We just had our female dog...

Question
We just had our female dog fixed to prevent pregnancy etc.My question is
about the sutures they use.
How strong are they ?
How much activity and or straining would it take to pull them loose ?
How careful do we really need to be with regards to limiting our dogs
activity.

The instruction sheet from our vet says,no running whatsoever,no jumping
up and down from furniture,no chasing/running and no Dog park activity.
She is a female Dalmation mix so following the vets instructions is near
impossible.We are doing the best we can to confine her activitys,but the
vet wants us to do this for 10 days."Help"
Any suggestions ?
How strong are these stitches or is the vet just wanting us to be extra
careful to cover his butt.


Answer
Usually there are several layers of stitches. The ones below the skin are absorbable and break down slowly.  If the right size is used, these sutures are pretty strong for the first 2 weeks and then they weaken as they dissolve.  The skin sutures are very strong.  If there is excessive movement of the skin along the suture line, the stitches will dig into the swollen skin.  That is why it is important to keep the dog as inactive as possible.  You will have to pay to have the dog restitched if she breaks down the sutures from too much activity.