Parker Gets Spayed

  Some time ago when we had Parker to the vet for one of her series of "puppy shots", we asked the doctor  when she should be spayed.  He said before she comes into heat. For miniature schnauzers  that's anywhere from six months to 14 months. Parker was five months old on September 29.

 So we  made an appointment for October 2 to have the procedure done.

 I have to say I was somewhat apprehensive about it. How to make sure she didn't think were having her hurt? Luckily a dog's life goes on day after day with no thought of the future -and little of the past. So she wasn't apprehensive at all.

October 2,  2023

 We arrived at the Farmersville Veterinary Clinic about 8:15 am.

 The past two times we've had Parker to the vets she literally shook. I can't imagine what scared her,  though she perhaps knows when she is here she gets shots. And the other dogs in the waiting  room are a real source of agitation for her.

 Soon enough we left her with Ryan,  who she knows. Her tail wagged as he carried her off. He said someone would  call with a report when the surgery was finished and they'd give us a time to pick her up. The call didn't come till mid-afternoon. All was well  and we could pick her up "between 4:15 pm and 4:30 pm".

 Here she is with Tom just after 4:30 pm. To say the least,  she was totally out of it. I suppose it was the aftereffects of anesthesia though they also gave her enough pain  medication to get her through the day. She acted as high as a kite.

 First order of business after getting her home was giving her the opportunity for a potty break. She wasn't allowed  any food or water after midnight so I wasn't expecting much. Nothing happened. "She was too zonked," Tom said.

 With an inflatable  collar around her neck, she was protected from biting  at the stitches on her belly. Mostly she slept the day away.

 Later in the day she was still out of it. I took her to bed at the usual time (about 10:15 pm) and laid her on her pillow (with a towel atop in case she bled). She was soon fast asleep. I woke about 1:15 am and found her with her collar removed. How did she get it off? I replaced it. Tom came to bed about 2 am and we slept fitfully from then on. I'd hear her groan a bit when she moved but she never seemed in serious pain.

 She wasn't exactly happy about the collar the previous evening!

October 3, 2023

 When I woke during the night I found her asleep on her back with her sutures exposed. So I took a photo. She had laser surgery, supposedly less bloody and with faster recovery than traditional scalpel surgery. We've never seen the wound leak anything.

 This morning she and Tom snoozed on the sofa. You can see her little shaved belly in this photo.

 As the day progresses she's becoming more alert  and more active. She's even pulled some of her favorite toys out of her box. And she hasn't minded begging for treats.  We gave her another pain med at noon, wrapping the pill in cream cheese. She wolfed it down. She's eating a little and drinking her water.

[more later]