Post-Anesthesia Pet Care

Caring for an Animal Following a Procedure Involving Anesthesia

May 22, 2008

Caring for a pet following anesthesia can be nerve-wracking unless owners know what to expect and how to ensure a pet's comfort during the recovery period.

The hours following a procedure involving anesthesia can be a scary experience for animal and owner alike, but knowing what to expect and what danger signs to look out for can help ease an owner’s mind. The key is to look for steady improvement, while limiting activity and monitoring incision sites during the healing period.

“Following a procedure, it’s important to remember that you should be seeing steady improvement, whether it’s while the animal is recovering from anesthesia, or during the healing process. If you’re not seeing improvement, then this is a sign of a problem,” explained Dr. Michael Levine, DVM.

The vast majority of operations performed on pets are done as out-patient procedures, and therefore owners must closely monitor the animal as it's recovering from anesthesia. Veterinary staff will monitor the animal at the animal hospital for several hours after the procedure, but anesthesia after effects will be felt for an average of 12 to 18 hours following the operation.

In the hours following an operation, owners can expect their pet or farm animal to be drowsy, lethargic and a bit unsteady. Many patients experience nausea following a procedure, and therefore, it’s not uncommon for an animal to refuse food when it first returns home from the clinic.

Upon returning home, the recovering patient should be placed in a warm, quiet room, away from other animals and children. Crating or stalling the animal during the anesthesia recovery period is ideal, as this will limit movement - an unsteady and disoriented animal can easily sustain injuries from a stumble or fall.

For pets and livestock who live outdoors, warm and quiet indoor accommodations, away from other animals, must be provided during the recovery period. For indoor/outdoor pets, like cats, it’s important to keep the pet inside during the two-week recovery period, particularly if the pet has stitches. A recovering animal who is left outside will be unable to protect itself from predators and other potentially dangerous situations, and exposure to cold or physical activity will only delay the healing process.

Most will choose to sleep or rest following a surgical procedure, but recovery should be well underway by the next morning. If an animal has not shown improvement by morning, this can be indicative of a serious problem that warrants a return trip to the vet. Other abnormalities that signal a problem include lethargy, an unwillingness to eat, vomiting, panting or drooling and difficulty breathing.

Swelling can cause a great deal of pain following a procedure, so applying cold compresses for 20-minute periods, several times a day can help reduce inflammation at the surgical site.

Limiting activity is another key component of recovery following a surgical procedure, so owners should limit activities like walks and pasture time for a period of two weeks.

“With many procedures, we’re cutting through structures like skin, muscles, and blood vessels. Movement is going to interfere with the natural healing process, so limiting activities is key,” Dr. Levine explained.

Activities like running and jumping should be avoided, and stall/cage rest can help prevent injury while the animal is unsupervised. Access to stairs, furniture and other areas where climbing it common should also be limited, to help prevent falls.

Many animals are also sent home with medications for pain, inflammation and infection. Dosing pets in accordance with the veterinarian’s orders will ensure a drug’s efficacy, as missed doses or vomiting due to taking a medication on an empty stomach will delay recovery. Owners should also ask their vet about each drug’s potential side effects. Potentially deadly side effects can result if an animal has a bad reaction to a particular drug, so knowing the danger signs could ultimately save a pet’s life.

Dr. Levine also recommends that pet and livestock owners obtain the address and phone number of a local 24-hour veterinary clinic to ensure that recovering animals will have access to care in the event that a problem does arise.

The copyright of the article Post-Anesthesia Pet Care in Animal Husbandry is owned by Mia Carter. Permission to republish Post-Anesthesia Pet Care in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.