When your dog doesn't seem interested in eating his food, do you know what to do? When your dog vomits often, could there be something serious wrong with him? If he struggles to get up the stairs, does he need to see a vet? Having never owned an older dog, I knew nothing about the things that can begin to go wrong when dogs age. I adopted this guy when my neighbor moved into a nursing home and had to learn a lot about how to care for an older dog. My blog is filled with the many things that I have learned over the last year through the help of my vet.
caring for an elderly dog
Tips On Caring For Your Cat After She's Been Spayed
Lucy Grant
One aspect of being a responsible cat owner is getting your cat spayed or neutered. The term "spaying" refers to performing a hysteria-oophorectomy on a female animal to render the animal infertile. A hysteria-oophorectomy involves removing the animal's ovaries and uterus.
This procedure is a fairly invasive surgical procedure that will usually leave the animal somewhat weak until the surgery wounds heal up. The following four tips can help pet owners take good care of their cats following surgery so that recovery is as fast and painless as possible:
Periodically inspect the suture area
When a cat is spayed, she will have an incision made into her abdomen. One of the biggest potential obstacles to recovery after spaying is the development of an infection in the suture wound that is left behind after this incision is closed up.
Cat owners should discuss the procedure with their veterinarian and be aware of where this suture wound is. While it's very important to avoid touching or irritating this suture wound, it is a good idea to keep your eye on the wound to make sure it is not bleeding or showing infection signs like pus discharge.
Prevent your cat from licking her wound
Your cat may want to lick the suture wound after surgery because it may become irritated or itchy as the wound heals. However, this can significantly increase the chances of infection.
If you have trouble preventing your cat from licking the suture area, you might be able to purchase a large collar-like device that will prevent the cat from getting at the wound. Ask your veterinarian or a sales associates at your local pet store for advice on finding an appropriate device.
Take your cat in to have sutures taken out
Depending on what type of suture is used on the wound, you may have to take your cat in for a follow-up appointment during which the sutures will be removed.
While absorbable sutures that don't need to be removed are commonly used to close up surgical incisions nowadays, your vet might choose to use non-absorbable sutures. Ask your vet if any follow-up appointments are necessary to make sure that suture removal gets taken care of.
Consider pain relievers
Your cat won't necessarily experience pain in the days following the spaying procedure. Many cats only experience temporary weakness or grogginess.
If your cat seems to be in pain, you should discuss this with your vet. Your vet might recommend administering some analgesic pills to relieve post-surgery pain until your cat heals.
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