Content

• Steps

After being castrated, the dog needs your care. You just hired someone else to castrate it. It is unaware that this will affect its behavior and lose its fertility. Although the castration process is very simple, the dog will be very tired and may experience nausea for a few days. There is also a risk of infection early on. However, it still loves you, so take care of it by letting it rest and doing all you can to prevent infection and help the castration heal.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Making the dog comfortable after surgery

1. 

   Let your dog rest. As soon as you get home, let your dog rest in a comfortable place in the house. Keep the surrounding space quiet as your dog will need a lot of sleep after surgery. You should check it once every hour to make sure it doesn't vomit too much, otherwise it's better to leave it alone.
   • Be aware that the dog may still be under the influence of the anesthetic the vet injected during surgery. If so, it still cannot fully control the body.
   • Keep it indoors all day and make sure it's as low as possible distractions.

2. 

   
   
   Feed your dog when the anesthetic is gone. Always keep it hydrated, however, do not feed it until the anesthetic wears off. After castration, most dogs will have complete control of their bodies by the end of the day, but many dogs also vomit and eat very little. You should only feed your dog half of the usual amount of food at the first meal and gradually increase the food for the next meal of the day.
   • If your dog still doesn't want to eat after 48 hours, contact your veterinarian.

3. 

   
   
   Pay attention to danger signs. Pay special attention to symptoms such as a lethargic, loss of appetite, vomiting, or persistent bowel movements. Contact your veterinarian if it develops one of the above symptoms longer than a day after castration.
   • For 24 hours after castration, you don't need to worry too much about any of these symptoms unless they are too severe.
   • A dog with a mild cough is perfectly normal. Your dog's windpipe under the anesthetic may get a little irritated and should go away on its own in a few days.
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Part 2 of 3: Ensuring the castration heals

1. 

   
   
   Have your dog wear a protective collar. This ring type has a cone shape, which looks like a lampshade. This type of ring will prevent the dog from licking or biting the surgical site. This is extremely important to protect your stitches, prevent infection, and help the castration heal.
   • Wear a collar on your dog as soon as you get home. You can use a toy to distract it from licking the wound, but a collar will be needed to prevent it from doing so when you are not there.
   • Don't remove the collar too soon, as your dog is most likely to bite the castration wound due to itching once it begins to heal. This will happen about 5 to 8 days after surgery. For safety's sake, keep your dog wearing a collar until the castration area has healed.
   • If your veterinarian does not provide collars, you can buy one from a pet store. You can choose between hard or soft rings, soft ones that appear to allow your dog to get food, water from the bowl, and toys more easily.

2. 

   Check for castration twice a day. Every day, you need to check the castration at least twice to make sure it is healing. Watch for signs of swelling, redness, or discharge of pus around the castration especially. It is normal for a cast to become swollen and slightly red for a few days, but contact your veterinarian if it continues to drain pus and becomes increasingly swollen.
   • If the castration is opened, call your veterinarian immediately. You need to bring your dog to the clinic for stitching.
   • If you notice that the castration is dirty, soak a cotton ball in clean boiled water or salt water and wipe it off.

3. 

   Limit your dog's movement for a week. You need to keep your dog as active as possible for at least a week. This is very important so that the castration wound is not compromised.You can use the leash to take the dog for a short walk, but never let him get close to other animals, or let loose the leash even in the yard or parked park.
   • Take your dog for a walk at a time when other dogs are rarely seen.
   • If you see other dogs, you can cross the street or change direction before meeting them to reduce stress and prevent your dog from acting unexpectedly.
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Part 3 of 3: Slowly get back to your daily routine

1. 

   Do not let your dog run or jump for several weeks. For about two weeks after the surgery, do not allow the dog to exercise vigorously, jump or even run. Make sure it is fully healed before getting back to normal activities. Follow your veterinarian's specific instructions to see when your puppy is back to normal movement.
   • You can take your dog out in the yard when the castration appears to have healed, but use the leash until you are sure it is completely healed.

2. 

   Do not bathe your dog. You should stop bathing your dog for about 10 days. Follow your veterinarian's specific instructions about how long it will take for the castration to heal. You may need to wait at least a week before exposing your dog to the water to avoid the risk of infection.
   • If your dog goes to the bathroom and stays in it, or needs a bath for a special reason, use a dry pet store soap. However, be careful not to let the soap come into contact with the castration.

3. 

   Return to the clinic to remove the threads. You should read the surgery certificate carefully. The most important thing is to make sure your doctor uses a surgical thread, as the thread will go away on its own and the dog does not need to come back to remove it. If the clinic does not use this thread, you need to return to have the vet remove it. If in doubt, contact the doctor performing the surgery.
   • A surgical certificate proving the dog was desexed. Keep this note, it may also show the dog vaccine and other information such as whether the dog has a chip (chips are usually cast at the same time).
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