Preoperative and Postoperative Care of Your Pet

No matter that the surgery is minor, each brings certain risks. It is also a mental and physical burden for the animal. I wrote down several tips how you can eliminate the risks and the burden as much as possible.

Do not forget about the thorough preoperative assessment

The aim of the preoperative assessment is to identify all the factors that could influence the anaesthesia. Therefore, it is not advisable to neglect it. The vet has to assess the general health condition of the animal, with emphasis on the function of the respiratory and circulatory system. The liver and kidneys should also be checked. They carry the largest burden of the anaesthesia (by the elimination of the anaesthetic used). The vet chooses the most appropriate type of anaesthesia according to the result of the examination. The choice can be influenced not only based on the physical condition of the dog but his mental condition as well. The vet should always tell you about all the possible risks of both the surgery and the anaesthesia.

Follow the instructions of the vet before the surgery

It is necessary to follow all instructions that were given by the vet. These in particular:

• No food before the surgery (usually about 12 – 18 hours for adult dogs). This will help to avoid the inhalation of vomit.
• The restrictions on fluid intake – according to the instructions of the veterinarian. This may vary according to the disease/injury.
• The animal should come evacuated.

Waking up after the surgery

The vet should be present when the animal wakes up and you should take your buddy home when it is fully awake. Some animals may be disoriented when waking up and may respond to this situation by escaping or aggression. There can also occur some postoperative complications when the vet will be needed. I know a person whose cat died in a car like this because he took him home before he woke up after the surgery.

Thermoregulation of the animal

During the surgery the blood pressure decreases and so the thermoregulation of the animal may not be normal for some time after the surgery. Therefore, if you take the animal home immediately after it woke up, it is not good to walk home in winter or let it wait outside for some time for example.

At home after the surgery

The animal can drink and eat after the surgery but it’s better after several hours and in moderate portions. It can sometimes happen that the patients vomit their first food or drink up. You shouldn’t force the animal to eat or drink. But on the second day after surgery it should eat and drink without vomiting. In the opposite case, contact your vet as a precaution. Of course, this regime does not apply in the case of the procedure in the digestive tract.

The care of the wound after the surgery

You should check the wound regularly and prevent the animal to lick it and to remove the stitches. The best for this purpose is a collar. Besides the usual plastic ones we all probably know well (the animal looks like a lamp with the shade upside down), you can nowadays get some that are not in a shape of cone – inflatable for example. But some do not protect the wounds on dogs’ legs so think about which option to choose before you buy it.

You can use Anti-Lick Strip plasters against licking the wounds by the animal, you have to put them near the wound. Besides other natural ingredients, they contain cayenne pepper which should reliably convince the animal not to lick the wounds.

Healing of the wound can be supported with various gels, powders and salves. But it is always necessary to consider the type of wounds and consult the vet about the suitability of the product. I got healing plasters for my dog. The wound was clean thanks to them and the substances contained in the plaster helped the recovery.

Removing the stitches

The stitches usually get removed in 7 – 10 days after the surgery if they are not self-dissolving. But those are mainly used for outdoor animals, for example for castration of alley cats that the vet lets go again after the surgery. Removing the stitches should serve as a check of the patient if he/she is okay after surgery.

You should stick to the date of removing the stitches. In the case of longer period of having the stitches, it may happen that the infection will get into the fibres of the subcutaneous tissue or there is a risk of excessive production of scars.

Pain management

In most of the cases, the painkillers are administered at the vet’s office in the form of injection right after the surgery or even when the anaesthesia still works. The pain is not helpful for recovery, quite the contrary. Therefore, I always ask the vet to prescribe the painkillers after larger surgeries. The animal should also not be put into stressful situations, it weakens the immunity.

Physical activity

It is undoubtedly necessary to adjust animal’s physical activity after the surgery. The cats should jump as little as possible. For example, after the castration there is a risk of tearing the wounds when jumping down from a higher place. The dogs should be less active in their outdoor activities. They shouldn’t jump, run too much and so on. It is always needed to adjust the physical activity individually according to the type of the surgery and the patient. After orthopaedic surgeries, there are usually more limitations.

Will you share with us your experience with undergoing surgeries? How did your pet react? Do you have any tips how to get through the recovery time?