How to prepare and care for my male dog before and after neutering?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Neutering a male dog is pretty standard and a relatively easy surgery for a dog to recover from. With in 24 hours after the surgery Toby will feel and want to act normal. Your 2 goals are to prevent licking of the incision, so make sure you get an Elizabethan Collar (cone) or donut and to prevent excessive exercise for 2 weeks. That means no running, jumping, stairs and leash walks only for 10-14 days. It is surgeon preference whether there are skin sutures that need to be removed and sometimes we send them home with 5-7 days of pain medications. After 10-14 days things will be back to normal! I hope this helps and I wish you and Toby the best~

After a neuter it is wise to use an Elizabethan collar (e-collar) to prevent licking as this can lead to infection or opening of the incision. Aside from keeping him quiet, you should also monitor the incision for swelling, redness, bruising, or drainage. Make sure he continues to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom regularly. If you notice any irregularities he should be examined by a veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck with your new dog!

Give pain medication as prescribed by your veterinarian. It is important to make sure that you restrict his activity to short leash walks only (for the purpose of going to the bathroom) for the first week after surgery. Excessive activity such as running jumping or playing will increase the likelihood of complications. Lastly, but most importantly, he must wear an E collar (cone of shame) to prevent him from looking at or biting at the incision. Licking or biting the incision could lead to the incision coming apart and a need for further surgery. It could also lead to the incision becoming infected which could even make him systemically ill. He will need to wear the color for about 7 to 10 days. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

Bear can have dinner the night before the procedure but no breakfast or food of any kind the morning of the procedure. He should be fasted for 12 hours. The stitches will heal in 10 to 14 days and during that time Bear will need to wear an Elizabethan collar at all times and cannot have any exercise at all. Those are the two best things you can do to help ensure a smooth recovery. You will need to check the incision every day for redness, swelling or discharge and have him examined if anything looks abnormal. I hope this helps and feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there, and thanks for posting this question. The first night is usually a little rough, but after that they seem to bounce back so quickly! Make sure your veterinarian sends home some medication for pain management and an E-collar. Those are never fun, but it is worse to be half way healed and then have him Chew out all his stitches and have to start at the beginning again! Short leash walks are great to keep his brain active when his body is supposed to be resting. Also, chew toys help too. Best of luck and he will be healed before you know it!

This really depends on what he is doing, and how long ago he was neutered. If the surgery was today, then he will likely be feeling strange and not himself for the whole evening. Depending on what kind of anesthetic drugs and pain medications he was given, he could be really whiny, needy, or just laying around. If he is really agitated, or trying to lick constantly, or seems really painful, then he may not have been given adequate pain medication and I would call your after-hours vet right away for further help. He may not be interested in food or water, and this can be normal, just for tonight. Tomorrow he should be eating and acting normally. If he is laying around and won't get up even when you stimulate him, this may be an emergency and I would call a vet right away, as this is certainly not normal. With my neuters, I always send them home the same day, fully awake, and with extra pain medication to go home with. Hope that helps!

When you pick Reddington up after his procedure he will be a little sleepy from the anesthesia. You will want to keep him inside and very quiet. You will probably be able to feed him a small meal if your vet says it's ok. When he needs to go outside to potty you may even want to keep him on a leash if he tends to get really excitable in the yard. You want to make sure he does not lick at his incision, so an e-collar (cone of shame) is a good idea. Make sure to give the pain medication your vet prescribes to keep him comfortable. The total recovery time is about 10 days. For that time you want to keep him relatively quiet , no off leash walks, wrestling with other dogs or baths.