Ahead of Moose getting spayed this week, we sought out to ask the community for tips for a smooth recovery. We are very lucky to be in touch with so many knowledgable dog owners who are kind enough to share their experiences. To help pay it forward and advise future pups (and their owners), the rest of this post will cover a summary of what we heard from the community and a rundown of our own experience. Most of these tips are applicable to all breeds, not just bernedoodles.

Before getting in to tips, one thing we quickly learned is that every pup is different. Moose is getting spayed at 7 months, before she has her first cycle. It sounds like some vets recommended other pups get spayed earlier while others recommend after the first cycle. It also sounds like it’s common for male dogs to wait much longer (12-18 months) before their procedures. Talk to your vet to figure out the best time for your pup!

Top tips for a smooth spay/neuter recovery

• Most people recommended purchasing both a cone and a suit, especially for active pups. Some say they “graduated” to just the suit after a week or took the cone off when they were able to supervise their pups. Some people hadn’t heard of suits and actually made their own DIY version by cutting human clothes!

• People prefer soft cones or inflatable donuts over the traditional hard cone as they’re much more comfortable. We also heard that the traditional long cones can be cumbersome and get in the way of shorter pups if they hit the ground.

• Most vets recommend limiting activity for 1-2 weeks. This can be hard for young, active pups! Many of our followers recommended stocking up on long chews or feeding puzzles to keep your pup busy and use their brain when they aren’t able to play as much. You can also use this time to teach your pup some new tricks.

• Many people said sedatives and calming pills helped keep their pup calm and prevent overactivity that could harm their stitches.

• We also heard it’s good to spend some time practicing in the cone and/or suit ahead of the procedure so your dog is comfortable when they get home. This will also help you make sure what you order fits before it’s too late to order something new.

• Last but not least, your pup will likely be tired and not feeling great. Be prepared to give your dog some extra love and treats.

How we’re preparing

We decided we’d rather be overprepared*, so we ended up purchasing the following items:

• Suitical recovery suit - black, size small+

• Inflatable recovery donut - one size

• Alfie soft noah (lion) cone - medium, probably could have gone small

• Snuffle mat - a new slow feeder to keep her busy and tire her out.

We are also spending some time this week practicing in the donut and recovery suit so she can be comfortable post-surgery. So far, she seems super comfortable in the suit and was very unsure of the donut.

You can view the full list of items we purchased here.

How it went

We’ll update this with additional notes and learnings after Moosey’s procedure this week. In the meantime, we’ll be practicing loving the donut and soaking up lots of active play time.

As always, let us know if we missed any other tips that should be included above.