Pre and Post-operative Care

The following pre-operative instructions apply to nearly all procedures at Paragon Veterinary Group requiring sedation or general anaesthesia. Any special instructions will be discussed with you. Post-operative advice is listed below for neutering. For other procedures advice will be given at discharge.

General instructions prior to admission

Food and Water
The patient must not be fed later than midnight if they are to receive an anaesthetic and / or operation on the following day.

Water should be taken up first thing in the morning.

Rabbits
Should have food and water left available until admission.

Cats
Are best kept in overnight (with a litter tray) to prevent them going out and disappearing or catching themselves some breakfast!

Dogs
Should be walked on a lead prior to arriving at the surgery to enable them to relieve their bowel prior to an anaesthetic. Please do not take dogs for a lengthy walk through muddy fields before arriving at the surgery. (We like them to stay as clean and dry as possible).

Admissions
All animals booked in should be brought to the surgery between 8.30am and 9.30am. If this is inconvenient please let us know in advance so we can make alternative arrangements. We are normally happy to admit cats in the evening, before the day of surgery, at no extra cost.

Collections
We will contact you when your pet’s operation is over to arrange a time for collection. Please note that payment is expected at the time of collection.

Cancellations
Please contact the surgery at the earliest opportunity as we will be expecting your pets admission until informed otherwise.

Standard Discharge Instructions

Cat Castration
Keep your cat somewhere warm overnight until he is fully recovered from the anaesthetic.

A light meal may be offered tonight e.g. Hills Feline i/d. Water should be available on arrival home. There is no need to worry if your cat refuses food tonight but his appetite should be back within 24 hours, so feed as normal tomorrow.

Take care to keep your cat inside tonight as his reactions will have been slowed down considerably by the drugs administered today. It would be unwise for a cat to go onto roads within 48hrs of an anaesthetic.

Wound care
Your cat has not got external stitches so suture removal is not required.

A long-acting antibiotic and a painkiller have already been given so there is no medication to be given either.

It is possible that a small amount of bloody fluid may ooze from the site of the operation during the first few hours your cat is at home. It would unwise to let him sleep on white sheets, furniture or carpets until this period has passed.

If you are at all unhappy about the wound or your cat is licking or worrying at it, please phone the surgery for advice.

Please do not apply anything to the wound or give any medication if not instructed to do so.

You should not need to have your cat checked again but if you are at all concerned about him, contact us at the surgery. We have a full 24 Hour Emergency Service.

Cat Spay
Keep your cat somewhere warm overnight until she is fully recovered from the anaesthetic.

A light meal may be offered tonight e.g. Hills Feline i/d. Water should be available on arrival home. There is no need to worry if your cat refuses food tonight but the appetite will be back within 24 hours, so feed as normal tomorrow.

Take care to keep your cat inside tonight as her reactions will have been slowed down considerably by the drugs administered today. It would be unwise for a cat to go onto roads within 48hrs of an anaesthetic.

Wound Care
Your cat’s stitches are internal and dissolvable so do not need to be taken out.

A long-acting antibiotic and a painkiller will have already been given so there is no further medication necessary.

It is possible that a small amount of bloody fluid may ooze from the site of the operation during the first few hours your cat is at home. It would unwise to let him sleep on white sheets, furniture or carpets until this period has passed.

It is not unheard of for cats to remove their own sutures - this may be nothing to worry about but please contact us for advice at the earliest opportunity.

Care should be taken to check the wound daily for pain, swelling or signs of possible infection. If you are unhappy about the wound or your cat is licking or worrying at it, please phone the surgery for advice.

Please do not apply anything to the wound or give any medication if not instructed to do so.

You should not need to have your cat checked again but if you are at all concerned about her, contact us at the surgery. We have a full 24 Hour Emergency Service.

Dog Castration
Keep your dog somewhere warm and quiet overnight until he is fully recovered from the anaesthetic. He may be more sleepy than usual for 12-24 hours but should be able to stand and walk when stimulated. If he is unable to stand then you should contact the surgery.

A light meal may be offered tonight e.g. Hills Canine i/d. Water should be available on arrival home. There is no need to worry if your dog refuses food tonight but the appetite should be back within 24 hours, so feed as normal tomorrow.

