Pancake's neuter day

Pancake had his sterilisation surgery last Thursday at a vet clinic here in Koh Kaew. He is 3 years 3 months, a full schnauzer boy with a lot of opinions. The vet said it is a routine operation and the surgery itself took about 30 minutes.

I had to take food away from him at 8 pm the night before, which was the worst part for both of us. He sat by the fridge staring at me. Water was allowed until the morning. He was very quiet in the car on the way to the clinic and he kept trying to lick the seat.

When I picked him up in the afternoon he was still groggy and wobbly. The nurse gave me a cone and a bag of antibiotics and a list of things to do. Do not let him run, do not let him lick the wound, keep him in a small room. The cone was the big problem. He walked into the wall for two days and every time he bumped into something he gave me a very hurt look.

Recovery at home was slow. He does not like being carried. I put his bed in the living room, close to the aircon, because the heat in Koh Kaew in April is not nice for a dog who just had surgery. We did short walks on the lead in front of the house, just to the corner and back.

After about ten days he was back to normal, digging in the sand in the garden and chasing the cats. The stitches were removed at the clinic and the scar is very small. The vet said he will be calmer now, less marking on the walls, less chasing dogs on the beach road.

I think I was more stressed than him. Anyway, it is done and the house is quieter. We still have the cone in the cupboard in case he needs it again. I hope not.