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July 17, 2006 10:19 PM

Does my newly spayed dog need pain medication?

Our 6 lb. Papillon puppy was spayed today. We weren't given pain medication for her for tomorrow or the next day. Now I'm thinking about it and this seems horribly cruel. Is this common? Does my dog need pain medication?

posted by Savannah to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

When I had my dogs fixed in Quebec they weren't given pain medication when I took them home. They were both fine after the sedatives wore off (I was able to take them home about 8 hours after their respective surgeries, a spaying and a neutering). I have labs. When I asked my vet about keeping them overnight or giving them pain medication, he said it was unnecessary unless the dog(s) seemed to be in great discomfort.

Here in Ontario, my friends have had dogs fixed, and their dogs (both male and female) have been kept overnight and sent home with pain medication. Both friends stopped giving their dogs the pain medication since it (apparently) made no difference to the dogs level of comfort. I don't know if pain medication is necessary, but I feel it likely isn't in most cases (unless your dog seems to be uncomfortable). IANAV however, just a dog owner.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 10:31 PM on July 17, 2006

I forgot to add that when I lived in BC and the family pets were getting fixed, they were never sent home with pain medication. I think that is fairly standard practice in BC and Quebec.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 10:32 PM on July 17, 2006

Animals are better than we are at just lying down and going to sleep when they are in pain, which means that they also heal a lot faster from surgery than we do. My cat didn't get any pain medication after she was spayed, nor did she seem to need it. She was pretty tired and stiff for a few days, but after about three days of taking it easy, she was back to her normal self.

After a week, other than the shaved belly, you couldn't tell that she had been recently spayed. That's a much better healing time for a human with a hysterectomy, with or without pain meds.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 10:39 PM on July 17, 2006

All the vets I've ever had have prefered not to use pain medication as they feel that if a cat or dog can't feel the stitches and some achiness they will be more inclined to tear around like idiots and possibly rip the stitches out or worse.

[All of our dogs have torn around like idiots after being spayed or neutered regardless and, indeed, one did rip the stitches out a little bit. Now I would ask the vet for pills and mildly sedate them if I think they are going to try any wrestling moves post surgery]
posted by fshgrl at 10:47 PM on July 17, 2006

My doggie (already a mama -- 15 puppies!) was spayed a few months ago. They kept her overnight afterwards, which may make a difference. Also, all her stitches were subcutaneous -- there was only a small cut, looking like a scratch, on the skin when we got her back; all stitches were in the muscle. But she was totally fine. Even when she got a hernia, and we didn't realize it for three days! (She never realized it at all!)

After that she got sleepy drugs, but not pain drugs. She appeared to have No Idea that there was anything wrong.

So if you're worried about her being too active and popping a stitch and getting a hernia, then get a sedative to keep her still. But if you're worried about her being in pain, then, well, wait until she acts like she's in pain -- but keep an eye on her: mine sure didn't know there was any problem at all. As recommends fshgrl, above.
posted by librarina at 10:52 PM on July 17, 2006

All the vets I've ever had have prefered not to use pain medication as they feel that if a cat or dog can't feel the stitches and some achiness they will be more inclined to tear around like idiots and possibly rip the stitches out or worse.

This has definitely been the standard practice of many/most vets, at least until the last year or two (and I'd say it's still suitable for some animals with high pain thresholds who won't stay quiet otherwise). However, routine as it is, spaying is still serious abdominal surgery, and the newest thinking supports giving pain meds afterward (especially if they're a bit sedating). I have never done it with my pets in the past, but I gave my dog pain meds after his neutering, and that is a substantially less invasive operation than a spay, so I would ask for analgesics if this were my dog, especially if you are able to keep her suitably quiet (remember to reduce her food intake appropriately to account for her reduced activity).
posted by biscotti at 11:38 PM on July 17, 2006