The few things that our dogs will never run out of are unconditional love and energy. Our pups are always generous with their love and can play the whole day if you can keep up with them.
However, there are times when your dog’s energy can work against it especially after going through an invasive spay surgery.
Should you be concerned if your dog jumped after being spayed?
Your dog will be fine if it jumps once or twice after being spayed. The stitches are strong enough to hold the incision together. However, you should prevent your dog from being too energetic as that can hinder the healing process.
In this article, we will be discussing the dangers of over activity after being spayed and how you can help your dog to heal properly.
What Happens During A Spay Surgery?
Spaying is a surgical procedure that removes a female dog’s uterus and ovaries. This is to prevent that dog from getting pregnant.
The operation takes about 60-90 minutes depending on the size of the dog or if there are any complications.
Once the dog has been placed under general anesthesia, the vet will make an incision in the dog’s belly. The uterus and ovaries will be removed via the incision and the vet will stitch up the wound.
Spaying not only helps remove the risk of an accidental pregnancy but can also help prevent serious infections like pyometra in dogs.
In male dogs, the sterilization process is called neutering whereby the male dog’s testicles are removed.
How Long Does My Dog Need To Rest After Spay Surgery?
As a dog owner myself, I understand how challenging it can be to keep our dogs ‘inactive’ to help with the healing process.
But it is something that needs to be done by dog owners.
The first two weeks will be the most crucial period. This is when the incision wound is still very raw and the dog will still be in some pain and discomfort.
It is common for your dog to not want to drink any water after its surgery or have much of an appetite.
Most dogs will not be too keen to partake in strenuous activity for the first few days due to the effects of anesthesia and the pain meds.
It is common for dogs to behave weirdly after being anesthetized so don’t be too concerned about that.
You should notice that your dog’s energy level will start to increase after a few days as the wound starts to heal. But you still want to keep the activity level to a minimum for at least two weeks.
Your dog’s health should be back to normal after a few weeks and you can pretty much resume your usual pay sessions with your dog after that.
What Happens If My Dog Is Too Active After Being Spayed?
Even though your dog might seem very energetic and fine after being spayed, I would still advise against letting your dog jump or run around the house too much.
It is better to err on the side of caution than to let one incident bring your dog back to square one or worse, cause a life-threatening complication.
Here are some issues that can happen if your dog is too active.
Sutures Breaking Or Coming Loose
After the spay surgery, the vet will stitch your dog up twice.
The first will be the internal layer to tie up the abdominal muscle and blood vessels. Then it will be followed by closing up the skin.
The sutures are actually very strong and can withstand some degree of pressure. But we don’t want to risk the sutures breaking or coming loose by letting your dog move around too much.
The risk of this happening can be higher for older dogs, large or giant dog breeds or medical conditions that can retard the healing process.
This can cause side effects such as:
- Heavy bleeding
- Infection at the wound
- Additional pain to your dog
The vet will have to restitch the wound if some of the sutures have broken or come loose.
Seromas
A seroma happens when fluid or in this case serum starts to accumulate under the skin. It will look as if your pooch has some sort of swelling and saggy skin after being spayed.
When you touch the seroma, it feels like a balloon that has been filled with water. It isn’t painful or tender to the touch but it can grow to quite a large size.
This usually happens when your dog is too active during the recuperation period.
After the surgery, your dog’s immune system will be busy fighting off possible infections at the incision site which leads to serum build-up in that area.
This is why vets will instruct you to keep your dog as calm as possible during the healing period to prevent further aggravation of the raw wound.
The more impacted that area is, the more the immune system has to work to keep things under control and it goes around a vicious cycle.
If the seroma is small, the vet will just let the body drain it off on its own. Seromas that are too big in size and hindering with your dog’s mobility will have to be drained with a small needle to extract the excess fluids.
Hernias
For some reason, many people seem to think that getting a hernia is only a guy thing but it can happen to females too.
A hernia happens when an organ or fatty tissue pushes through the abdominal wall of the dog.
If your dog has been jumping around too much, it can cause the internal sutures to come loose and cause a lump to be formed at the incision area.
This lump feels different from a seroma as it is a lot harder and it can be painful for your dog.
The best way to resolve a hernia is for the vet to conduct repair surgery on your dog to push back the protrusion and restitch the abdominal wall again.
