Almost every dog in our program will need to be spayed/neutered. After their surgery, dogs might be more sleepy for about 24hrs. They are then prescribed medication to keep them a little lower energy for a few days. Ideally, for the majority of recovery, the dog will be spending time in their crate. This might tug at your heartstrings, but every time a dog gets up from a lying position they are putting stress/stretch on their incision. When a dog is in their crate they don't have the same incentive to get up every time something exciting is happening around the home. Sleep also aids in healing, so the more that rest is encouraged, the faster the dog will recover. Our goal is for a happy, healed dog after 14 days.
During the 14 days of recovery, the dog is not allowed to go on any outings, classes, or walks. For potty outs, the dog should be on-leash and kept slow and controlled. If you have other dogs in your home, they should be crated or moved to another area of the home while the recovering dog is out of its crate to eat/drink or potty. This removes the desire for them to engage. The goal is simple: rest and recovery.
As you near the end of the 14 recovery days, you can beat boredom in the crate by offering the dog a stuffed Kong or scatter some kibble in a snuffle mat. Always supervise, and take the item away if it causes the dog to become overly excited or if they begin chewing on or trying to ingest parts of the toy.
We ask that our raisers assist with spay/neuter recovery for the dog in their care. However, some of our volunteers live too far away or have a home environment that is not conducive for a dog to rest. To help in those situations, we ask that you consider welcoming a dog who is recovering from this procedure into your home.
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