Read more about what are the best ways to care for your dog after they have been spayed on the AZ Paws blog!

Spaying Your Dog: What to Expect and How to Care For Her

Getting your dog spayed or neutered is a pretty routine procedure nowadays. None the less, when you get your dog back and she’s acting all slow and not like herself, it can be a little scary at first. Luckily, it’s not permanent and they’ll be back to their old self in no time. Until then, it’s important you know all the details about caring for your pet. Here are a few things to expecting in the spay and neuter process and how you can help out your pet until it gets better.

What You Can Expect

When spaying a dog, the anesthesia can make them feel a little funky for a while after they wake up. This is only temporary, but until it wears off, it’s best to keep an eye on them to ensure pet safety and make sure they’re comfortable.

The first thing to note is your dog will probably be a bit shaky on his feet for a while. The anesthesia typically messes with their balance for a while, so they may walk slow or tend to stumble. The best thing to do is ensure she’s walking slowly. Don’t let her bump into anything or climb onto any chairs, couches or stairs. Instead, have them lay on a dog bed or something similar that remains low to the floor.

The second thing to note after spaying or neutering a dog is the after effects of the anesthesia will probably make your dog want to sleep a lot. The best thing for this is to just let them sleep. Make sure they’re comfortable.

Another common thing to look for is some dogs tend to refuse to eat or drink anything immediately after surgery. After spaying a dog, the anesthesia has a tendency to make some dogs nauseous. This usually goes away by the next morning. If it doesn’t, call your vet.

How to Care For Her

Other than watching out for the signs listed above, there are a few other things you can do to assure your pet remains comfortable while she is healing. The best thing to do is prepare a room or quiet space for her, away from anyone or anything that might bother her.

A bathroom can be a useful space, as it can be closed off from other pets and young kids, doesn’t have high couches or chairs that a dog could try to climb up on and usually has tile floors, which are easy to clean if a dog becomes sick. Put your dog’s water and food bowls in with he.

You may find yourself wanting to cuddle and comfort your pet after surgery. While that may help, it is important that you are very gentle with her. Spaying, in particular, is a much more intrusive surgery than neutering, so she will be sore for a while. Try not to feed her too many treats either, as she may become sick. Treats are only supposed to be about 10% of the daily calories for your pet anyway, so hold back on feeding her them when just coming out of surgery.

Spaying a dog is luckily not as bad as it seems. It’s become a really common procedure and has no lasting effects on your dog. It is important, however, to make sure she remains comfortable while she’s healing. We hope you found these tips useful for your dog’s spaying operation.

For more information, please visit AZPaws.org