Wilma’s Spay

So life has been super crazy meaning we have neglected you guys over on the blog the last couple of weeks. It happens to us all when life gets in the way, but I’ve been working on a lot of projects behind the scenes.

It will all be finished at the end of June and we’ve also got lots of trips and shows over the next few weeks.

So whilst we’ve been away it was the perfect opportunity to have Wilma spayed. There’s so many pros and cons to have your dogs neutered and your vet is the best person to tell you rather than me. But for me it was because 1. I don’t want to breed from Wilma [As amazing as it would be for her to have puppies, they would be so unpredictable breeding from a cross breed and I’d need to get all the correct health tests done], 2. Obviously it prevents the seasons, such a pain as we can’t walk in public places full of dogs, go to doggie day care, training classes or any shows. Although they usually only come into season twice a year it lasts a whole month so it was best Wilma doesn’t have them if she doesn’t have to, as well as all the health problems spaying prevents.

This vets did actually offer keyhole surgery, which not many do near us. I love the idea of this and know a lot of dogs that we compete with in agility have keyhole as the recovery time is so much quicker. The only thing that put me off was obviously the price was 4x as much. A minor detail was that for keyhole they actually shave much further up the side of the dog.

The shaving bothered me, and even though we went for the traditional spay Wilma’s stomach was still shaved for the operation site. I’ve seen photos of other doodles on Instagram that are super fluffy then have a shaved patch on their legs for months afterwards because the hair length is so different. As there’s not a day that I don’t take a photo of my dogs I didn’t want a shaved patch on her legs being noticeable. I asked a vet friend (@vetstuffandspaniels on insta) who just happens to have THE best spaniel gang, if it was possible to shave the back leg instead of the front for her injection as that wouldn’t be as obvious in photos that it was shaved and she told me it should be fine. I asked the vet nurse on the day, she must have thought I was bonkers but kindly agreed to try if the vein was visible enough. Obviously this really didn’t matter which leg was used and Wilma’s health was my top priority, but if I could keep her looking a fluffy princess then it’s a win win!

Once she’d perked up after a couple of days we had some fun with the cone. She hasn’t actually worn it as she’s left her stitches alone [I expected her to be a nightmare and be fussing over them 24/7]. However whilst she was asleep the nurses trimmed her nails which left them rather sharp. She came home and felt uncomfortable [Who could blame her] and scratched her stomach, cutting it further up which you might spot on the photo. The cone couldn’t prevent this either so instead she is rocking the hoodie look for the week. My dogs are always running around outside so there’s not much of a need for ‘dog clothes’, but as she’s on short lead walks only [Which are driving her bonkers] she is actually loving being cosy [and stylish] in her hoodie.

To make the most of a rubbish scenario where she can’t come out and enjoy the long walks we had some fun with the cone photos which I hope will bring a smile to your day.

We can’t wait to share our upcoming trips with you so stay tuned on the blog or follow the dogs over on Instagram @thecotswoldspaniels.

Megan, Woody & Wilma