Preparing Your Dog for Surgery

E-Collars & Alternatives: you cannot allow your dog to lick or chew at the incision.

• We can fit your dog for a plastic e-collar (cone) here. For the e-collar to be effective, it needs to extend 2 inches past the end of your dog’s nose.
• Keep in mind- if you purchase an inflatable donut e-collar, your dog may be able to get around it depending on where the incision is and how flexible your dog is.
• Surgical suits are sold online and in some pet stores. Be sure to measure your pet before ordering. Monitor that your pet isn’t trying to lick through the suit, causing the fabric over the incision to become damp. You’ll need to adjust the suit when you let them outside to potty.

Whichever option you choose, introduce it to your pet before the surgery day. Use treats to lure your dog’s head into the e-collar and feed them meals in their e-collar. It will take some adjustment for them to become comfortable moving around in the e-collar. Surprisingly, some does actually prefer the e-collar to the suit! Every dog is different!

Practice Medicating your Dog: ask your vet if the post-op medications will be liquid or pills

• For pills, give your dog a pill pocket with a kibble in it at breakfast and dinner. Praise your dog for taking the pill pocket and follow it quickly with another treat.
• Liquid medications can sometimes be hidden in food, but if your pet won’t eat it willingly, you may need to squirt it in their mouth. With a syringe of water (or tuna juice!) practice handling your dog’s muzzle and squirting the liquid between the cheek and teeth. Go slow and let your dog swallow. Praise your dog for cooperating and follow with a tasty treat! It may be easier to position your dog in front of you, facing away from you so that they can’t back away from you.
• If you really want to work on handling and medicating cooperation (great skills for your pet to have throughout their life), see our other handout!

Enrichment: it can be difficult to keep your dog quiet after surgery (especially puppies!) This is a great opportunity to engage your dog’s brain! After all, 15 minutes of brain power is equivalent to an hour of physical activity for our dogs.

• Train your dog a new skill, or work on current skills calmly in the home! For example, you can work on loose-leash walking in your living room. Taking time to solidify the basics in an environment with minimal distractions can be SO HELPFUL when translated to real world situations!
• Create a Foraging Box to engage your pet’s powerful sense of smell (see our other handout!)
• Bring your dog on a sniffari in the yard (on leash!) Pick up sticks, rocks, pinecones, etc. from the park or your work parking lot and scatter them in your yard. Consider leaving treats in the yard for your dog to find. After all, the part of the canine brain dedicated to analyzing smells is forty times greater than that of a human’s!
• Try a new enrichment toy (or DIY one! For ideas checkout this handout!)