Zira... stitches/behavioral issues.... driving me crazy! Help!

[TrickyShepherd]

Zira got spayed on Jan 24th. We just hit the one week mark today. I've kept her very quiet the whole time, we started short (like 10-15min) slow walks around the neighborhood. When in the house, we restrict most of her toys and only give her the ones that she will lay down and chew (nylabones, her fox and dragon, etc)... not like tennis balls or tug toys to where she would throw them for herself and run after them. She's goes in the crate when she gets too hyper, and then comes out when she calms down. Sounds fine, right?

However, lately this has not been working. She's absolutely going nuts! She barks, and whines, and cries ALL day! She wont stop running around, when she's in her crate at night, or in the day when she needs to calm down, she literally does the crazy dog spinning in there. I don't know what to do with her!

The vet said 10-14 days... we are only on day 7 and I am ready to kill her!!!! She is HORRIBLE in the car now when we have to go to the vets or anywhere else... every time we stop she circles and circles and circles... and of course yelps and barks. Indoors she now paces.... in a circle from the living room to the dining room and then the kitchen... over and over again. I give her her toys and put them on her bed, squeak them and try to get her interested. We have gotten her new toys... they were ok for a few hours, then she just went back pacing the next time she was out.

Yesterday was horrible with her. I had her out all morning, and went out for about 3 hours in the afternoon. I checked her incision before I left (as I always do). She was at home IN her crate, with her cone on. I come home and take her out again to go on a short walk with Duke, and I see something hanging around her stitches... like a piece of hair.... so I look a little closer and instead of being nice and clean... it's red, and kind of open looking. So of course, being paranoid like I am, I rush her to the vets. They check her out and said that only the outer skin was open a little bit, but said that would heal on it's own... just keep a good eye on it to make sure it is and not getting worse.

So... I told the vet about her spinning in the crate, and asked if that could be a possible way for her to do that. They said it could be, especially since we had the cone on and she was in a crate.. so no way she could have been running or jumping out around the house or yard. So now I put Z in the smaller crate thinking there was no way she could really do the fast spinning and jumping up high on the crate door. Well.. some how, she figured it out... She is STILL spinning in it, and when she's out she's HORRIBLE! I put her on the leash and sit here with her attached to me.. but she just circles some more, and barks, and whines... and doesn't listen at all! She has completely turned her ears off, she wont listen to a word I say. I tell her quiet... nothing... sit... nothing... get back (when she's in a room she's not supposed to be in)... she continues.

I am just at my wits end with this spay surgery thing.... I will never have another female unless they are older and already spayed. 10-14 days of keeping a dog like her calm could drive anyone up the wall. She's going crazy, and so am I! I am really ready to see if the vets have anything to calm her down a bit for the next few days.... I am really afraid of her doing more damage to her stitches and having to go through this ALL over again! Then she will literally lose her mind! I just can't risk anything with her.... she's her own worst enemy at this time.

I have toys for her with treats in them to make her think and keep her mind going. I make the walks interesting by letting her smell everything and give her a bit more leash then I normally would. We go down by the lake to take in all those smells and sites. I can't really work on any training because she goes NUTS when we do, especially when she gets something right. So I don't want to risk that. She was a crazy, spastic, nerve bag before the surgery... but now she is literally going crazy no matter what Will and I do.

Anyway... I guess what I am saying is... How on EARTH did everyone else get through this?!?!?!?!?!?! Is there any tricks to it? Any words of wisdom? Or geez, just tell me I am normal for going crazy during this?! I love my dog, but my god she is making me want to run out of this house screaming!! After how she's been all morning... I am actually thankful to have to go to work soon..... that is pathetic..

I can't wait to just have this over... her healed and able to be out like normal. No cone, no restrictions. I can't wait to have the two dogs together and able to actually play like they want to SOOO bad. I just can't wait to not have to worry about her! AND, I will be soooo thankful for being able to sleep at night and NOT hear her in the dang crate, or be able to have a day without hearing barking and whining and yelping ALL day! "few more days..... few more days..... few more days"

......Any suggestions?!....

