For Pet Owners

Most of the time, your veterinarian will advise you to stop feeding your dog by 10 p.m. the night before surgery. Water is fine until drop off. Medications should not be given the morning of surgery unless specifically directed by your veterinarian. If you want to give your dog a bath, we suggest doing this 1-2 days before surgery. For orthopedic surgeries, the skin must be clean and free of any signs of an active pyoderma (skin infection).

Yes. General anesthesia is very safe for most pets. All pets will have a comprehensive physical exam and bloodwork performed by their veterinarian prior to surgery. Most anesthetic protocols are standardized, but adjusted to individual patient needs. All patients are monitored by experienced technicians throughout the procedure and recovery. Most modern monitoring equipment includes heart rate, pulse oxygenation, EKG, blood pressure, end-tidal CO2 and body temperature.

An ACVS Diplomate is a veterinarian who has undergone additional training after veterinary school and has been certified as a specialist in surgery by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). Diplomates of the ACVS are often referred to as board-certified surgeons.

You need to keep an anti-lick device on your pet at all unsupervised times. This includes an Elizabethan collar (e-collar), inflatable e-collar or Lick Sleeve. It only takes a second for your pet to lick open their incision, which can result in infection along with additional surgery and costs.

Once the sutures have been removed and the incision healed, usually 10-14 days after surgery. For orthopedic surgeries, make sure you bathe your pet on an anti-slip mat or outside on the lawn to prevent accidental injury.

Anesthesia, pain medication and reduced activity can slow intestinal transit time. Consult your veterinarian if your pet has not had a bowel movement within thee days of surgery. Often they will advise you to offer a small amount of canned, plain pumpkin to dogs (1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds of bodyweight) or Miralax (1/4 teaspoon in meals) to cats.

The incision should look the same as when your pet returned home. A small amount of bruising and swelling are common the first few days post-op. This starts red then turns purple before going away. If the area around the incision is hot, painful or oozing, immediately contact your veterinarian.

For most procedures, no incisional care is necessary, other than diligent monitoring and lick prevention. Cleaning or applying creams or ointments to the incision can do harm, leading to infections or healing problems. If your pet requires incisional care, this will be clearly outlined for you in the discharge instructions.

Postoperative activity restriction allows for short (less than five minutes), controlled leash walks for elimination. Running, jumping and rough play can lead to problems healing or failure of the procedure. Your pet should be confined to a small room or crate when not directly supervised.

Yes. Most dogs develop edema around their hock (ankle) 3-4 days after TPLO surgery. This is harmless and will go away in a few days. You can assist by gently massaging the limb below the incision and performing passive range of motion exercises, if your pet cooperates.

Full recovery takes around 12 weeks. The first six weeks are the most important since the bone is healing and dogs need to be tightly restricted in their activity to prevent complications. Weeks 6-12 allow for increased controlled activity and gradual return to normal. See our TPLO section for more information.

Yes. If follow up radiographs were recommended, it is strongly advised you have these performed by your veterinarian. This will help us to determine if and when your pet is healed and can return to normal activity.