Spayed dog - strange behavior

[Kevin Young]

Our dog was spayed 2 days ago. Today she is very distressed, made a
nest under my bed with a blanket and keeps carrying round two of her
rubber toys in her mouth, like pups, placing them in the nest, taking
them out again. Now she appears to be trying to bury them, trying to
dig a hole in the sofa. All the time she whimpers as she does this and
is very hard to distract. It's quite upsetting - has anyone heard of
this behavior before, are there any ways to alleviate it?

[blac...@dog-play.com]

Kevin Young <kby...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
: Our dog was spayed 2 days ago. Today she is very distressed, made a

Anytime there is a sudden unexpected change in behavior the first step is
to discuss it with your veterinarian. Changes in behavior are often
related to health problems.

Diane Blackman
di...@dog-play.com http://www.dog-play.com
Read the puppy reports http://www.dog-play.com/report.html
- - -
" . . . approximately 90 percent of the behavior owners consider negative
occurs when their pets are isolated or alone." "The Body Language and
Emotion of Dogs" by Myrna M. Milani, DVM.

[Susan Feingold]

It sounds like she is in great pain and is trying to comfort herself.
I would call/take her to the vet. I have had LOTS of my foster
dogs spayed and they usually act completely back to normal within
a day or two. Could be that an infection has kicked in and she
needs to be on antibiotics.
-Susan
Pet Orphans

[Ron Hardin]

It sounds like a false pregnancy to me.
--
Ron Hardin
rhha...@mindspring.com

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

[Nancy E. Holmes or R. Nelson Ruffin]

yep that is exactly what often happens when there is a sudden hormonal
change at a certain point in the estrus cycle
Nancy

Ron Hardin wrote in message <37A8D2...@mindspring.com>...

[Doe]

Our first toy poodle started that very same behavior a month after her
first heat. We had intended to get her spayed anyway, but she come into
heat unexpectly at 6 months. The vet said spaying would take care of it.
Not to be. Every 4-6 weeks she would start the nesting behavior...it
always started out with the scratching...they are trying to make a nest.
All her former toys became "babies." She would get frantic if one was
"lost" or she thought so. There were no other symptoms physically..no
mammary swelling at all. It was so very sad, as she was such an
intelligent and well trained dog...so very playful. A month went by after
the spay...and would you believe the same old behavior. The spaying had no
effect. The vet told us she must have ovarian tissue somewhere in her
body, but it would be like hunting a needle in a haystack. Also it might
be caused by pituitary gland. He said we could take her to a large
hospital for isotope (sp?) testing, but that it would be very, very
expensive...and they might never find it. We did not have the finances to
do that. He had us to give her Ovaban...for 12 years we had her on 1/2
Ovaban a week. This turned her back into her old self in 3 or 4 hours. We
learned to see a spell coming on early...and stop it in it's track. I was
heart sick as the Ovaban would and did eventually cause diabetes. She was
on insulin for 3 years before her liver gave out due to the Ovaban. With
the Ovaban she was a wonderful, happy, alert dog who retrieved our daily
paper and many other "tricks." I am telling this not because I think that
is what is the problem with your dog, as ours had this behavior *before*
spaying. She has been gone since last Dec. and we still miss her so much.
She was a great little dog. It took a part of me when she had to be
euthanized. We now have another little toy poodle, and it is time to get
her spayed and I am almost afraid to after reading of the problems, but
know it also elimanates problems too. I wrote all this for others on this
ng...I am sure your dog is just suffering from the shock of the spaying.
She'll probably be fine in a day or two. You might write to the vet ng.
Sorry folks for being so long winded...it just brought back bad memories.
I was not on the net when all this took place or may have been able to find
info when we needed it.

[Karen Ryan Crawford]

I had a chow one time who would take stuffed animals and take them with her
as a bitch would her puppies. Then when my other dog had puppies she would
get in the basket and take care of the puppies and would actually try and
overpower the mommy dog. She was never spayed, it just seemed her nature.

But I wonder if maybe she could be going into a false pregnancy.

Susan Feingold wrote:

> It sounds like she is in great pain and is trying to comfort herself.
> I would call/take her to the vet. I have had LOTS of my foster
> dogs spayed and they usually act completely back to normal within
> a day or two. Could be that an infection has kicked in and she
> needs to be on antibiotics.
> -Susan
> Pet Orphans
>

[Kevin Young]

Yes, I spoke to my vet today and he concurs with the predominant opinion
here, false pregnancy.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I guess it was partly my problem - I was
in two minds about having the dog spayed, as opposed to breeding her first,
but got talked into it. So I was feeling bad about it, then when she
started this weird Lady Macbeth behavior it made me feel like I'd done
something terrible to her! Good to have it put in perspective as a
biological thing.

Today she's quieter, has added a doll to her fake puppy collection and has
spent the whole day curled on the sofa guarding them. She's not eating,
which concerns me, but at least she just looks depressed rather than
visibly (and audibly) upset.

Thanks again.

K

[lucille....@gmail.com]

My dog has had similar problems only she keeps barking and running up and down our back yard at nothing and it almost sounds like shes hurt but from what i can tell she seems fine (Physically) shes also not eating and i'm not sure if its due to her change in diet?? (Shes been spayed)

[kyah...@gmail.com]

Did your husky ever go back to normal?

[cshenk]

kyah...@gmail.com wrote:

> Did your husky ever go back to normal?

Mine did but then I didnt have much trouble when she was spayed. It
was my earlier dog who was spayed age 18 that had a rough time but she
came through ok in the end.

