For your dog:
Wound care
After the operation, your dog may be tempted to lick their wound, however this can slow down healing and introduce infection. We have supplied you with a buster collar which should be worn at all times, although it can be removed for feeding. Please ensure they are supervised to ensure they do not lick or chew the wound.
The wound should be checked on a daily basis for pain, swelling, or discharge (it is normal for the first 24hours to see a few drops of blood; if any more than this you should contact us for an appointment so we can check the wound). Check that the surgical site is healing well and there are no holes in the wound and that the sutures are holding.
Do not apply anything to the wound and the wound should not be cleaned unless advised to do so by a Veterinary nurse or Vet. A post op check should be booked with a Veterinary nurse 3-5 days after surgery, this is so we can check the wound is healing normally.
If external sutures are present these will be remove by the veterinary nurse between 10-14 days after surgery.
Exercise
For the first 24 hours, your dog should only be allowed out to the toilet and not walked, we advised that you use the lead in the garden to prevent running around.
After the first 2 days, you can take your dog on short lead walks, this should be continued for 7-10 days.
For the first week, extra care should be taken to prevent strain on the wound, this means that ideally your dog should be lifted in and out of the car, do not allow upstairs or on the sofa. (if difficult to keep off sofa you can lift them up and down). Care should be taken not to apply pressure to the wound when lifting.
Avoid muddy areas to keep the wound as clean as possible, and do not allow swimming. Do not book into the groomers or give a bath etc. until the wound is healed.
Feeding
Although your pet has been offered a small meal while in the hospital they can be offered another light meal tonight. This should be easily digestible such as cooked chicken and boiled rice or white fish. Alternatively, you can purchase a tin of Royal Canin Gastrointestinal food from reception.
Normal appetite should return in 24-48 hours so can be offered their normal diet the day after surgery.
For your cat:
Wound care
Licking can slow down wound healing and introduce infection, which is why we supply you with a buster collar to prevent your pet interfering with their wound. This should be worn at all times although it can be removed for feeding, but your cat should be supervised to ensure they do not lick or chew the wound.
The wound should be checked daily for pain, swelling, or discharge; it is normal for the first 24hours to see a few drops of blood but if there’s more than this you should contact us. You should check that the surgical site is healing well and that there are no holes in the wound and that the sutures are holding.
Do not apply anything to the wound and it shouldn’t be cleaned unless advised to do so by a vet or veterinary nurse.
A post op check should be booked with a veterinary nurse around 3-5 days after the surgery, this is so we can check the wound is healing as it should.
Exercise
For the first week, extra care should be taken to prevent strain on the wound. It can be difficult to prevent cats from climbing or jumping so confining them to one room with little or no chance to jump onto high surfaces will help to avoid strain on the wound.
Please do not allow your cat to go outdoors for two weeks, this allows the wound to heal fully and prevent any infection or opening the wound up through jumping or fighting.
Medication
Your pet will have had an anti-inflammatory pain relieving injection during their surgery which will last for 24 hours.
We have supplied Meticam for you to administer at home, please start this the next day as instructed at discharge. This is a liquid pain relief which should be given on a full stomach - you can put it into food or wait until they have eaten then syringe it into their mouth.
To administer use the syringe supplied, this syringe is dose per kg and you should only use the syringe provided. Meticam should only be given once a day and the doses should not be split. If your pet starts to vomit or has diarrhoea then please stop using the Meticam and call us for advice.
Feeding
Although your pet has been offered a small meal while in the hospital they can be offered another light meal tonight. This should be easily digestible such as cooked chicken and or white fish. Alternatively, you can purchase a tin of Royal Canin Gastrointestinal food from reception.
Normal appetite should return in 24-48 hours so they can be offered their normal diet the day after surgery.
Once fully recovered reduce your pet’s daily amount of food by approximately 1/4. Their metabolism will start to slow down and reducing food intake will help prevent obesity.