Warm, quiet, comfy bed, sensitive diet food with extra chicken, been out for a poo, and slowly recovering. Poor love - she is uncomfy, wants to get back to normal but I am keeping her on leash to be safe.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

There is a comfy crate set up for Sophy - Poppy is asleep in it. Earlier today it was Freddy. If I wanted them to settle in there they would refuse point blank, I know, but because they have been told it is Sophy's they both want it. Tilly will be next...

Sophy is settled and snoozing. There is an unhappy crease between her eyes, but she has been out again for a pee and considering she had an ovariohysterectomy about 7 hours ago is being very stoical. Poor Fred is spending rather a lot of time in his pen as he is finding it hard to understand why asking her to play by jumping on her is suddenly Not Allowed. We are managing, although I wish Sophy would not sleep with her eyes open and her tongue partly out - it has always worried me, and more so when I want to be sure she is snoozing and not losing consciousness!


----------



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I’m glad she’s home and well. Was she sent home with pain medicine for 7-10 days ? 

I have never seen a dog having a bandage after a spay. Maybe it will keep her from licking.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Sounds like everything is going well. I love how Poppy was sleeping in the crate you prepared for Sophy. Poor Sophy, heal quickly baby.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Easy does it Sophy💕! Get well soon!


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Hoping some rest was had by all and that Sophy has an uneventful recovery.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy is doing well, but I had a troubled night and morning. Poppy managed the stairs by herself and I set Freddy’s travel pen up in my bedroom, so that part went smoothly, but Sophy needed snuggling to settle and Freddy did not want to settle at all, plus Tilly wanted in on the action, and it all got a bit fraught. Somewhere towards midnight I put Freddy to bed in his pen, where he went out like a light. I was half awake for most of the night just in case, and took Freddy to the bathroom around 5am and then back into bed for a snooze, but didn’t really sleep much at all. Then this morning Poppy has had a relapse - not wanting to get up and refusing food. I gave her one of the anti-nausea tablet I have in reserve, and pushed the rest of her morning medicines into her, which was probably stupid - I should have waited for the Cerenia to take effect. Then fed the other two and spent half an hour out with Freddy playing watched-puppy-never-poos. And in all the chaos I forgot to give Sophy her Loxicom, so she had it a little late on extra chicken.

So back to the vet this afternoon with Poppy. Sophy, meanwhile, did both pees and a poo yesterday afternoon, and walked out for a pee this morning looking quite comfortable. The dressing is an adhesive one - a neat rectangle that just covers the incision. No signs of oozing when she let me just glance at it this morning, and she does not seem troubled by it - just as well, as recovery vest Mark 2 elicited a similar reaction to Mark 1! She has let me ease off the vet wrap covering where the cannula was, though, and then spent ages licking that paw.

They are now all three snoozing comfortably, and I need coffee!


----------



## Looniesense (Jul 10, 2021)

When my late Spoo was recovering from bloat surgery I discovered really quickly that it was best if I got up 1 hour earlier so I could give him his pain med before we had to go out to potty . I live in a second floor condo so there was no choice to go up and down stairs. Ensuring that his pain meds were working during those trips made his life much easier.


----------



## cmac4103 (May 5, 2019)

Thinking of you all. 💜


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Fortunately I can carry Sophy easily so stairs are not an issue. She had her loxicom on extra chicken, and it took effect very quickly, but I must put the bottle in a bowl ready tonight to remind me in the morning - I was not thinking straight first thing after a sleepless night. Apart from anything else the syringe is too big to make measuring 4 units easy, and I am pretty sure the cat syringe won't fit the bottle...

It's nearly noon and I am still in my dressing gown- I'm holding on to see if Poppy will eat some lunch before getting dressed. (And she has - only a small meal, but a good sign.)


----------



## Looniesense (Jul 10, 2021)

By the time you are a pro with the measuring and timing of meds and food she will be all well again. First day is always the hardest. The best place for Sophy is home with you and the little gang ♥


----------



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

I'm sorry for your rough night, especially paired with Poppy feeling unwell, all while juggling Sophy and puppy Freddy. Thankfully, Sophy will heal quickly and you will soon have this over. I hope Poppy improves rapidly. Maybe stay in that dressing gown and everyone have a nap day 😉🥰.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I got dressed just in time to take Freddy for a run, get Poppy to the vet, and to call in to the local butcher for something ready cooked for my supper. Everyone is now fed, feeling better, and back to snoozing, and I am going to have a large glass of wine with my very quick and easy early meal!


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

An exhausting night! Does Sophy need to wear a cone?


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

So far no cone - the vets prefer to avoid them if it is safe to do so as they make the dogs so miserable. She is more or less ignoring the incision - I have vest Mark 3 planned if it looks like becoming an issue.