[Mary&Stella]

Valium and a drink for mom !!! Seriously I will watch this for other experienced answers as Stella has not been spayed yet !

[jocoyn]

Well I am in week 3 of healing on a leg surgery that requires her to be muzzled and bandaged daily ... we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Were it not for her desire to lick it and nibble at it we would have been find 1.5 weeks ago. And yes, she is going crazy. tumor removal -not enough skin to close so developing granulation tissue at a joint. So she has to move it but can't stress it too much.

And she is climbing out of her skin.

[RebelGSD]

This is not necessarily common. My vet prescribed ace (acepromazine) for some hyper females. Some dog's can develop a reaction to the internal stitches.

[Twyla]

Shadow, my lab, did something like that. Ripped the outer layer, trying to jump baby gates, when crated would throw herself against the crate wall. We finally broke down and went with the vet's suggestion of a low dose sedative.

It amazed the vet and us that it was a lab doing this, I'd probably really be insane with a GSD spay.

[JakodaCD OA]

can you give one of those BIG marrow bones??? might keep her distracted and busy?

Honesty, I've never had to cone any of my females after being spayed, they just left the incisions alone, tho it was a tad difficult keeping their energy levels in check

[wyominggrandma]

I have never had to cone my girls or boys after getting spayed or neutered. And to be honest, even working for vets for 30 years I have never worried about them keeping "quiet", crated and not exercised. I usually wait one or two days, then let them go about their normal routine, most dogs will usually curb thier own energy when it hurts and play for awhile and then rest on their own. I have had dogs spayed and neutered from 5 months to 3 years and not had any problems.Once am sure they will not lick at the stitches, then they are free to be themselves.
By day seven, most of the internal incision has grown together anyway. The stumps from the removal of uterous or testicles are healed over and will not bleed anyway. Heck we remove stitches at day 10 usually, so at day 7 not much else can happen. The issues with bleeding at the stump sites is within the first 24-48 hours, not a week later.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Originally Posted by wyominggrandma

I have never had to cone my girls or boys after getting spayed or neutered. And to be honest, even working for vets for 30 years I have never worried about them keeping "quiet", crated and not exercised. I usually wait one or two days, then let them go about their normal routine, most dogs will usually curb thier own energy when it hurts and play for awhile and then rest on their own. I have had dogs spayed and neutered from 5 months to 3 years and not had any problems.Once am sure they will not lick at the stitches, then they are free to be themselves.
By day seven, most of the internal incision has grown together anyway. The stumps from the removal of uterous or testicles are healed over and will not bleed anyway. Heck we remove stitches at day 10 usually, so at day 7 not much else can happen. The issues with bleeding at the stump sites is within the first 24-48 hours, not a week later.

Have to say I agree completely with wyominggrandma's experiences, and I've gone thru it with 4 bitches.

I really watch them the first 2 or 3 days, but after that it's pretty much back to normal for their activity level. That's keeping in mind that I also watch their incision to make sure it's healing well and not showing any alarming and abnormal signs.

I've never been able to keep them quiet longer than those initial days so am pretty impressed you haven't lost your mind already..

[Mrs.K]

Originally Posted by JakodaCD OA

can you give one of those BIG marrow bones??? might keep her distracted and busy?

Honesty, I've never had to cone any of my females after being spayed, they just left the incisions alone, tho it was a tad difficult keeping their energy levels in check

If she's not used to marrow bones I'd take bully sticks. The dogs that don't have marrow bones on a regular basis can get very hard and drie stool which can make her put too much pressure on her body.

[msvette2u]

I'd agree. At 1 week she can exercise as much as she feels like, I'd say. Ask the vet to be sure. But also if you feel she should wait longer, get the sedative.