Lady and the Vet

So Lady just got back from an over-night visit to the vet. She's just past 6 months old, so it was time to get her spayed. I took a picture of the stitches on her stomach, but then I decided that was weird, so here's a picture of her from right after we got home:

She has pain medication we're supposed to give her and no cone for her head. Apparently that isn't done for this kind of procedure anymore. I, for one, was kinda bummed. All my life my friends had puppies that got spayed or neutered and they came home with "the cone of shame". I didn't want my dog to suffer, don't get me wrong, but I thought it would make for a cute picture, and I was made to believe it was necessary so they didn't rip out their stitches.

She can reach them to lick them. How sure are we that she's not just going to take them out tonight when we're asleep and she's bored? I know I'm crazy, but I worry about these things.
Anyway, she's home, she's fine, and she's super sleepy.