Protecting Your Pets

Caring For Your Older Dog After She Is Spayed: Tips For Comfort

13 December 2016

Deanna Vasquez

Many vets recommend getting your female dog spayed prior to their first heat cycle to prevent hormonal changes that can make surgery more complicated. Older dogs tend to recover less quickly than puppies do and may be more aware of the procedure and pain they are encountering, which can lead to a painful experience that requires extra after-care. In addition to being more sore, some dogs (especially those that are overweight, are currently in heat, or who have had puppies before) and their lifestyles can make having the common surgery more extreme. When you get your older dog spayed you want to help them recover as quickly and painlessly as possible. Here are ways you can do that.

Get them a bed on the ground

If your dog is used to walking into a doghouse or sleeping on your bed or other elevated surface, they may be unable to climb up without pulling or tearing at their stitches. Give them a bed on the ground they can easily access with ample padding via a memory foam pad or eggshell foam used for camping. Since dogs recovering from surgery can be more susceptible to heat or cold and less able to regulate their body temperature, make sure you keep their bed in a dry, warm area free of drafts.

Keep other dogs away

Even though your dog is spayed, they can still give off the hormone that attracts other dogs, male and female. You want to restrict your dog to your own yard, keeping other pets away from her for a few weeks until she is fully healed. If you have male dogs, restrict her contact with them unless they are supervised. In addition to being bothered, your dog may be stressed by the other animals and become agitated and start a defensive fight, which can cause her to get injured.

Feed her a high-protein diet

Protein aids in muscle and joint rejuvenation and helps give your dog energy. As she heals, make sure she gets plenty of lean protein in the form of plain cooked chicken, salmon, and even turkey. Organ meats, such as liver, are also full of nutrients and are fine to give her chopped into her regular food to help maintain weight and give her energy.

As your older dog heals from her spay surgery, keep an eye on her stitches. If her abdomen gets swollen, feels hot to the touch, or if her stitches start to ooze clear liquid, talk to a vet at a clinic like Southwest Animal Hospital. There may be underlying issues such as stitches rejection or an infection that need to be addressed.  

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