I think you might want to call your vet just to be sure it's not getting infected. You can also possibly get some more pain pills so it's not so uncomfortable. Above all, try to keep him from licking it, not a good thing. If you must, get an elizabethan collar (looks like a lampshade that they wear around the neck). I hope he's better soon.

Jack

I went through this with Edgar last year, private message me and I can give you all the gross details and tell you what worked for him. More than anything I would suggest doing whatever possible to keep an E-Collar on him.

...but watching this tread close because I'll be in the same shoes soon with Barnum and Bailey. It would benefit me greatly if you continue to share Popper's (and your) expierence.

i've seen those collars that are just thick so they can't bend their neck around instead of that darn lampshade! they hit it on everything. you could probably order one from fosters and smith or in the company of dogs.
laura
Laura, Lucy, and B

Thanks for everyone's advice...I've pm'd eather, as well. :)

Here's a couple of pictures...the swelling has actually gone down a bit since this morning, but he's still not happy.

Excuse my floors. :)

He likes to eat from the little dogs bowl.

Words just did not descibe just how swollen they get! WOW! Ok, now I'll be prepared for my boys when it is their turn. Bless his tender.......boy parts.

Ok if it makes you feel any better that's nothing compared to the horror I witnessed when Edgar's swelled. It was literally the size of a giant grapefruit. Cool and warm compresses helped a lot. Getting him in the tub and just spraying them with low pressure tepid water also seemed to help. I'll try to find the pic of Edgar's so you can compare ;)

Guys.... so glad to see this as well. I just adopted a Dane from the high kill shelter in the next town. I just couldn't see the poor boy be put down. He is such a wonderful love. But.. they require that he be neutered before he come home... I talked them into letting me take him and fatten him up a bit (he was only 105 lbs with practically every bone showing).. and get him neutered within 10 days....

So here is the story... Dozer came home Saturday the 12th... Gained some weight.. vet said it was ok to neuter him.. he had put on enough weight. Had Neuter appointment for Monday the 21nd... Vet kept him that night.. called me Tuesday.. he was so swollen vet didn't want him to come home.. kept him another night... picked him up Wednesday the 23rd.. He was still horribly swollen, but vet thought he would relax better at home. Yesterday.. the swelling was the size of a softball. Today.. swelling is the size of a grapefruit. I've been putting cold compresses on it... and going for walks (Vet always told me to walk the horses at least 30 minutes a day when they were gelded.. hoping the same thing fits here). Any other ideas. He doesn't seem to uncomfortable.. isn't licking it.. but.. I feel like I either need to take him back to the vet tomorrow.. or come up with something else to try. We already have a checkup for him on Monday as well.

Heather, Koda (cattle dog mix), Tonks (Dane mix) and the NEW and BELOVED Dane "Dozer"
and the rambling ferret face

....was a HUGE help to me. We talked on the phone about her Edgar and I realized Popper really wasn't so bad off. His swelling has gone down alot since these pictures were taken. Sounds like you could benefit from her wisdom, as well. :)

~Christi

Thank you Christi...

I left Eather a PM as well... and apologized for doing it. I just hate seeing Dozer looking this uncomfortable.. even if he isn't acting like it is bothering him.

I think he is going to be a lazy Dane... he has his bed in front of the AC and he "dozes" on it all day long. I work at home, and sometimes have to go pick up a foot or flop an ear to make sure he is still "breathing" he sleeps so much. Of course.. he doesn't let me forget to give him his breakfast, lunch, or dinner on time! Does your Dane do the "HAPPY DANCE" whenever food is getting dished out?

