Question:
I'm writing to you about my 16-month-old female American bulldog. About four weeks ago, we got her spayed. She did go through one heat cycle before that. We waited three to four months before we got her spayed. Everything went well. However, she went through two weeks of keeping still (no running or playing ball), and I think it frustrated her.The problem is that she has started to "eat" the walls. I have seen her in action. She's not digging: She wants to eat the walls. In one week, she made five large holes. The vet says we should "crate" her and keep her at close range, where we can keep an eye on her. He thinks it could be hormonal and it might last six weeks.I just can't believe this dog we've had from 6 weeks old that never touched anything besides her own toys is now doing this. I'm worried that if she has something major going on, we might be doing more harm than good by crating her and tying her up all the time. Please let us know what you think.
D.H., Manassas, Va Mar 18, 2007
Answer:
I have never heard of this kind of problem developing after spaying, and I would like to hear from other readers and veterinarians who have had similar experiences.Your dog should be fully healed after three weeks and able to engage in normal physical activities. Boredom and frustration could be responsible for her behavior. But she could also be suffering from internal complications causing pain/irritation that can make her irritable and look for things to chew up.Careful monitoring is called for, as is a blood test to rule out internal infection or cystitis.
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