POST OPERATIVE CARE

          To know your beloved little furry is to undergo a procedure itself is a major stress factor for a lot of us, parents. In India, facilities that can admit your pet for the length of recovery from anesthesia are few. Hence most procedures are done on a day care basis. Which would mean that you will be handed a very groggy, not very coherent pet at discharge and that has some of us absolutely freaking out! (Why do these vets assume we can all deal with our fur baby not being himself, eh?)

 

          Here’s how you can be better mentally prepared for anesthetic recovery at home and post operative care, so you can calm your own nerves and help the little one on it’s way to healing.

 

 

Anesthetic Recovery:

 

          While most practices now use gas anesthesia while doing nearly all procedures (same as used for our human counterparts), a few practices may still be comfortable with doing injectible anesthesia. Asking your trusted vet which it will be, before hand will help you prepare a little better for recovery.

By and large, recovery from gas anesthesia is much faster than injectible and your pet may be absolutely fine at discharge.

 

-       They will talk, and how

 

If they are still a little under, all you need to keep in mind is they vocalize (I like to think of it as, talk) just like some people are all verbose when they are waking up from a surgery or are inebriated. That’s okay, you are going to hear all sorts of growling, whining, chattering and it’s probably best that you don’t understand their language at this point in time.

 

-       They might feel cold

 

Anesthetics cause the body temperature to drop a bit. For this reason, you may find that your baby is shivering. I normally tell people to not indulge in the a/c cooling system for that particular night. A blanket is always a source of comfort and warmth.

 

-       Avoid harsh stimuli

 

Remember they are hallucinating a teeny weeny bit. And they don’t really know what’s going on. Any loud or bright stimulus may make recovering from anesthesia a little rocky for them. So if they are a little dazed post procedure, it’s best to let them be in a dark quiet room so there are no disturbing stimuli. I don’t wanna break your heart but you saying “it’s okay baby” in varying tones of voice also counts as a stimulus. They recover a little faster and more smoothly when not subject to sounds and bright light. Some of them may just sleep off a bit more before completely waking up to the world.

 

 

-       Avoid the bed and other high places

 

Even if you normally share your bed with your pet, on the night of the surgery, it may be wiser to not do it. There is a small amount of lack of depth perception post anesthesia and we don’t want them falling off a height right after the ordeal of surgery do we?

 

There will be a change in behaviour right after anesthesia (sleepiness, being quiet, uncoordinated etc.) but this should typically not last more than 48hours. Some pets tend to vomit post procedure. 1 vomit is allowed, however if it continues, you must get in touch with the vet.

 

 

Hungry and fasting all day Doc! When can I feed her?

 

          This depends totally on what procedure was done. Most routine procedures will have your dog or cat eating that very day. (yes, you can indulge in a treat meal with the permission of your vet). But some complicated procedures may mean being off food or water for a day or so. Every vet will give you instructions accordingly at discharge and those are the ones you should strictly adhere to.

 

Post procedure care:

 

Here’s what you need to watch out for post these procedures

 

-       Routine sedation/routine minor procedures (spay, neuter etc.)

 

It’s always wise to feed smaller quantities of food on the day of the procedure to avoid any inadvertent tummy upset or vomiting (why invite trouble?). Less than half of what you would normally feed is a great way to start.

 

Stools may be passed even 48 hours after a routine procedure and that shouldn’t be a cause of concern.

 

Your vet will let you know if the sutures that have been placed (if any) are the kind that dissolve or not. If they don’t dissolve, they have to be removed by your vet in a 7-10 day period.

 

Monitor the wound for any swelling, discharge, foul smell, bleeding or pain. That requires veterinary attention.

 

Do not allow your pet to lick this wound. Use an E-collar or a t-shirt or a body wrap to ensure the wound is not licked and stays dry. If not, they may give themselves an infection at the wound site because everybody’s mouth is populated with bacteria.

 

Physical activity has to be limited for the duration advised by your vet. For routine procedures it is normally between 5-7 days.

 

Some procedures will require you to medicate for a few days after. This is important. Ensuring that the medication is given on time as prescribed will help with the healing process.

 

-       Orthopaedic procedures

 

While instructions with regards to feeding, medicating and basic wound care remain the same, orthopaedic post operative care demands complete cage rest.

 

If broken bones, ligaments need to heal, they need to rest. (You, an obedient human, would have been advised bed rest. Which you, an obedient human would have adhered to.)

 

Get a crate that is comfortable for your pet in which there is just enough space to stand and turn around a bit to enforce the rest period.

Playtime and eating time can be done in the crate itself to prevent it from being a traumatic experience. Make the crate fun!

 

Depending on the procedure type, your vet will inform you of how many weeks of cage rest will be required and when rehabilitation can be commenced.

 

Some procedures may involve having bandages on. Monitor them to ascertain that they are dry at all times.

For foot/limb bandages, monitor the toes for any swelling.

 

-       Complicated procedures

 

These involve invasive thoracic or abdominal procedures.

 

While your pet will definitely be hospitalized for the critical period following these procedures, they may come home when they are far more stable with a drain inserted (a tube of sorts) in either the chest or the abdominal cavity.

 

You must diligently follow your vet’s instructions on post operative care for these procedures and also keep an eye out on the drain exit points along with the surgical wound to make sure there is no swelling or discharge.

 

Swelling or discharge from anywhere at anytime must be communicated to the vet.

 

 

          These are just general pointers to put your mind at ease on what to expect post a surgery so that you are better equipped to deal with it. However, ALWAYS follow your vets instructions down to the T because only your vet is fully aware of exactly how the procedure went and what care needs to follow.

 

         I hope however, that this is helpful whenever that you are faced with the challenge of managing your baby and making their post operative period comfortable.

 

To better health!

 

Dr. N