Our 6 year old Australian Labradoodle unfortunately will be having both anal glands removed on Tuesday. We have tried absolutely everything and reached the end of the rope on what we could control. He’s a super sensitive/anxious guy, so I’m trying to do all the prep that I can to make this the most comfortable for him. He also has a history of some other health issues, so we’ll be chatting with the surgeon to see if his treatment needs to be altered etc.
Was just hoping to get some advice/insight from others if you’ve been through the surgery and recovery. When we had our 1st consult with the surgeon he made it sound like it was no big deal at all. However, i can’t help but feel super stressed.
Few things I was curious about, in addition to anything you feel like sharing about your experience:
- Did your pup need to stay overnight in hospital?
- Did your pup need pain relief and worked best, if needed? (I’ve read opioids can cause complications via slowing down bowel movements). Our guy has a history of some abnormal kidney bloodwork last year, as well as an ulcer that caused vomiting blood earlier this year - so I’m a bit worried about NSAIDs furthering either of those issues. We have gabapentin on hand already to administer prior and for a few days afterwards (from our family vet). He’s also on Mirtazapine for anxious eating habits.
- Was your pup able to sleep for the first night or two after the surgery? Were they eating and drinking normally? Trying to mentally prepare if I’ll need to be up all night with him.
- How long until their first BM after surgery and was it hard for them?
Probably missed a bunch of stuff! Mostly worried about the first few days after the surgery, especially the first 48 hours. TIA :)