Post surgery care

Q: My six-month-old cavachon was spayed two days ago. The vet tech told us to keep her quiet, no running or stairs. That was not difficult the first 24 hours. She barely moved. Now, she has normal energy and is trying to resume her normal activities. Any suggestions? Also, she is currently wearing a cone to keep her from licking her stitches. I tried to remove it at night so that she could sleep comfortable, but I couldn't keep her from licking and had to put it back on. Is it normal to keep the cone on all the time?

A: If all goes well with a spay it usually only takes one to two days for the dog to get back to normal. So staying with them or using a pen or crate can sometimes be the only way to keep them quiet which is preferred especially the first 5 days. There are soft blow up collars that are less restrictive than a cone.