Before surgery, please prepare a quiet, comfortable area where your pet can recover safely. We encourage all patients to take it slow while they heal, so please plan to restrict running, jumping, playing, and other strenuous activity as directed by your veterinary team.

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Please also plan to spend time with your pet and monitor them closely for approximately 12 hours after they return home from surgery and anesthesia. Although our veterinary technicians carefully monitor your pet's recovery and help determine when it is appropriate for them to go home, your pet may still be sleepy or experience temporary changes in appetite or behavior after anesthesia.

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For most anesthesia procedures, food and water should be withheld for 12 hours before surgery, unless your veterinary team provides different instructions. Fasting helps reduce the risk of nausea and vomiting while your pet is under anesthesia. Because anesthesia can reduce normal swallowing and airway protective reflexes, vomited stomach contents can potentially enter the lungs, which is called aspiration. Proper fasting helps minimize this risk.

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When your pet comes home, please keep their recovery suit, cone, or other protective device on as instructed. This helps prevent licking, chewing, or scratching at the surgical site, which can cause irritation, infection, or the sutures to tear out and the incision to open.

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A calm environment, restricted activity, close monitoring, and proper protection of the surgical site are all important parts of your pet's recovery. Following these instructions will help give your pet the safest and most comfortable recovery possible.