Post OP Care Notes
It can be an emotional experience when your pet needs an operation and once at home, further care provided by owners is a vital part of the healing process and post operative care. Whether you plan on having your pet operated on or you already have, here are some post operative notes to help you through the recovery period.
After an operation, lots of rest and relaxation is needed so a comfy place to sleep in peace and quiet is recommended. Your dog may be wearing a buster collar - a cone-shaped collar that prevents licking - so it's a good idea to prepare your home and remove any fragile items that may be vulnerable to being knocked!
Cats should be kept indoors for 1-3 days following anaesthetic, so ensure that your home is cat escape proof!
If you are finding it difficult to care for your pet during recovery or have any concerns at all, please call us for advice.
Click on the links below for the relevant information on post operative care:
Kittens
Looking After your Puppy
Pregnancy, Labour & Problems
Post Op Care Notes
Special Offers
Veterinary Nurse Clinics
Pet Insurance
Laparoscopic (Keyhole) Bitch Spays
TTA Surgery
End Of Life
Repeat Prescriptions
General Post Operative Care
Your pet has had a general anaesthetic so should be given a light diet as recommended by the veterinary nurse. Small amounts of water should be offered. Should your pet vomit then withhold food for 12 hours and offer water little and often. If vomiting continues after that please ring for advice.
StitchesEvidence of a general anaesthetic is a shave mark, usually on the right foreleg. Stitches (sutures) will either be of the dissolving kind or will have to be removed 10 – 14 days after the operation. The nurse will inform you which type have been used and when to come back if necessary. There is no charge for removing stitches.
It is most important that when an abdominal operation has been performed that your pet must not be allowed to run, jump, stretch or become excited until the wound has healed. We recommend restricted exercise - literally no walks - just outside, on a lead, to urinate and defecate as necessary for at least 10 days or until the stitches are removed.
Buster CollarIf your pet is sent home with a buster collar we recommend wearing this at all times until the wound has healed.
Post Op SwellingFrequently, particularly when large tumours have been removed, the dead space remaining under the skin will fill up with serum, due to the continual movement of the animal. This is seen as a fluctuating swelling and is best left alone unless it becomes excessive. Please ring for advice.
Most routine operation patients recover uneventfully so there will be no further charge after the initial payment. However, due to the unpredictability of living tissue, coupled with the animal’s natural instinct to clean its wounds and occasionally take out its own stitches, further work may become necessary which is chargeable.
Castrate Cat Post Operative Care
After a general anaesthetic your cat should be given a light diet as recommended by the veterinary nurse. Small amounts of water should be offered. Should your cat vomit then withhold food for 12 hours and offer water little and often. If vomiting continues after that please ring us for advice. Evidence of a general anaesthetic is a shave mark, usually on the right foreleg.There are no stitches (sutures) to be removed.
Please keep your cat indoors for 2 – 3 days.
Use ripped up newspaper in the litter tray rather than the usual litter or grit to stop contamination of the wound. Do this for 2 – 3 days.
Ongoing CareNeutering might make animals more prone to gaining weight as it may slow down their metabolism, meaning they do not require so much energy on a daily basis. We would recommend that you reduce food intake by about 10%, on a long term basis, to avoid future obesity problems.
We advise regular weighing of your pet to ensure they remain within a healthy weight range. You are welcome to pop into any of our surgeries to weigh your pet. If you have any concerns over your pet's weight, please feel free to speak to one of our nurses for advice.
Please be aware that your cat may remain fertile for up to six weeks after castration.
Castrate Dog Post Operative Care
Diet
After a general anaesthetic, your dog should be given a light diet as recommended by the veterinary nurse. Small amounts of water should be offered. Should your dog vomit then withhold food for 12 hours and offer water little and often. If vomiting continues after that please ring for advice. Evidence of a general anaesthetic is a shave mark, usually on the right foreleg.
Stitches
The stitches (sutures) used are dissolvable and do not require removal. Please monitor the wound for any excessive redness, swelling or discharge. Please contact us for advice if you have any concerns.
Exercise
Due to the position of the wound we recommend that exercise is restricted – literally no walks – just outside to urinate and defecate as necessary for at least 10 days or until the stitches have been removed. Should any swelling occur around the wound please ring the surgery for advice.
Buster Collar
If your pet is sent home with a buster collar we recommend wearing this at all times until the wound has healed. Please bear in mind that no buster collar can provide 100% protection and will need careful monitoring to ensure it does not become loose, damaged or undone. If your pet is sent home with a medical pet-shirt this must be rolled forward to allow your pet to urinate/defecate. Please note these pet shirts can also be placed in a washing machine at 40oC.
Most routine operation patients recover uneventfully so there will be no further charge after the initial payment. However, due to the unpredictability of living tissue, coupled with the animal’s natural instinct to clean its wounds and occasionally take out its own stitches, further work may become necessary for which there will be a charge.
