Stressing about dogs neutering Op tomorrow

Welshspacechick

Hi I'm looking for some words of reassurance please as I'm worrying myself sick. I recently adopted 2 Male dogs aged 3 and 7, they were not neutered by their original owner and it was a condition of the adoption that we had them done (the rescue are paying for it). The 7 year old is also having dental done at the same time.

I love these boys to bits and I am worried sick. The vets have been really reassuring and nice and I know for them its routine but I cant help stressing. They are quite little dogs and the 7 year old is the sweetest, gentlest soul. I'm fixating on something going wrong.

I'm already planning on sleeping downstairs with them as they are normally at the end of the bed and have bought the inflatable collars so they dont need the cone of shame. 

Guess I'm just looking for a friendly word and positive experiences. No horror stories please I dont think I could handle that! 

Thank you

sheramber

None of my dogs have needed to wear a collar after neutering. They have bounced back to normal the day after, once the aneasthetic wore off.  

Keeping them from running, jumping etc was the difficult part.

Try not to stress as they will pick up on it. 

Welshspacechick

Thanks Sheramber I am concerned about the jumping as they like to be up on the sofa /bed with me. Hoping if I sleep /sit on the floor with them there will be less incentive 

Katiehound

Whenever I have had my dogs neutered I have always slept on the settee downstairs for the first night.
It's really not a huge operation for a male dog- just a snip- unlike the girls.

I think you just need to stop them running for a few days.

They are usually perfectly fine after the woozy effect of anaesthetic wears off

It's normal for the owner to worry- try to stay calm!

The vet will advise what food and when is suitable.

Jude57

It's understandable that you're worried but could you try to think of this as a positive thing for both your boys? They'll never be at risk of testicular torsion, or testicular cancer, as well as a reduced risk of prostate problems. They'll be rid of the urge to escape to find a mating partner and the risks associated with that from traffic etc. Your vet will advise on how long they should be prevented from jumping up and of course they are likely to be a bit quiet for the first few hours after surgery while the anaesthetic wears off. Any general anaesthetic carries a risk but they'll be given a carefully calculated dose to keep them under for the minimum time possible. This is new for you but your vet has probably done the procedure many times as it's the most common surgery they do. I'd bet your vet has a few such surgeries booked in every week. 

You've done a wonderful thing for your two dogs in giving them a loving home. Neutering is another kind thing to do, for THEIR sake. You know that it's a routine operation with an excellent success rate. Your older boy will also be better off after his dental work - he'll have a Hollywood smile and potentially better breath!

I wish all of you well for tomorrow. Do please come back and let us know how your boys get on.

teachergirl

@Welshspacechick it is perfectly normal to feel like this. I have rescued 9 dogs and the only problem I ever had was with one of the girls whose stitches came undone. in fact one of my boys (who had a serious humping problem) came straight out of the vets kennel room and tried to hump another dog in the waiting room 🤦🏼‍♀️ .  They may be a bit sleepy, or they may surprise you and not even be that.   I too would sleep with them for the night but it is probably more to do with making us feel better😉 
Try and find something to keep you busy during the day

I did ask my vet once , as they always say there is a risk of death with the anaesthesia , how many dogs she had ever seen die because of it...she said none, but they have to list it as a risk.

Welshspacechick

Thank you @Jude57 and @teachergirl that's really helpful. Dropped them off at 8.30 with a lovely veterinary nurse and took some of their toys as well for comfort they went off tails wagging unfazed. Now just need to kill time until 4pm 

SensibleSarah

I'm sure everything will go really well today! Hopefully you'll have no issues at all post-op. Sounds like you're as well prepared as you can be! It'll feel like a long day but I'm sure 4pm will be here before you know it. Can you go out or do something you can't normally do with the dogs to help pass the time? 

My most recently adopted rescue dog was neutered by the rescue some months beforehand, but he had an undescended testicle and they couldn't find this during the neuter (after several incisions) so he had to have another op about 3 months ago to finally remove it now that he was older and it was likely to have grown. Thankfully - they found it first time on this occasion. I always stress about any of my pets having a general anaesthetic - although usually it's more the fact they can't get any breakfast on the day of the op that I find really tricky! They've always been absolutely fine and recovered really quickly, even the girls. 
When my boy was in for his re-neutering  , I took my other dog for a lovely walk in the middle of the day, which I can never normally do as the dog that was being neutered is hugely reactive on walks so has to be taken at the crack of dawn etc when it's quiet. It was great to have a normal walk for once and really helped pass the time.  

TripleH

We have cats rather than dogs, all neutered (youngest 2 arrived neutered).

I worried more when our oldest was neutered partly because it was the first time I'd experienced it, partly because she was a purebred, partly because it's more invasive to neuter girls and partly because when I took her in we believed she was a boy (I was worried my wife would be upset as I'd stopped us breeding from her).

It was needless worry. She was fine, but grumpy as she had to wear a suit because she was too small for a cone.

When we took her brother in, he seemed to have the time of his life, nice food and plenty of staff to flirt with.

We were more worried about our cat going in for teeth extraction than getting her siblings neutered. (Despite the lower risk op she was 17 but in good health). She had a stroke a few weeks later but this was likely unrelated.

As said above, you are making the right choice, the risk should be minimal and if like our boys, recovery is also very brief.

Jude57

@Welshspacechick I hope everything went well for your lads today. I've been sending good thoughts for you all. I imagine you'll all sleep better tonight and be feeling like your usual selves tomorrow. X

Brie

Hope everything's gone well and the pups are safely home.  Might suggest if you are worried about them trying to jump up post op they might like a pillow on the floor next to the bed to give them a bit of a step up.  Or a low footstool.