# Lacey Updates/Questions



## LaceyGirl (Jan 10, 2012)

*UPDATE 1 and QUESTION 1:
*
Okay, so many of you know about the microchipping disaster we went through with the LuvMyPet clinic months ago. For those who don't know, during the chip implantation, they insisted on shaving her fur on her neck, then she pulled away as the needle went in (because that thing is HUGE!) and she ended up with a gory scabby wound for weeks afterwards. I was concerned that the chip was never implanted. 
Turns out, I was correct. When they scanned at the time of implanting it to make sure it was in place, the machine said the chip was present; because it was STUCK in the GORY WOUND on the OUTSIDE of her neck!
Fast forward a few months:
We bring Lacey to get a physical before her spay-approval, and I ask the vet to scan to see if the microchip is there. Sure enough, the machine comes back saying there IS a chip; but not the one I had had implanted. 
Turns out, the breeder her breeder had bought her from microchips all her puppies. The strange thing is, that breeder never registered the chip. So, now I paid for a chip that IS NOT in her, and there is a chip in her that I have NO CONTROL over. :foxes15:
Does anyone know how I can update the info on her mystery-chip? No one knows the maker of it. All we have is the ID number.

*UPDATE 2 and QUESTION 2*
Lacey's spaying is scheduled for June 5. She can have no food after 10PM and no water after midnight the night before. She's going to be one aaaaangry little lady with a hell of a rumbly belly!
I'll be dropping her off between 7:30 and 8AM, and should be able to pick her up by 6PM. 
The vet said she will be able to have her recessed baby tooth pulled while under the anesthesia as long as the spay goes well. Hopefully, this will make her silly Elvis impression lip go away and make chewing more comfortable for her. 
The vet will also be cutting her nails, because well, why the heck not?

My questions are as follows:
1) When I bring her home, are there any things I should have on hand? 
2) Is a "cone-of-shame" necessary? (I would get one of those comfort cones that enable the doggy to eat/drink with it on, of course, if needed)
3) What is the recommended feeding afterwards as I would assume she may have a lessened appetite from the anesthesia, pain meds, and/or pain from the extraction. Should I feed her her Ziwi watered-down? Canned food? Her regular Blue Buffalo kibble? SO CONFUSED! 
4) Any other helpful things

I know they will be giving some of this info to me the day before and after when I pick her up, but I'd like some chihuahua-specific info!


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

I would think that some vet or local animal rescue/ animal control would have a scanner and be able to tell you which sort of chip she had. I had Rico checked at animal control to make sure that their type of scanner would "pick-up' the chip. 

For the collar after the spay...it would depend on if she has external stitches to get at. Depending on the size of the incision and ll of that. Some vets do "laser spay" and with Rico's neuter the oncision was so small that it was able to be closed on the outside with glue. Rioc lasted about 5 minutes with the collar. they had a cute wee bandanna thing on him too. He hated the thing. I just kept him comfortable and he never bothered wit the incision. Actually I think he forgets that he was neutered as he slept through it. (leg lifter when he wee-s evey time. that inflatable small one might be just enough to keep her okay without driving her mad at the same time. 

Good luck with all of it.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Go to the local humane society and see if their scanner can pick it up. Otherwise, is the breeder still available? Call and find out. 

The other thing, about the spay is that some dogs will not even hardly look at the incision, and others worry the heck out of it. Both of mine had to use a cone. When their knees where done; the same thing. I bought a 'collar that you blow up". Worked well. Sort of like a life preserver!! The eating afterwards will depend on her. Offer her a teaspoon of water, wait 5 minutes, then a tablespoon, wait 5 minutes. If she keeps this down you can offer her a LITTLE bit of food. In 30 minutes she can have whatever water she wants. Food a little bit at a time. In the AM she'll be ravenous!! Good luck. PS Vet usually sends home instructions too. Sue


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

As far as the microchip, I can't help with that. I'm not familiar with any of that--sorry. Yes she's gonna be hungry that morning, but she'll be OK. I know this is really no help, but afterward it is just hard to tell whether she is gonna be one to "bother" her incision area or not. Lulu nor Gidget bothered theirs at all and did not have to have anything. Some people go for the onesie instead of the cone. (I have to insert my "how stupid can you be" story here with Lacy our first--we had never had dogs before, so we didn't know any better) We put a bandaid over Lacy's incision! OMG!! Luckily God watches out for poor defenseless creatures with idiot owners cuz we had to take her to the vet the next day and they corrected us and she wasn't hurt by it. Anyway, she will probably eat very little. I would probably wet her regular food because of the tooth extraction. If she doesn't want that offer it to her like she is used to, or try the ZP if you have it. You may even have to resort to some boiled chicken if she really pulls a diva move and won't eat. I'm just throwing out all scenerios--it is hard to tell until she gets home, but you know we will be here at that time. Praying all goes well!


