After Care Discharge Instructions
The recovery period lasts a MINIMUM of 10-14 days. Monitor your cats healing closely.
You have picked up your cat on the same day as surgery. For the next 24-48 hours your cat may experience: lethargy , appetite loss, diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, meowing, or minor personality changes . If these symptoms last more than 24-48 hours after surgery please call our clinic and leave a message.
Check your cats incision twice a day for the entire recovery period. There should be no drainage, redness, oozing, odor, or opening of the incision. There are no sutures to remove unless youve been told otherwise. Bruising and swelling can occur in the incision area. If you are concerned and we are not in the office with a doctor, please call your own veterinarian.
The incision site must stay dry for the entire recovery period. Do not put hydrogen peroxide, antibacterial ointment, or any product on the incision site unless directed by a veterinarian. Do not bathe your cat. This will cause your cats incision to open. Friendly cats must be kept indoors for the entire recovery period.
Restrict your cats activity for the entire recovery period.Put your cat in a small, safe room for the recovery period, such as a bathroom or bedroom. The room should be quiet and comfortable. Do not let your cat have free run of the house. Allow your cat to come out of their carrier when they are ready, do not pull your cat out of the carrier.
When Can My Cat Resume Normal Activities
This will depend upon the type of operation your cat underwent. In the case of a minor procedure involving a small incision, some restriction of exercise should be maintained until a few days after the skin stitches are removed. However, if a major operation has been performed or a large incision is present, a longer period of recovery will be required, which may involve keeping your cat housebound for a number of weeks. Your veterinarian will give you detailed instructions on how long you should restrict your cat’s activities following surgery.
Whether Theyve Had Routine Treatment Or Major Surgery Our Guide Tells You How To Care For Your Cat While Theyre Recovering
After an operation, your cat will need extra love and attention as you keep them calm and comfortable during the healing period. Our guide will help you understand the basics of looking after your cat after an operation or dental procedure, what to expect after neutering a cat, how to keep your cat from jumping after surgery, how to tell if a cat is in pain after surgery and general advice on what to expect after an operation.
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Caring For Your Cat After Neutering
Many owners want to know what to expect after neutering their cat. Neutering, also known as spaying or castration is a very common procedure. that most cats undergo without complications. Neutering your cat by the time they are four months old not only prevents pregnancy and unwanted behaviours such as spraying, but young cats often recover well from these surgeries.
Females are spayed . They will have a shaved patch of fur on their left side or in the middle of their belly. They may also have a shaved patch on one or both of their front legs or neck, which allows access to their veins for blood testing and for the administration of anaesthetic drugs during their surgery.
Males are castrated . They do not have stitches but they will have a small cut in the skin over the testicles which will heal by itself within the next seven days. They may also have a shaved patch on one or both of their front legs or neck, which allows access to their veins for blood testing and for the administration of anaesthetic drugs during their surgery.
Are There Different Methods Of Closing A Surgical Incision
Yes. If a surgical incision extends through several layers of tissue, each layer will be closed separately. Therefore, there may be multiple rows of sutures in a single incision site. The surface or skin layer of your cat’s surgical incision may have been closed with surgical glue, sutures, or staples. The suture pattern that is used to close the skin depends on the length of the incision and how much tension is present across the incision, or on the preference of the surgeon. The stitches may be placed on the skin surface or they may be buried beneath the skin surface using absorbable suture material.
If the surgical procedure involved removal of a large mass, repair of a large wound, or debridement of infected or dead tissue, the resulting loss of tissue may mean that the surgical incision is under a lot of tension. Excessive tension across an incision line may cause the wound to gape open and will delay healing. To minimize the tension on the incision line, your veterinarian may have used a special tension-relieving suture pattern or a type of skin suture called a stent suture where some tubing or a button may be added to the skin layer. If the surgical site was contaminated or infected before surgery, a surgical drain may have been placed within the incision to drain away any infectious material.
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How Should I Manage An Open Wound At Home
Following the specific instructions of your veterinarian, clean the wound two to three times daily with a mild antiseptic solution or warm water to remove any crusted discharge and keep wound edges clean. Do not clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, or alcohol.
“Do not clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide, witch hazel, or alcohol.”
The wound may be bandaged to protect it from further contamination, or to prevent your cat from excessively licking it. Daily bandage changes, as demonstrated by your veterinarian, may be required if there is a lot of discharge from the wound.
Your Cats Mouth After Dental Work
As your cat gets older, they might require dental work to keep their teeth healthy. Procedures such as teeth cleaning or extraction will usually require anaesthesia.
