Check the incision. For the next 10 days, check your pet’s incision twice a day. All cats and female dogs will also have a tattoo on their abdomen, while male dogs will have a tattoo next to their penis. When checking the incision, look for redness, swelling, bruising, discharge, or bad smells. While healing begins immediately, you should watch your pet very closely the day of and the days immediately following surgery. The pictures below show a regular incision. Please compare the photos to your animal to check their healing progress.

Note: If your pet had an uncommon surgery, like larger incisions for pregnancy, uterine infection, or undescended testicle, it will be in the visit summary notes for your pet, and the healing will look different.

The small tattoo next to your animal’s belly button indicates your pet has been spayed. The tattoo should also heal similarly to those seen in the images.

No Licking! For the next 10 days, your pet should not lick, chew, scratch, or rub at their incision. Doing so could cause infection or open the incision. All dogs go home with an e-collar – or Cone of Shame – to wear around their necks to prevent them accessing the surgery site. We also encourage an e-collar for cats,. E-collars should be worn for the entire 10 day recovery period.

Keep it Dry. For the next 10 days, your pet needs to stay dry. Water can cause the incision to reopen, and can increase the risk of infection. No baths or playing in water, and no lotions or ointments 

Incisions on Males are Left Open. Incisions on male animals are purposefully left open to allow for draining, which is part of a healthy healing process after neutering. Swelling and some red discharge is normal. If you see any bright red blood, that is a sign that your pet should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Separate animals. Females should be kept separated from intact males for a minimum of 10 days after surgery. If a male were to try to mount her, she could get hurt. She has had a full hysterectomy and needs time to heal.

Feed a Simple Diet. Due to the medications your pet received today, they may have an upset stomach during the first 24 hours after surgery. They received a small snack after surgery. When you get home, please feed them half of their normal dinner serving. Wait a few hours, and if they keep that down, give them the other half. If all has gone well with their dinner, they can return to their normal feeding schedule.Your pet should not eat  anything out of their normal diet  for the next 10 days. Please do not feed them table scraps, junk food, special treats, or milk. Ensure that your pet has access to clean drinking water at all times.

Restrict Activity. For the next 10 days, your pet needs to be restricted in their activity. Their body needs time to heal and movement restrictions help the incision stay closed. To help your pet heal, they need to be confined to a small space – like a crate or a bathroom – when they are not being supervised. Don’t allow them to jump onto furniture or run unrestrained. Dogs should be taken out  on a leash, and cats should not be allowed to climb on a tower. 

Because your pet has been released to your care on the same day as their surgery, they still have sedation medication in their system. Your pet may be tired, less active than normal, uncoordinated due to anesthesia, or may behave differently than normal. If their behavior does not return to normal in the next 24 hours, please call the closest 24-hour emergency veterinarian.

No Human Medication! It’s very easy to overdose a pet on human medication, so please do not give your pet anything that is not prescribed by your veterinarian. All patients receive pain medication at the time of surgery. Our team reviewed our veterinarina’s post-surgery pain medication protocol with you when you pick up your pet.

Emergency Veterinary Care Contact your closest 24-hour emergency veterinarian immediately if you notice: pale gums, vomiting, watery or bloody diarrhea, heavy discharge or bleeding from the incision, difficulty with urination or bowel movements, or difficulty breathing. Should your pet need to visit an emergency veterinarian within 10 days of surgery due to surgical complications, please reach out to us as we may be able to help offset those costs.

Please reach out to our team with non-emergency questions or concerns post surgery. We are open Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. We can be reached by phone at 828-505-3440 ext 111 or by email at MobileClinic@bwar.org and try to return messages in 72 hours. Thank you for entrusting us with the care of your pet!