4 Tips to Help Your Pet Recover From Spay/Neuter Surgery - Tip 3
4 Tips to Help Your Pet Recover From Spay/Neuter Surgery - Tip 3
Today we are talking about tip #3 for helping your pet recover from spay or neuter surgery. You already know to ask for pain medication and to give your pet smaller meals.
I highly recommend an E-collar otherwise known as an Elizabethan collar to stop your cat from licking or biting the surgery site. This is a must have especially if you have a male cat who just went through a neuter surgery. The traditional style of these collars was just a hard plastic wrapped around your pet’s head, which earned the name “cone of shame” - I’m sure you’ve all seen them.
But now, there are so many different ones on the market that are more comfortable for your pet because they are soft. These are also more effective since most of them have an adjustable pull string so you can fit it perfectly to your pet preventing them from working it off. They’re also machine washable which is important because they’re going to have to wear it for a few days as they recover and it’s going to get into their food and water as they eat.
There are several different styles available online to choose from, but I like the Hidream brand and it’s the style I personally recommend to pet parents.
Now remember I said this was particularly beneficial for male neuter surgery? That’s because although a neuter surgery is typically less invasive than a female spay surgery, male cats have a susceptible period of about 3 to 4 days where if they lick the incision site on their genitals it can cause infections to develop. With a soft E-collar on they won't be able to reach and it will keep the surgery site sterile so they can heal.
If you have a female cat that’s been spayed, it’s actually easier to put them in a spay suit after they have had the operation. A spay suit will cover the surgery area so your female cat cannot get to the surgery site. With male cats this isn’t an option, so it’s important for them to wear the collar so you don’t run into complications after surgery.