Should I Bring My Dog Back To The Vet?
I wouldn’t hit the emergency button just yet if your dog has been jumping or moving around more than you would like. As long as your dog is eating, drinking and going to the toilet properly that is a good sign.
But it would be good to keep an eye on your dog’s incision area to be on the lookout for any signs of abnormality.
The wound should look like its healing properly even though there can be some bleeding.
It wouldn’t be good if you can notice these things:
- Heavy bleeding
- Green or yellow discharge
- Leaking of fluids
- Bad odor
- Lumps
Furthermore, if your dog hasn’t been eating much, has been lethargic or has been out of sorts, I would suggest taking your dog back to the vet for a follow-up.
It could be that your energetic dog might have caused some complications to arise at the surgical site that requires medical attention.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Jumping After Being Spayed?
Trying to keep your dog from moving and jumping around too much can be difficult especially if you have a puppy or an energetic dog breed.
Here are some ways that you can use to try and keep your dog calm.
Crate Your Dog
If you have always been big on training your dog to be comfortable in a crate, this is one time when all your effort will pay off.
Contrary to what some dog owners might think, crating your dog isn’t a jail sentence. The crate goes back to the evolution of a dog.
Dogs evolved from wolves which are pack animals and prefer to sleep in small dens as a form of shelter.
Your dog should see its crate as a safe and comfortable place where it can go to when things are too much to handle.
Putting your dog in a crate will allow it to rest and recuperate without having to worry about the dog jumping after being spayed.
This works well with both puppies and adult dogs.
When crating your dog, don’t just get your dog in there and shut the door. That might make the dog anxious if it isn’t used to the crate.
If you do this at night, your dog will be scratching in the crate to get your attention or trying to escape.
Dogs are pretty good at digging their way out of danger.
Make the crate really comfy for your dog by placing its favorite toys or some treats in there.
You can place the crate in your room and leave the door open so that your dog will feel more at ease and more importantly, wake you up when it needs to potty.
Distract Your Dog
Even if your dog is a champion in crate training, there are just so many hours in a day that it can stay in there.
Your dog will start to feel more energetic as the wound heals but still not at the stage where it can run and play freely.
This is why you need to find things to distract your dog with and yet fulfill its need for stimulation.
As much as you should restrict your dog’s movement around the house, you can still let your dog play with toys that don’t require much physical investment.
Interactive toys that can dispense some treats such as stuffed Songs can be a good way to keep your dog rooted. Mental stimulation can tire a dog out even more than physical activity.
If your dog likes watching TV, play something for your dog and watch it together with your pooch. It can keep your dog distracted and a great way to bond together.
It is ok to take our dog out for a short walk if that helps but please do not let your dog off the leash as it can just take off and get into a lot of trouble that can impact the incision wound.
Easy Access
While waiting for your dog’s incision to heal, you should make it easy for your dog to get around the house without having to strain. itself.
If your dog’s bed is upstairs, shift it downstairs so that your dog doesn’t need to climb up or down to use it.
If our dog likes jumping on the couch to take a nap, use a stool or short ladder that can allow your dog to go up and down without having to jump.
Sedatives
Not ideal but a necessary evil if you have a beast of a dog that just refuses to stay calm.
A friend of mine has a Border Collie that required extra sedation after her spay surgery just to keep her calm.
The dog’s behavior was not helping with the healing of the wound which was taking a lot longer than necessary.
A Border Collie has the energy supply of a million energizer bunnies.
If you are having a lot of trouble getting your dog to remain calm and less energetic, have a word with your vet about using sedatives to help with the situation.
How To Stop My Dog From Licking Her Incision?
There’s a high chance that the vet will get your dog to wear an E-collar after the spay surgery.
The collar prevents the dog from biting and licking the wound which can cause it to become infected or break the sutures.
The thing is many dogs hate wearing the collar because it is uncomfortable and makes them feel disorientated.
It can work against your dog and cause it to feel more stressed which is not what we want.
Thankfully there are other alternatives to the dog cone if your dog is really against wearing it.
If your dog is fine with wearing the e-collar, that is certainly great news. The even better news is that you don’t need to let your dog wear the collar the whole day.
As long as you have eyes on your dog, you can afford to remove the collar but it is better to put it back on when it’s time for bed.
Nora is a passionate writer with a love for books, animals, and gardening.
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