General Post-op Questions
Built from recurring owner follow-up emails about stools, appetite, drinking, incisions, medications, bathing, and routine recovery worries. Use the closest matching question first; written discharge instructions and case-specific advice still come first.
If your pet is suddenly worse, seems very painful, is difficult to rouse, cannot urinate, has repeated vomiting, black stool, bleeding, an opening incision, spreading swelling, cannot be kept from licking, is not eating, or you are worried this cannot wait, call rather than waiting for an email reply.
Common recovery concerns
TPLO owners often ask a more specific set of questions about limb use, lower-leg swelling, slipping, and videos. Those questions have their own TPLO pathway.
Need to send an update?
Jump to the paired topics where the usual answer and the update instructions sit together.
Skin changes, lumps, licking, dressings, and bathing
Use this cluster when the incision, swelling, cone, suit, dressing, wrap, bathing, or grooming is the concern.
Healing changes or concerning changes
What incision changes can be normal?Closed, dry, comfortable, and gradually calmer is reassuring.
Most dog incisions are healed within 10 to 14 days. For cats, 14 to 21 days is often recommended.
Mild pinkness, bruising, dry crusting, or a small amount of swelling can be part of healing when the incision is closed, dry, comfortable, and gradually calmer over time.
The incision looks red, open, wet, warm, swollen, or is draining.Send photos and when the change started.
Send this:
- One close, bright photo of the incision.
- One wider photo showing the area around it.
- When you first noticed the change.
- Whether it is better, the same, or worse.
- Any change in appetite, energy, comfort, or licking.
Contact the hospital sooner if the incision opens, bleeds, smells, drains, becomes more painful, or redness/swelling/warmth is spreading.
A bump or fluid pocket near the incision
There is a small lump or soft swelling near the incision. Is that always bad?A small fluid pocket can happen, but the trend matters.
A small soft lump, pocket of fluid, or swelling near an incision can happen during healing, especially if the area has motion under the skin.
It is more reassuring when it is small, not growing quickly, not hot or painful, the incision is closed and dry, and your pet otherwise seems well.
There is a new lump, soft swelling, or pocket of fluid near the incision.Send photos and whether it is changing.
Send this:
- One normal-distance photo of the incision area.
- One close photo of the lump or swelling.
- When you first noticed it.
- Whether it feels soft, squishy, or firm.
- Whether it is getting bigger, smaller, or staying the same.
Contact the hospital sooner if it grows quickly, becomes red, warm, painful, starts draining, the incision opens, or your pet seems unwell.
Licking, cone, dressing, or grooming
My pet is licking, chewing, or getting around the cone.Send the incision and the cone or suit fit.
Send this:
- A photo of the incision or irritated skin.
- A photo showing the cone, suit, shirt, or other barrier.
- Whether your pet can still reach the incision.
- When licking happens: occasional, constant, supervised only, or overnight.
Contact the hospital sooner if you cannot keep the incision protected, or if it becomes wet, open, swollen, painful, or starts to drain.
A dressing, wrap, or padding slipped, got wet, got dirty, or feels tight.Send photos before trying repeated at-home fixes.
Send this:
- A photo showing the whole dressing or wrap.
- A close photo of the problem area.
- Whether there is swelling above or below the dressing.
- Whether your pet is licking, chewing, painful, or bothered by it.
Do not remove a dressing just to take a photo unless instructed. Contact the hospital sooner if it is wet, dirty, tight, rubbing, smelly, or your pet seems painful.
Stool, urine, or other soiling got near the incision.Keep cleanup limited, keep the incision dry, and send a photo if it touched the incision.
If cleanup is unavoidable, keep it limited to what is needed for hygiene. Keep the incision as clean and dry as possible, gently pat the area dry afterward, and do not scrub the incision.
Do not apply peroxide, alcohol, ointment, powder, cream, shampoo, soap, chlorhexidine, or other products unless the surgical team specifically told you to use them.
Monitor only if the incision stays dry and quiet, your pet is comfortable, and appetite, energy, urination, and stool are otherwise stable or improving.
Send this if stool, urine, moisture, or other soiling touched the incision or the area will not dry:
- A clear, well-lit photo of the incision.
- What got on the area: stool, urine, diarrhea, or other soiling.
- Whether the incision is dry now or still wet or damp.
- Any redness, swelling, discharge, opening, odor, pain, or licking.
Contact the hospital sooner if the incision is contaminated, wet and cannot be dried, opening, painful, worsening, or your pet also has vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, trouble urinating, lethargy, or a broader recovery decline.
When can my pet be bathed or groomed?Keep water away from the incision until the skin is fully healed.
