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Permalink Reply by Marcie on August 10, 2012 at 8:02pm

Becca got spayed the last week of June and didn't have a cone. She didn't seem to bother her incision at all, internal stitches.The hard part was keeping her activity to a minimum. She was on leash for the first week and was supposed to only go out to potty. I had to stretch that to walks around the house and slow around the neighborhood day four. She was so full of pent up energy. I also stocked up on chewies for her to keep her occupied.

Keep an eye on your puppy. If she bothers her incision you might need to get a cone. Try to keep her distracted with a chew or pb in a kong.

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca S on August 10, 2012 at 8:08pm

I hear ya! I have no idea how to keep Charlie from running around, chasing her brothers, playing with the ball, going on walks etc.! Its going to be so hard!

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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on August 10, 2012 at 8:13pm

Kaylee was spayed last month. We had the option to purchase a cone and found that with Kaylee's little legs it didn't work very well while she was awake. She had trouble walking and chewing her toys (one of the major activities that she could do during that first week of inactivity!). So we got her a onesie on sale for $1 and kept that on during the day. It sorta worked. I don't think she would have messed much with the stiches in any case. We did put the cone on when we couldn't supervise her (mostly at night) for the first 10 days.

She was cleared for on-leash walks after 1 week and normal activities at 2 weeks after surgery, but she had a complication-free recovery. Also, we kept her on benadryl as a sedative to take the edge off for most of the first week. Otherwise, she would have been bouncing off the walls. Talk to your vet if you think you need something like that.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 10, 2012 at 10:49pm

Maddie did not have a cone when she was spayed and did not bother her stitches at all.  It is not easy for a dog to reach spay stitches and many don't seem to bother it.  Our vet said that a lot of dogs are more distressed by the cone than the surgery.  In an case, Corgis have trouble with traditional cones because of their short legs.

Some dogs DO bother their stitches, but many don't.  We just watched Maddie like a hawk the first few days to make sure she was leaving them alone.   If a dog has surgery on a leg or someplace else that they see and tend to pick at, they probably need a cone.  But only some dogs need one for a spay.

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Permalink Reply by Julia on August 11, 2012 at 2:15am

You only need a cone if your dog is bothering her stitches. Otherwise it's just, well, a shame :)

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Permalink Reply by Vicki/Kurt Pegel on August 11, 2012 at 8:41am

No cone for Sophie and she didnt bother her stiches at all.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 11, 2012 at 9:11am

If you need a cone I highly recommend the Comfy Cone. It is much more comfortable than a regular one and the blow up kind really doesn't keep them from reaching certain areas. If she is licking the stitches at all, you should get one. That can cause infection or she could actually remove the stitches.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on August 11, 2012 at 11:45am

I agree with others, it depends on if she is licking or not. If you see her attempt to lick at all she needs a cone. They can he quite obsessive and will do it when they know you aren't watching. They can cause some serious complications by licking so if you have any doubts then get her a cone. Better safe than sorry.

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Permalink Reply by Sam, Gregg & Poopdeck on August 12, 2012 at 6:03pm

If you decide to go with a cone I suggest going with a soft e-collar.  The hard cone was such a pain, if my little guy dropped his head at all it caught on the ground and bring him up short.  Not to mention constantly running in to things like wals and my shins! (ouch)  I was so ready to throw away that thing!!

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