Your cat might struggle to eat their usual foods such as dry biscuits after their dental procedure. Soaking their usual dry food in water can help to soften it up and make eating more comfortable. You should continue to pay attention to your cats behaviour after the procedure. If your cat is reluctant to eat after a few days or seems unwell, contact your vet.
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Why Leave A Wound Open
Sometimes the location or the amount of skin loss prevents surgical closure or bandaging . Sometimes, puncture wounds or other trauma force bacteria deep into the tissues. A contaminated wound that is more than a few hours old should never be closed without surgical debridement , and in some cases this may result in more permanent damage than treating the wound medically and leaving it open to heal.
Most wounds are contaminated with bacteria, and often contain foreign material such as dirt, grit, or hair. When possible, your veterinarian will disinfect and stitch up the wound.
If the wound is open for an extended period, it will often be left to heal without surgical closure, though a drain may be placed. Most of these wounds are treated using a combination of repeated flushing, bandaging, and antibiotics . Alternatively, some wounds have tissue removed and then are closed.
Is It Ok To Keep A Cat Overnight After Spaying
One of the advantages of keeping cats overnight after spaying is that they usually go bouncing out of the hospital as if nothing has happened. Some cats will not eat for the first day or so but if the cat does not seem back to normal by the day following discharge, veterinarians would like to know about it.
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Where Can I Ask A Vet About Spaying My Cat
Please go to the homepage of VeterinaryPartner and find the Ask a Vet feature to ask a question. Once again, spaying is an important part of cat ownership and one of the most significant steps in health care that a cat owner can provide for their female cat. This article first appeared on Veterinary Partner.
What To Do After A Cat Is Spayed
After your cat is spayed, you should make sure that your cast rests for the next couple days. You should keep it indoors, limit its movement, and use the cat collar. You should make sure to follow all of your vets instructions. There is a chance your vet gives you a cone to put on your cat after the spay. This will prevent your cat from biting or scratching at the wound.
To learn more, you can check out my article on How Long to Keep Cone on Cat After Spay? If your cat just got spayed, you should also reference this article: how long to keep cat confined after spay.
The pictures for this article were provided by petsinstitches
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Skin Stitches Or Staples
If your cat received skin stitches to close the incision, your vet probably will tell you to bring her back for a checkup within a week to 10 days post-surgery. The same holds true if staples were used for incision closure. The skin sutures and staples generally are removed by the vet at that time. Although it may be less convenient for you to bring your cat back to the vet, it’s a good opportunity for your vet to look over Kitty and ensure she’s recovering well.
Cone Alternatives: How To Stop Your Pet From Licking Wounds
- Pets instinctively lick their wounds but this can cause infection and delayed healing.
- Vets often put pets in plastic cone collars after surgery.
- Alternatives to the cone of shame are inflatable collars, soft E-collars and neck brace collars.
- Try covering the wound with soft fabric secured by medical tape to prevent licking.
- Keep pets busy with other fun things to distract them from licking wounds.
Dogs and cats tend to instinctively lick their wounds, which can often do more harm than good, so keeping your pet from licking their wound is an important part of surgery aftercare. With access to the wound, your pets licking could delay healing, lead to infection, or even remove the stitches and reopen the wound.
To prevent licking, most veterinarians recommend your pet wear an Elizabethan collar which is the classic, plastic cone collar, sometimes called the cone of shame. Though it is effective, an E-collar isnt usually the preferred option for most pets because its stiff, bulky, and can be heavy, which causes discomfort and makes it more difficult to move around. This may cause your dog or cat to appear depressed, and some pets may even refuse to eat or drink.
Fortunately, there are several alternatives to the cone of shame, including cones and collars that are more comfortable for your pet, as well as other tactics to prevent licking.
KONG Cloud Collar photo via Chewy.com
Inflatable collars
Comfy Cone photo via Amazon.com
Soft E-collars
Neck brace collar
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Why Do You Wrap A Cats Head In Gauze
The most common reason a head wrap is applied is to stop bleeding from the ears. Use long strips of gauze or torn sections of sheet. Wrap completely around the head, pinning the ears to the side of the head. Be very careful not to wrap too tightly you could cut off the airway. Do not cover the animals eyes with the head bandage.
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What To Do If Your Cat Chews On A Bandage
If your cat takes the bandage off on her own, you should contact your veterinary clinic immediately and make arrangements to bring your cat in for a recheck appointment. If your cat left the bandage alone when it was first applied and then suddenly began to chew at it, it may be an indication that a problem is developing.
