Post Operation Surgery Care 

Post- Spay/Neuter Instructions for Foster Caregivers

Your pet, or foster pet, had surgery today and will need to be well cared for afterwards to help prevent complications. Following the instructions below will help ensure a safe and comfortable recovery.

1. Limit Activity

Some animals are active after surgery, while others remain quiet for a while. Either way, it is essential that you limit your pet’s/ foster’s activity during the recovery period, which is 10- 14 days. Strenuous activity, such as running, jumping or rough play, could disrupt the healing process and even cause the incision to open up or become swollen. To help keep your pet/ foster from being too active: 

• Place them in an adequately sized carrier, kennel or small room in the home when you are not able to supervise him/ her. 

• If the pet is small, carry him/ her up and down stairs. 

• Short, leashed walks are okay just in order to allow them to eliminate. 

• Do not take your pet/ foster on long walks or allow him/ her to play with other animals or people during the recovery period. 

• Do not allow running up and down stairs or jumping on or off of furniture.

To limit your cat’s activity, as well as help keep them safe and comfortable, place them in a quiet, confined area such as a bathroom, kitchen or other smaller room. This provides a safe hiding place for them, where you can easily monitor their recovery. Remember to provide fresh food, water and a clean litterbox.

2. Keep Them On a Regular Diet

After surgery, your pet’s appetite should gradually return within 24 hours. Give your pet/ foster a half- sized meal the evening of the surgery. If they are still hungry and have not vomited, you may provide them with the other half. Your pet/ foster, may resume a normal feeding schedule tomorrow. Water should always be available. Do not change your pet’s/

foster’s diet at this time, unless instructed to do so by your provider. Do not give them table scraps, milk or any other “people food”. Changes in their diet could mask post- surgical complications. Although patients’ reactions to surgery can vary, lethargy (lasting more than 24 hours), diarrhea or vomiting are NOT normal and you should contact our foster team

immediately if these occur. We can then assess if your pet/ foster needs to be examined by our veterinary team.

3. Keep The Incision Dry

Dogs and cats have internal sutures that provide strength to the tissue as they heal; These will dissolve in about 4 months. Surgical glue has also been applied to the skin to seal the incision against bacterial penetration. Male cats do not have any sutures, and, unless you are told otherwise, your pet/ foster (dog or cat) does not have any external sutures.

• Do not bathe your pet/ foster during the recovery period (10- 14 days). 

• Do not apply anything, ie. topical ointment or peroxide to the incision site- the surgical glue on the incision will dissolve too quickly if it becomes wet. Pets must be kept indoors where they can stay clean, dry and warm. Short, leashed walks are okay for dogs.

• Prevent your pet/ foster from licking the incision site. Licking may cause the incision to become infected or open up. If your pet/ foster is licking the site, an Elizabethan collar is recommended until the incision is fully healed.

4. Check Their Incision Site Twice Daily

Female dogs and cats have a mid- line incision in their abdomen. Male dogs have an incision just above the scrotum (or on the scrotum in younger/ smaller dogs), male cats have 2 incisions, one on each side of the scrotum. Check these incision sites twice daily. There should be no drainage, discharge or odor from the incisions, but a small amount of redness and swelling is normal and should resolve within a few days. If any of the above are excessive or persistent, please contact our foster team to see if medical intervention is appropriate. Your pet/ foster also has a small, green tattoo on the abdomen. This allows other clinics and other animal control groups to know that the animal has already been sterilized.

5. Post- Op Medications

If your pet or foster was sent home with medications (pain, antibiotics, etc.) please give them exactly as directed.

6. Monitor For Any Post- Operative Complications

Spaying and neutering are both very safe surgeries; however, as with all surgery, complications can occur. Minimal redness and swelling at the surgery site should resolve

within several days, but if they persist longer, please contact our foster team. 

Please contact us immediately if you notice any of the following:

• Pale gums

• Depression/ extreme lethargy

• Unsteady gait

• Loss of appetite (longer than 24 hours)

• Vomiting and or diarrhea

• Discharge or bleeding from the incision or the vulva

• Difficulty urinating or defecating

• Labored breathing