What do I need to know about taking care of my dog after surgery?

You want to know what's safe for them and what's not safe. Do they have any restrictions? If they've had an incision or surgery, how do you pick them up if you need to? You need to consider what to feed the dog, whether they're going to need help going up and down steps, and activity level—you want to keep them on a leash almost always.

So all of our canine patients will go home with some written discharge instructions, and your veterinarian, or one of their assistants, will go over those instructions beforehand. The majority of our post-op cases go home with some pain medications, antibiotics, and so all of the instructions will be given out with those. Most of these dogs need some rest or activity restriction for a while, as well as a cone or an E-collar to wear during their recovery. So the instructions with that are essential to not only have, but also to refer back to.

We'll go over some things with you, and you'll have some written instructions. The basics are to make sure the incision area is kept clean. We do recommend leash walks only to limit the pets running and jumping. No baths or grooming for dogs for at least until the sutures or staples are removed or absorbed.