2 Tips On Caring For Your Dog After Spaying Surgery
Spaying your dog is part of responsible dog ownership, as can typically give your pet a healthier life and help control the pet population. Spaying is normally a routine surgery, and your pet should be able to go home the same day and recover completely in a couple of weeks. Scheduling a post-operative checkup with your vet is essential to ensuring recovery is going on well, but you should also take the following steps at home to ensure your dog recovers well after spaying surgery.
Prepare a recovery room
The first few days after surgery can be difficult, as the dog may still be suffering the effects of anesthesia. It is therefore important that you prepare an isolated room for recovery, as the dog may be prone to pain and aggression and could harm other pets or children.
Place a water bowl, food bowl and dog bed in the recovery room and cover the bed with a puppy pad as your dog will usually urinate and vomit often due to the unusual sensation caused by anesthesia. You can also place a cone around her neck to make it easier for them to access the food and water bowl.
Furthermore, be sure to remove objects such as chairs and tables that your dog may trip on in the recovery room, as a fall could open up stitches or even cause internal bleeding. Finally, ensure that the recovery room is quiet to allow your pet ample sleep for recovery.
Watch out for poor balance
Another key step to ensuing smooth recovery is to keep an eye on your dog's balance. In many cases, a dog will have poor balance after spaying surgery due to the after-effect of anesthesia and pain medication, so you may need to be on hand to offer assistance to prevent an accident.
For starters, walk your dog slowly and keep them on a leash while outside. You may also consider walking behind her while she uses the stairs so you can quickly catch her if she trips. It could also help to keep your dog away from other pets, as they could bump into her and cause her to trip and injure herself.
Don't let your dog jump into the car, bed or couch during recovery, as she could miss the jump in her disorientated state and injure herself or even tear some stitches. Finally, avoid carrying your dog immediately after surgery, as her torso is will usually be very sensitive, and any pressure on this area could stretch her abdominal muscles.
For more information, contact Akaal Pet Hospital or a similar location.