Tips & Tricks To Keep Your Pet Safe & Calm After Their Spay/Neuter

If your furry friend is being spayed or neutered, you may be wondering how to offer them comfort in their recovery. The recovery period is one of the most important parts of any successful surgery, and will require a bit of extra effort on our part. So how can you keep your pet safe and calm after their spay or neuter?

In this article we’ll discuss our recommended tips for safety throughout your pet’s recovery, and how to provide as much comfort as possible!

Talk To Your Vet About Pain Control

The first thing you should do when picking your pet up from their procedure is discuss the best pain control options for your furry friend. Most veterinarians will send a pet home with an anti-inflammatory medication, or even an additional pain control in some cases. It’s best to be well versed on the medication that you are offering your furry friend, and how often you will need to give it to provide optimal relief throughout their recovery. 

Offer A Confined Area To Recover

When you bring your pet home from their procedure, they will likely be groggy for the next 24 hours. Their decreased activity levels will be due to the medication they received during their surgery, as well as any discomfort that comes along with being desexed. Because of this, they will need a confined and padded area to rest. 

A small area is best to prevent your pup from stumbling around and injuring themselves, while a padded bed will provide optimal comfort while they rest. This will also decrease the chance of your pet moving around too much after their surgery, as they will have limited space to do so. This area should be used for the first few days of their recovery at the least. 

Keep The E-Collar On

While this can be tricky for many furry friends, it’s important to keep their e-collar on at all times throughout their recovery. When it comes to post-op complications, most arise when pets are able to reach their incision site and cause damage. Even a few seconds without an e-collar can allow your pet to rip out their sutures, or irritate their incision site. Unless you are able to keep an eye on your dog at all times, it’s important to always keep their e-collar on. 

Limit Exercise

One of the most important parts of the healing process is keeping your pet calm. Excessive exercise can cause severe irritation to their incision site, as well as wound dehiscence in some cases. Exercise can also result in a painful recovery for your pet, as this can lead to unnecessary inflammation. Your pet’s activity should be limited until they have their stitches removed, or until your veterinarian gives them the clear on their exercise restrictions. 

If you are concerned with not being able to limit your pet’s activity, we suggest speaking with your veterinarian about prescribed sedative options. 

Monitor The Incision Site

Our last tip for a safe recovery process is to monitor your pet’s incision site for any signs of irritation or infection. Post-op complications are possible, and are easier to treat when you catch them quickly. By monitoring their incision site daily, you can stay on top of any changes and notify your vet with any questions. Be sure to keep an eye out for any swelling, redness, oozing, irritation, pain, or any other abnormal symptoms throughout your pet’s recovery. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are multiple ways to keep your pet happy and healthy throughout their recovery. Be sure to review the tips we mentioned above, and you can be better prepared for your pet’s upcoming procedure!

When you get your pup spayed or neutered don’t miss out on the once in a lifetime opportunity to bank their stem cells from the discarded tissue and set them up for a long healthy life. Learn More