Post-Surgery Instructions For Your Pet
Food and Water
Some temporary changes in diet, thirst, coordination, urination, bowel movements and energy are expected following general anesthesia and surgery. Reduce food and water intake tonight to ¼ to 1/3 of normal to minimize vomiting.
Activity
Your pet has had a major surgery that includes an incision with sutures that may break if they are too active. Restrict activity to short leash walks only for 14 days, and do not allow your pet to run, jump, climb stairs, or participate in any other strenuous activities.
Bathing
Do not bathe your pet for 14 days. We want to avoid getting the incision site wet to avoid complications.
Incision
Monitor the surgery incision daily for redness, swelling, or discharge and please call if any of these occur. Keep the incision dry and clean - if cleaning is necessary, use only a clean and moist cloth. Call immediately if your pet is licking or chewing the incision - Use the Elizabethan collar provided to prevent them from chewing/licking.
Pain Medications
We will provide you with pain medication for your pet when you pick them up from surgery. Start pain medication tomorrow and continue once daily until gone.
Tattoo
All pets receive a tattoo on their stomach during surgery. This is to identify the pet as having been spayed or neutered so that any veterinarian can tell that surgery has already been performed and does not need to be repeated. There is no after care needed for the tattoo.
