Valley Veterinary Group

On arriving home you should keep your pet warm and comfortable by providing a soft clean bed, ideally in a

You should discourage any running, jumping or activity that will cause excessive stretching of the wound. For

the first ten days, exercise should be confined to short walks on the lead, sufficient for toilet purposes only.

Your dog has been given a pre-med or sedative and a general anaesthetic. These drugs can take a number of

hours to wear off and may cause some patients to appear drowsy for a day or so. Over the next day or two his

behaviour should return to normal. However, if you are at all concerned please do not hesitate to contact the

surgery.

This is where the anaesthetic or pre-med was administered. Both legs may be clipped, especially if preoperative

blood tests were carried out. Thise may also be a small dressing on the leg; if so this can be removed

the following day unless otherwise instructed.

Your dog has had a tube placed in his trachea (windpipe) during the operation – this can occasionally cause

mild irritation and a slight cough as an after-effect. If so, it will settle down over the next few days. However,

if it persists please contact the surgery.

It is only natural that your dog may try to clean the operation site. However, if this becomes excessive, then

there is a danger of the stitches being pulled out or infection being introduced into the wound. If you have been

given an Elizabethan-type collar to prevent him chewing then please ensure it is used; otherwise please contact

the surgery to purchase one. Not surprisingly, many dogs find these collars strange at first and will attempt to

remove them. However, after a short period most animals will settle and tolerate wearing the collar. Once

accustomed, it is better to keep the collar on all the time. Remember – it only takes a few seconds of

unobserved chewing for a dog to undo his stitches. If your dog does succeed in removing any of his stitches

then please call the surgery as soon as possible.

The wound should normally be clean with the edges together and the skin a normal or slightly reddish/pink

colour. In pale skinned dogs bruising may be seen around the wound. This may not appear until a few days

after the operation, and in some cases can seem excessive in comparison to the size of the incision, however

this is due to seepage of blood under the skin edges. In some case a small amount of blood may seep

intermittently from a fresh wound for up to 24 hours, especially if the animal is active.

Please contact the surgery if you see any of the following at the wound:-

1. Continuous seepage or a large quantity of blood.

2. Intermittent blood seepage continuing for more than 24 hours.

3. Any swelling of the scrotum causing irritation to the dog, excessive redness of the skin or discharge.

The skin stitches (also called sutures) are removed after ten days. Please make an appointment for this when

you collect your pet after his operation.

Some restriction of exercise should be continued for a few days after the sutures are removed. After that he can

resume his normal activities.

After castration, some dogs lose their waistline and thicken out a little, so their diet should be adjusted to

prevent them getting fat. He should not become lazy and you should continue to provide him with plenty of

exercise. If you suspect your dog is gaining weight, please make an appointment for us to weigh him and

advise about any appropriate nutritional changes.