[smolde...@gmail.com]

Exactly

[justine....@gmail.com]

My puppy was spayed on Tuesday and it is now Friday. She has been whining, howling and crying pretty much the whole time, unless she is asleep. She has also just started to do the behavior you have described with her toys, initially just one now it's a handful. She is also looking around like she's searching for something. I felt just awful when I started to think it was like she has had her puppies taken away and she is trying to find them and protect them :(

[amanda....@gmail.com]

My 10 year old dog, I believe a boxer pit bull mix was spayed a week and a few days ago. I thought she was in crazy amounts of pain because she barely ate, and I had to put peanut butter on what ever it was to get her to eat the little she would. And she would pant and scream ( really loud and weird whines) and shake. But she would also dig at the bed, carpet, pillows, blankets, anything, she would also seem to want to get in small spaces, and pace around the room. I gave her a toy and was excited she actually took it, but then she started going quickly from room to room screaming in a big circle, and even tried to squeeze into my closet. I had to take the stuffed toy from her. I decided she isn't in pain, she is just crazy anxious. I've taken her to the vet twice, and she is physically fine. Doc gave her an antibiotic just in case. She has gotten alittle better, but she still is not her self, still panting often, and I come home and she has dug in all the pillows and blankets.. I'm trying to to panic as there has been some improvement. She was spayed a week and 3 days ago. Vet seems to think she will go back to her self shortly, but if not we will try treating for a rare diease called addison's. Sounds like she might just be freaking out from hormones from what I've read here. Does this sound right? When did everyone's puppies go back to normal. I'm so tired and worried. And I feel like the body snatchers stole my best friend and put a different dog in my dogs body.. 😥 also my dog seems stressed the hell out alot, it's better, but I dont want my girl to feel anything but happy!!! Help. Answers and opinions please. Thanks.

[srea...@gmail.com]

My daughters dog was spayed 4 days ago and seemed to be having hot flashes yesterday and today is “burying” babies and whining. The vet said hormone change hasn’t happened yet and to take her for a walk. The walk seemed to help. The chewy pain pills the vet gave them the dog will not take.

[cshenk]

Try crushing them up and wrapping in a bit of raw bacon.

[scnymake...@gmail.com]

Shes nesting do you have any stuffed toys you can give her to comfort. Also the eating issue bring her bowl to where she is nesting. Try massaging her laying with her and comforting her with lots of blankets. It should pass soon

[bodek...@gmail.com]

Hi! Just wondering if your dog is any better? My dog got spayed a week ago and she is acting the EXACT same!! I’m so scared and worried. The vet put her on Trazodone for anxiety but only for 7 days. So I pray she goes back to normal.

[cshenk]

Hi, with no quote at all to follow, you have to tell us what is up so
we can help.

Belive it or not, but there are a few real people here who can help
but you have to quote to tell us what it is.

All I can tell here is a spayed dog with issues? What issues?

[myma...@gmail.com]

It’s 2020 & although an old original post, this may help some. Our golden at 3 yrs of age did these same nesting behaviors before getting spayed 5 days ago due to an infection. She’s more amped up than when she was last in heat. Now that I know what this is, i just give her ‘calm’ chew treats with hemp, from Amazon. CBD oil sometimes works but hemp products are less expensive & help lower the anxiety, digging, whining, & trying to hide & bury stuffed toys. Tonight was hard for us to watch her, so I double dosed her with chews & a droppler of doggie hemp. Took a while but thankfully she calmed dog enough to sleep as long as we lay next to her to reassure her she was ok. I prefer this over prescription drugs & thankful I work from home so I can walk her during the day & monitor her. She travels with me also. Gives me peace of mine that even if she doesn’t get over this, there are natural ways to treat her without harmful prescriptions.

[cshenk]

Thats ok, old posts (as long as not expecting someone from long ago to
still be here) tend to be informative.

Here's another you may experience with your 3YO. If she starts to
'leak a bit' (trouble holding urine), it's apt to be the sudden removal
of natural estrogen.

If she's not soy allergic, a natural remedy that costs little is tofu.
I've had 2 late spay females (one 18, the other 9 when spayed) and both
had issues there which tofu resolved.

I used a locally produced semi-organic (meaning didn't have the
where-withall to get labeled as such but they didn't use pesticides on
the soybeans) for 33cents per hand-chopped roughly 8oz block. They got
about 1 oz a day. Much MUCH less expensive than the prescription drugs
at the vets and I feel it was better for them overall. Natural plant
based estrogen.

[michael...@gmail.com]

I was a little bit worried my six-year-old English setter was just spayed three days ago and she started doing some of the same things. Trying to dig a hole in the carpet hiding under my desk hiding in between dressers but I think it’s just a hormonal thing she’s eating better so I’m not too worried

[swee...@gmail.com]

Den onsdag 14 februari 2018 kl. 09:24:20 UTC+1 skrev lucille....@gmail.com:
> My dog has had similar problems only she keeps barking and running up and down our back yard at nothing and it almost sounds like shes hurt but from what i can tell she seems fine (Physically) shes also not eating and i'm not sure if its due to her change in diet?? (Shes been spayed)

I know this thread is old, but training your dog is the only long-term solution, OP.

I love my dog so much but it constantly did the things that irked me most. It would chew on things that it shouldn’t or jump up and down out of the blue.

Whenever I put on the leash, it would pull on it. Whenever it was out of the house, it would continue digging on the ground - I wish I could tell what it was looking for down there. The same goes for all the nasty urine.

All the things it did left me feeling depressed as if I failed it monumentally.

But since I discovered Brain Training for Dogs and applied the system offered, it now behaves the way a beautiful dog I always expect of 🐶

Here's a link to their site: http://hiddendogintelligence.club/

Good luck!