When it came to spaying Pandora, I thought we knew it all. Obviously, I knew there were things I didn’t know, but assumed the two hardest parts of spaying were whether or not to spay and the expense.
What I thought I knew about Spaying
The spaying process was quick, it was done on puppies sometime between four months and six months of age. The dog would be a little loopy after surgery and heal quick.
That was my base knowledge.
The Curveball
When Pandora was almost four months old, I called the vet to set an appointment to get Pandora spayed. I would like to interject here; there was a large gap between the dogs in my life. We’re talking decades, okay. I feel you need to know that before I we go to the next paragraph.
The vet casually throws out that they don’t spay until after the dog has her first heat. Say what? I’m pretty certain I had a major brain malfunction. My ability to reason went kaput. The only words I could say were, “I have to process that.”
The vet gave me reasons for why spaying after the first heat was beneficial. I wrote about that early this year in “When to Spay Your Dog.” In that post you can see the reasons for waiting to spay and I link to a helpful chart on deciding when to spay your particular breed of dog.
How the Spaying Went
We were still in the throes of Pandemic restrictions so we couldn’t bring Pandora into the vet. I dropped her off early and they called after the spay to let me know she did well and that she was now in recovery. About four in the afternoon, I was given the go-ahead to go pick her up.
The drugs were still in her system, and she was tired and loopy, and looked pretty miserable, just like anyone right of surgery.
The bet sent us home with what we needed to do for Pandora. Basically, she could eat a little, and drink. Mostly, just rest. Lots and lots of rest. No running or jumping. Calmness. I want to say the no running and jumping requirement was for two weeks. It may have been only for seven to ten days.
Pandora slept on the side of my head each night with her cone pressed firmly into my head. Apparently, she figured if she had to wear it, I was going to know what it felt like, too.
And then, Pandora was fine. Less than 24 hours later, I ran myself ragged trying to keep Little Miss from racing and jumping around. For three days I tried to keep up with her. That dog has never walked upstairs or downstairs in her few years in this world. And stitches and a cone didn’t stop her either.
Three days after surgery, I gave up. I wouldn’t play frisbee with Pandora. But I didn’t know what to do. By the time she decided to run or leap, I was already twelve steps behind.
What I Wish I Had Known
There’s only one thing I wish I had known about the spaying process. I wish I had known I could ask the vet for some medication to keep Pandora calm for a few days.
I did ask the vet, when she did her follow-up phone call the next day, for tips on how to keep a dog calm. At that point, Pandora hadn’t gotten too crazy on her leaps. Since the vet didn’t mention that Pandora could take something to keep her a little sedated, I didn’t ask.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to keep Pandora sedated, but I wish I had known it was an option. Because there was a very real chance of Little Miss ripping her stitches out and having to go back to the vet. I’m sure that would have been hard on her.
Thankfully, she healed up well and didn’t rip her stitches out. But for the first day or two home, I would have preferred to have her sedated, because I was a nervous wreck each time she leaped up and sprinted up the stairs or partially ran down a few stairs only to leap over the last five steps.
