On Wednesday night, I took home a 2 year old golden/spaniel mix from a shelter. I'm concerned about her. She was spayed on Wednesday. She doesn't seem to have really recovered fully. She ate on Thursday, less than I thought she should. She's a very sweet girl, but seems to sleep and isn't playful like I'd expect. (She wasn't all that playful at the shelter, just wanted to get outside, but then I didn't have much time with her.)

My husband says that she's just mellow and doing what dogs do.

I realize that she's recovering from surgery and is being introduced into a new home, but this seems too mellow. I figured it may just be kennel cough. She was acting like she was throwing up, but mostly nothing would come out. She would sometimes get a little water up. I figured this was something I could address with the vet at her check up next Friday (we'd called on Thursday to schedule it and that's what they had open). I'm planning on calling the vet Monday morning when they're open, but want to make sure I shouldn't be rushing her to an emergency vet.

Aye, next time I'm going to just go to a breeder, this is just too tramatic.

Here's my summary of events and conditions:

February 28, 2007 – Wednesday
- Shasta was spayed (while in heat), was done by noon.
- 7pm, she had gone potty and poop? Outside, she still didn’t seem to be feeling well, she was panting and had a temp of 103.5 (ish). She’d had some water and Karo Syrup. They took out the blankets from her cage.
- 8pm, her temp had gone down to 102.7 and I took her home – she went potty outside.
- 10pm, her temp was 102.7, she slept
- 11:15pm, temp was 103.2 – she got up and went potty
- Overnight, she threw up a tablespoon or so of water

March 1, 2007 – Thursday
- 7:30am temp was 102.1
- She at 2 c of Purina One Lamb and Rice

March 2, 2007 – Friday
- 102.2 temp
- ate ¼ cup Purina One
- pooped
- threw up after barking and being excited
- coughs/vomits nothing

March 3, 2007 – Saturday
- ate about ¼ cup of Purina beneful (she eats over night)
- pooped and went potty
- coughs/vomits nothing
- ate a piece of ham – lunch meat

March 4, 2007 – Sunday
- coughs/vomits nothing
- vomited 1/8 cup of bright yellow liquid slime
- pooped and went potty
- slept mostly
- would be active for some time – interested in the birds, chasing them
- at times, she’d start to pant for a few seconds, then she’d stop or go into the coughing/spitting up thing

This is a judgment call, and a tough one. Since she hasn't deteriorated rapidly, I would chance waiting until tomorrow. I wish Heathervettech had stuck around. I am fortunate to be given healthy, well bred puppies plus the training to keep them that way. That doesn't prepare me to give good answers to questions like yours. I do know that many vets refuse to spay a female in heat because it is so much more difficult then. So she will be slower to recover than otherwise.

I encourage people to adopt. I have a big problem with us slaughtering 10,000,000 dogs a year for lack of homes. Unfortunately, too often dogs come from a shelter with problems. Of course, we have had a couple of questions recently from people having trouble with puppies from what they thought were good breeders.

Thanks for answering. I do want to make it clear that it wasn't my decision to spay her while in heat, I asked if the shelter could wait until after it was over, but they seemed unconcerned about it, so I deferred to them, they're the animal people.

I'm sure we'll get through this, and I'll forget how anxious I was this week, and may adopt from a shelter again as I really believe in adopting rather than purchasing, but I felt rushed and that they didn't make the best health decision for her in their zeal to get her adopted and out of their care.

Justicedog, congrats on your new dog!! Please check with your vet and give the pup ome time. She/He may be a very sensitive pup. She/he may have been taken from her/his mother too young and that can cause psychological issues in the adult dog. As to some of the vomiting, my dogs both get severely ill from foods that are lamb and rice formulas. Severe diarrhea and vomiting. They did well on the Beneful but they are doing terrific on Pedigree Healthy Vitality kibble. My parents' dogs do well on kibbles n bits dog food. Each dog is different. Hang in there and a big hug for you for adopting!!

And Labman... you are doing an awesome job!! Quit being so hard on yourself!

My husband took Shasta to the vet today. The vet gave her something for the cough she's supposed to take 1 1/2 pills 3 times a day. She's also supposed to take an antibiotic with a meal. However, I don't know how to do that as she doesn't eat.

She ate cooked ground beef last night, so I cooked some more tonight and tucked the antibiotic in it, she was uninterested in the food.

We just got the little pill and 1/2 down her throat. She sure doesn't like that. However, she's sweet as can be allowing us to open her mouth.

The vet said she may just have a sore throat from the tube down her throat for the spay. Vet said she's been through a lot and to give her time. I'm not trying to be a jerk trying to make her be more active or whatever, I'm just concerned she's not eating and more active.

She's heartworm and lymes disease negative. Yeah!

But, it seems she's OK according to the vet - her temp is normal and she's wagging her tail. (She chased a rabbit this morning - good sign right?)

Any suggestions on getting her to take her pills would be appreciated. I put the small pills in cheese, but that didn't impress Shasta.

Thank you for your advice and support.

I usually just jam them down the dog's throat. We had our friend's dog the last 2 weeks due to family medical crisis. He need plenty of pills mostly to cope with her stress that she transfers to him. He is a big, black Lab with plenty of teeth. It is funny, when he hears the pill case snap open, he comes running. I then have to pry his mouth open and insert my whole hand in there with all those big teeth to release the pills near the back of the mouth. I then pull my hand out, clamp him mouth shut, tilt his head up and rub his throat until he swallows. My Aster is smaller, and being older, she needs pills from time to time too. Again, I wiggle one finger in to start to pry the mouth open. It is not the best, but it works.

The shelter people are so over run with dogs, I guess they would rather go ahead with spaying while in heat than chance an accidental breeding. I encourage adoption, and hate to see it where good people like you that adopt dogs have difficulties. I will keep doing all I can to help.