Itching after spaying

[divalolaliciousmom]

My 6 month old cavachon, Lola, was spayed 3 days ago and she is itching like crazy! She is wearing an Elizabethan collar so she cannot lick the sutures but she is still trying to scratch the sutures with her back legs. She cannot reach and is tearing the area above the stitches up a bit. We are limiting her activity and trying to help her as much as possible, (we've put booties on her back feet, spraying her with anti-itch ointment), but she still seems to be very uncomfortable. She has regular string stitches and has a bit of fuzz stuck in them because she is rubbing on her dog bed. She's also having trouble sleeping, (she sleeps in a crate), because of the itching and possibly the uncomfortableness of the collar.

Is this normal behavior? Everything else seems fine with her. Her bathroom behavior is normal. She is eating and drinking as usual. Can I give her a benadryl or something else to ease the itch? HELP!!

[Dansdog]

If your dog is driving you crazy after being spayed here is the solution get a four inch ace bandage and a roll of four inch wide cotton rub the belly with neosporne place the cotton over the area and wrap the ace bandage around the dog but not tight when you get to the end of the wrap make it line up with the middle of the back and put on the clips it will be like night and day if you want any sleep.

[Margot49]

Odd, I'm not sure why she would be itching like that either. There may be a slight chance she has an allergy to the material used for the stitches or something they used in that area on her skin, etc.  I'd give the Vet a call and ask.  Sounds like you're doing all you can do.  I would ask about possibly trying the Benadryl.  Just make sure the wound is clean and healing.

[ginnycran]

You can also talk to a professional breeder about it (like at http://www.cavachonsbydesign.com ). They know a lot of particulars about the specific breed.

[ginnycran]

I agree with ginger. I know that sometimes my wounds itch when they are healing, so it would make sense that the wounds on a cavachon would itch as well. If it gets too bad, I would take him back to the vet.

[ginger899]

Wounds do often itch as they heal. Take a look at the wound. Does it look clean? (apart from fluff stuck as you said in the suture) Does it look at all reddened around the scar area, or inflamed? Is there any discharge from the wound, pinkish liquid, or straight blood? Is there any swelling or anything angry-looking around that area? (All of those things could indicate infection in the wound)
If not, presumably it is healing naturally. It sounds like you are doing your very best to keep her from scratching, but she's going to try and scratch anyway! You could ask the vet to be sure, maybe you could ring them and ask, but I would think that Benadryl would most likely help. However, I am not certain of the correct dose for her weight. I'm sure the vet can help you with this on the phone.
Maybe you could swap her regular dog-bed cover for a plain smooth cotton sheet, or something like that to prevent fluff getting stuck to the suture. My instinct would be to have two, and boil-wash each, every day, putting down a fresh one every day, to prevent the possibility of bacteria getting into the fresh wound?