Slowly introduce food/water with ½ quantity of each. Monitor for 2 hours. If no vomiting, it is ok to offer the other ½ . If any vomiting, remove food & water and wait another hour before trying again. Appetite should return gradually within 24 hours of surgery. Do not change the animal’s diet at this time, & do not give them junk food, table scraps, milk, or any other people food during the recovery period. Feeding them their regular diet will help avoid gastro-intestinal upset.
● Restrict your pet’s activity for the next 10-14 days to avoid the incision opening & allow healing.
● Cats should stay indoors for 7 days minimum.
● Dogs must go out on a leash to urinate/defecate & then return inside to rest. No free yard time for 10-14 days.
● Keep the incision site dry ; do not apply topical ointment & no baths for 14 days .
● Be prepared to keep pets separate during the recovery period.
● Keep males away from unspayed females for 30 days.
● Keep females away from unneutered males for seven days.
● Check the incision site twice daily. There should be no drainage, and minimal redness or swelling. The incision for male cats is directly on the scrotum. Sutures on all animals are internal and will dissolve over next few weeks.
● Too much activity causes increased swelling and inflammation, so activity restriction is very important .
● Do not allow your pet to lick or chew at the incision . If this occurs, an Elizabethan collar (E-collar) MUST be applied to prevent additional licking/chewing that could cause infection. Surgical suits are available through pet supply stores or baby onesies can also be effective depending on your pet.
● Minimal redness & swelling of the surgery site should resolve within several days, but if they persist longer, please call our office at 256-489-0418 Monday -Thursday 9am- 3pm . After office hours up to 8pm, please email us at info@nalspayneuter.org.  Any emergencies after 6p.m. you will need to call/visit a local animal emergency care clinic.
● You should also contact us immediately if you notice any of the following:

pale gums; depression; unsteady gait; loss of appetite or decreased water intake; vomiting; diarrhea; discharge or bleeding from the incision; difficulty urinating or defecating; labored breathing.
● Do not give human medication to your pet. It is dangerous & can be fatal.

PLEASE email us before giving any medications not prescribed at surgery by our clinic.

• We will make every reasonable effort to treat at North Alabama Spay and Neuter Clinic, at minimal cost, any post-operative complications resulting directly from the surgery, if the above post-operative instructions are followed in full. Your regular veterinarian must address illnesses or injuries that are not a direct result of surgery. Please email or call for an appointment as soon as you see any cause
  for concern at 256-489-0418 Monday -Thursday 9am- 3pm . 

• If the Animal received a vaccine at our clinic other than rabies, please discuss a “booster” vaccine with your regular veterinarian. Canine distemper/parvo vaccine & feline distemper vaccine all need to be “boostered” three to four weeks after administration of the first vaccine for maximum effectiveness.