# After care for spay and neutering



## Coco (Jul 27, 2011)

Hello there,
I have been reading a lot of information about spaying, care of puppy after spaying, and what to expect.

All the preparing for the January ‘spay’ day, I was feeling nervous but ok about the spaying, as it is such an intrusive surgery. However, the planned spay day will not happen– an unexpected emergency surgery offer an opportunity … “she is under, spay?’.

Prior to the decision, Coco was running in a protected, safe & supervised area with another very active V. To Coco’s disappointment and my horror :'( , the play date ended abruptly when she cut her paw open – very deep. And boy do paws BLEED!!!!! 

She had surgery yesterday morning, initially to stitch her paw and put on a soft cast. So sad. We decided to have the spay procedure completed at the same time since Coco was undergoing surgery for her paw & no weight bearing on her paw for one week. :-[

So here is some information that I found on line that helped me. 

Expect the Dog to Be Drowsy With Poor Balance After Surgery and Anesthesia[/color]

In order to be spayed or neutered, a dog must go under general anesthesia, which means they’re unconscious during the operation. Most dogs will feel effects from the anesthesia until the following morning.
So when you pick up your dog from the veterinarian after a spay or neuter surgery, expect the following:
The dog will be drowsy and he/she will likely sleep much more than normal for the 18-24 hours following surgery.

Help the Dog In and Out of the Car
The dog may have poor balance. This will make climbing stairs or getting in and out of the care more difficult than usual, so be ready to assist.
Do not allow the dog to jump in an out of the car. Sudden movements can damage the dog’s stitches and cause serious pain. Lift the dog in and out of the car by wrapping your arms around the dog’s chest/front legs and rear/back legs – similar to the way you’d lift a sheep or goat. If possible, pick the dog up in a sedan or other low-to-the-ground car rather than an SUV, truck or minivan.

The Dog Will Have Little or No Appetite After Surgery
The dog will have a poor appetite. Anesthesia tends to make dogs experience nausea, so the dog may not want to eat when he gets home after surgery. Since the dog has not eaten since the previous day, this also means that stomach acids will have accumulated in the dog’s stomach. This can upset the lining of the stomach, also causing some nausea.
Offer bland homemade dog food. To encourage the dog to eat, while preventing an upset stomach, offer some plain white rice with plain, skinless chicken or boiled hamburger meat (with the fat strained away). This will be easy on the dog’s stomach. Do not offer a full size meal. Offer a smaller than usual meal – about 1/2 to 2/3 of the dog’s normal meal size. This will help to prevent upset stomach.

Dogs Will Pee More Often After Surgery; Leg Lifting Can Be Difficult
The dog will need to urinate more frequently after surgery. The veterinary surgeon will usually give the dog IV fluids to a dog who is undergoing spay or neuter surgery; this is a common supportive measure for a dog that’s undergoing an operation. What goes in must come out, so the dog may need to urinate more than usual after surgery.
And remember, a dog that is drowsy and recovering from surgery may not signal the need to go to the bathroom (i.e. standing by the door), so anticipate the dog’s bathroom needs to prevent an accident in the house.
Male dogs may have a difficult time lifting their leg to pee. Due to the location of the incision when a male dog is neutered, lifting a leg can be painful. The dog’s poor balance may also prevent the dog from lifting his leg; instead, most male dogs will squat to pee.

Isolate Your Dog from Other Pets After Surgery
Keep other pets away from your dog after surgery. When your dog returned from getting spayed or neutered, he will be uncomfortable as a result of the incision and due to the after-effects of anesthesia. This means your dog will be more prone to snapping or nipping at other pets and even children. So to avoid problems, keep your dog isolated from other pets and children when he returns home from surgery.

More Tips to Help Your Dog Heal After Spaying or Neutering Surgery
After a dog is spayed or neutered, the healing process will take 10 to 14 days. During this time, dog owners must monitor the incision for any swelling, redness or excessive drainage.
The incision from a spay or neuter surgery must be monitored closely. It’s important to check and clean the incision two to three times per day.
The wound should be disinfected daily using betadine, a no-sting antiseptic solution that’s available in the first aid section of the drug store. Hydrogen peroxide should be avoided as it can delay healing by damaging the tissue.
Discharge is normal during the first day or two following surgery. To remove the dried fluids surrounding the dog’s incision, use a warm, wet washcloth as a compress for about five to ten minutes. A wet Q-tip can then be used to remove any crusting or fluid around the incision. This should be followed with a generous amount of betadine, which should be allowed to air dry.
Photographing the incision from a surgery can be helpful for dog owners. Using a digital camera, photograph the incision site daily and compare the photographs. Overall, the wound should be improving in appearance. If the wound appears to be getting worse in terms of swelling, redness or discharge, this indicates an infection.
Photographing the dog’s incision is helpful because it can be difficult to detect subtle changes from day to day. Photos are much more reliable than having to rely on memory and they can be brought in to the veterinarian as a way to show the progression of the wound, which can be helpful if a problem arises.
Most dogs will be sent home from the vet wearing an Elizabethan collar, also known as an “e-collar,” “cone” or “lampshade.” This will prevent the dog from licking or biting at the incision and stitches. The dog will need to wear this until the stitches are removed.


----------

