Spayed recovery

[jonnybluetooth]

I've recently had my lab x bitch spayed. She is 13 months old weighs 22kg.
When I picked her up after the op the vet said not to let her off the lead for 10 days.
I have followed his instruction.
Took her back yesterday for her 10 days check and get stitches out. Vet said she has healed up very well, which on the outside us very clear to see.
Vet told me though that I have to keep her on the lead for another week just to be sure !Is this normal practice ?

[Stacia]

I let my bitches off the lead long before that, but best to abide by your vet's advice, he may know something we don't.

A vet friend I had let her dog off lead a few days after the op!!!

[trekmoor]

I have had a few bitches spayed. I didn't ever put a lead on them and they were all O.K. All I did was not take them anywhere where they could get injured when moving around. I did that for about 15-20 days and then resumed gentle training.

Back when I was a guide dog trainer 40 years ago, all the bitches were spayed. We used to take about 5-8 bitches at a time to the vet and collect them later. All except for maybe the last two bitches spayed who were still a bit groggy, they used to run from the vets surgery kennels and then jump into the back of our big van for the trip back. No harm was ever done by this.

Those were the first bitches I ever saw following spaying and I was astonished by how fast they recovered and by their seeming to feel no after op pain. I can remember thinking that if that operation had been performed on a human , the human would have been carried out on a stretcher or in a wheelchair .
This maybe gave me a false idea of just how "tough" dogs are but dogs do not know what has been done to them , humans do. Nowadays I have become "softer." I probably would keep a spayed dog on a lead for a week.

Wullie

[Judy]

Depends on the dog. If its a nutcase and in to everything then on lead for another week at least. If its a slow plodder or is very obedient and stays around you then perhaps less. The scar tissue will be fragile for a while and will be weaker than the surrounding skin so any scratches will cause more damage than they would normally.
Also jumping into a van or an estate car is different to jumping into a large 4x4 so be sensible is the best advice I guess, you know your dog and what she is likely to get up to.

[jonnybluetooth]

The day after the op she was bouncing about as usual when she seen me , running around in circles just like any other welcome . I did appreciate that inside was still fragile and that I had to be careful with the new stitches so I took the vets advise and actually had her locked inside the house when I wasn't at home so she wouldn't really get into any trouble with the head case cocker that I also have.
I thought 10 days off the lead was a lot but again I followed the vets advise as they know best.
She is a calm dog in the house, more or less, but when we go out to train or for exercise she is a live wire but very obedient.
The area she has out the back of the house is large enough for her to get into a short sprint which she has been doing and to be honest is nearly impossible for her not too unless you keep her in doors completely .
Thanks for the advise .
I'm going to let her off the lead but just make sure she's not really tearing through cover and the likes for the next few days .
Thanks

[vicky payne]

He's being cautious but to be fair although the skin heals in 1-2weeks the internal healing can take longer. Gradually return her to normal work over the next couple of weeks but check the wound and if there is any swelling ease back off.

[Rookie]

I have seen a dog burst the stitches in the muscle layer because it was allowed to jump in and out of a landrover, a week after being spayed. It had to be re-stitched.

[jonnybluetooth]

Good advise
Thank you