Neutered Shih zu

IrishEyes19

Hiya, we just got our male 7 month old shih zu neuteured today and he's wearing the Elizabethan cone. He's not taking it well at all, and even though we know its the best for him as he would pull out the stitches, he's having mini panic attacks every 20 minutes or so. its just very upsetting and hard to deal with. This is a silly question but will the cone affect his behaviour afterwards, he's such a sweet dog, follows us everywhere, craves affection and he's in such pain at the moment and distant that he doesnt wan't anyone near him.

wexie

IrishEyes19 wrote: »

Hiya, we just got our male 7 month old shih zu neuteured today and he's wearing the Elizabethan cone. He's not taking it well at all, and even though we know its the best for him as he would pull out the stitches, he's having mini panic attacks every 20 minutes or so. its just very upsetting and hard to deal with. This is a silly question but will the cone affect his behaviour afterwards, he's such a sweet dog, follows us everywhere, craves affection and he's in such pain at the moment and distant that he doesnt wan't anyone near him.

Hmmm.....we had our's 'fixed' and it hasn't hurt him in the least. Shih Zhuh's can be complete drama queens so I wouldnt worry too much.

He might develop a dislike of cone's but I'd say that's the worst that will happen

_LilyRose_

I'm not an expert or anything, but it's probably best not to comfort him too much when he's feeling depressed because by giving him too much attention you're rewarding that behaviour.

We got our 9 month old golden retriever neutered a few weeks ago and he was very sorry for himself for the few days afterwards. He pulled out all the stitches and had to get steroids just as a precaution in case he got an infection. He was tormented by the itching as well, and kept biting at it...

We bought him a few massive meaty bones and kept him inside for a few days- by all means a little tlc is in order, but don't worry he'll be right as rain in a few days!

Cherry Blossom

Does he have a dog coat? If so try putting it on upside down and see if that would work to keep him from pulling the stitches. He might not even need the cone if you can keep him under constant supervision.

ABajaninCork

When my Shih Tzu was done, he too had a Buster collar which he hated. Made such a fuss, in the end I took it off.

Didn't do him any harm. All we did was to keep an eye on him, making sure he didn't jump up for a few days.

Funny things Busters. NONE of my animals liked them, and I always took them off as soon as I got home. Just kept a close eye on them.

Sigma Force

They are awkward things but if he's any way a picker at all leave it on ensuring that it's comfortable enough on him. Maybe distracting him with toys might help it's funny by the time they get used to wearing them it's time to take them off. It won't be for long you might even be able to take the collar off a couple of days sooner if the vet says the stitches have healed. We were told 10 days for our pooch but the stitches were already very tight by the 7th so we had them taken out before the 10 days were up they would of been much too tight if left any longer.

Try, although it's hard, to ignore his fussing because when he gets attention for fussing he'll do it more. He'll bump into things for a couple of days but he'll get used to it.

TooManyDogs

I took the collars off everyone of mine straight away, only one had to have it put back on because she was twitching and jumping and picking at it like it was pulling on her. The rest of them just left the stitches alone after verbally corrected a couple of times.

Maybe take the collar off and see if he does go near the stitches?

IrishEyes19

we cant take the collar off, as the vet was adament that we shouldnt and I sort of agree, he is really restless when he is in full form as it is, always pulling and cleaning and himself regularly, the vet said himself that he would go straight for the stitches and I really dont want to risk that.

but Im just worried this collar will have a bad affect on him, for such a lively happy creature, its really upset him.

DBB

OP, try to get your mitts on one of these: http://www.comfycollars.co.uk/

Obviously getting one online isn't an option at this late stage, but you may be able to pick one up in a local pet shop: I know Petmania definitely stock them, so if you have one, or another well-stocked pet shop near you, try to get your mitts on one. There are other brand names available too. I always use them on rescued dogs now for spay and castration wounds (they are only suitable for protecting abdominal/groin wounds) and we've had no problem with them at all. They allow the dog a lot more comfort, freedom, and expression, and they usually end up using them as a pillow!

IrishEyes19

DBB wrote: »

OP, try to get your mitts on one of these: http://www.comfycollars.co.uk/

Obviously getting one online isn't an option at this late stage, but you may be able to pick one up in a local pet shop: I know Petmania definitely stock them, so if you have one, or another well-stocked pet shop near you, try to get your mitts on one. There are other brand names available too. I always use them on rescued dogs now for spay and castration wounds (they are only suitable for protecting abdominal/groin wounds) and we've had no problem with them at all. They allow the dog a lot more comfort, freedom, and expression, and they usually end up using them as a pillow!

thats so helpful thank you and do these definately stop him from touching his stitches. Thats the most important part, I just couldnt risk it.

ziggy23

My 7 month old pup got neutered 3 weeks ago. I took the collar off him immediately it was a large one and his head is tiny! Just kept an eye on him and he was fine. You could try a baby's vest also and just open it when he's going to the loo.

IrishEyes19

ziggy23 wrote: »

My 7 month old pup got neutered 3 weeks ago. I took the collar off him immediately it was a large one and his head is tiny! Just kept an eye on him and he was fine. You could try a baby's vest also and just open it when he's going to the loo.

my little fella is so determined though, the problem is he would literarly not stop until he would tear it off and at night, that would be a big problem, plus he's terrified of it, he having these mini panic attacks and running back into the wall. I wont dare leave him alone with that thing. he's only walking backwards now, because of the visual problems with the cone. I hate it

DBB

IrishEyes19 wrote: »

thats so helpful thank you and do these definately stop him from touching his stitches. Thats the most important part, I just couldnt risk it.

They're specifically designed to stop dogs being able to bend around to reach their tummy or groin. I've used them on dozens of small dogs now and we've never had an accident! My vet is using them all the time now too as a result of our good results, and I was put onto them by a friend who runs a far bigger rescue than I do, she's also very pleased with these as an alternative to the buster collar.
Chances are he'll get used to the cone, but it could take a few days and they are a damn nuisance. I'd recommend anyone who plans on having their dog neutered to get one of these inflatable collars in advance!

IrishEyes19

DBB wrote: »

They're specifically designed to stop dogs being able to bend around to reach their tummy or groin. I've used them on dozens of small dogs now and we've never had an accident! My vet is using them all the time now too as a result of our good results, and I was put onto them by a friend who runs a far bigger rescue than I do, she's also very pleased with these as an alternative to the buster collar.
Chances are he'll get used to the cone, but it could take a few days and they are a damn nuisance. I'd recommend anyone who plans on having their dog neutered to get one of these inflatable collars in advance!

he's a little bigger than the average shih zu but I'll get one tomorrow and see how it goes. actually cant take seeing him like this. for his own safety too. he wakes up, panicks and backs into the wall at full force, we cant leave him where he normally sleeps as he keeps going crazy and backing into the wall forcefully. terrible. really wasnt prepared for this at all.

DBB

Ah the poor chicken, he's probably also a bit disorientated after the anaesthetic too, which wouldn't help :-(
A small size inflatable collar will fit a Shih Tsu. I have a couple still in their wrappers here, newly ordered, if you happen to live anywhere near Drogheda I could get one to you tomorrow?
Otherwise I hope you get one locally. Vick's vaporub around the wound has also been recommended to me but i've never had the nerve to try it!