POST SURGERY AND RECOVERY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - DOGS

  •  No running, jumping, playing, swimming, or other strenuous activity for 7 to 10 days. Pets must be kept indoors where they can stay clean, dry and warm. No baths during the recovery period. Dogs must be walked on a leash for the next 7 to 10 days, any time they are outside. Keep pet quiet.
  • Check the incision site twice daily. Seepage, redness and swelling should be minimal. Due to normal healing and activity, a lump at the incision site is normal. Do not allow pet to lick or chew at the incision. If this occurs, to prevent the licking, an Elizabethan collar MUST be applied.
  • Lethargy, appetite loss, diarrhea, vomiting, coughing COULD occur up to 24 hours following surgery. Symptoms lasting more than 24 hours should be followed-up by contacting C-SNIP for a recheck.
  • Your pet received a green tattoo on their abdomen. This is not an incision.
  • C-SNIP will treat at our clinic, at no additional cost, other than take home post-operative medications, any complications resulting from the surgery. We cannot be held responsible for complications resulting from client’s failure to follow post-op instructions, or for contagious diseases for which the animal was not previously vaccinated.
  • Your regular veterinarian must address any illness or injury that is not a direct result of surgery.
  • Your dog has received Buprenorphine as a fast-acting pain medication for discomfort during 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 dogs, in rare instances additional pain medication is needed the day after surgery. If you find this to be the case with your dog, 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 dog 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.
  • In male dogs, particularly older males, some swelling of the scrotum is expected and normal following surgery. This swelling is sometimes delayed until your dog resumes normal activity. While a small amount of swelling is common, extreme swelling should be reported to C-SNIP.
  • The suture material used to close the incision during your dog’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.

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