Post Operative Care: Wound Suturing (Stitching) – Dogs
Looking After Your Pet After An Anaesthetic
It can take a while for the drugs used in an anaesthetic to leave the body – your pet may be sleepier than normal for 12-24 hours after their anaesthetic. This is usually nothing to be concerned about, however they should be able to get up and walk around when stimulated and if not please call the surgery as this may indicate they need veterinary attention.
You should keep your pet indoors for the rest of the day in a warm, quiet place. This is because an anaesthetic procedure can affect your pet’s ability to regulate their temperature.
Occasionally, a slight cough will be noted after surgery, this is normally due to irritation caused by the endotracheal tube that is used in the anaesthetic and should resolve within 48 hours.
Wound Care
Your dog has had a wound sutured (stitched). In some cases, the resultant wound may appear larger than the original injury, if dead or compromised tissue needed to be removed from the wound edges so that we have healthy tissue to close together.
It takes around 10-14 days for surgical wounds to heal. Immediately after an operation, a small amount of blood may sometimes be seen at the surgical site, however, if more than a few drops are noted then please call the surgery.
You should make sure that your pet is kept rested (which may require them to be restricted to one room, or a crate), and is not allowed to get the wound dirty. Dogs should be kept on restricted exercise and not allowed off lead for 10-14 days, unless we advise otherwise.
Please do not apply any products to the wound that have not been supplied by us, without contacting us first.
It is important that your pet does not lick or scratch at the surgical wound, as this may cause the wound to become infected or open up. This may require that they wear a plastic cone (buster collar) or medical pet shirt until the wound has healed. If your pet is licking the wound please contact us so we can issue you with a buster collar.
A small amount of redness around the wound can be normal, however any signs of increased redness, swelling or discharge from the wound should be reported to us.
If surface sutures are present, they will usually be removed after 10-14 days, once the wound has healed.
Drains: In some cases, especially for larger wounds, a drain may be placed. This is often in the form of a rubber tube which allows fluid that may collect at the site of the surgery to drain away, although other forms of drain may be used as well. We will usually remove drains within 3-4 days of surgery- although timing of removal will depend on the type of drain used. This will be discussed with you at your pet’s discharge.
Please do not touch any drains with bare hands, particularly around the drainage point in the skin, as it is important to prevent bacterial contamination which may lead to infection. However, it is important to keep the surrounding skin clean of any discharge. We may provide you with some antibacterial solution to use for this purpose. Please wear gloves if you are cleaning the area.
If your pet has had a different type of drain placed (active drain), we will discuss management of this with you at your pet’s discharge appointment.
If a drain has been placed, it is essential that your dog always has a buster collar (plastic cone) on, to prevent them from pulling the drain out.Dressings: If a dressing has been placed over the surgical wound, management of this will be discussed with you at the discharge appointment. It is particularly important that dressings are not allowed to get wet or dirty, and that, if they slip or move position that you contact us for advice. It may be necessary for us to replace the dressing to prevent damage to the wound or surrounding area. Dressings should be changed at the advised interval, and it is important that you do not attempt to redress the wound, unless we have given specific advice, as improperly applied bandages can cause serious damage, particularly if applied to certain areas.
Medication
Please follow carefully the instructions on the label of any medications supplied. If you are having difficulty getting your pet to take medications, please contact us.
We give pets injections of painkillers at the time of the surgery, which will usually last for several hours; if your pet still appears be in pain then please contact us.
We also routinely provide anti-inflammatory painkillers to be given by mouth for several days post-surgery. Please follow the instructions on the label carefully. The most commonly provided pain killer is a liquid which is given ONCE daily in food, or with food, using the dosing syringe that is provided in the packet. It is important to stress that only the specific dosing syringe provided should be used.
If any vomiting or diarrhoea occurs while using this medication then please do not give any more, and contact the surgery. Most patients are given an injection of this drug on the day of the surgery and, therefore, unless advised otherwise at the discharge appointment, the medication should not be given at home until the next day.
In some cases, antibiotics may also be prescribed. This will be discussed with you at your discharge appointment. If antibiotics are prescribed, please ensure that you use the full course, as advised by your vet. Please note that some people may be allergic to contact with certain antibiotics such as penicillin. If you suffer from allergies to antibiotics then please ensure that you have discussed this with a member of staff.
Feeding
We will offer your pet a small meal after surgery (unless you have advised us not to), but they should also be offered a small meal at home (they can be fed their normal food).
If they do not eat at home the evening of the surgery, in most cases you do not need to be overly concerned, but their appetite should return within 24 hours – if not then please contact us for further advice.
Exercise
To reduce the chance of damage to the wound, it is important that you keep your pet rested, usually for around 10 days, to allow the wound to heal. In some cases, a longer period of rest may be required, particularly if the wound is large or in a high movement area. This means that dogs should be kept on the lead when taken for walks, and these should be restricted to short walks on gentle terrain/pavements. Dogs should not be allowed to swim until the wound has fully healed.
All pets should be prevented from jumping or roughly playing in the 2 weeks post-surgery.
In Case of An Emergency
If you have a concern that requires urgent attention please contact us at the surgery. If it is out of normal surgery hours, listen carefully to the instructions, which will direct you to the veterinary surgeon on duty.
It is particularly important that you notify us immediately if your pet becomes very quiet, seems in pain, goes pale, or if you notice any significant bleeding.