Bruce and the Snip

When we adopted Bruce, we promised the adoption group he would be neutered. They even covered the surgery in the adoption price, so it was a done deal.

Now seemed to be the right time: he's 4-months, I'm still home to look after him, and June is a nice weather month. So the appointment was made and we went in on Monday afternoon to get it done.

Having never gone through canine surgery with any of our former pets, I didn't know what to expect. A medicated dog didn't sound all that attractive.

And on top of the neutering, we also had his "dew claws" removed on his rear legs. Dew claws are the "thumbs" about an inch higher up from his paws. The one on his left leg wasn't attached, and dangled, and the vet had concerns about it getting caught on something or him eventually chewing it off (GROSS!).

Logistically, the day was easy. I dropped him off in the morning, got a call from the Vet a few hours later about how he faired during the procedure (fine, no surprises) and brought Alice with me to pick him up in the late afternoon.

Those Leg Bandages

Poor Bruce, he was bandaged and wobbly and whiny, but doing well otherwise. The first few hours were tricky. He was starving but also dizzy. We tried to keep him still and get him to sleep.

We were worried about keeping the stitches clean, so we opted for the CONE when he bugged them and for overnight.

At night, since his cone didn't fit in the crate he normally sleeping him, I blocked off the small section next to my bed. The drugs knocked him clean out for the night. Total bonus.

Since, he's been slowly ramping up to his old self. And we're very alert about keeping him from licking his casts or incision.

House training has been impacted, as well, since the leg bandages shouldn't get wet. And I'm not willing to wrap them in plastic every time we go out. So, we'll have to pick up where we left off when he's back to being 100%. (In all honesty, it's absolutely frustrating to STILL be cleaning up in-house accidents three months later. I have vowed never to get another dog under 6 months old.)

Bruce has some follow-up appointments, to get the leg bandages removed, and then to remove the stitches. But we're all looking forward to when he's back to normal, we don't have to worry about him licking through stitches and he's back chasing the fat squirrels and slow robins in our backyard.



Related links:
More Bruce the dog posts
Meet our other dogs