Back from spaying

Nifty is still snoozing on her sofa, wearing her post-op t-shirt and wrapped up in a fleece blanket.
Poor mite, she’s shivering but warm to touch so I guess it's the anaesthetic wearing off.
She’s drinking regularly when offered but not at all hungry

Oh Nifty you brave little girl. Sure you will be back to yourself soon. Then the fun will begin, trying to keep her quiet for a few weeks! I remember that time well

Ugh, already seeing what you mean.
Nifty is feeling better (and much less sleepy) this morning.
That, along with OH who is feeding her too many treats already

house rules have just changed !

Sorry, but

I'm glad she's feeling herself, though. But good luck with the next week!

Poor you, she'll drive you mad once she feels a bit more mobile!

Glad it went well, it's awful seeing them recover from the anaesthetic.

Just to check I’ve got this right, I need to keep her as immobile as possible. In practice, no jumping on sofa, no zoomies, no running in the garden, yes ?
We have a vet check tomorrow evening but just to be sure in the meantime

Or, in staffie terms, no having fun. I know, it's mean as mean can be but I'm afraid all of those essentials to staffie fun are out for the next week or so.

Trick training, treat balls and other mind activities do help, not only as a distraction but also as an energy release. They're also good for you, as you feel you are doing something positive and not just feeling sorry for her.

It seems ages now but it is only a matter of days, honest.

It's not nice seeing them come through the anaesthetic so it's good to hear she's feeling a lot more normal today. Calm is the order for the next few days which is probably the toughest thing but as said, it passes before you know it.

In a couple of weeks you'll have forgotten all about this time.

Yes, it was so hard keeping misty quiet. We spent a lot of time sitting on the floor with her so as not to encourage her up to the sofa or bed with us. Kongs were a life saver and we spent a lot of time training and tiring her out that way. Honestly the time will go quick!

Lucy is due to be spayed soon...
Wondering if I should book a week off work to keep an eye on her.

I don't think it would hurt spending the time with her. I'm sure she will be fine but like all Staffs they do love being with their family! It's hard work keeping them quiet. Misty had actually recovered from the op within hours and the next day wanted to go for her normal walks etc!

Mistys Mum wrote:Misty had actually recovered from the op within hours and the next day wanted to go for her normal walks etc!

Yep, that’s where we are already
I have a sort of cushion ramp to help Nifty onto sofa with me. It’s that or her jumping up and standing up on hind legs which probably isn’t better for the op site.
It’s a long bank holiday weekend here so I’ll be with her for the first 4 days. Having said that, I think her playpen will be the lifesaver as she spends most of her time sleeping in her open crate during the day when we’re out.
Definitely experiencing the full-on “staffies want to be close to you at all times, touching you is even better”. My day has not been productive at all

UncannyScot23 wrote:Lucy is due to be spayed soon...
Wondering if I should book a week off work to keep an eye on her.

Alot depends on your situation I suppose.
We chose the date to coincide with a long bank holiday weekend to watch over her the first few days.

Just to share a bit of my experience now and along the way :
Nifty is about as supple as a plank when it comes to licking and cleaning her bits. However, I decided to plan post-op equipment.

She does not have one of those veterinary funnels but I bought her an inflatable collar instead https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buster-279806-Inflatable-Collar-L/dp/B007GH3XJU/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1525961010&sr=1-2&keywords=buster+inflatable+collar
(Take size L, M is too small !)
So far, she has not needed the collar.

After advice from here, I ordered some “body shirts” for her as with a bit of chance, it's enough to stop them fiddling with op site hence no collar/funnel needed  
I ordered this MPS model first, size M, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medical-Pet-Shirts-Shirt-Medium/dp/B00ID7PDUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525961314&sr=8-1&keywords=mps+dog+vest
It’s lovely but whilst I find it fits a staffy’s wide chest, it's too long for my liking along the back and when it slips back, the back straps get baggy despite being fastened correctly. Nifty wriggles into very odd positions and she gets her hind legs caught up in the straps. There is also a strap and popper on the inside so you can roll underside for toilet run but I'm worried it will be around op site.
So we have gone for the equafleece shirts instead, https://www.equafleece.co.uk/dogs/t-shirts/t-shirt-body.
I like them alot as no need to undo straps for toilet runs, might just depend on how good your dog is in terms of trying to get to op site.

9 days to go until stitches are removed

Got the all clear after vet check-up.
Just got to keep her quiet ( ) for another week until stitches are removed.

Good luck keeping her quiet Katy had a play suit after her op but wouldn't pee so I took it off, she never paid any attention to her wound

Nifty refuses to poo whilst wearing hers and touch wood, she’s not paid any attention to the wound whilst I’ve been washing the suit.
However I put it on her when we’re not watching her and I do find she’s calmer when she wears it.

We’re now at day 4 and Nifty doesn’t seem to know that she was on the operating table recently. She even proceeded in zoomies in the lounge before I caught her in full flight and confiscated her toy. Naughty Nifty !
Last day of antibiotics and geez, they make her really gassy  
Have yoghurt based kongs in the freezer and have thought to reduce her food ration too.
She appears to be drinking less so I boil a bit of chicken for evening meal and serve with cooking water.

I will confirm that she is calmer when wearing body suit but I wash it every day as cotton + lycra goes baggy when exposed to too many staffy odd sleeping positions.
6 days to go and counting

Back from the vets for stitch removal, only soluble subcutaneous ones were used so nothing to remove.
Nifty has lost half a kilo in weight since the op, which is good.
She’s happy to be back to authorized zoomies and no more t-shirt body to be worn either !

Fantastic!

Happy zoomies

Well that all seems to have passed quickly, great news she's back to normal

It does seem like an endless eternity when you’re living through it but with hindsight, yeah all went much better than expected