My dog just had his neutering surgery yesterday. His testacles had not dropped and were inside of him. They had to cut him more than expected. One they found right away, the other one had not moved at all. They had to take his intestines out to get the testacle which was behind the kidney. I have been with him all nite and all day, I got him home the same day as my vet had a family obligation. Every once in awhile, he will go nuts and lick his wound. His stitches are on the outside and the vet told me not to submerge him in water. So, I am wondering if him licking would cause the stitches to wear down. I only have one more nite before my vet can help me out. I am tired and exhausted, keeping him from licking. I tried an E collar, one of those cone collars, but his heart rate went high sky, and I did not want him to get a heart attack. Any suggestions? The wound is not covered. It would be great if I could relax and get some sleep and most importantly, that my Sammy can get some sleep.
2007-04-18 10:53:00 · 7 answers · asked by rach_cast 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
If you tried an e-collar then the only other thing I could suggest is to call your vet and see if maybe they can prescribe a light sedative for your dog. Once you give the dog the sedative I would put the e-collar on him and see where it goes from there. Maybe if he's calm from the sedative he will be ok with the e-collar and can get adjusted to it so you don't have to keep using the e-collar. It's very important to keep him from licking the area because of the risk of infection. My dog just had intestinal surgery and we had an e-collar on him for two weeks because he was trying to constantly lick the stitches.
2007-04-18 10:58:18 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would persevere with the collar - the majority of dogs tolerate them even if they make them crazy at first. Give it at least a half hour before you conclude it isn't going to work. A young dog will not get a heart attack from a bit of short-term stress!
Just licking the stitches will not cause them to wear down. It won't help keep the area clean however as dogs have bacteria in their mouths - presumably the dog had antibiotics after this type of surgery though so it should be OK. The worry with dogs bothering their stitches is if they actually gnaw them out, so if it's just the occasional licking attack you MAY be OK to catch some zzs.....
Chalice
2007-04-18 18:05:44 · answer #2 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DO NOT LICK! dogs can undo sutures very quickly!
then u will have to redo the incision site again!
Get an elizabethan collar (lamp shade) from your vet or a pet store..You cant put anything on the incision because he WILL lick it off. Your best bet is to put the collar on the dog and distract him from the area for about 7-10 days), he'll get over it. It is just uncomfortable for now. Get him pain meds if he's not already on them.
2007-04-18 18:01:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think that the dog licking the wound should bother it. I remember when my dog had staples from getting a tumor removed. The dog licked it and it didnt seem to bother it, but the toenails are another thing. I dont think in your case, the dog would be able to lick it tho, but if this does start I put regular socks on my dogs feet and put a rubber band at the top to keep them on, that way the toenails are soft if they scratch it. Good luck and hopefully you get some sleep.
2007-04-18 17:59:53 · answer #4 · answered by megleg88 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are some things out there you can get to put on the wound and stitches that tastes really bad to your dog. You may also want to try occupying him with other things such as treats or snuggling, or try just making it hard for him to get to the stitches, like putting a blanket on him when he's lying down so he has to go through the trouble of digging under the blanket to get to his rear and stomach. It may also help if you can throw a diaper on him, maybe he won't tear it off.
2007-04-18 18:17:14 · answer #5 · answered by Road Apples 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have some gauzes and medical tape. When my rabbit had an infection on her feet, she would lick it all the time, but i had to apply medicine for it and she would lick the medicine off. so i would take some gauze on here feet, so she would lick the gauze and not her feet. see if that works, you can try using any other cloth and some tape. maybe it should work.
2007-04-18 18:00:10 · answer #6 · answered by Marigold 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the situation you're in isnt uncommon at all. neither is the one your dog is in. e-collar is the way to go. they gave you one for a reason. make sure it's tight and he cant get out. he'll freak out for awhile, but eventually, he'll calm down and just accept it. make sure he knows its not comming off until you say so. i wouldnt worry about a heart attack... thats not really a concern. hundreds of dogs get e-collars everyday.
2007-04-18 17:58:17 · answer #7 · answered by Mike 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