Post-Operative Care

Post-Operative Care Instructions

What to Do After Surgery

· No Exercise: Avoid exercise (jumping/running etc) for your pet for 7-10 days post operatively. This may require confinement in a crate or small room. If a cat or small dog is confined to a bathroom, be certain the toilet seat is down the first night to avoid drowning. Dogs should be walked on a leash rather than allowed freedom in the yard.

· Keep Inside: Dirt and flies create post-operative problems. House feral cats in a climate controlled area in traps for a minimum of 2 days (1 week preferred). Keep dogs and tame cats indoors for 1 week.

· Keep Warm: Provide towels for cats to lie down on. Keep dogs warm with blankets. Avoid heating pads.

· When to Give Food and Water: Water can be provided immediately. Use a shallow pan for water for cats for 24 hours after surgery. Provided your pet has not been vomiting, you can feed a small amount of canned pet food or finely chopped/ blended bland human food (like cooked chicken and rice) when you get home from the clinic. If that stays down, several additional small meals can be fed at hourly intervals. Total food intake for the evening should be no more than what you would feed for an evening meal on a normal night. Resume normal feeding the morning after surgery. If you did not purchase extra pain relief medications, do not be alarmed if your pet does not eat the first day or two. Pet’s on pain relief medications generally eat well immediately. Please contact us if that is not the case.

· Pain Relief Medications: Your pet’s pain relief injection will last about 6 hours. If you purchased pain relief medications at the clinic, please give as directed on the label. Do not give over-the-counter products without consulting a veterinarian. Some are toxic to pets and all decrease clotting abilities.

· Litter Pans: Use shredded paper, a product called “Yesterday’s News,” or absorbent crystal cat litter in order to avoid dust in the incision for 3-7 days. This is most important for male cats as there are no sutures in males.

· No Baths: Do not bathe your pet for 10 days after surgery.

· E-Collar: If you are using an e-collar, keep it on for 7-10 days.

What to Expect After Surgery

· Cats are mildly sleepy and wobbly for the first evening but generally resume normal activity by the following morning. Cats that are acting overly excitable (running into things, circling and banging around) should be housed in carriers until they are normal. This may take 36 hours.

· Dogs are wobbly for up to 24 hours. Sluggishness improves gradually to a normal activity level over 1-3 days.

· Your pet should be willing to move around and should be easily roused from sleep.

· Shivering is common, especially in dogs, for 6-12 hours.

· Eyes appear watery or film covered from a protective lubricant.

· Pets often drool for up to 12 hours due to the anesthetic agents.

· Occasional vomiting occurs for 12-24 hours in some pets. Seek medical attention if vomiting is severe.

· A few drops of blood from the surgical area occur in some pets during the first night. If combined with excessive lethargy (sleepiness) or if blood loss is more than a few drops, seek veterinary advice.

· Males can develop fluid accumulation in the scrotum making it appear as though they still have testicles. This swelling can get as large as 2 times the size their testicles had been. This resolves over 1-6 weeks.

· Mild swelling or redness can occur at the site of the incision and last up to 7 days.

· A non-painful lump can occur near the incision up to 2 weeks after surgery. Provided your pet continues to behave normally and the lump does not disappear when pressed gently, this is a seroma (an accumulation of fluid) and will resolve without treatment within 3-6 weeks.

· Sutures are absorbable but the process takes up to 3 months. Do not be concerned with lingering stitches unless there is pain when touched or discharge (pus) around them. There are not stitches in male cats. There are no stitches in young male puppies.

· Licking of the surgical site can occur (especially in male dogs) and should be avoided with an e-collar. These are available at our clinic or at PetsMart. Pets can remove sutures and cause infections by licking.

· There is sometimes a small (less than 1/8 inch high) protrusion of pinkish colored tissue extending the length of the incision. This is the inside layer of the skin and is not a problem.

What Requires Veterinary Care After Surgery

If you see the following signs or if you have other concerns that are not explained in “What to Expect After Surgery,” contact Ace of Spays, LLC (see below) or your local veterinarian. Where it says immediate consultation or care is required, keep making phone calls until you make human contact. This may require contacting an emergency clinic (some are listed below).

· A “lump” near the incision that disappears when pushed on, or that is accompanied by poor appetite or other signs of illness. Immediate consultation with a veterinarian required.

· Anything protruding from the incision other than a small (less than 1/8 inch high) line of pinkish tissue. Immediate consultation required.

· Bleeding or discharge from the vaginal area at any point after surgery (can start as long as 2 weeks after surgery). Immediate veterinary consult required for blood. Consultation within 24 hours for other discharge.

· Though mild bleeding from the incision (a few drops of blood here and there the night of surgery) occasionally occurs, more significant bleeding can be a sign of problems. Compare your pet’s gum color to how it looked before surgery. Immediate consultation with a veterinarian required.

· Moderate to severe lethargy (sleepiness) especially if accompanied by very pale pink or white gums can indicate internal bleeding even if there is no outward sign of bleeding. Immediate consultation required.

· Severe swelling (over 3 times the size the testicles had been) of the scrotum of male dogs that occurs within 24 hours of surgery. Check gum color. Immediate consultation recommended.

· Decreased appetite or activity level that lasts more than 2 days requires a phone consult within a day.

· Missing sutures (other than in male cats and young male puppies, who never had any). This can wait a day in any male dog and in female cats or dogs that still have internal stitches. Use an e-collar in the meantime…purchase at pet store.

· Skin discoloration or pus around the incision requires treatment within a day or two.

· A greenish hue or a moist reddish coating indicates your pet has been licking when you are not watching. Get an e-collar and seek veterinary care within a day or two.

· A painful swelling near the incision can be the sign of an infection/abscess requiring attention within a day.

Reaching Ace of Spays, LLC for Post-Operative Questions

Please read “What to Expect After Surgery” before calling. For non-emergency questions, leave a message at (609) 267-6770 or send an e-mail to aceofspays@comcast.net. For greater concerns only, call Dr. Cobb on her cell phone at (609) 519-0789 between 9AM and 8 PM. She may offer to meet you in Hainesport or she may refer you to an emergency clinic. Regardless, you are responsible for all post-operative care. If it is between 8 PM and 9AM, or if Dr. Cobb does not answer, and you believe your pet needs attention within a day, please contact your local veterinarian or an emergency clinic such as one of those listed below. Please also leave a message at (609) 267-6770.

Who to Call for an Emergency

All post-operative care is at the pet owner’s expense. Some emergency clinics are listed below. Please also let us know about any problems.

SJES University of Pennsylvania Animal Emergency Mt Laurel Emergency Dr. Kazam

Linwood, NJ Philadelphia, PA Langhorn, PA Mt Laurel, NJ Vineland, N

(609) 926-5300 (215) 898-4685 (215) 750-2774 (856) 234-7626 (856) 691-7903

THE LEAST EXPENSIVE

OPTION AS THIS IS NOT

AN EMERGENCY CLINIC

BUT RATHER A VET OFFICE

OPEN EVENINGS/WEEKENDS