paralized with fear

[blackcat]

Okay I had my 5 1/2 month old doberman pup spayed the other day then today I had to take her to the vet because her wound was all swollen and it looked like the stiches where pulling out. The vet said that she needed to wear an E collar. After I put the E Collar on her she froze and hasn't moved since. This was at 7:00 pm it is now 3:00 am and she hasn't moved. What should I do? I'd also like to add that she is really skitish, quite literally scared of her own shadow. Thanks all in advance.

 

[blackcat]

Okay all I just checked on her and she peed in her bed and is laying in it at the moment. I'm going to put a few towels down and wash out her bed. I would just take it off of her but I don't want to start this process over again. My brother said that he had the same problem with his rottwriller but I don't know if it was as extreme. I'm going to wait untill morning and see what you all have to say if no one answers by then I'll just take it off of her. Anyways thanks in advance

 

[blackcat]

Okay I took it off of her for now untill I know the proper way to go about putting this on her. Anyways see you all in the morning.

 

[corgipower]

poor baby

for the e-collar, i would put it on her and the offer her some super yummy treats. encourage her to take a step or two for the treats.

if she knows any obedience, you can do a little bit of quiet obedience before putting the collar on, and then do a little bit after putting it on. it generally only takes them walking a few steps for them to realize that they can walk in it.

 

[Herschel]

Put it on her and make it a fun experience. Get really riled up and dance around with some treats. When she comes over to you give her some treats but don't get her too excited--the incision site is probably still sore.

 

[smkie]

try some t-touch massage..tellington touch massage
you can look it up on line and they will explain how they technique is done.
I have used this for a multitude of bad situations and am always amazed at the results.
I hate e-collars, i hope your dog accepts the situation soon. My Mary ended up using hers as a battering ram and to scoop me up and hurry me down the hall. AT first mary would put her head down to smell before she urinated and then she would be stuck because she would try to push forward instead of lifting up. I had to go out and lift her head up for her only for the process to repeat and repeat.

i think keeping things calm would be a bit wiser, especially when the whole ordeal is so overwhelming.

 

[blackcat]

Put it on her and make it a fun experience. Get really riled up and dance around with some treats. When she comes over to you give her some treats but don't get her too excited--the incision site is probably still sore.

I wish I could. I put it on her and I tried to take her for a short walk and all she did was pee. She is really skitish of everything. For a while I was trying to train her to jump through a hoop. Now I can use the hoop as a puppy gate. I can't even get near her with the E collar. When I put it on her last night it I left it on her for 8 hours and she couldn't even get up to pee. It's off of her right now I thought it was better to have her lick sometimes then to sit with her incisions in pee. Anyways I don't feel to good at the moment I am going to lay down and then I will try to put it on her again. There is plenty of turkey around here to use as a treat and I will try to make it a good experiance.

T touch massage I will look that up right now.

 

[lizzybeth727]

Remember, too, that the e-collar is ONLY to keep her from licking or biting at the stiches. So, if you can watch her and make sure she's not licking/biting, you can actually keep the e-collar off. I'd put it on her about 3-5 times every hour that it's off, just to help her get used to it - put it on, give her some treats, see if you can get her to move at all (even just poking her neck out), then take it off. The whole process should take less than 2 minutes. If you can get her to move, take it off right then, to reward her for moving.

Of course, prevent her from sneaking off into another room to lick.

And at night and anytime you can't watch her (Thanksgiving dinner, for example), leave the collar on.

 

[IliamnasQuest]

If you're having that much of a problem with the e-collar, you might want to try something else. The biggest thing is to keep her from licking - if she pulls out those stitches then you'll end up having to take her in, have her anesthetized again and re-sutured (at a danger to her and considerable cost to you). At the very least she may end up with an infection if she continues to be allowed to lick, so it's imperative that you find a way to stop her.

It may be that a t-shirt will work better. Find one that fits her relatively well but is long enough to cover the incision area. Put a knot in the t-shirt to help keep it snug up around her belly where it covers the incision. See if that will keep her from licking.

Some people use a section of cloth - maybe a strip of t-shirt material - that is wrapped directly around the abdomen where the incision is and then taped snugly together.

You do whatever you need to do in order to keep her from licking, because licking can cause really big problems. I would hope that the vet told you when you picked her up after the spay that she wasn't supposed to lick. If you can actively be with her and watch her, you may get away with not using anything. But that means you have to actually be watching her (not watching TV or on the computer, etc.).

Some cool compresses - like a couple of paper towels, folded and held under cold tap water and then wrung out - used on the incision area may make her want to lick a bit less. You have to sit with her and hold the compresses to her incision for several minutes at a time. Don't rub, just let the cool dampness ease the discomfort a bit.

Oh - and be careful of the treats right now. Her system is probably a bit messed up, too many treats and she may end up with diarrhea and gastrointestinal discomfort, which is only going to make things worse.

If she can be kept from licking, the incision site should mostly heal in a week or so. If she licks, you're probably looking at a couple of weeks minimum for healing time.

Good luck -

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[Cheetah]

I used a BiteNot collar for Shippo, because he wouldn't move/eat/drink/anything with the e-collar on. It's more pricey - it cost me about $40 to buy and have shipped - but for me it was worth it.

http://bitenot.com/

I've kept his in case I need it again.