Ongoing Care
Neutering might make animals more prone to gaining weight as it may slow down their metabolism, meaning they do not require so much energy on a daily basis. We would recommend that you reduce food intake by about 10%, on a long term basis, to avoid future obesity problems. We advise regular weighing of your pet to ensure they remain within a healthy weight range. You are welcome to pop into any of our surgeries to weigh your pet. If you have any concerns over your pets weight, please feel free to speak to one of our nurses for advice.
Please be aware that your dog may remain fertile for up to six weeks after castration.
Spay Cat Post Operative Care
Your pet has had a general anaesthetic so should be given a light diet as recommended by the veterinary nurse. Small amounts of water should be offered. Should your pet vomit then withhold food for 12 hours and offer water little and often. If vomiting continues after that please ring for advice.
StitchesEvidence of a general anaesthetic is a shave mark, usually on the right foreleg.Usually there are no stitches (sutures) to be removed. If stitches have been used they will either be of the dissolving kind or will have to be removed 10 – 14 days after the operation. The nurse will inform you which type if any have been used and when to come back if necessary. There is no charge for removing stitches.
Rest & RelaxationIt is most important that when an abdominal operation has been performed the patient is kept as quiet as possible. We recommend that you keep your pet indoors for at least 10 days until the wound has healed or until the stitches have been removed. Your pet will be sent home with a buster collar on - we recommend wearing this at all times until the wound has healed.
Most routine operation patients recover uneventfully so there will be no further charge after the initial payment. However, due to the unpredictability of living tissue, coupled with the animal’s natural instinct to clean its wounds and occasionally take out its own stitches, further work may become necessary which is chargeable.
Spay Bitch Post Operative Care
Your pet has had a general anaesthetic so should be given a light diet as recommended by the veterinary nurse. Small amounts of water should be offered. Should your pet vomit then withhold food for 12 hours and offer water little and often. If vomiting continues after that please ring for advice.
StitchesEvidence of a general anaesthetic is a shave mark, usually on the right foreleg. The stitches (sutures) are dissolvable and do not require removal. Please monitor the wound for any excessive redness, swelling or discharge. Please contact us for advice if you have any concerns.
Restricted ExerciseIt is most important that when an abdominal operation has been performed that your pet must not be allowed to run, jump, stretch or become excited until the wound has healed. We recommend restricted exercise - literally no walks - just outside, on a lead, to urinate and defecate as necessary for at least 10 days or until the stitches are removed.
Buster CollarIf your pet is sent home with a buster collar or medi-shirt we recommend wearing this at all times until the wound has healed. Please bear in mind that no buster collar can provide 100% protection and will need careful monitoring to ensure it does not become loose, damaged or undone. If your pet is sent home with a medical pet-shirt this must be rolled forward to allow your pet to urinate/defecate. Please note these pet shirts can also be placed in a washing machine at 40oC.
Most routine operation patients recover uneventfully so there will be no further charge after the initial payment. However, due to the unpredictability of living tissue, coupled with the animal’s natural instinct to clean its wounds and occasionally take out its own stitches, further work may become necessary for which there is a charge.
Dental Post Operative Care
Your pet has had a general anaesthetic so should be given a light diet as recommended by the veterinary nurse. Small amounts of water should be offered. Should your pet vomit then withhold food for 12 hours and offer water little and often. If vomiting continues after that please ring for advice.
Evidence of a general anaesthetic is a shave mark, usually on the right foreleg. As there has been treatment to your pet’s mouth there may be some discomfort while eating for a few days. To avoid any unnecessary pain or discomfort please avoid feeding hard food for 5 – 7 days until the mouth has had time to heal.
Ongoing CareFor any further information on how to clean your pet’s teeth in the future or to discuss any other dental matters please feel free to book an appointment with one of our veterinary nurses.
Rabbit Post Operative Care
As your rabbit has had a general anaesthetic please keep him/her warm on the journey home. If your rabbit normally lives outdoors you will need to bring the hutch or a suitable alternative inside and place in a warm quiet room.If your rabbit has had surgery please remove any straw or dust bedding from the hutch and replace with layers of clean newspaper. Keep your rabbit inside for at least 24 hours.
It is quite common for a rabbit to appear groggy for a few hours after a general anaesthetic and it may sleep longer and more deeply than normal and may be a little unsteady on its feet.
DietProvide water and tempting food, e.g. fresh greens and carrots to get your rabbit eating as soon as possible. If your rabbit has not eaten for 24 hours after surgery then please telephone us for advice.
StitchesIf your rabbit has a surgical wound and has stitches (sutures) they will either be of the dissolving kind or will have to be removed 10 – 14 days after the operation. The nurse will inform you which type has been used and when to come back if necessary. There is no charge for removing stitches. It is important that you carefully inspect the wound regularly to check that the stitches haven’t come out or the wound has split. Be careful of fly strike or maggots in the warm humid months.
If any of the above has occurred please call us immediately.