POST SURGERY AND RECOVERY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - CATS

• Your cat has received Buprenorphine as a pain medication during and immediately after surgery and Meloxicam for pain control for 24 hours after surgery. Do not give over-the-counter pain medications unless directed by C-SNIP or your veterinarian. While our pain control program is very adequate for most cats, in rare instances additional pain medication is needed the day after surgery. If you find this to be the case with your cat, more medication is available by contacting C-SNIP.
• Seromas are a common occurrence at the surgery site and do not require treatment. A seroma is an accumulation of fluid at the incision area. These occur because of movement at the incision from an active cat and a normal reaction to the dissolvable sutures used to close the incision. Though seromas can resemble a hernia at the incision, the way we close incisions makes hernias extremely rare. Seromas resolve themselves over a couple of weeks and don’t require any attention. If you have questions about a possible seroma please contact C-SNIP.
• Your pet received a green tattoo on their abdomen. This is not an incision.
• In male cats, the incisions in the scrotum are not sutured and left open to heal. Some post-op seepage can be seen for 24 to 48 hours after your male cat’s surgery. Significant swelling can sometimes occur due to fluid accumulation in the scrotum and usually resolves, without treatment, within 4 days. If swelling occurs after this time please contact C-SNIP.
• The suture material used to close the incision during your female cat’s surgery is buried underneath the skin and dissolves over a period of 6-12 months. Occasionally a section of the material will appear at the surface of the incision over time. Contact C-SNIP should this happen to arrange for the material to be removed.

If there are any questions or concerns directly related to the surgery during the recovery period, please call (616) 455-8220 #2 during normal office hours, Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm.  PLEASE NOTE: C-SNIP does not have medical staff available after 4pm or all day Saturday-Sunday.  Please be proactive if you have any post-op concerns.  If you think your concern cannot wait, please contact your own vet or call Animal Emergency Hospital at (616) 361-9911, at your own cost.