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

LaceyGirl said:


> *UPDATE 1 and QUESTION 1:
> *
> Does anyone know how I can update the info on her mystery-chip?
> 
> ...


That's crazy about the microchip! Sorry she had to go through that. 
When they scanned it, did nothing except for the ID number come up? I've never had to have a chip scanned, but you would think that the company name would come up as well? 

When we brought Odie home from being spayed, she was a sick little girl. I setup a play pen for her, with her food/water, pee pad and bed. When I knew she was able to get up and move, I also put a heating pad in the bottom of her bed (set on low), covered with a blanket. I know temperature is important after anesthetic, and she seemed to be really cold. She had an extremely upset tummy, and had some really horrible diarrhea and wouldn't eat and was drinking very little, so her case might be a bit different than Lacey's will be, but things that I wish I would have had on hand were: a thermometer, pure pumpkin, pure yam, and pedialyte. 

We were lucky and never had to leave her alone (I slept on the couch next to her pen), so we were able to always keep an eye on her. The vet gave us the cone of shame, and we tried putting it on her and she freaked out and wouldn't relax. We figured since she was sick (she lost too much weight), and stressed, that we wouldn't bother. I know some dogs will lick and lick, but Odie never seemed interested in her stitches at all. If you don't want to use one, I would just keep an eye on her and see how she reacts, especially when they start to heal and itch. If you do have to use a cone, I would get a comfier one than the plastic, or use a baby onesie like some on here have suggested. 

Good luck, Lacey!

Edited to add that I would feed her her usual food, but offer a really small amount and see how she does, as anesthetic can lead to an upset tummy. Since she's having a tooth extraction, something softer might be appreciated.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

LaceyGirl said:


> *UPDATE 1 and QUESTION 1:
> *
> 
> 
> ...


1)I would have a comfy area set up for her, with her bed, water, and a potty pad close by. Mine didn't want to walk very far the first day, so they needed a pad close to them.

2)Neither of mine needed a cone. Penny scratched her tummy bloody because it was shaved and itchy (not the incision, just her stomach) but a cone wouldn't have done anything. I gave her Benadryl to help with the itching, but Lion didn't need anything like that. 

3) I fed mine immediately when they got home, because they had gone so long w/o food. They normally ate ZP or raw at the time. I got Stella and Chewy's freeze dried patties and crumbled up small amount with lots of warm water. I gave them a few bites, made sure they could keep it down, and then let them eat a little more later. I think canned food would be fine too- it is nice and soft and has plenty of water content.

Penny also had teeth pulled- I think it was 6 baby teeth. Her poor mouth was bloody and sore for a few days, so I just kept feeding the soft S&C patties. I had to syringe some water into her mouth the first day because she was so tired from the anesthesia that she wouldn't drink water voluntarily.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

Wow, I've never heard of a microchip horror story quite like yours and Lacey's. Poor girl. Sorry you both had to go through that. It is weird that the company name didn't come up. If you cannot register it, is there any harm in having the vet put another one in that is reputable and registered to you? I'm considering getting Toby chipped, but now I am more than a little scared! 

I can't comment on the spay because Lilly got spayed 10+ years ago, when they still used staples (she was from the Humane Society and they did the surgery). She's the only girl my family has had since I have been old enough to know. But congrats on getting Lacey spayed! I'm sure she will be great


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## LaceyGirl (Jan 10, 2012)

rubia said:


> I would think that some vet or local animal rescue/ animal control would have a scanner and be able to tell you which sort of chip she had. I had Rico checked at animal control to make sure that their type of scanner would "pick-up' the chip.
> Good luck with all of it.