Please keep water away from the incision until sutures or staples have been removed and the skin is fully healed. For grooming, it is usually safest to wait at least 4 weeks so the surgical site is strong enough for handling, clippers, bathing, and drying equipment.
If the incision accidentally gets wet, pat the area dry and monitor it closely. Contact the team if it opens, bleeds, drains, becomes more red or swollen, or your pet starts licking or chewing afterward.
Stomach and bathroom concerns
Use this cluster when appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, stool, drinking, or urination is the main worry.
GI upset, especially with anti-inflammatory medication
Soft stool, mild appetite change, or nausea after surgery. Is that expected?Anesthesia, stress, diet changes, and medications can affect the stomach.
Some mild appetite change, nausea, or softer stool can happen after surgery. It is more reassuring when your pet is bright, drinking, urinating, keeping food and water down, and the pattern is improving.
If your pet is taking an anti-inflammatory medication, stomach signs matter more. Do not add aspirin, steroids, or another anti-inflammatory medication unless the surgical team has told you to.
My pet has vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite, black stool, blood, or GI upset while on anti-inflammatory medication.Send the pattern plus appetite, drinking, urination, and medications.
Send this:
- Medication names and the current schedule, including any anti-inflammatory.
- What the stool or vomit looks like and how often it is happening.
- Whether there is blood, black or tarry stool, urgency, or accidents.
- Appetite, drinking, urination, and energy.
- Whether the pattern is better, the same, or worse.
Contact the hospital sooner if there is repeated vomiting, black or tarry stool, blood, poor appetite, weakness, trouble urinating, or diarrhea is worsening.
Usually reassuring bathroom patterns
No bowel movement yet. Is that okay?Many pets do not pass stool for a few days after surgery.
Yes, this can be normal. Many pets do not have a bowel movement for 3 to 5 days after surgery because they were fasted, ate less afterward, moved less, and anesthesia can slow the intestines for a few days.
If your pet is eating, comfortable, and not straining or painful, this is usually something to monitor. Let the team know if there is vomiting, a painful or bloated belly, repeated unproductive straining, black or bloody stool, marked lethargy, or no stool beyond the window in your discharge instructions.
My pet is not drinking much water.This can be common in the first 24 to 48 hours.
This can be common in the first 24 to 48 hours. IV fluids given around surgery can keep many pets hydrated, and wet food or water added to meals also counts toward fluid intake.
Keep fresh water available, but do not force drinking. Let the team know if your pet is not urinating, cannot keep water down, is repeatedly vomiting, seems very weak or lethargic, or the drinking concern is getting worse instead of gradually improving.
Sleepy, restless, painful, or unsure about timing
Use this cluster when the main question is medication schedule, pain control, sedation, restlessness, preventives, or other medication changes.
My pet seems too sleepy, restless, painful, or I am unsure about medication timing.Send the medication schedule and what changed.
Send this:
- Medication names exactly as written on the discharge sheet.
- What time each medication was last given.
- What changed: sleepy, restless, painful, crying, not settling, or other.
- Appetite, drinking, urination, and stool.
- Whether your pet is alert and able to settle.
Do not change medication timing unless the surgery team or an emergency service tells you to. Contact the hospital sooner if your pet cannot settle, is difficult to rouse, vomits, cannot urinate, becomes weak/wobbly, or pain is getting worse.
If Dr. Wood or the surgical team tells you to check the dose range on your dismissal instructions, use the medication dose calculator to help with the tablet or liquid math.
How long should medications continue?Follow the discharge instructions unless the surgical team changes the plan.
Follow the medication schedule on your discharge instructions unless the surgical team changes the plan. Antibiotics and other course-based medications should usually be completed as prescribed. Pain and calming medication depend on the procedure, comfort level, and stage of healing.
Please check before stopping, restarting, combining, or substituting pain medication. Contact the team if pain seems worse, side effects are concerning, your pet is too sedated or too restless, or a medication cannot be given.
Can I give regular preventives or other medications after surgery?Check them against the procedure, medication list, and recovery plan first.
Routine preventives may be fine for many pets, but it is best to check them against your pet's procedure, medication list, and recovery plan first.
Please ask before adding, stopping, or combining medications, supplements, preventives, anti-inflammatories, steroids, aspirin, or owner-given pain relief. This is especially important while your pet is still on post-operative pain medication or anti-inflammatory medication.
Still unsure or things are worsening?
Use the closest question above and send the listed details. If your pet is getting worse, seems very painful, is difficult to rouse, cannot urinate, has repeated vomiting, black stool, bleeding, an opening incision, spreading swelling, or you are worried this cannot wait, contact the hospital rather than waiting for an email reply.