Neutering a 3yr old Jack Russell cross Chihuahua

coinxoperated

Hi all,

I've finally booked my pup into the vets for next Friday to be neutered. I've been trying to avoid it (just because it seems. Big operation for such a small animal) but the time has come. The poor thing looks so frustrated and he's started humping people and marking things. Although I'm aware that some of these habits might not disappear now, I've decided to have it done as it seems fairer on him. I also read it extends their lives and decrease the chance of some cancers/tumours.

I'm having him neutered on may the 4th (be with you...) and plan on cleaning his bed in the morning so its nice a sterile for him when he gets back Friday afternoon. As its a bank holiday weekend we will be with him pretty much the whole time until Tuesday when we return to work in the morning. We are going to an event on Saturday night for 5 hours, but would ensure he was OK before we went.

I just wanted to know if there is anything else I should do? Im terrified of his stitches ripping or something. He does jump up and down the sofa which I really can't 100% Prevent. Is this a big deal? Will I need to bathe the wound at all?

I know you are supposed to keep the wound clean and dry, but if I'm walking him and it's raining, it will undoubtedly get a bit wet? I live in a flat so just letting him out to a paved area isn't an option, although walking him on roads is.

Any advice or pointers would be appriciated!

rising_from_the_ashes

Have a chat with your vet .... they may well use glue on the wound rather than stitches. Even it they do use stitches, there will only be a couple.

TBH having a boy dog done is a lot easier than a girl dog as the wound will be tiny. Ben had a lot of bruising after he was done (but he was a lot older) so I'd probably ask if you could have some pain medication to take home with you (just in case it's needed - but it may not be), especially with it being a BH weekend.

If you're walking him on roads etc then it should be reasonably easy to keep clean but I would avoid really muddy places until it's healed.

krlyr

I'm sure everything will go fine - I've had smaller animals operated on (rabbits neutered, a chinchilla needing a leg amputation, rats having tumours removed, etc) with no problem, and your vet should be well experienced in the operation. A neuter is far simpler than a spay too.
You shouldn't have to bathe the wound but do just keep an eye on it. The vet should clean it up post-op so just watch out for any signs of infection - warmth, redness, swelling. Sometimes a dog can react to the stitches and require antibiotics, but otherwise just leave it well alone, you may irritate it more if you apply creams or cleansing products.
The vets may give you a bucket cone to prevent him licking at it but you may find him more comfortable with something else - for example, some stretchy baby trousers with a hole cut for his tail to poke through. You may need to modify them further to allow him to pee while wearing them, otherwise you'll have to remove them for his toilet breaks. He may not be safe to be left with just the trousers for the 5 hours on the Saturday though so you might want to consider using a cone for then. As an alternative to the plastic cone, you can now get foam-type ones that can do the same job but with a bit more practicality, look up the Comfy Cone (there's also the Comfy Collar, which is an inflatable ring that limits the movement of their head/neck to prevent them reaching operation wounds, but I've heard mixed views on how efficient it is - it can highly depend on the location of the wound)

OnAndUp

Like the others said -It's not really that big an operation for boys much more for b i t c h e s though!

My dog got over it really well & quickly, it would probably be best if you could stop him jumping up/down on the sofa at least for a couple of days to let things settle, ask your vet what they think?

If he's the sort of dog that you know will keep trying to fiddle with it / lick (mine was!) then make sure you get a Buster collar or something.

Don't worry I'm sure he will be fine! Plus the smaller he is the smaller his bits will be to remove size of the wound etc!! :rotfl:

coinxoperated

Thanks all for the advice! !!!

Caroline_a

Have you ever used a crate for him? I resurrected Oakley's when I had him done, and he was in 7th heaven back in his own special cave! He was very quick at getting his Elizabethan collar off too, so I gave up, and he was back to his normal self within a few days.

SnowyOwl_2

OK, a different species, but the same issue... A few weeks ago I trapped a semi-feral cat and had him neutered. Obviously as he was semi-feral keeping him in the house and/or giving him medicines or washing his butt end were not going to happen. He's just fine, the wound was practically non-existant and the vet gave him anti-biotics to help him resist infection. Your dog will get anti-biotics after (or during?) this operation anyway. Don't panic or fret, your wee dog will be fine.