AFTER YOUR VISIT

Post-Op Reminders:

Read your discharge paperwork completely. You will receive an email with electronic notes and appointment records the evening of your pet's surgery.

We recommend purchasing an E-collar $15 to prevent licking, biting, and trauma that will promote infection and cause damage to the incision.

If you did not purchase an e-collar and your dog or cat is licking or chewing at an incision site, please purchase an e-collar ASAP to reduce the chances of infection (available at a local pet store/ Menards or available at SNIP for $15).

You can also put a surgical suit or baby onesie on cats and small dogs, or a paper plate/ paper bowl with a hole in the center on cats has worked in some situations.

Adult Dogs & Cats:

May have half of their normal nighttime meal, do not let them gobble down their food; they may or may not have an appetite, which is normal. If it is more than 36 hours without eating, please let us know.

They may have a small amount of water, but do not let them gulp large amounts (we don't want them to throw up). Following surgery, some animals may not have an appetite and some animals may vomit; this can be normal. If your animal has not eaten after 36 hours, please call us at 219-240-6228 (M-TR 9-3pm) or text 219-440-4727 after hours.

Kittens, Puppies, and Toy Breeds under 6lbs: May have half of their normal nighttime meal. They may have a small amount of water, but do not let them gulp large amounts. If your puppy or kitten does not want to eat, please rub a little honey on their tongue/ gums to keep their blood sugar up.

All stitches and sutures are fully dissolvable and usually take 4-6 weeks and may take up to 120 days to dissolve; you will not need to return post op.

**For female dogs and cats, please monitor their gum color. If your dog is lethargic (extremely sluggish) and has pale gum color, please call and text us pictures at 219-440-4727 as this may be an emergency and we will help you assess the situation to determine if you need to take your pet to an emergency clinic.

**For male cats, the incision site (scrotum) is left open to heal and there may be drainage/ discharge for up to 4 days post-op. The drainage can be up to twenty drops of a clear, pink, or blood type fluid; this can be normal, but feel free to take some pictures of the incision site and send them to us at 219-440-4727 if you have any concerns and we will confirm your pet is healing normally. If the color or consistency of the drainage is pus, please contact us.

It takes 10-14 days to be fully healed. Please observe an exercise restriction for your pet; leash walks of up to 5 minutes max at a time for dogs and no jumping or climbing cat trees etc. for cats as this can cause them to overexert themselves and can result in a complication.

Complications related to surgery typically present themselves within 72 hours.

After 72 hours, complications are typically a result of post-op care such as the pet not wearing an e-collar and over-activity.

Access to SNIP Post-Op Care
- Surgical Related Recheck within 3 days
- Phone, Text, Picture Message Consultation within 7 days
- Pets needing care outside of these timelines may need to follow up with thier full-service veterinarian