A spay procedure is the surgical removal of the female reproductive organs (ovaries and uterus). This common procedure is done under general anesthesia.
Before Surgery Please do not allow the dog to eat after 10 p.m. the night before surgery.
Please do not bring the dog in cape when you drop them off for their procedure. Be prepared to take their walking equipment (head collar/leash, etc.) home with you. Many clinics do not want to take these items for the day and will use their own leash/slip lead.
Aftercare: The first 24 hours When you pick them up, you may want to provide a blanket or towel for them to lie on in your car, as the fresh incision may leak blood or clear fluid. They may also rest on a blanket once home if you are directly supervising them. Please do not allow a blanket in the kennel at any time if unsupervised.
Anytime a dog goes under anesthesia or is sedated with anesthetic drugs, you may notice that they are more vocal, less coordinated, have less appetite, and are sleepier than normal. It is totally normal for the dog to be very whiny or vocal the night of surgery; rest assured, they are not in pain. This is an after-effect of the drugs they have received. These effects are generally most obvious within the first few hours of recovery and should slowly wear off within the first 24 hours. It can take up to 24 hours to see them fully back to normal, as some anesthetic drugs may take that long to be processed by the body. If you have any questions on sedation or anesthetic effects, please reach out to puppy program staff as soon as possible.
During the first 24 hours following the procedure, please allow only small amounts of water at a time, as drinking a lot at once in this period can make them sick. You can feed dinner the evening after surgery but please offer a partial meal (¼ the normal amount) to start. If they are interested in the small amount offered, wait an hour. If they do not get nauseous and vomit, they can have the rest of their normal dinner amount. If they are not interested or if they vomit, try again in the morning.
You will receive pain meds for the first few days of recovery. Please follow the directions provided for these pain meds.
Ongoing Recovery During surgery recovery, you have to use a hard plastic e-collar or "cone" to keep them from being able to access the incision. This should be used at all times during the surgery recovery. If you do not have a cone at home, please let us know and we can lend you one to pick up from the office for the recovery time. Please do not use other types of cones (donut style, soft-sided) unless approved by our medical staff.
Please monitor the incision every day. It will be a small, approximately 2-inch incision on their abdomen in the middle-lower portion, just below their umbilical scar. It is normal for the incision to leak a little bit of blood or clear fluid in the first few days of recovery as they are still forming natural scabs. If you notice a large amount of bleeding, swelling, bruising, or pain in the area, please notify staff right away.
The paperwork you receive may say the dog should be rechecked in 14 days. This is not needed unless you have concerns. If at any time you have any questions about the incision, please send pictures and your questions to the email below and we can review them to make sure everything looks good. We are here to help, so feel free to send as many pictures and updates as you want. We want you to feel supported during this process.
If you feel like the incision is not fully healed after 14 days, please let us know and we will continue the restriction and cone use until it is.
Restrictions Throughout Recovery It is very important that the dog remains on leash walks only for a full 14 days following surgery - no classes or outings. The dog cannot run, wrestle, jump, play rough, go on any outings, or come to class during this time. Do not cut this time short regardless of how well they may seem to be healing. You may resume walks after a few days. Again, take it easy. They will need short, calm exercise on leash. It’s also a good time to use treat-dispensing toys to feed them, have them train for their meals, and find other creative ways to stimulate them. After 14 days, the female may resume outings, classes, and other leashed activities. Please refrain from off-leash play or any rough-housing for an additional 14 days (for a total of 4 weeks of restricted activity). This is to allow the internal sutures sufficient time to heal.
If you have another dog in the home, it is best to only have one out at any time, so do crate swapping unless both dogs are able to remain calm while both are out. It is okay to let the dog on recovery spend a lot of time in their crate to keep them quiet, as long as they are getting out for normal potty breaks. You may remove the cone to allow some supervised calm toy play (chewing on a Nylabone, eating a frozen stuffed kong, doing non-active brain games or training, etc. Anytime the dog is unable to be supervised or in their crate, the cone should be on.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 763-331-3000 (for after-hours/weekend emergencies, please select option 3 and leave a message for the on-call staff member) or at [email protected].
Thank you so much for your help in getting your Can Do Canine foster dog through this recovery process.
A neuter is the surgical removal of the male dog’s testicles. This common procedure is done under general anesthesia.
Before Surgery
Please do not allow the dog to eat after 10 pm the night before surgery.
Before Surgery A spay procedure is the surgical removal of the female reproductive organs (ovaries and uterus). This common procedure is done under general anesthesia.
Please do not allow the dog to eat after 10 p.m. the night before surgery.
Please do not bring the dog in cape when you drop them off for their procedure. Be prepared to take their walking equipment (head collar/leash, etc.) home with you. Many clinics do not want to take these items for the day and will use their own leash/slip lead.