Last Thursday Alfie had his castration operation. It’s something they can have at six months of age and we did it as soon as we could because we felt it was important that he have it.
I’m not sure he agreed with us.
He had to wear a cone to protect his stitches. As you can see from the photograph he has his paw up trying to pull it off. Unfortunately for him it was hooked through his collar and firmly attached to his neck. It was day surgery and he was allowed light food that evening when we brought him home. They suggested scrambled egg, so I made the egg and fed it him by hand as his cone made eating from the bowl difficult that first night.
He was supposed to relax and rest so as not to disturb his stitches but got quite upset with his cone and kept jumping about so I tried taking his collar off and he instantly went for his wound. Collar back on!
Funnily though, like children do, he adjusted really quickly to it and was affectionately known as cone-head. His spacial awareness has been hopeless. Whenever he has tried to go anywhere he has forgotten to make allowances for how wide his head now was and kept bumping into things.
Last night he had his check up with the vet. All was well, his stitches are internal and his wound was dry and healing lovely, but poor lad, I’d told him – and he’d of course understood me – that he would be having his cone off after his check up, but that was not to be. The vet said it needs to stay on until the weekend so that he doesn’t start licking and picking at it. So he’s doing well and only has a few more days to go, but for now, Alfie is still cone-head!
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
Poor pup! Do you chuckle when he runs into things? Secretly of course – don’t want to hurt his feelings.
Rebecca Bradley says
Erm no! (Of course I do! 🙂 )
cleopatralovesbooks says
Oh poor Alfie… he does look sweet though.
Rebecca Bradley says
He’ll be so relieved when that cone comes off. I seem to have more photos of him than the kids this past six months though…
Kate says
Awww bless him. I can’t believe he’s 6 months already!! xx
Rebecca Bradley says
I know! How fast has that gone! How is yours now?
Kate says
He’s doing really well thank you. Growing, and growing up, fast!
Margot Kinberg says
Awww…poor little guy. Well, it certainly looks as though he’s gotten used to it, and that’s something anyway. Thanks for the update. He really is sooo cute!
Rebecca Bradley says
He is gorgeous. But I’m slightly biased 🙂
carol says
What a cutie -beautiful coulouring too.
Rebecca Bradley says
He is gorgeous isn’t he 🙂
Annalisa Crawford says
Aw poor thing – but he does look so cute. We’ll be doing that too in a couple of months. Our pup is bigger than yours, so I hate to think what kind of chaos will ensue 🙂
Rebecca Bradley says
What did surprise me Annalisa was the energy he had once we brought him home. I expected at least an evening of subdued Alfie. The cone is important though. Yesterday we had to take him back to the vet as he now has conjunctivitis so the vet said we could take the cone off if we kept an eye on him. Within minutes he was using his teeth to pull the scabs off. The cone had to go back on. Distressing as it was. I wish you luck!
Jacqui Murray says
I see the disdain in his eyes, Rebecca–‘You removed that and then yo do this’? My dog had the same look. I don’t think he’s ever forgiven me, though he has forgotten.
Rebecca Bradley says
Ha, yes! That moment of – you did that and now this! Poor things. He’s now got conjunctivitis which I blame on the cone and his curly hair. So he’s an unhappy puppy.
regaliakings says
Cute little smile from the Adog considering he has a cone on his head. Lovely little doggie. x