This depends on the type of procedure performed. At-home care instructions are provided over the phone to you by Dr. Hamil immediately following surgery, along with written instructions. In general, for most soft tissue surgeries (like mass removals, abdominal surgeries, or any procedure that does not involve bone) the healing time is about 2-3 weeks.
During the 2 to 3-week healing process, your pet needs to wear an e-collar (“cone of shame”) to prevent licking and chewing of the incision which can lead to infection or incisional opening. During this time, please do not let your pet run, jump, or roughhouse with other animals. If dogs and cats are too active after surgery it can break down the repair that was performed, and in some cases can even lead to the need for additional surgery.
- Dogs should only be allowed to walk on a leash for ~5-10 minutes a few times a day. Otherwise, they should be in a small area such as a kennel, or a room without furniture to jump on (like a bathroom or laundry room- yoga mats can be placed to improve traction if there is slick flooring).
- For cats, a large dog crate that is big enough for food, water, and a litter box can be used, or a small room without any furniture to jump on can be helpful to restrict activity.
For orthopedic surgeries (any surgery involving the bones and joints), the incisional healing is about 2 to 3 weeks and animals must wear the e-collar/cone during this time. Most bones take ~6-8 weeks to heal, so the strict activity restriction described above is needed for ~2 months. X-rays are taken at 6-8 weeks after surgery, and if the bone and joint have healed well your pet can begin to resume normal activity over the next ~4 weeks. We recommend this slow return to function over ~4 weeks because we want to avoid any muscle strains or sprains since they have been resting for a while.
