Your pet dog may require a surgical procedure too! Much as we may not like our pet to go through surgery, it is the only option in certain cases!
Let’s quickly see when your dog might need surgery?
- Spaying/Neutering
- Dental Extractions
- Surgical removals of benign growths
While these surgeries can be planned, there are certain conditions when your pet might require emergency surgery. These may be conditions like internal bleeding, malignant skin tumors, spleen cancer, bladder stones, and more.
Your veterinarian will recommend whether a surgery is required or not and the appropriate time for the surgery based on the following factors:
- Age of the dog
- Its general health conditions
- What will happen in case the surgery is not done?
If after reviewing these factors and others specific to your dog, the vet will suggest if your dog needs to undergo the surgery. The final decision to conduct the surgery will, of course, lie with the pet owner.
It is recommended that you discuss in detail with the vet the possible outcomes of the procedure, the pre-operative and post-operative care required, and recovery time for your pet.
Pre-operative care guidelines:
To avoid the negative impacts of the surgery, it is best to follow the pre-surgery instructions given by your vet. Pre-operative care depends, to a large extent, on whether the surgery is a planned one or an emergency surgery.
However, certain general guidelines can help your pet irrespective of the type of surgery. They are:
- Usually, a dog is required to be brought to a fasting state for surgery. The vet will advise you to stop feeding your dog from midnight, the night before the surgery. However, your dog is permitted to drink water before the surgery.
- Make sure to reach the veterinary clinic according to the scheduled time for the surgery. This is because veterinarians fix the time for surgeries with consideration to multiple interrelated factors. Hence, any delay could disrupt things and could prove risky to the well-being of your pet.
- Make sure to ask your vet for instructions for post-operative care and follow them stringently.
Post-operative care:
In case you are leaving your dog at the hospital for the surgery and planning to return later, ask the vet when you must return. Your vet will suggest the timing based on the type of surgical procedure.
The veterinary doctor will provide you a list of instructions to be followed after the surgery. These will include aspects like how you must administer medication, food, and water to your pet, changing of bandages, taking care of the stitches, scheduling of the follow-up appointment, etc. Make sure that you take care of all these aspects so that your dog recovers well after the surgery.
Make your dog comfortable at home.
Watch him/her carefully for 24 hours after the surgery and make sure to consult your vet in case of any cause for concern.
Make sure that your dog does not lick or bite the sutures. You could try an Elizabethan collar for this.
Texas Wellness Veterinary clinic is a leading pet-care hospital that specializes in all types of surgeries for dogs!