Dogs' supper in a few minutes, and then count down to an early night.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Hope everyone gets a good night sleep tonight - you deserve it with your hands full of all those health issues.


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Much better night, thanks. Freddy settled immediately in his pen, Sophy slept without needing soothing into it, and I got 8+ hours of solid sleep - we didn't get up till gone 7.30am, which counts as a lie in these days! Poppy did not really want to get up even then (she is usually the first to greet the day) but was up and down the stairs without problem as I sorted out the two who still need to be carried. Freddy took himself off to the bathroom pad for an urgent wake up pee, then pood in the garden within 5 minutes - a huge improvement on yesterday. Poppy had all her medicines and ate her breakfast with moderate enthusiasm - still on low bounce mode, but much better than yesterday; Sophy trotted out happily for a pee but was a bit uncomfortable until the morning pain relief cut in; Freddy ate very little of his morning kibble, but was very interested in what everyone else was eating. He has obviously come to a pause in rapid growth, so I am not concerned. He has been getting four smallish meals a day as it fits with Poppy's routine, and it is around the time I reckoned he would be ready to transition first to three and then to two meals. And Tilly is eating reasonably well for a cat with CKD, so all is good for now.

I have a lovely empty day ahead - a nearly empty week, in fact, with Sophy's post op check on Monday the only fixed point, and some enjoyable Christmas gift making the only must do activity. I clearly do not suffer from FOMO - an empty diary gives me a glow of pleasure at all that time to do just as we please!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

After the miserable night of diarrhoea on Saturday/Sunday (Nearly half past midnight...) we seem to be back on course. 4 days after the op Sophy's incision looks better than perfect - small, neat, pale pink, surface appears healed (the glue, no doubt), and the slight bruising and lumpiness gone. If ever I have another op myself I know who I want to stitch me up! So far she is being very good about not licking at it - I have made her a very simple soft fleece belly band that ties along her back as she so hates having anything put on over her head, and keep it on her just in case. Normal poos all round this morning, healthy appetites, no signs of discomfort even without the Loxicom (stopped because of the diarrhoea) and all feeling decidedly better for a good night's sleep.

I have arranged a playdate for Freddy this afternoon with Gus next door, to make up for the last few days not being much fun!


----------



## MaizieFrosty (Apr 12, 2019)

Yay! So glad Sophy is on the mend! 💕


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Excellent update, sounds like Sophy is over the worst of her spay surgery. Freddy will enjoy his romp with Gus so the girls can have some quiet time.


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Things are looking up!


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Amazing how quickly her incision is healing! Peggy’s was the same. Some sort of magical technique they’re using these days.

Did Freddy enjoy his play date?


----------



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Hoping for more good and uneventful nights.


----------



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Wonderful update all around 🤩!!!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Playdate didn't quite happen -i think the neighbour unexpectedly had to go out and forgot - but they all three got a short walk by the river, and Gus was in his garden when I took Fred out around 7am this morning so he had a happy time saying good morning. Sophy is playing with him in short bursts, too - very short bursts, as her usual escape route of hopping up onto the sofa out of reach is banned, so I intervene before it gets too frenzied and too noisy. Sophy is very clever about it - she is teaching Freddy to run in wild circles while she lies on her bed and pretends to grab him when he gets close enough, with ferocious-sounding noises to add to the excitement. Eventually his squeals and her play snarls get too much for me and I spoil it by putting Fred to bed!

PS I think the magic technique is superglue - so much neater and less irritating than lumpy stitches or staples. i was warned that the subcutaneous knots can sometimes cause little lumps to develop, but unless that happens, or I have other concerns, she does not need to be seen again.


----------



## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

I'm so glad to hear how well Sophy is doing. Here's hoping everything will soon be back to normal!


----------



## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I am glad Sophy's doing well


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

10th day, and I am relaxing all the rules - it's not as though our normal exercise includes mountaineering or extreme sports, after all! We all did two one mile walks today, freezing cold but blue skies and sunshine which felt wonderful after yesterday's fog. Sophy ran flat out with Fred, and we met Gus and Elton out for a walk at the same time which made Freddy very happy. The girls are both comfortably tired this evening, Freddy ... isn't!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Five weeks post spay and looking back I think I should have kept Sophy on restricted exercise rather longer, despite her wanting to run. The change in the last week has been significant - I suspect the op and the two rounds of tummy trouble left her even more drained than I realised, and she is only now fully recovered. The wound healed so rapidly that there were no outward signs, but internal discomfort can last much longer. So for anyone else spaying an older dog I would say err on the side of caution, even if the dog is insisting she is fine.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Excellent observation and advice fjm.


----------

