Instructions and precautions after a pet's surgery

Regardless of the type of surgery, the incision area should always be kept clean and dry. The pet should not be bathed or immersed in water during the 10-14 day closure time nor should they be allowed out in bad weather or muddy ground.

Weeping (seepage) from the wound isn’t that uncommon but any heavy or continuous bleeding should be reported to the veterinarian at once. This is especially true in Dobermans and Rottweillers. Both of these breeds have high instances of Von Willebraun’s Disease that inhibits the proper clotting of the blood.

The night of the surgery the pet should be placed in a warm area of the house and left alone. It will usually appear sedated or “drunk” through the evening and in this state can startle easily. When this happens, the pet can often bite without meaning, too. Keep small children away from pets immediately after surgery. Another reason for keeping the pet in the house and away from other pets or children is because they would not be able to get up or defend themselves quickly. If the neighbor’s dog is laying in wait for your cat, he would have a decided advantage over your beloved pet.

Pets need to be discouraged from licking the suture area. They can lick and pull the exterior sutures out and then proceed to work on the “under the skin” ones.

Several hours after the pet comes home and appears to be fairly awake, offer SMALL amounts of water and normal food. Never try to feed or give liquids to a pet that is semi-conscious. Many pets will be nauseous after anesthesia and throw up anything that had been given before or immediately following surgery. When this happens it is very easy for the pet to aspirate the material and possibly develop pneumonia or even choke to death.

For females that undergo a C-section, make sure to give the mother time to wake up. Keep the babies in a warm, dry area until its time. Introduce them to the mother slowly and with a CALM, quiet voice. Most will accept their offspring right away; others don’t seem to realize that the babies are theirs. Once the puppies or kittens have been placed with the mother, keep a close watch over them to make sure she doesn’t nip, bite or lay on the babies. Remember the incision area is going to be tender and the area the babies will be crawling on to nurse.

Male dogs will not have sutures after neutering but cats do. It has been found that male cats do get sutured have a much higher incidence of complications due to swelling, licking, chewing and pulling at the area. The ten to fourteen day rule stays in affect for these pets. Also, do not allow the cat to get water into the scrotal sac.

Cats that have been de-clawed will go home with bandages upon the feet. Most veterinarians will recommend taking these bandages off within six to twelve hours. It isn’t uncommon to have sticking of the bandage to the feet since the feet do tend to bleed. Some doctors may suture the feet with dissolvable sutures but some prefer the tissue glue. After the bandages come off, the cat will be very tender footed for several days. Laying around or slight limping is normal. We always recommended putting paper towels into the litter box and removing the cat litter for several days. This is because the grit, sand and dust from the litter can enter the surgical areas and cause complications.

Dog de-claws are done as a last resort for digging. There are many veterinarians that will refuse to even consider this type of surgery. For those that will do it, follow up instructions will require bandages to stay on the feet for several days. These bandages MUST be kept clean, dry and changed. In a de-claw, the last digit of each toe is removed so there is no chance of the nails regenerating. The skin above the nail is then sutured to the part right above the pad. This is leaves a dog that is in a great amount of pain for days. Danger includes dogs that habitually dug out of their fences and roamed the roads or harassed the neighbors or their livestock. For those wondering why the dog wouldn’t just be placed in another home, where would they go? Shelters don’t place diggers and changing the environment won’t break the habit.

Many veterinarians will want to remove the sutures themselves in about fourteen days. This will give them an opportunity to check the incision’s closure as well as for any serum pockets, signs of inflammation or other problems that can occur with any types of surgery. Most of the time the owner can remove the sutures but unless he or she has some type of medical background, it is highly recommended that the pet is taken in for a follow up visit. Normally these follow up visits have already been paid for so there is no excuse for not having them done.