Our veterinarian performs a general physical examination on patients prior to surgery and reserves the right to refuse service to any animal for whom surgery is deemed a health risk. Reasons for possible refusal include, but are not limited to:
- Animals with health issues, such as a heart murmur or respiratory illness, or pre-existing diseases (diabetes, cushings,etc) may be referred to a full service veterinary hospital for treatment and surgery.
- Kittens or puppies younger than 8 weeks OR smaller than 2 pounds.
We will not take risks with the health of your animal. If any of the issues above apply to your animal, please discuss this with our staff before your scheduled appointment.
Pick up your pet/s:
- Pick up time will be announced in the morning at check-in. Please be on time.
- You will be given instructions on how to care for your pet after surgery.
- It is important to adhere to these instructions to help your pet recover from surgery without incident.
- It is the owner’s responsibility to follow the instructions as provided. Failure to do so may result in additional veterinary costs to the owner.
Download Post-Operative Care Instructions (Adobe Reader required)
Spay/Neuter Post-Operative Care Instructions
Post-Op Care Line: (715)550-7730 Call/Text/Send Photos
If you have non-emergency questions or concerns after you take your pet home, call, text or send photos.
IF AN EMERGENCY IS SUSPECTED (pale gums, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding from the incision, difficulty urinating, labored breathing, lethargy lasting more than 24 hours) CALL A FULL-SERVICE OR EMERGENCY VETERINARY CLINIC FOR ADVICE AND REPORT THIS TO OUR POST-OP CARE LINE.
TAKE CARE TO PREVENT THESE 3 MAJOR and COMMON COMPLICATIONS:
- Tearing/breaking the internal sutures, which can be caused by running, jumping, wrestling, using stairs, falling, etc. Suture breakage can result in excess bleeding, swelling, hernias, extreme weakness and pale tongue & gums, or a significant opening in the incision.
- Infection at the surgical site due to licking of the incision and/or gross contamination, for example, getting sand on/in the incision. An infected surgical site will appear red, swollen, and/or moist due to drainage.
- Scrotal swelling in males, which is most commonly due to being too active and/or licking of the scrotum.
These complications may require additional veterinary care and perhaps surgery to correct the problem.
Be sure to read the take home after-care instructions and follow them closely.
FIRST NIGHT AT HOME:
- CAUTION! If you must handle your pet tonight, use caution until all effects of the medications have worn off. The medications your pet received today may make your pet uncomfortable, irritable, groggy/off-balance and even aggressive. Even the sweetest animal can be unpredictable & may react by biting and/or scratching. Keep children, strangers, and all other animals (including other surgery patients) away from your pet tonight.
- CONFINE your pet to a small space tonight. NO free roaming, access to stairs, furniture, cat posts, human beds, etc. Give cats time to relax after the car ride home before opening carrier door. Then open the carrier & allow your cat to come out on its own. DO NOT REACH INTO THE CARRIER!
- FOOD & WATER may be offered in small amounts tonight; ¼ of their normal daily portion and ¼ the usual amount in the water bowl – 2 servings (1-2 hours apart if they keep the first portion down). Your pet may be nauseous or not very hungry for 24-48 hours after surgery. Animals react differently to surgery & anesthesia; some recover more slowly. DO NOT force feed your pet! Do not change your pet’s regular diet unless instructed to by our veterinary technician or your regular vet.
POST-OP CARE NEXT 14 DAYS:
- REST!! – No running, jumping, playing, long walks or other strenuous activity.
DOGS: Take outside on a short leash. High energy dogs should be kenneled or confined indoors. If necessary, take stairs slow & controlled on a leash.
CATS: Restrict to a large dog kennel or other similar small space with NO objects for them to jump up on. Cat areas must allow ample space for an uncovered litter box, food & water, and a clean sleeping area.
- CLEAN & DRY – No swimming or baths. Keep your pet in a clean, dry, comfortable indoor environment. Do not give or apply any medications, creams, ointments, essentials oils, hydrogen peroxide without consulting The Fix Is In veterinary technician or your regular veterinarian. Do NOT try to clean the incision area, unless expressly told to do so by The Fix Is In veterinary technician or your regular veterinarian.
- NO LICKING!! – Your pet should wear an e-collar 24/7 for 14 days after surgery. The #1 cause of post-op incision infection is licking/chewing at surgical site. Male cats usually do not need to wear an e-collar, unless they start to lick or chew at the incision. Veterinary clinics and most pet supply stores will carry e-collars of various styles & sizes. Do not allow other household pets to lick at the incision either.
- CHECK INCISION – at least twice daily until healed (~ 14 days post-surgery). Take a photo of the incision daily to monitor the healing process, and for comparison, which will help our post-op technician or your veterinarian in case of complications.
Incision location: Females: on the belly just below their “belly button area”; Male dogs: on the scrotum or just in front of their scrotum over the penis;
Male cats: single incision over each testicle and left open to heal so you may see two small openings. All males will still have their “sac”(scrotum).
GLUE & LUMPS: The external incision and a separate green line tattoo (located near the incision) are closed with surgical glue for extra protection, which looks like a clear/blue or whitish crust and will dissolve over time. Do NOT try to pick it or clean it off. Internal sutures will dissolve on their own over several months; during this time you may be able to feel a series of small lumps or knots under the skin at the surgery site. This is normal.
- FOOD – The morning after surgery, your pet may resume their normal feeding schedule and amounts. Your pet may be quiet and/or have a small appetite for 24-48 hours after their surgery. If your pet’s appetite does not return after 24-48 hours contact the post-op care line @ (715)550-7730.
- CAT LITTER – Use 100% dust free litter (shredded newspaper, raw long grain white rice or Yesterday’s News brand litter) for 14 days and keep litter box clean.
- BEHAVIOR – Keep neutered males away from unspayed females for 4-6 weeks as they can still impregnate an unspayed female. Keep intact males away from spayed females for 2 weeks – mating can cause serious or fatal injury to recently spayed females. Females spayed while in-heat may still display heat behaviors for 10 – 12 weeks after surgery. Although spaying & neutering may reduce certain undesirable behaviors, a learned behavior may not go away.
- VACCINES: If your pet received vaccines today, short-term side effects (decreased appetite/activity, pain/small swelling at injection site, mild fever) may last for 2-3 days afterward. If symptoms persist or worsen contact us or your regular vet. Signs of an allergic reaction (hives, facial swelling, difficulty breathing, seizures, collapse, large injection site swelling) is an emergency! Seek immediate emergency care! Vaccines are given subcutaneously in the right side extremities.
- PAIN MEDICATIONS (if purchased) –
DOGS: Your dog has been prescribed Meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug. A 24-dose of this drug was given at the time of surgery. Wait until dinner time on the day after surgery to give your dog another dose by mouth and then every 24 hours until finished. Refer to the pill vial label for dosing instructions appropriate for your dog’s weight. Refer to the provided client information sheet detailing information & side effects of your pet’s prescribed medication.
CATS: Your cat has been prescribed Buprenorphine, a pain medication. The pain medication is already pre-measured in individual doses appropriate for your cat’s weight. The medication is to be given by mouth (between the cheek & gums) every 12 hours until finished. Please refer to the pill vial for instructions and refer to the provided medication information sheet detailing the pain medication and possible side effects.