Post Surgical Instructions & Information

1. Make sure that your pet is in a comfortable and supportive place tonight and tomorrow. They will most likely be drowsy/sleepy until at least tomorrow; don’t worry, that is normal for a patient that has recently been under anesthesia.

2. You may feed your pet tonight, however, due to nausea associated with anesthesia recommend you follow a slightly altered feeding schedule. Give your pet some water, and if they do well with that after 2 hours you can give them about ¼-½ the amount of their normal food. If they keep it down through the night, you may return to the normal feeding schedule tomorrow.

3. Please restrain your pet from hyperactive movements like running or jumping for the fi rst10-14 days. The less movement that disrupts the suturing (stitches), the fewer possible complications.

4. The cone or e-collar does need to be on for 10-14 days after the procedure to ensure that they cannot lick or bite at the incision, which could lead to delayed healing. When you are with your pet and they are not licking at it, the cone does not need to be on; the same goes for eating and drinking. However, if you see them licking at it, or you are not home or not able to vigilantly watch your pet, please put the cone on.

5. The medication we gave you will keep your pet comfortable, as well as prevent infection and swelling. Please give your pet the medication as instructed for the entirety of its prescribed length of time. Please give these medications with food.

6. Your pet may have a bandage on one of their front legs from their catheter or an injection. Please remove this in 1 hour.

7. Every surgery has a different process. Please see below for instructions that apply to the procedure your pet had today.

• The surgical incision has internal suturing which you should not see. For this reason, there is no need to return for suture removal. The incision should heal completely on its own and the sutures will dissolve. If at any point you notice redness, swelling, discharge, or an odd smell, please contact us.
• Your pet has some external sutures on the incision. Please return in 10-14 days for a recheck so we can remove the suture properly.
• Your pet’s procedure did not require any suturing. If your pet got a dental cleaning their mouth may be sensitive for the next few days. If you feed your pet hard kibble, soak it in water until it’s soft, or give your pet wet canned food.

Thank you for trusting us with your pet today. As long as you follow these instructions, your pet should fully recover from their surgical procedure safely. Please do not hesitate to give us a call with any questions or concerns about your pet, the procedure, the medication or the healing; our phone number is (714) 692-8228 and our email is [email protected]