Questions after surgery
Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now
Call OAESH at 613-745-0123- Your pet is suddenly worse, very painful or difficult to wake.
- Your pet cannot urinate, has repeated vomiting, black stool, bleeding or is not eating.
- The incision opens, swelling spreads or you cannot stop licking.
If you are worried this cannot wait, call rather than waiting for an email reply.
Find help with your pet’s surgical wound (incision), eating, drinking, toileting and medicines. Follow your pet’s discharge instructions if they differ from this guide.
For lower-leg swelling, slips or limping after TPLO, use the TPLO questions guide.
Need to send an update?
Choose your concern below. Use the contact details on your discharge sheet to send an update.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Skin changes, lumps, licking, dressings, and bathing
Healing changes or concerning changes
What incision changes can be normal?
Most dog incisions are healed within 10 to 14 days. For cats, 14 to 21 days is often recommended.
Mild pinkness, bruising, dry crusting, or a small amount of swelling can be part of healing when the incision is closed, dry, comfortable, and gradually calmer over time.
The incision looks red, open, wet, warm, swollen, or is draining.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Contact the hospital sooner if the incision opens, bleeds, smells, drains, becomes more painful, or redness/swelling/warmth is spreading.
For a non-urgent update, send:
- One close, bright photo of the incision.
- One wider photo showing the area around it.
- When you first noticed the change.
- Whether it is better, the same, or worse.
- Any change in appetite, energy, comfort, or licking.
A bump or fluid pocket near the incision
There is a small lump or soft swelling near the incision. Is that always bad?
A small soft lump, pocket of fluid, or swelling near an incision can happen during healing, especially if the area has motion under the skin.
It is more reassuring when it is small, not growing quickly, not hot or painful, the incision is closed and dry, and your pet otherwise seems well.
There is a new lump, soft swelling, or pocket of fluid near the incision.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Contact the hospital sooner if it grows quickly, becomes red, warm, painful, starts draining, the incision opens, or your pet seems unwell.
For a non-urgent update, send:
- One normal-distance photo of the incision area.
- One close photo of the lump or swelling.
- When you first noticed it.
- Whether it feels soft, squishy, or firm.
- Whether it is getting bigger, smaller, or staying the same.
Licking, cone, dressing, or grooming
Licking, chewing, or getting around the cone
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Contact the hospital sooner if you cannot keep the incision protected, or if it becomes wet, open, swollen, painful, or starts to drain.
For a non-urgent update, send:
- A photo of the incision or irritated skin.
- A photo showing the cone, suit, shirt, or other barrier.
- Whether your pet can still reach the incision.
- When licking happens: occasional, constant, supervised only, or overnight.
A dressing, wrap, or padding slipped, got wet, got dirty, or feels tight.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Do not remove a dressing just to take a photo unless instructed. Contact the hospital sooner if it is wet, dirty, tight, rubbing, smelly, or your pet seems painful.
For a non-urgent update, send:
- A photo showing the whole dressing or wrap.
- A close photo of the problem area.
- Whether there is swelling above or below the dressing.
- Whether your pet is licking, chewing, painful, or bothered by it.
Stool, urine, or other soiling got near the incision.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Contact the hospital sooner if the incision is contaminated, wet and cannot be dried, opening, painful, worsening, or your pet also has vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, trouble urinating, lethargy, or is otherwise getting worse.
If cleanup is unavoidable, keep it limited to what is needed for hygiene. Keep the incision as clean and dry as possible, gently pat the area dry afterward, and do not scrub the incision.
Do not apply peroxide, alcohol, ointment, powder, cream, shampoo, soap, chlorhexidine, or other products unless the surgical team specifically told you to use them.
Monitor only if the incision stays closed and dry, your pet is comfortable, and appetite, energy, urination, and stool are otherwise stable or improving.
Send this if stool, urine, moisture, or other soiling touched the incision or the area will not dry:
- A clear, well-lit photo of the incision.
- What got on the area: stool, urine, diarrhea, or other soiling.
- Whether the incision is dry now or still wet or damp.
- Any redness, swelling, discharge, opening, odor, pain, or licking.
When is it safe to bathe or groom your pet?
Please keep water away from the incision until sutures or staples have been removed and the skin is fully healed. For grooming, it is usually safest to wait at least 4 weeks so the surgical site is strong enough for handling, clippers, bathing, and drying equipment.
