I put "Vet" in the subject because it appears that you are one and I have to get my dog neutered soon(prolly gonna do it NEXT thurs). He is almost 20mo old. I know the surgery is very routine but I am a little worried about the stitches and the cone. Do dogs normally have a problem with the stitches(I have a feeling mine will) and try to pick at them continously? I was kind of hoping that I could just put the cone on him at night when I can't watch him and when he is supervised I can take it off? How long do dogs normally bitch and moan about having the cone on before it goes away?
God forbid, if he rips the stitches out, how big of a deal is that? Meaning, he obviously needs to go to ER asap, but is it life threatening?
Any other info is greatly appreciated. Thx
First off, I routinely did not use Elizabethian Collars (the cone) with any of the neuters I do---good surgical technique, with a minimal incision, good skin and underlying sutures, appropriate post operative pain medication, and stressing the importance of owners monitoring the incision site closely all make use of an E. collar something that most of the time is not necessary. That said, there are occasionally dogs who do lick the incision excessively, which will lead to skin irritation, which predisposes the dog to getting an infection---so obviously it has to be stopped as soon as possible and an e-collar is a reasonable noninvasive means of preventing the dog from licking the area. By and large, in my experience the older the dog is at the time of neutering, the more likely it is to lick at the area---the fibrous connective tissue around the testical gets "tougher" as a dog gets older which can lead to increased irritation as that connective tissue is broken down and torn during the surgery. Not only that, but more mature dogs have bigger blood vessels in the skin and underlying tissue, which as a result of the increased size are more likely to ooze blood, whcih can lead to bruising and swelling, which contributes to post operative pain and discomfort, which can lead to the dog licking the area excessively. Obviously surgical technique again plays a huge role.
I've had my one staffie in an e-collar the last 3 weeks because the puppy bit her in the ear when they were playing rough, causing her to develop an aural hematoma (bleeding/bruising under the skin of the ear) which led to her shaking her head and a mess. Ultimately we did surgery to drain the blood, remove the clots and put her ear back together. She was a 1 dog battering ram with that collar from day 1 to the time I took it off. Some dogs will be this way the whole time they are wearing the e-collar. I really think it drives some dogs nuts because of sound conduction. I wore one in vet school one afternoon because I was bored and wanted to see what it felt like--I got vetigo so bad I about fell over. Everything is louder in an e-collar. Louder to the point of being uncomfortable/almost painful. I think some dogs may have the same reaction.
Licking of the incision to the point of any redness or swelling needs to be noted and treated. This may just mean calling your vet. It may mean more. I typically close these as a "three" layer surgery---I suture the edges of the tunic/inguinal rings where the testical is when I clamp and cut off the testicle, sututure the connective tissue just below the skin, and then close the subcuticular layer of the skin and finally oppose the skin with surgical glue. I've never had a dog open things up past the outermost skin layer---and that worked hard to get that far. Any gapping of the incision line warrants a recheck examination. Dont' dink around because if they lick it that much, secondary infection can be a serious issue.
