Post-op Care: Surgical Discharge Instructions

Your pet’s care while they recover from surgery is crucially important to avoid complications.

Your pet has been under general anesthesia. It is important while recovering from anesthesia to keep your pet confined and warm. You may also want to keep your pet separate from other animals or small children for the first 24 hours after surgery as anesthetic drugs can alter behavior. Your pet may continue to be tired and lethargic as the anesthesia wears off. Nausea is a common side effect following surgery, so we recommend to only offer a small amount (about half a normal portion) of food and water, if there has been no vomiting. It is important to minimize your pet’s activity for the next seven to 10 days. Dogs should be allowed short, leashed bathroom walks only, and cats should remain indoors. Running, jumping and playing can disrupt the healing process and lead to complications.

Please check the incision site twice daily for excessive swelling, bruising, redness or oozing of any kind. Do not bathe your pet or put anything on the incision for one week. You may have been sent home with an Elizabethan collar to prevent your pet from licking or chewing at the incision site. It is important to keep the collar on for at least 10 to 14 days to prevent complications. The sutures used for your pet’s surgery are absorbable and should dissolve in several weeks. You do not need to have them removed unless a veterinarian has instructed you to schedule suture removal in 10 to 14 days.

A pain injection that should last for the first 24 hours was administered at the time of the surgery. If you feel additional pain medication is needed, please contact your veterinarian. Do not administer any over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or aspirin as these can be deadly.

Pets who have been sterilized

• You will notice a small green line tattooed near the incision site to indicate sterilization status. Skin glue has been applied over the tattoo site to allow the skin to heal.
• Neutered males can remain fertile for several weeks post-surgery, and females may still allow breeding for several weeks (although they can no longer get pregnant), so it is important they be separated from other non-sterilized animals for a month to prevent accidental breeding or injury.

Pets who have undergone a dental procedure

It is recommended to feed soft food the night following a dental procedure. If your pet has had tooth extractions, you may be advised to feed soft food for the next five days following the procedure. Pink tinted saliva is common after a dental procedure, but you should not see any active bleeding.

Please seek urgent care immediately if you notice any of the following

If you have any questions or concerns during the recovery period, please follow up with your general practice veterinarian for continued care. Per your signed adoption agreement, the Richmond SPCA does not warrant or guarantee a pet’s health condition and the Richmond SPCA is not responsible for any medical treatment costs incurred after adoption.

Local emergency care facilities

If you have an after-hours emergency, please contact a local emergency care facility.