What should I expect and how do I care for my dog after spay surgery?

Limit or restrict activity to avoid stress on the incision. Avoid excessive running, jumping or rough play. Use an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking or chewing of the sutures. Examine the site daily for redness, swelling, bruising, bleeding or discharge. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, fever or abdominal pain. Look at her gums daily to ensure they are pink. Sutures are kept in for 10-14 days. Do not bathe her until the sutures are removed.

She will lay in the way that is most comfortable for her. Provide a clean, dry area for her to lay down. Make sure she has an e-collar (cone) in place to prevent licking. Monitor the site daily for excessive swelling, bruising, redness, discharge, bleeding and to make sure it is closed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lily. I know it is hard to do, but a dog should really be kept quiet for 10-14 days post-spay. This allows her body to heal. She went through major abdominal surgery. Her incision appears to be healing well from your pictures. I hope this information helps!

Hi there. Thank you for using PetCoach. So sorry you had this experience at your vet. The number one thing you need to do is make sure to limit her activity. No running around free in the yard. No playing with other dogs or running up/down stairs. No jumping up on beds or couches. She should only be leash walked only and kept as calm and quiet as possible for about 7-10 days. Also, make sure she cannot lick the incision - this is the number one problem we see post-operatively - dogs lick the incision and get it open. So be sure to use an E-collar (cone) for at least 10 days. If they did not give you one, you can buy one at any large pet store or online. You can apply this fly repellant ointment AROUND the incision but not on it. It is recommended that you not put anything on the incision directly. ( https://www.amazon.com/Farnam-Products-100532971-Repellent-Ointment/dp/B07D1M6LSB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=farnam+flys-off+repellent&qid=1570893908&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-1 ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions feel free to post again. Best wishes!

Good on you for getting Precious spayed! As with any surgery, of course there will be risks, but it is a routine surgery and it's not often that things go wrong. It's good that she handled the anesthesia well in 2015, and your vet will check to make sure that her organs are functioning well so that the anesthesia and surgery will go as smoothly as possible. In addition, there will be someone monitor her anesthesia at all times during the surgery to make sure it goes as well as possible. It won't change her personality, but she will likely be a little sleepy and painful the first couple of days after surgery. Your vet will send home pain medications for her to help her be more comfortable. Typically we see dogs bounce back pretty quickly from a spay, and it's extremely important you keep her as quiet as possible while she is recovering. No running, jumping, or playing at all under her sutures are removed. Too much exercise and movement post surgery can lead to complications, which is why it's so important to keep Precious quiet. You also need to make sure she doesn't lick her incision site and sutures, and she will likely be sent home with an Ecollar. Dogs typically don't like them, but she has to wear it all the time to make sure she doesn't mess with her incision. As hard as it is, try not to worry, she will be in good hands with your vet. I hope this helps!

Incision lengths vary from surgeon to surgeon. Since incisions heal from side to side and not from end to end, it takes a short incision the same time to heal as a long incision. Your vet will give you written instructions on how to treat your dog after surgery. Here is a sample: http://files.dvm360.com/alfresco_images/DVM360//2014/09/26/ca50e33b-4a98-4584-bf15-dbf0f2a912c7/handout_afterspay_neuter.pdf Healing times will vary but the incision should be healed after 10 to 14 days. All will be well.

Keeping puppies "quiet" after surgery is certainly not an easy undertaking! The good news is that I think her incision is healing beautifully. There is very mild inflammation right around the incision, but the incision appears to be closed and does not appear to have any discharge. Continue doing your best to keep her as quiet as possible for the next week, but I know it's not possible to turn a 5 month old GSP puppy into a couch potato! If she's really out of control, you can ask your vet about prescribing mild sedative medications (like trazodone) to help her to stay a bit more mellow while healing. Keeping an e-collar (cone) on her is the best thing you can do to promote healing, as this prevents her from licking at the incision at all. Hope that everything continues to go well!