15 Tips How to Care for a Dog After Being Neutered

More and more caregivers are aware of the importance and benefits of neutering their dogs. Thus, doubts arise about how the operation is performed, how to care for a dog after being neutered, and how long it takes for a dog to recover, which is what we will explain in this article.

In addition, we will see how to heal the wound left by this procedure. As the first point of importance, remember that we must always go to a vet with proven experience and follow his instructions.

how to care for a dog after being neutered

Spaying and Neutering Dogs

Before talking about how to care for a dog after being neutered, we must know what this operation consists of. First of all, it is recommended to do it early so that the dog benefits from the positive effects on its health, such as those related to the prostate or testicular tumors. It doesn’t hurt to bring our dog for a review that includes a basic blood test to detect if there is any health problem to take into account before neutering, especially if the dog is already of age.

On the day chosen for the surgery, we must go to the clinic with the dog fasting. The operation itself consists of removing the testicles in male dogs or the uterus and ovaries in females, through a small incision, of course, with the dog anesthetized. This is done after shaving and disinfecting the area. The incision is closed with a few stitches, which may or may not be seen, re-disinfected and in no time the dog will be fully awake and can continue to recover at home.

How to Care for a Dog After Being Neutered

As we have seen, we can quickly bring our dog home. There we must take into account the following recommendations, which ensure good care for newly neutered dogs:

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What should I pay attention to immediately after the operation?

  • Keep the dog calm, avoiding sudden movements or jumps that can open the wound.
  • The pressure bandage around the leg may be removed when you return home.
  • Prevent licking or biting of the incision to avoid pulling the stitches. Also, the wound could become infected. For this, we can use an Elizabethan collar, at least during the time when we cannot monitor it. Some dogs get overwhelmed with it but you have to think that it will only be a few days.
  • Since your dog has had anesthesia today, they may be a bit drowsy for the rest of the day and evening and would like to lie down and sleep. As the day goes on, your dog will likely become more and more active.
  • Your dog was given a strong painkiller, a morphine-like agent, during the operation. This means that this can cause hallucinations. Some animals express this by whining or squeaking.
  • It is not normal for your dog to become increasingly sluggish. It is therefore advisable to keep your dog warm if it feels cold. Let your pet decide for itself whether it wants to lie in a warm place. You can also check the temperature of your dog; the dog’s normal rectal temperature is between 38°C and 39°C.
  • Your dog may not feel like eating on the day of surgery because they may still be nauseous from the anesthesia. Therefore, prepare a small amount of food first. It is okay if your pet does not eat anything on the first day.
  • It is normal for your dog to have a great urge to drink after surgery. Your dog is therefore allowed to drink as usual after the operation. Also start with small amounts and make sure it is not too cold.

What should I pay attention to for the first week after surgery?

  • In the first days, some blood may still come out of the wound. You don’t need to worry about this as this is likely a broken skin vessel.
  • Make sure that no dirt gets into the wound. A Medical Pet Shirt (a shirt that covers the wound) can help with this. This way your pet cannot get the wound.
  • The skin around the scrotum can become irritated and red in dogs after surgery. This is a reaction to shaving. Try to correct your dog if it wants to sit on it. If this does not work, we recommend that you get an itch-relieving ointment or Medical Pet Shirt.
  • The stitches veterinarians use nowadays dissolve by themselves. The wound is waterproof after 10 days. After these 10 days, the wound check will take place, where any remaining stitches will be removed.
  • Try to limit walking your dog for the first week.
  • We do not recommend swimming with your dog during the first week after surgery.
  • Keep in mind that your male can still be fertile for a few days to weeks after neutering. The behavior can also still be present; no new testosterone is produced, but the testosterone already present has to be broken down and that takes a number of weeks.

Proper nutrition after your dog’s medical discharge

After the operation, in order to promote and help in the healing and for a better and faster recovery, your veterinarian will recommend a special diet that you should give your animal during the postoperative period.

In principle, you should maintain this special diet until discharge, at which time they will recommend and indicate the type of food with which you should feed your dog in order to prevent potential problems related to diet in sterilized animals, especially overweight and obesity.

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It is common for neutered dogs to experience the following:

  • Hormonal changes
  • Metabolism slows down
  • The energy requirement is lower

So it’s very important to switch to a special, complete and balanced diet to help control weight, for as long as directed by your veterinarian.

How Long Does it Take for a Dog to Recover from Being Neutered?

If you read the above instructions on how to care for a dog after being neutered, you will see that practically from its return home it will be leading a normal life. However, the care should continue for approximately a week after being neutered.

For the dog’s recovery, it is important that we always keep the wound clean. For this, we have already seen that it is essential to prevent our dog from licking or biting it.

In addition, we will clean it with a disinfectant such as chlorhexidine at least once a day. This disinfectant can be found in a convenient spray that allows us to apply it simply by spraying the area, thus causing minimal discomfort.

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If not, we can wet a gauze or cotton with disinfectant and dab it on the incision, always without rubbing. In a few days, we will see that the skin is completely closed, at which time it will no longer be necessary to disinfect; but continue to monitor until receiving the veterinary discharge.

How to Comfort Dog After Spaying

In addition to healing problems, which we can minimize by following the aforementioned care, we can observe other discomforts faced by a dog after being neutered or spayed.

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For example, if our dog cries after being neutered, it may be because they are out of place due to the visit to the vet, the medication, and the discomfort they may notice in the area, hence the importance of analgesia.

We can also notice that they eat less, sleep more or is off. All this should not last for more than one day. In addition, it is possible that our dog does not urinate after being neutered, also due to the discomfort in the area during the first hours. However, all these situations that we describe are not frequent and resolve themselves, since it is usual for the dog to resume their normal life once they get home. Otherwise, we must notify the vet.

Important: This article is for informational purposes only. We always recommend that you go to a trusted vet with your pet first.