Post-Operative Care
Emergency: Please text Karen (254) 715 2815 or Lori (469) 855-3647 are your designated contacts for surgery-related questions during your pet’s 7-10 day recovery. Texting with photos is encouraged. You may also want to contact a local emergency veterinarian.
Activity: Take care not to put pressure on the incision as you lift your dog into and out of the car. Jumping could tear internal sutures. Let us know if you need help loading your pet. Keep your pet from romping, running, and jumping for 7 days while incision tissues mend. Dogs should be leash-walked only, and cats kept indoors (with the exception of unsocialized, outdoor cats which should be released the morning after surgery).
Environment: Your pet had major surgery. Keep your pet quiet in an indoor area (bathroom/laundry) while anesthesia wears off over the next 12-18 hours. Pets must be kept calm, warm and clean (but no baths). Care during the next 7 days is the key to a smooth recovery.
Pain Medication Dogs: Your dog has been given a pain injection today that will last until morning. Begin post-op pain medication the morning after surgery after breakfast. If your pet doesn’t want breakfast, give the first dose anyway. It is important to continue and finish the pain medicine as directed to prevent pain at the incision site. Failure to give pain medication encourages incision licking and delays healing. DO NOT give human pain medications (Ibuprofen, NSAIDs, Aspirin, Midol, Tylenol, Aleve etc.) These may be toxic.
Pain Medication for Cats: Extended-release (over 3 days) medication was given to your cat at the time of surgery.
Incision: The veterinarian recommends a protective head cone to be worn for 7 days to prevent your dog from licking and chewing the incision site. A small green ½” line tattoo near the incision signifies that your pet has been spayed/neutered. Check tattoo and the surgery incision carefully each day. Text us at the number above if you see swelling, redness or drainage. Remember that the incision should not get wet (from baths, pools or ponds) for one week after surgery.
Small Amounts of Food & Water At a Time: No gorging. No new foods. Offer your pet only ¼ of a normal meal around 6:00 tonight along with ½ cup of water. Repeated water is encouraged, but only ½ cup at a time. Appetite will return to normal during the first 24 hours after surgery. When this happens, resume the type and amount of food/treats that your pet normally receives. Repeated water is encouraged, but only ½ cup at a time. Appetite will return to normal during the first 24 hours after surgery. When this happens, resume the type and amount of food/treats that your pet normally receives.
Females in-heat or pregnant at the time of surgery may continue to attract males for up to 10 days. During this time, attempted breeding may cause internal bleeding. Females may also have a small amount of blood in the urine for 3-4 days after surgery. A male is capable of impregnating an unspayed female up to 3 days after he is neutered.
We provide you with these recommendations to avoid an expensive and painful post-op veterinary visit. The cost of any emergency visit is your responsibility. We cannot be held responsible for complications resulting from failure to follow our post-operative instructions. We are happy to examine your pet’s incision at no charge, though costs of re-suturing or antibiotics are your responsibility.
We are thrilled to provide quality care for your pet. We expect you’ve had an excellent experience and hope you will consider a donation to Fix West Texas, as you are able. Fix West Texas relies on your support to help ensure pets in need have access to affordable, preventive pet care.
Positive feedback and suggestions for improvement are important to our caring staff; please feel free to email us at re**********@fi**********.org. Post a review of your experience and a photograph of your pet on our Facebook page. We are grateful for your friendship and support. We are committed to being here for you and your pet's wellness needs.