Heather, Koda (cattle dog mix), Tonks (Dane mix), and the NEW and BEAUTIFUL Dozer (Dane rescue)
and the rambling ferret face

Not so much a happy dance, but he has his nose (literally) in every step of feeding time. He puts his head down in the food bin to watch me scoop it out, then follows the scoop to his bowl...but he doesn't eat yet. He has to make sure I'm giving the little dogs enough, too......so he can have the leftovers. :)

~Christi

As most of you have noticed, swelling in common. In severe cases, they can put them on an anti inflammatory. For most of us that have been fostering long enough, we have some pretty gross stories especially in the neuter area!!! Two cases stick out with me. One was Hemi. Hemi came in hit by a truck ( hence Hemi) had sarcoptic mange (which is contagious but I did not know that so my dogs and MYSELF got this!!!) heart worm positive, and due to the horrific injuries, we were not able to do surgery. So he was on 14 weeks of crate rest at my house. I would crawl into his crate and hang out. Watch TV etc. I went out of town right after his neuter. Geoff calls me and ask if they did the neuter because he was larger than before. I laughed and said yes. Got home the next day and he could barely walk, sit etc. he had a lot of bruising and swelling. A couple of days of anti inflammatory and TLC with warm/cold compresses and he was good.

Scary though. I think it hurt me more than it did him sometimes. In the "old days" castration would remove the testes and scrotum. In order to have an easier surgery and recovery, they just remove the testes, causing the scrotum to fill with fluid and swell. As horrible as it looks for a couple of days and then it may take weeks to really go all the way down, it is easier on them they way vets do it today.

I am sure if cassie jumps on here she can add her wealth of knowledge about that!!

All I can say, if you have come to the right place to get support!!! Danes are a giant breed and with that comes giant castrations!!! :) We talk about all sorts of good stuff on here!!! hee hee

hh

Well I broke down and took Dozer back to the vet yesterday. He was getting to the point that he was like a very large grapefruit and I was feeling lumpy things in it.. The compresses hadn't made a dent and it was still swelling.

The doc opened him back up and took out a BUNCH of blood clots that were collecting in his scrotum (The hand motion was of a bowl 7" across) and rechecked his internal stitches ( I think that is what he said). Dozer's swelling has now started to recede. He is larger than an orange, but smaller than a grapefruit now, and the Doc assures me that now things should be fine. I"ll just have to keep doing the warm and cold compresses to relieve the tissue swelling. We have another appointment in 10 days.

Thank you all so much for your assistance. This is a wonderful resource for us "mom's".

Heather, Koda (cattle dog mix), Tonks (Dane mix) and Dozer
and the rambling ferret face

That sounds pretty bad, probably a good thing you took him in. It looks so painful for them, I wish there was an easier way. Hope he's feeling better soon.

Heather T.

This morning sometime between our 8am constiturional, breakfast, and waking up from our nap at 9:30 Dozer had lost, eaten, licked off.. etc. a couple of his stiches. So.. back to the vet we went. Of course we had to go to the main clinic 30 miles away (our local satellite clinic is closed on weekends).

Dozer is now sporting a series of metal staples and an e-collar. Looking totally "T'd" at me.. and I'm sure thinking the only place that I know how to drive to in the car is a Vet's office as that has been where our last 3 rides have ended up!

Heather, Koda (cattle dog mix), Tonks (Dane mix)
and the rambling ferret face

For what its worth........our Charlie Brown was nutered and had internal bleeding that would not stop. It was bad enough
that the vet had to do surgery again. Charlie swelled a bit more than the one in your pics.....but if its resolved itself perhaps the bleeding stopped on its own.

I know it can't be comfortable for him........glad to hear he's better.

Part of Charlie's problem was being three legged put a lot more stress because of his very rough hopping.

He's your new money pit. Edgar is mine, he is the one that has the all the medical issues and Caoihme (my girl) is NEVER sick. My friend has a cat that was at the vet for 9 weekends in a row!! He cut his throat on something and the wound just would not heal. After weeks of bandaging and stapling etc... finally it closed; I felt lucky that none of mine have ever had anything ongoing like that before.
Hopefully Dozer will be on his best behavior and stay away from those stitches, maybe he's tired of going to the vet now ;)

Well.. Since I can't afford too many money pits.. I've decided to sell off the last of my horse herd. Also means I can ditch the full size truck and 24' long trailer. I figure it will save me over 400$ a month alone just in horse feed and insurance fees! Now.. hopefully Dozer will be nice to me and once we have his heartworm treated in a few months (we are waiting on a bit more weight gain, and obviously the neuter surgery to get completely healed) Dozer won't be spending quite that much money for me every month.

Heather, Koda (cattle dog mix), Tonks (Dane mix), and Dozer (the Dane money pit!)
and the rambling ferret face