Do you ever wonder whether it’s normal when your dog wants to play after being spayed? Getting your pet to lie down and rest after spaying or neutering surgery can be hard, especially with very active pups and dogs. Most dogs, especially puppies, want to get up and play again after they’ve been neutered. They don’t realize how much rest is needed to recover. They just want to play after being spayed.
If you have a dog that is too active after the surgery, and you want to know how long it will need before it can play and run again, feel free to read on. Before you do this, understand that all dogs are unique, so kindly seek advice from your veterinarian.
Is it advisable for a dog to run and play after being spayed? For full recovery, dogs must not play and run around for at least ten days after getting spayed or neutered.
Outlined below are the things you need to know to determine how long after getting spayed can your dog play and run around again.
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Dog Too Active After Spay Surgery
You might wonder, “How come my dog wants to play after being spayed?” Actually, some dogs can be active even after surgery. Puppies as young as 7 months old usually possess boundless amounts of energy; your dog will most likely be too active and will demand playtime, walks, and exercise very often – as most puppies would!
Puppies and dogs that are too active will want to run around and play even after being spayed.
After surgery, it is important to seek advice from your vet about the amount of time you should allow before letting your dog play. A vet would normally tell you that your dog will have to return to her previous levels of exercise or play a bit slower than they would like.
Tackled below are some tips on how to handle newly spayed dogs from the experts:
How Long After Being Spayed Can a Dog Play?
Vets usually recommend 2 days of rest after spaying. It is not recommended to play with your dog within 48 hours of neutering, and in fact, until a 3-day scan after neutering, there really should be no play or activity at all.
After this period, however, you should be able to take a few short leash strolls before the first 10-day check-up. Nevertheless, be reminded that you still shouldn’t let your dog run or play after neutering.
How Far Should I Allow My Dog to Run After Being Spayed?
There is no correct answer because no dog is the same, and most of them require different amounts of activity. Even then, once your dog is already healed after ten days, you should be able to run and play already. However, it is advisable to not let the dog run very far yet after spaying, but normal walking distances after ten days should suffice.
Rest is important as there are risks when you don’t let your dog rest after the surgery.
Stated below are the recommended timelines for your dogs after spaying and neutering to avoid risks of infection and other medical conditions.
Rest for Two Days
Spaying and neutering are both invasive procedures that require adequate time to heal. Veterinarians normally suggest that clients’ dogs get complete rest for 24 to 48 hours after surgical procedure without trying to run, attempting to play, and any other physical activity throughout this period.
Never let your dog run, walk, play, jump, or stretch, especially during the first two days of recovery from the surgery.
Some Dogs Can Move Around A Little After 48 Hours
When the first 2 days are up, you can begin to let them out for just a little activity in an open space, like a yard. Ensure you keep a very close eye on them so they don’t stretch themselves too much by playing.
Considering the sensitive situation, note that not all dogs have the same recovery rate, and they may need more rest after 48 hours.
Visit Your Vet on the 3rd and 10th Days
Almost all veterinarians would suggest that you also have two follow-up consultations after 3 and 10 days of surgery. It enables the vet to evaluate your dog’s recovery to ensure healing is going well.
Throughout this 10-day period, your pet still should have only monitored simple exercises in a controlled area, with no over-exercise, such as playing and running. You could be able to begin taking a few short walks after spaying, such as:
- 3 days: probably a short leash stroll depending on the healing of your dog.
- 10 days: maybe back to usual now, based on the recommendation of your vet.
With your initial strolls out from the house within a week of spaying, ensure that it’s a short walk only. Begin very gradually to see how your dog will react to moderate exercise.
You’re not supposed to let your dog run after it has been spayed before the ten-day period.
After ten days, most dogs are free to move, run, play, and exercise as usual, as long as they have already fully recovered without complications. If a scar is still trying to heal, your dog will have to remain on medications for another few weeks.
Aftercare For Your Dog
As a pet parent, you have responsibilities at home to ensure your dog’s healing process goes smoothly. Below are things you can do to care for your pet post-surgery:
Stay at Home
Keep them confined at home to accelerate healing to gradually help get your dog’s activity levels back to where they were before neutering or spaying. Moreover, the recovery process will be much faster if your pet’s actions are limited. One way to do this would be to let them heal and relax in a smaller space where they can’t be as active
Some dog parents will keep their dogs in a crate for the first 2 days of healing, and then let them out only for bathroom breaks. Given that the crate is big enough, comfortable, and provides them sufficient space to turn around, this could assist them to recover quicker.
Carefully Treating the Scar and Stitches
Your vet will take care of the essential things here, but you must look around for any evidence of infection, which generally looks crusty, or if there’s dripping.
When you see something like this, start by giving it a hygienic towel wipe, damp with warm water. After this, you would want to call your vet for a quick evaluation of your dog’s stitches.
Try Leaving your Dog Alone
While you can consider leaving your pet alone after the surgery, it should only be for a short amount of time. Leaving your pet alone for some time can give them the space to adjust and work their way around the strange feeling. The bottom line for this is:
- Keep your dog kept in a crate if you intend to leave them alone for more than thirty minutes.
- If you’re not using a crate, consider leaving them in a tiny room without any hazards.
- Steer them away from other dogs and pets.
Burning Off Energy Without Over-Exercising
Once you begin taking your too-active pet for a quick walk after it has been spayed, you’d like it to burn off energy, but not be over the edge and rip the stitching or laceration.
You can incorporate a few intellectual stimulations into your tight leash walks. One good way to do this would be to give the treats along and toss some in front of your dog as you walk.
Doing this will keep your dog’s attention on the walk, and will not distract them elsewhere while keeping the activity going at just the right level.
How to Keep Them Mentally Alert Without Too Much Physical Activity
Listed below are ways for your dog to lay low after surgery:
Give Them Interactive Games
Another easy way of keeping your dog mentally motivated is via interactive toys. Pet shops have a wide variety of doggie puzzle games and interactive toys you can choose from. You could also play a quick strategy game with a muffin tin and also some bean bags. Put some goodies in the muffin tin, cover them with ping pong balls, then let him perform his problem-solving abilities.
Try Working on Basic Obedience
Teach your dog commands like sit down, stay down, come down, drop it, and let it go. These basic cues are those that every dog must know, and being restricted in movement is a wonderful time to learn them.
Teach Them New Tricks!
Teach your dog a few little new tricks to help keep their minds active. Discovering new behavior patterns is a nice mental exercise for pets. Keep training briefly and concentrate on habits that don’t involve too much motion, such as “fist bump” or “put away your toys.”
In conclusion…
To sum it all up, all dogs have unique recovery processes. Some may take a little longer to heal, and some may stay active even after the spay. Some dogs will be too active after the surgery, so you will have to restrain them from running and playing too much in the first seven to ten days. When your dog gets past that stage, you can now allow your dog to do a little playing, but also ensure that your dog does not overexert in its activities to prevent ripping their stitches and reopening surgery wounds