The vet scanned all over and only found the mystery chip. His machine would have picked up HomeAgain chips (which is what I had had supposedly implanted). He said they have no way of telling who the maker of the mystery chip is. 



susan davis said:


> Go to the local humane society and see if their scanner can pick it up. Otherwise, is the breeder still available? Call and find out.
> 
> The other thing, about the spay is that some dogs will not even hardly look at the incision, and others worry the heck out of it. Both of mine had to use a cone. When their knees where done; the same thing. I bought a 'collar that you blow up". Worked well. Sort of like a life preserver!! The eating afterwards will depend on her. Offer her a teaspoon of water, wait 5 minutes, then a tablespoon, wait 5 minutes. If she keeps this down you can offer her a LITTLE bit of food. In 30 minutes she can have whatever water she wants. Food a little bit at a time. In the AM she'll be ravenous!! Good luck. PS Vet usually sends home instructions too. Sue


I wrote to the breeder I got her from hoping she is still in contact with the original breeder. If so, I might be able to solve a couple mysteries. 
Thank you for the feeding info! That will certainly come in handy.



lulu'smom said:


> As far as the microchip, I can't help with that. I'm not familiar with any of that--sorry. Yes she's gonna be hungry that morning, but she'll be OK. I know this is really no help, but afterward it is just hard to tell whether she is gonna be one to "bother" her incision area or not. Lulu nor Gidget bothered theirs at all and did not have to have anything. Some people go for the onesie instead of the cone. (I have to insert my "how stupid can you be" story here with Lacy our first--we had never had dogs before, so we didn't know any better) We put a bandaid over Lacy's incision! OMG!! Luckily God watches out for poor defenseless creatures with idiot owners cuz we had to take her to the vet the next day and they corrected us and she wasn't hurt by it. Anyway, she will probably eat very little. I would probably wet her regular food because of the tooth extraction. If she doesn't want that offer it to her like she is used to, or try the ZP if you have it. You may even have to resort to some boiled chicken if she really pulls a diva move and won't eat. I'm just throwing out all scenerios--it is hard to tell until she gets home, but you know we will be here at that time. Praying all goes well!


Knowing my Lacey-brat, she will be a major drama queen about everything. She's already a picky eater so I can foresee a battle in the near future!



KrystalLeigh said:


> That's crazy about the microchip! Sorry she had to go through that.
> When they scanned it, did nothing except for the ID number come up? I've never had to have a chip scanned, but you would think that the company name would come up as well?


After seeing 2 different scanners, I can confirm that all that comes up is the ID number. Thanks for the tip about the pumpkin and such. The little things I should have on hand, but don't! 



missy_r said:


> 1)I would have a comfy area set up for her, with her bed, water, and a potty pad close by. Mine didn't want to walk very far the first day, so they needed a pad close to them.
> 
> 2)Neither of mine needed a cone. Penny scratched her tummy bloody because it was shaved and itchy (not the incision, just her stomach) but a cone wouldn't have done anything. I gave her Benadryl to help with the itching, but Lion didn't need anything like that.
> 
> ...


I think I'll probably end up having to give her some broken up ZP with water (because otherwise, she probably won't drink anything...she's so darn fussy about how she 'wants' things) and I'll have some canned food on hand just in case. I hope her mouth will be okay after this extraction! That baby tooth really should have been pulled years ago, but sadly, I didn't own her at the time. it's forcing the adult tooth in towards her tongue, and the tooth above came in almost flat (should be her canine, not a "laying-down" tooth).



pupluv168 said:


> Wow, I've never heard of a microchip horror story quite like yours and Lacey's. Poor girl. Sorry you both had to go through that. It is weird that the company name didn't come up. If you cannot register it, is there any harm in having the vet put another one in that is reputable and registered to you? I'm considering getting Toby chipped, but now I am more than a little scared!


I don't think I will bother doing the chip again. I'm actually wishing she didn't have one in her already. After reading up more about them online, it seems they aren't terribly useful overall, and a lot of places don't bother scanning for a chip. Some places will scan and then even if they find a chip, won't do anything about it. There are also some health risks including possible cancer-causing issues that I've heard about. The breeder I got Lacey from told me she has a good article about microchipping that she will get to me as soon as she can. I will repost it on the forum when she does!


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

Good luck with it all. Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you. Rico had a few extractions recently. I did feed him chicken and brown rice which I added water to and pulsed for a couple of seconds on a processor. I was concerned for nausea and something hard possible getting stuck in the pocket where the tooth was taken from....did this for about 2 day. He actually seemed fine after--he had pain medicine for a day and a half after.


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