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Is There Any Special Advice That I Need To Follow To Care For My Cat’s Incision
What follows below is a checklist of things that you may need to do, depending on your cat’s particular case:
O Administer the prescribed medication as directed on the label.
O Clean the discharges that accumulate around the surgical drain at least twice daily.
O Bring your cat in for removal of the surgical drain in ____________ days.
O Confine your cat to a crate for the next ___________ days.
O Other ______________________________________________________________________
After A Few Minutes They Will Enlarge Which Causes Swelling Of The Wounded Part
How to tell if a cat wound is healing. Keep an eye on the wound over the next week or two every time you change the bandage. Different wound types require different treatment methods. You may also check its body to look for scabs since bite wounds heal over quickly.
Step 1, look for any wounds. The vet may drain the wound and will prescribe an antibiotic to fight the infection. No topical treatments should be used, unless specifically directed by your veterinarian, as some seemingly harmless chemicals can actually damage tissues and delay wound healing.
It starts off as pink but as it becomes thicker, it turns into a deeper red or even a hue not unlike red grapefruit. The wound may look bruised and may have minor blood tinged fluid seepage. You may notice bleeding or sores on your cat if it has been in a fight.
If a wound, especially a puncture wound, was not seen, and if your cat did not take antibiotics, an abscess can form, resulting in. Malnutrition, steroid use, organ failure, and obesity all cause similar delays of wound healing in cats. This is the first stage the journey to healing cat wounds.
Check your cats wound daily to ensure that it is healing and doesnt become infected. If you notice your cat is scratching at the spay incision, there is a good chance it is infected. It can be small rock particles, fur which could have been forced into the wound in case of injuries inflicted by sharp.
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Can I Leave My Cat Alone After Being Neutered
Within one or two days after the surgery, your cat may return to his normal self. However, you need to keep him indoors for seven days to make sure it has fully recovered. Letting the cat stay inside the house also gives you the opportunity to monitor your pet closely in terms of activity levels and healing process.
Caring For A Neutered Cat
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Caring for our cats is not usually a chore. While we may have to provide them with food and shelter, the responsibilities we need to meet in terms of socialization and engagement are as fun for us as they are necessary for our pets. If we decide to breed our cats for kittens, then this responsibility is greatly increased. If you can’t meet it , then having them spayed or neutered is not only best for you, it’s best for the cat. Sterilization improves their psychological state and prevents unwanted kittens being brought into the world only to face hardship.
The sterilization process is a routine operation for veterinary surgeons, but it is invasive in most cases. This means the aftercare for your pet needs to be considered. Giving them the assistance and providing the environment they need to heal as fast as possible is imperative. This is why AnimalWised is on hand to ensure you know all that caring for a neutered cat entails, whether male or female, spayed or sterilized, young or old.
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Normal Cat Spay Incision Lump
It is rather normal that a non-painful swelling appears under the incision a week or a few days after surgery. This is just a suture reaction the bodys way of working on the sutures. A minority of animals show a reaction and these types of lumps normally take several days to shrink.
However, in some special cases, there is redness or green-yellow discharge near the incision. Though the lump might be a normal reaction, you need to take abnormal signs into account: it tends to grow, other swelling occurs or her skin is warm to touch. In addition, be careful about signs indicative of pain, lethargy or lack of appetite for eating.
How To Promote Healing After Surgery
Surgery is not a one-day vets-only game. It includes a recovery period at home where healing is paramount to the success of the operation.
Normal Healing
A typical incision should look neat and cleanhealthy pink skin with the edges lined up, held closed by a row of sutures . Incisions can also be closed with the sutures buried under the skin so that they are not visible. When this is done, the skin may be closed with tissue glue. Surgical staples are another option to close an incision.
If your cats surgery involved multiple layers of tissue, such as going through muscle and the abdominal wall to perform a spay, each layer of tissue will have its own incision that is closed with sutures. This ensures that each layer is held in place to allow for quick healing. These inner layers will be closed with absorbable suture that will dissolve over time or, in some cases, with a suture type that is safe to leave inside your cats body.
For the first few days, the skin around your cats incision may look a little irritated due to local inflammation that is part of the normal healing process. Small amounts of clear or slightly blood-tinged discharge may be present, and bruising may appear up to several days after the surgery, particularly in pale-skinned cats.
Cleaning the Incision
What Can Go Wrong
Dehiscence
Infection
What You Can Do
Seromas
Protective Measures
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