🦷 Dental Surgery Home Care Instructions
Your pet has had a dental procedure today. It is normal for them to be tired or slightly sore for the next several hours to a few days. Please follow the instructions below to ensure a smooth recovery.
🐾 When Leaving the Hospital
For your pet’s safety:
-
Use a leash for dogs.
-
Use a secure carrier for cats.
💊 Medications
-
Begin all prescribed medications as directed.
-
Please call us if you have any difficulty giving medications.
🍽 Food & Water
Tonight:
-
Offer small amounts of soft/moistened food and water only.
Tomorrow:
-
Resume normal feeding with your pet’s regular diet unless otherwise instructed.
🏃 Activity & Exercise
-
Restrict activity for the next several days.
-
Keep indoors.
-
Take outside on leash only for bathroom breaks.
-
No running, jumping, playing, or stairs.
🧵 Sutures / Incision Care
-
Prevent licking, chewing, or scratching at the surgical site.
-
-
Please call to schedule a technician appointment.
-
📞 Follow-Up
-
Call us in 2–3 days with a progress report.
💤 Post-Anesthesia Information
It is common to notice:
-
Sleepiness or unsteadiness tonight.
-
Use caution around stairs and furniture.
-
-
A mild soft cough for a few days due to the breathing tube.
-
Call if coughing worsens or becomes productive.
-
-
Mild constipation for a few days.
-
Call if no bowel movement occurs within 3 days.
-
🚨 Contact Us Immediately If You Notice:
📍 Summit Dog & Cat Hospital
📞 (908) 273-2200
-
Loss of appetite for more than 2 days
-
Refusal to drink water for more than 1 day
-
Vomiting or diarrhea
-
Excessive pain
-
Swelling at the surgery site
-
Missing or loose sutures
-
Bleeding from the mouth
-
Bad odor or drainage from incision/bandage
-
Labored breathing
-
Weakness or inability to stand
-
Straining to urinate or defecate
-
Discharge from eyes, ears, or nose
-
Depression or extreme lethargy
-
Chewing or licking at sutures
If you have any concerns at all, please call. We are happy to help and would much rather answer a small question than have a complication develop.
❤️ Thank you for trusting us with your pet’s care!