Snip Snip
- haidinyak
- Mar 4, 2019
- 6 min read
Today was the big day! Zeus went in for his neuter and micro-chipping. Our big brave guy did wonderful, but let's back up and start at the beginning. You see, everything actually started yesterday with Zeus getting all prepped for his big day. Before a surgery like this our vet asked that Zeus not have anything to eat after 6pm. So I had to make sure Zeus was fed a little earlier then his usual schedule, around 4pm. Thankfully he didn't notice the time was off and ate up his supper with no issues. We also had to monitor his water intake as he could only have a little bit throughout the night. I also had to make sure all treats and bones were up and out of the way and when Zeus went outside I had to make sure he wasn't eating all the snow like he usually does or trying to eat anything out in the yard. I have to say that Zeus wasn't too bad as long as we watched him and kept on top of him. He doesn't like getting in trouble so a firm "No!" and he would leave things alone. We had lots of cuddles and promises that all would be okay the next day. We didn't end up putting Zeus in his crate and instead let him sleep on the floor by the bed with us as we had to be up early anyways. I also had to prep myself for what was about to happen so I dove into researching about what was to come. A really good website I read about the procedure on is:
I also watched a video (it is surgical and shows the procedure - fair warning):
Zeus' day started at 7:30am, up for a pee outside and so I could eat some breakfast. As a night shift worker this time was way off from our regular routine but the vet wanted us to drop Zeus off between 8am and 8:30am where he would spend majority of the day. I wanted to get him there for 8am so not to keep the vet wondering if we had forgotten. Zeus was very excited to go for a car ride and not for a walk, so getting him to the vet was easy and once we arrived there Zeus was very excited to head inside and say hello to everyone. I thought maybe we would have a hug and I would get sad saying goodbye, but as usual Zeus had other plans and could care less that I was sad to let him go off on this adventure without me. He had no problem going with the nice lady to the back and to greet the kitties that were roaming around the clinic. He didn't look back once, so that made leaving him with his new friends a little easier. I was a little more emotional then I thought I would be. After Titan, I find it extremely hard to hand over the leash to someone and trust them with my dogs life. A lot of what if's went through my mind. What if he reacts to the anesthesia? What if he has heart issues while under? What if he ate something I didn't see and he asphyxiates? You name it I probably worried over it. I just had to keep reminding myself that we have a good vet who knows what he is doing and has never led us astray with Ares. To keep busy Zeus' and Ares' auntie Heather came down to visit with me and before we knew it the clock said 3pm. Mike was home by this point so off we went to pick up Zeus.
When we got to the vets office we went over the aftercare first. There was pain medication that we could give Zeus should he need them. In the pack there was a week's worth, but the vet felt that we would only need them for the first few days. There was just a small incision and no sutures we had to worry about as the vet ended up using skin glue instead. We were told to watch for any swelling or redness over the next two days but slight bruising was okay. The vet said that Zeus did really well and everything went smoothly so they did not expect any complications as long as we followed the aftercare directions. I asked about Zeus having a cone but the vet said that Zeus had been such a good boy so far and hadn't tried to lick anything so he would send him home without one. Of course our local pet stores have cones should we need one for around $50-$60 for this size of dog. I am a little worried that as it heals up and gets itchy he will try to lick the wound more, so I had Mike go downstairs and try the old Dane Elizabethan collars we had, but they were just too big. As much as our baby has grown he just isn't Dane size yet. So we will be looking at getting a comfy cone for Zeus if he starts to lick the area. The comfy cone is made of fabric and is machine washable so much easier to clean and put away for future dog use. It also comes with a calming patch that is suppose to help keep Zeus relaxed. You can buy these in the store on their own and just keep them in the patch on the cone, or use them in the crate in a secure spot.
This is some info on that:
So far Zeus has been good about not licking his wound. Ares however is very interested in it so we have to make sure they are not left alone together. Thankfully both dogs respond to a good strong "No!". Lastly the vet said that he was a lovely dog, very loving and cuddly and they were sad to see him go. He made lots of friends and charmed everyone he met. Proud mom moment! I was so glad he was such a good boy while away from home. Then came the time to pay. A whopping $652.16, our largest vet bill to date, but one we planned for. All part of the puppy experience. To give you an idea of what added up to the price and what you can expect to pay for if you decide to neuter your own dog, our bill was broken down like this:
Pre-Anesthetic sedative - $50.00
Pre-Surgical Exam - $47.00
Anesthesia Induction - $89.00
Anesthesia Inhalant/10 mns - $70.50
Neuter - $200.00
Onsior 20mg/ml Injection - $31.03
Onsior 40mg Tablets pk of 7 - $39.60
Microchip - EIDAP ISO - $50.00
Taxes - $75.03
While under for his procedure we also got Zeus micro-chipped. Unfortunately, this breed of dog does get stolen a lot so I felt it important to have a way to identify Zeus easily in the worst case scenario something like that happened or if he ever took off while at a cottage or on a hike. So we went over the micro-chip info as well. Zeus is now permanently identified with an ISO microchip that carries a unique number for the rest of his life. There is a form online that we fill out with all his information or once we receive the info for the micro-chip in the mail we can use the return envelope to send his updated info back. All this info is recorded in the Eidap Animal Registry so it is available to shelters, vets, dog pounds, etc., should they need to get hold of us.
Finally they brought Zeus out to us and even though he was a bit groggy still from the sedation he was so happy to see us. There was lots of bum wiggles and kisses and cuddles. At that moment all the worry and stress just went away as he was finally back in my arms and I could take him home to be with his family again. Now we just have to make it through the recovery. The first four days he is limited on what activity he can do. Just small leashed outings to use the bathroom and we must make sure the surgical area is kept dry at all times. He is not suppose to jump and run and play like normal, but that I find has been hard to do. He is feeling good so he wants to play with us and Ares. I feel bad and guilty telling him no but in the end it will all be worth it so he heels properly. Because Zeus has not eaten anything since 4pm the day before we were told to only feed him half of his usual dinner tonight to make sure he did not throw it up as sometimes the sedation can affect the stomach and make the dog feel queasy, just like in humans. Thankfully I fed Zeus very slowly by hand and gave him just a little bit of water and he has not thrown anything up so far.
Now he is resting nicely with his brother by my chair in the office as I type this update. A very big and long day for my very brave boy.
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