Exercise
Your dog’s stitches are internal and dissolvable so will not need to be taken out.

For the first 48 hours you should take extra care to ensure that the stitched wound is not strained. For example, your dog should be lifted in and out of cars and up and down stairs.

On the first evening he can go out briefly on a lead to relieve himself.

Over the next 2 days he can go for short walks on a lead. After we have checked him on day 5 the amount of lead walking can be gradually stepped up but he should stay on a lead at all times until day 10 post-op.

Please avoid muddy areas to keep the wound as clean as possible.

Wound Care
It is not unusual for a few drops of blood to leak from the wound during the first 24 hours, especially when starting to move around after a period of rest. If this is more than a few drops there is not necessarily a serious problem but please contact us for advice as soon as possible.

A long-acting antibiotic and a painkiller have already been given so there is no medication to be given.

Care should be taken to check the wound daily for pain, swelling or discharge. If you are unhappy about the wound or your dog is licking or worrying at it, please phone the surgery for advice. It is quite common for the scrotum to become swollen in the days following surgery. The swelling should be non-painful, and not inflamed or hot. This swelling will resolve in 10-14 days.

Please do not apply anything to the wound or give any medication if not instructed to do so.

If you are at all concerned about your dog contact us at the surgery. We have a full 24 Hour Emergency Service.

Bitch Spay
Keep your dog somewhere warm and quiet overnight until she is fully recovered from the anaesthetic. She may be more sleepy than usual for 12-24 hours but should be able to stand and walk when stimulated. If she is unable to stand then you should contact the surgery.

A light meal may be offered tonight e.g. Hills Canine i/d. Water should be available on arrival home. There is no need to worry if your dog refuses food tonight but the appetite should be back within 24 hours, so feed as normal tomorrow.

Exercise
Your dog’s stitches are internal and dissolvable so will not need to be taken out.

For the first 48 hours you should take extra care to ensure that the stitched wound is not strained. For example, your dog should be lifted in and out of cars and up and down stairs.

On the first evening she can go out briefly on a lead to relieve herself.

Over the next 2 days she can go for short walks on a lead. After we have checked her on day 5 the amount of lead walking can be gradually stepped up. She can be allowed off the lead at day 10 post-op.

Please avoid muddy areas to keep the wound as clean as possible.

Wound Care
It is not unusual for a few drops of blood to leak from the wound during the first 24 hours, especially when starting to move around after a period of rest. If this is more than a few drops there is not necessarily a serious problem but please contact us for advice as soon as possible.

A long-acting antibiotic and a painkiller have already been given so there is no medication to be given.

Care should be taken to check the wound daily for pain, swelling or discharge. If you are unhappy about the wound or your dog is licking or worrying at it, please phone the surgery for advice.

Please do not apply anything to the wound or give any medication if not instructed to do so.

If you are at all concerned about your dog contact us at the surgery. We have a full 24 Hour Emergency Service.

Rabbit Castrations and Spays
As a rule rabbits tend to recover more slowly than cats and dogs from general anaesthesia and require extra TLC. We sometimes keep rabbits overnight in the hospital as a precaution so don't be concerned if we ask to do this.

If we are happy to discharge your rabbit the same day, keep it somewhere warm overnight until fully recovered from the anaesthetic.

Offer food as normal. Your rabbit should be eating within 12 hours or so, if not please phone the surgery for advice.

Wound care
We usually use internal dissolvable stitches which do not need to be taken out, however in some cases external sutures may be used. We will let you know if these are present as they will need to be removed 7-10 days post-op.

An antibiotic and a painkiller injection have already been given - you may be asked at discharge to administer further antibiotics.

Please keep the rabbit in a dry area on newspaper until stitches out. Shavings, sawdust, mud or wet grass can all have adverse effects on the surgical wound.

Please do not apply anything to the wound or give any medication if not instructed to do so.

It is not unusual for a few drops of blood to leak from the wound during the first 24 hours, especially when starting to move around after a period of rest. If this is more than a few drops there is not necessarily a serious problem but please contact us for advice as soon as possible.

In the warmer months of the year attention to fly control is vital - flies will lay eggs in the wound which will develop into maggots. Use fly repellents around the hutch, monitor carefully for flies and clean out the hutch and inspect the wound twice daily. It may be worth keeping the rabbit indoors.