post-operative instructions for clinic clients
**If your cat is feral, please disregard these instructions and go to the feral cat post-operative care instructions at the bottom of this page.
For your pet's safety, please read and follow these instructions, The clinic will handle, at minimal cost, any post-operative complications from the surgery only if these instructions were followed:
- Keep your pet confined to a warm, quiet environment and separate from other pets and young children for the first 12 hours. No running, jumping, playing, rough housing, or strenuous activity for 7 to 10 days following surgery.
- Pets should stay indoors and be kept quiet. Walk dogs on a leash and keep cats inside.
- Keep your pet dry for 7 to 10 days following surgery. No baths, swimming or rolling in wet grass. The top layer of the surgical incision is closed with surgical glue and will come open if the area gets wet.
- Check the incision twice a day. What you see at the time you pick your animal up from surgery is normal; there should be no discharge and minimal redness or swelling. Male cats may appear as if they still have testicles. This is normal. The swelling will gradually decrease during the next few days.
- DO NOT let your animal lick the incision area. If this occurs, you will need to buy an Elizabethan collar (plastic lampshade collar) either here, at your vet or at a pet supply store. If this instruction is not followed, the incision can be licked open and will become infected. This is considered self-trauma and the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic will NOT cover your costs if it leads to a trip to a veterinary hospital.
- Unless you are told otherwise, your pet does not have external sutures. All sutures are absorbable on the inside and the very outer layer of skin is held together with surgical glue. As the wound heals, there may be a firm lump under the incision as the absorbable sutures break down. Do not clean or apply topical ointment to the incision site. This can cause the incision to open. If you are told that your pet has skin sutures or skin staples, you will need to return in 7 to 10 days to have those removed. Please note that your pet did receive a small, green tattoo- this is not a second incision.
- You may provide a small amount of food and water to your adult pet tonight, but he or she may not have a full appetite until tomorrow. You should provide normal amounts of food and water this evening for any kitten of puppy less than 6 months of age. Do not change your pet's diet or give table scraps as this can mask post-operative complications.
- Give only prescribed medications. Do not give Tylenol, aspirin or other human pain relievers, as they can be deadly to your pets. Your pet received pain medicine at the time of surgery. Some animals appear to feel 100% right away, while others recover more slowly, Dogs may have a slight cough for a few days. Lethargy that lasts more than 48 hours after surgery, diarrhea, or vomiting in any animal are not normal and you should call the clinic at 413-781-4019.
- If your pet was in heat she must be kept away from males for at least 14 days following surgery. If a male tries to mate with her, serious bleeding and trauma to your pet's reproductive tract may occur, possibly leading to death.
- We recommend that your animal receive a post-operative examination with your regular veterinarian 7-10 days after surgery. Please have the incision checked for complete healing and to discuss additional needs, follow-up care, and booster vaccines.
- Spaying and neutering are very safe surgeries, however complications can occur. Please contact us immediately if you notice any of the following:
pale gums
depression
vomiting
diarrhea
discharge or bleeding from the incision
difficulty urinating
labored breathing
If you have any questions or concerns directly related to the surgery during recovery time period, please do not hesitate to contact the clinic at 413-781-4019.
If the above post-operative instructions are completely followed, the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic will treat at our clinic, at minimal cost, any post-operative complications resulting directly from the surgery. Please call for an appointment as soon as you see cause for concern.
Your regular veterinarian must address disease, illnesses or injuries that are not a direct result of surgery. We cannot be held responsible for complications resulting from failure to follow any of the above post-operative instructions, from a contagious disease for which the animal was not previously properly vaccinated, or from underlying health issues not known at the time of surgery.
If your pet requires emergency care that does not fall within the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic's business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), please call or visit your regular veterinarian or local emergency veterinary clinic:
- Springfield area: VCA Boston Road, 413-783-1203.
- South Deerfield area: Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital, 413-665-4911.
- If you live in another area, please check your local phone book.
Each client is responsible for paying the cost of this visit directly to the veterinarian or emergency clinic. DPVHS's veterinarian will review the report and discuss it with the emergency veterinarian to determine if it is a spay/neuter surgery-related issue, but the DPVHS veterinarian makes the final decision on what will be covered. If DPVHS determines that it's a spay/neuter surgery-related issue, we will reimburse our client the cost of the visit. Emergency visits due to failure to follow post-operative instructions will not be reimbursed.
feral cat post-operative care instructions
By bringing feral cats here for sterilization, you have helped lessen the burden of cat overpopulation. Your cat(s) were given anesthetic and the combination of this and surgery is a stressful experience for them. To minimize this stress make sure to follow these discharge instructions fully.
- The staff will inform you of each cat's status and any special instructions and/or medications. Please make sure you understand the instructions prior to leaving the clinic, as these cats require special handling if additional care is needed.
- If possible, please keep the cat(s) in a temperature controlled, draft-free environment during their recovery. After anesthesia, the cats are unable to control their body temperature.
- Keep their traps or carriers covered at all times. This provides protection and security. Keep the traps lined underneath with newspaper to keep the cat(s) dry.
- Offer food and water only when you get home. Cats may try to escape otherwise.
- For your safety, do not attempt to touch the cats. Stitches do not need to be removed.
- During kitten season, nursing females should be released within 24 hours of trapping, as soon as they appear fully awake. They will still be able to nurse the kittens after surgery.
- Abnormal signs that will need attention by veterinary staff during the recovery include any discharge coming from the surgery site, abnormal smells, biting/chewing at incision site, and continued lethargy (not feeling well).
- Unless instructed otherwise, release the cat the morning following surgery. Return them to the same place they came from.
- If you have any concerns about the recovery of the cat, please call us at 413-781-4019 and explain your situation. Our staff can often address questions and refer you to appropriate veterinary care. If a cat has a situation that you feel you cannot wait for assistance to from us, please call your local veterinary clinic. The fees for care at a veterinary clinic are the responsibility of the caregivers, not the DPVHS Community Spay/Neuter Clinic.
