How to Care for a Dog After Surgery

One of the hardest moments we can go through with our dog is having them undergo surgery. Also, thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, it's becoming increasingly common for our dogs to go through an operating room to treat problems that previously had no solution. At the same time, they're living longer, which allows conditions to develop that may need to be corrected with surgery.

That's why it's important for us to learn a bit about post-surgical care for our furry companions. In this article we'll explain the care needed to help them feel comfortable and recover better.

The importance of a calm environment

When our dog gets operated on, it's normal to pick them up from the clinic already fully recovered from anesthesia. Depending on the procedure they underwent, their mobility will be more or less limited.

For example, the very common spaying/neutering procedure doesn't stop the dog from resuming their normal life as soon as they get home. Fracture surgeries, on the other hand, may involve placing plates, screws, or pins that will limit movement in the affected leg. In any case, a recently operated animal shouldn't make sudden movements, jump, or play for however long the vet indicates. This will prevent the wound from reopening or the operation from being compromised.

Also, our dog will need a comfortable bed, a good temperature, and leashed walks. During recovery from orthopedic surgery, it may be necessary to keep the dog in a room with no way to climb to any height, and reduce walks to the bare minimum to limit their movement as much as possible.

In the post-surgical environment, the owner's role is essential, since post-surgical stress in our furry friends is a very common source of anxiety. Upon waking up, they find themselves in a completely new situation and state that keeps them from living normally, without understanding why. Many tend to show aggression, depression, and many other symptoms that, if not managed, can end up delaying recovery. So it's important to stay attentive and shower them with affection, but also give them their space and try to keep them in as calm an environment as possible.

Cleaning the wound

After surgery, the skin may be closed with sutures or staples. Sometimes the closure is intradermal, so on the outside we only see the cut. In any case, we should keep an eye on this wound.

In the first few days it's normal for it to look slightly swollen, red, or bruised, but if the swelling doesn't go down, there's any bleeding or pus discharge, bad odor, redness across the whole area, pain when touched, or warmth, we should tell our vet immediately, since an infection could be developing.

Wounds should generally be cleaned with gauze — first washing with soap and water to remove any organic material, then rinsing and applying a disinfectant, like chlorhexidine, once or twice a day, gently, without scrubbing. This washing step beforehand is essential, otherwise organic residue will reduce the disinfectant's effectiveness. Finally, it's important that the wound doesn't stay damp, or we'll encourage bacterial growth.

Even so, to perform these treatments you should follow your vet's instructions and keep the surgical incision aseptic. Once the skin has closed up, cleaning is no longer necessary, but you should keep monitoring it until the vet removes the staples or stitches, if they're external. Removal usually happens between 7-10 days; if absorbable sutures were used, they won't need to be removed, but should still be monitored to make sure everything's going well.

Medication

It's common for our vet to prescribe painkillers, at least for the first few days. They might also give us antibiotics. It's important to follow the dosing instructions, and, even if the dog seems fine, complete the full treatment.

Besides medication, our vet may give us what's known as an Elizabethan collar, a plastic cone placed around the neck that, like a lampshade, keeps the dog from reaching the wound with their mouth, since they could infect it or reopen it. Some dogs get sad wearing the cone and stop eating. They don't need to wear it all day — only while we can't keep an eye on them.

Cotton shirts are also common, especially for abdominal surgeries, and more frequently used with our feline friends, who don't tolerate Elizabethan collars very well at all.

Diet

Unless our dog has had surgery involving the digestive system, in which case the vet will prescribe an appropriate diet, during recovery we can give them their usual food.

They may not show much appetite in the first 24-48 hours due to discomfort and stress, so we can offer them something more appealing, like homemade food or wet food. Once that initial period passes, they should go back to eating normally. We should also check that they're drinking, urinating, and defecating as usual.

It's important to make sure our dog eats quality, high biological value food during these days, since we need to support their immune system's proper function so healing goes well and possible complications are avoided.

When something isn't going well

Although it's most common for recovery to go smoothly and for our dog to be fully back on their feet soon, complications can arise.

That's why we should watch for the following signs, which will tell us we need to seek veterinary attention:

• Changes in the incision: A wound showing swelling, redness, warmth, discharge, pain, or bad odor — in short, any sign of inflammation — may indicate an infection developing, which can also come with fever. We might also find the wound coming apart due to damaged sutures. In any case, we should contact our vet immediately. In more serious cases, the wound may need to be reopened, drains placed, and closed again, complicating recovery. Other times the swelling is due to fluid buildup, known as a seroma, which should also be reported to the vet.
• Anorexia/apathy: If we notice the dog doesn't want to eat and stays lying down without resuming normal activity once 24-48 hours have passed since the surgery, we should also tell the vet, since there could be an internal problem even if the wound looks fine.
• Pale mucous membranes: Pale gums, which may come with low body temperature (the dog will feel cold to the touch), could be a sign of internal bleeding.

This situation requires immediate veterinary attention, since a considerable blood loss can put the dog into shock, endangering their life. To finish, always remember that a surgery's success goes beyond the operating room. The care we provide our little companions at home will ensure their full and proper recovery.