Specialty Surgery

Aftercare and Rehabilitation

A. Discharge Appointment

after your pet’s surgery you will be contacted to arrange a discharge appointment with one of our patient care coordinators. Generally, we try to arrange these appointments between 11.00am and 3.30pm unless special arrangements can be made. We also discharge animals on Saturdays. At this appointment we will go over the details of surgery and various aspects of aftercare including wound care, exercise and dietary restrictions, pain control and other medications, physical therapy and follow-up appointments. There is a lot of information to cover so please feel free to write down your questions and bring them to the appointment. We also include a written summary of these instructions in a discharge folder for you to go over at home and remind yourself of all the details. However, should you have any ongoing questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to call. The surgery department direct line is 613 520 2213. There is someone to answer your questions Monday to Friday 8.00-6.00pm. If you have problems during emergency hours call 613 731 9911 and one of our emergency staff will be pleased to assist you.

B. Complications

while we all strive to avoid complications they unfortunately can occur. We will do our best to prepare you with what to look for as a complication of your pet’s specific surgery, but if you have any concerns at all about your pet’s condition please don’t hesitate to call the above numbers. It is better to resolve concerns early than to wait too long.

C. Postoperative Instructions:

1. Pain Control - We are very concerned about keeping your pet comfortable during the recovery phase. We dispense pain-relieving medications in order to ensure your pet’s comfort during recovery. The assessment of pain in animals is quite difficult but the return of your pet to normal behavior and attitude is probably the most reliable indicator of comfort. If you are concerned about your pet’s pain control or your pet seems excessively drowsy or disoriented or develops vomiting or diarrhea while on these medications please call us and we will modify the medications as needed.
2. Wound Care – We do everything we can to avoid a surgical infection using sterile technique and peri-operative antibiotics at the time of surgery. However, infection can occur on occasion. Watch for any signs of redness, swelling, discharge or breakdown of your pet’s incision to indicate possible infection. Unfortunately, your pet may try to lick the wound and remove sutures/staples from the incision which is an excellent way to introduce infection into the wound as the mouth is full of nasty bacteria. It is therefore vital to protect your pet’s wound by using the Elizabethan collar provided, to prevent licking/self-trauma of the wound. This may look awkward and uncomfortable for your pet but it is essential to protect the wound and avoid infection. Sutures will be removed at your recheck appointment 10-14 days after surgery.
3. Exercise Restriction – whatever type of surgery that was performed on your pet some form of exercise restriction is required for a variable time after surgery. Exercise should be restricted to leash walks only for at least 2 weeks until suture removal and often longer depending on the type of surgery performed. Detailed exercise restrictions will be given.
4. Follow-up Appointments – usually this begins with suture removal in 10-14 days after surgery. Further appointments may be scheduled as needed for bandage changes or follow-up x-rays to evaluate bone healing. If you have travelled from a distance to come to Alta Vista we will try to arrange for follow-up care with your local veterinarian as far as possible.
5. Medications – your pet may need a variety of medications to take postoperatively for pain control and other reasons. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call.
6. Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation – just as in people, animals benefit from a physical therapy program to return injured bones, joints and muscles back to their normal state. Sometimes professional assistance is needed but often these are exercises that you can perform at home with proper guidance. In addition, once the required amount of time has elapsed for proper healing there needs to be a period of rehabilitation to normal activity levels. Many dogs are very athletic and if they have been restricted during the healing phase they will need to return to normal exercise levels over a period of a month to 6 weeks depending on their injuries. During this time muscle strength and stamina can be rebuilt so that your pet gets back to his/her original fitness level.