If the incision accidentally gets wet, pat the area dry and monitor it closely. Contact the team if it opens, bleeds, drains, becomes more red or swollen, or your pet starts licking or chewing afterward.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Stomach and bathroom concerns
Stomach upset, especially with anti-inflammatory medication
Soft stool, mild appetite change, or nausea after surgery. Is that expected?
Some mild appetite change, nausea, or softer stool can happen after surgery. It is more reassuring when your pet is bright, drinking, urinating, keeping food and water down, and these signs are improving.
If your pet is taking an anti-inflammatory medication, stomach signs matter more. Do not add aspirin, steroids, or another anti-inflammatory medication unless the surgical team has told you to.
Vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite, black stool, blood, or stomach upset while on anti-inflammatory medication
Repeated vomiting, black or bloody stool, not eating, trouble urinating, severe pain or difficulty waking? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Contact the hospital sooner if there is repeated vomiting, black or tarry stool, blood, poor appetite, weakness, trouble urinating, or diarrhea is worsening.
For a non-urgent update, send:
- Medication names and the current schedule, including any anti-inflammatory.
- What the stool or vomit looks like and how often it is happening.
- Whether there is blood, black or tarry stool, urgency, or accidents.
- Appetite, drinking, urination, and energy.
- Whether it is getting better, staying the same or getting worse.
Stool and drinking after surgery
No bowel movement yet. Is that okay?
Yes, this can be normal. Many pets do not have a bowel movement for 3 to 5 days after surgery because they were fasted, ate less afterward, moved less, and anesthesia can slow the intestines for a few days.
If your pet is eating, comfortable, and not straining or painful, this is usually something to monitor. Let the team know if there is vomiting, a painful or bloated belly, repeated unproductive straining, black or bloody stool, marked lethargy, or no stool beyond the window in your discharge instructions.
Drinking less water after surgery
This can be common in the first 24 to 48 hours. Fluids given into a vein around surgery (IV fluids) can keep many pets hydrated, and wet food or water added to meals also counts toward fluid intake.
Keep fresh water available, but do not force drinking. Let the team know if your pet is not urinating, cannot keep water down, is repeatedly vomiting, seems very weak or lethargic, or the drinking concern is getting worse instead of gradually improving.
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Sleepy, restless, painful, or unsure about timing
Sleepiness, restlessness, pain, or questions about medication timing
Urgent or getting worse? Call your surgical team or an emergency veterinarian now. For OAESH, call 613-745-0123.
Do not change medication timing unless the surgery team or an emergency service tells you to. Contact the hospital sooner if your pet cannot settle, is difficult to rouse, vomits, cannot urinate, becomes weak/wobbly, or pain is getting worse.
For a non-urgent update, send:
- Medication names exactly as written on the discharge sheet.
- What time each medication was last given.
- What changed: sleepiness, restlessness, pain, crying or trouble settling.
- Appetite, drinking, urination, and stool.
- Whether your pet is alert and able to settle.
For the reasons behind Dr. Wood’s choice of anti-inflammatory medicine, read Carprofen (Rimadyl): why Dr. Wood usually chooses it.
If Dr Wood or the surgical team tells you to check the dose range on your discharge instructions, use the medication dose calculator to help with the tablet or liquid math.
How long should medications continue?
Follow the medication schedule on your discharge instructions unless the surgical team changes the plan. Antibiotics and other course-based medications should usually be completed as prescribed. Pain and calming medication depend on the procedure, comfort level, and stage of healing.
Please check before stopping, restarting, combining, or substituting pain medication. Contact the team if pain seems worse, side effects are concerning, your pet is too sedated or too restless, or a medication cannot be given.
Giving regular preventives or other medications after surgery
Routine preventives may be fine for many pets, but it is best to check them against your pet's procedure, medication list, and recovery plan first.
Please ask before adding, stopping, or combining medications, supplements, preventives, anti-inflammatories, steroids, aspirin, or owner-given pain relief. This is especially important while your pet is still on post-operative pain medication or anti-inflammatory medication.
Still unsure or things are worsening?
For a non-urgent question, send the details listed above. If your pet is getting worse, seems very painful, is difficult to rouse, cannot urinate, has repeated vomiting, black stool, bleeding, an opening incision, spreading swelling, or you are worried this cannot wait, contact the hospital rather than waiting for an email reply.