Hunting after being spayed

J

jtaylor2

New member
I am having my 4 y/o GSP spayed on 10/16. That is approx 4 weeks until the opener. Does anyone have advice on going easy the first couple of weeks or will she be able to go full steam at 4 weeks post-op. I know the vet will give standard instructions. I just wanted some thoughts from bird dog people. Thanks
 
I'd suggest trying to get her in a little earlier if possible. It is considered minor surgery, but at the end of the day she will have a +/-6" incision on her underside that will be in contact with the cover you're hunting. More time the better.
 
Can you get it done any sooner or even better wait until the season is over? 4 weeks may be enough but it may be pushing it. You may not get much out of your dog either...I would think the lack of exercise from the previous 4 weeks of rest would limit her hunting agility.
 
Spaying

I can't really get her in any earlier. I will have to adjust her early season activity to allow for the shorter than optimal recovery time. I prefer the later season anyway. This is exactly what I needed to know.
 
When I had my female spayed it took two weeks for the incision to heel. I let her take it easy for the first two weeks, and then started to take her on short outings for the next couple of weeks. After that I let her set her own pace and she was pretty much back to normal.
 
I think that if she has 4 weeks you should be good to go. You might just want to take it a little easy the first week or two and keep a close eye on her. I would also advise you to get a vest that will cover the incision on the under side.
 
No expert here! I would let here go full steam at the 6 week mark for sure!! She may be able to do it sooner, but talk to the Vet! If you have a Vet that is Bird dog smart, they will know and give you the best advice! Some city Vets just don't realize the drive of bird dogs and how sometimes nothing will slow them down!!!
 
Incissions heal side to side not long ways. It takes a sterile wound two weeks to heal. She should be able to do ok in 4 weeks. As the man above said let her set her pace. If you cannot do it earlier I think she'll be fine. I once had an English pointer shot completely through the chest where I would have aimed to kill her. I had a neighbor who had yard chickens and she got out one day. I never knew if he did it and I did not want to know. this was almost fifty years ago. I thought she'd be dead shortly and thought if I opened her chest up , I'd do more harm likely than good. It was a long night! I put her on injectable penicillin and she bounced back the third day. I rested her two weeks and carefully took her hunting. She did fine. I think the bullet a fraction of an inch in any direction would have killed her in seconds. I did nothing other than shock treatment, penicillin, rest and TLC. No one was more amazed than I was. She was tough. Best fetch dog I 've ever had. She was the first dog I ever trained, and she taught me a lot! LOL I forgot to say I am a retired vet.
 
I think you will be fine, enjoy your hunt! I tell my clients dumb things like "keep your dog quiet" etc but the reality is most OHE's (spays) heal within a week or two and are good to go.
 
Thanks

We had our pre-op appt today, exam, lab draw etc. The vet said she should be fine after 4 weeks. I will certainly keep an eye on her, I do anyway for that matter. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful advice. JT
 
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