“This is what you are so good at,” Papa Bear said as he leaned in to kiss me before leaving for the office this morning. He was referring to the caregiving and attention I would be piling upon our convalescing pups. Both Koda and Summer needed their Mama today because yesterday they endured some pretty invasive procedures. I read it described on one website as, “No longer being intact.” Well, one look at Koda and that is evident; his pair of grapes are gone. This may surprise some you if you thought it was going to be more like a vasectomy where after a little snip snip he’d be home with a bag of frozen peas watching football on the sofa for a few days. We learned about what neutering involved only a week ago. Imagine Koda’s surprise.

While Koda’s procedure may seem major, what took place with Summer was an even a bigger deal. She has a long vertical line of stitches along her stomach where her abdominal wall was opened and her insides were handled and ovaries and uterus removed. Her period of recovery is supposed to last longer. It is also imperative that she stay calm and rest, so as not to rupture the sutures. She’ll be a good patient but her brother may make the calm part of her recovery a tough one.

When we picked them up from the vet yesterday they were both a little loopy, Summer more than Koda. It was similar to bringing home my teenagers from their wisdom teeth removals. If the dogs could have talked I would have interrogated them like I did my teens. I call it the “truth serum.” We brought the dazed dogs into the house and they were mellow and sleepy most of the evening. The challenge during their wakeful moments was not letting them lick their wounds. We tried some tricks to help like putting Koda in a pair of boxers and Summer in a t-shirt. It worked only until the garment was shed. Papa Bear kept the night watch and took them outside several times.

This morning the pups were looking much more like themselves. However, Summer was still very lethargic. I gave them both pain meds and began my watch. I quickly realized the boxer/shirt idea was a flop, I needed to go further. I left my daughter to watch them while I ran to the pet store to buy the inflatable neck rings that I found online. I also picked up more chew toys for less physical activity. Somehow a couple Christmas canine costumes also made their way into my cart.

Good news, the donuts work! No need for the cone of shame when you have the fashionable inflatable infinity scarf. The new chew toys with the tiny treat compartments are also hits. So it has been a pretty chill day, just naps and gnawing next to the fire. The tricky part is when they need to go outside. Koda wants to run and play. They are not used to me putting them on leash to go into the backyard, but if I don’t then they will run and chase each other at full speed. Something tells me that I am not going to be able to keep these dogs calm for another ten days.

For now, I am relieved that the surgeries went well, that we are past the first night, and that no little five-legged ausssiedoodle puppies will be conceived in this house.