What to expect after general anesthetic
Don’t be surprised if your fur baby is groggy and disoriented after receiving a general anesthetic. They might sleep longer or deeper, seem dull and listless, and might even need help balancing during bathroom breaks or while eating.
All of that is normal for as long as 24 hours after they wake up—but if it carries on beyond that time, you should contact your vet.
It’s also common for dogs not to have a bowel movement for 24 to 36 hours after anesthesia.
For the first 24 hours, your dog should only go outside for bathroom breaks. Leash them so that they don’t run or jump around while they’re outside.
Limit indoor activities too, for at least 12 hours, or according to your vet’s specific instructions.
Most soft tissue surgery involves soluble sutures that disappear on their own, but if not, you’ll need to schedule an appointment to remove them.
Your vet will also arrange a follow-up appointment to check that the wound is healing properly and your dog is recovering as expected.
It’s not easy if you’re squeamish, but you might need to change your dog’s bandages and clean their incision site. Your vet will give you detailed instructions about cleaning sutures, but in general you should keep the site dry—so no long walks in the rain, and no bathing or swimming for about 10 days after surgery.
Most dogs are sent home with an Elizabethan collar—the so-called “cone of shame”—to stop them licking the incision site, and you should also watch that area for signs of infection, like redness and swelling. We’re fond of the soft, colorful versions ourselves.
It’s common for dogs to bolt down too much food and drink once they get home after surgery, so limit water for the first hour, and then give them small amounts of food and drink for the first 8 hours.
Although you probably want to pamper your fur baby, it’s best to save the treats for another time. If the surgery was GI-related, your vet might ask you to only give bland food for the first day or two.
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling, board-certified surgeon in Allentown, PA. His website is www.DrPhilZeltzman.com. He is the co-author of “Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound” (www.WalkaHound.com).
If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets. Reviewed by:
Moose, a 14 year old Shih Tzu, had been coughing more and more over the past few months. Not too concerned initially, his owners eventually took him to their family vet. Shockingly, chest X-rays showed a large mass in his left lung. The vet referred Moose to our surgery service. After reviewing the X-rays and the blood work, I had a long heart-to-heart with Moose’s owners about the only definitive treatment: open chest surgery, which is considered a specialized surgery. [Editor’s Note: Pet insurance is a great way to offset the cost of surgeries.] Lung surgery There are two ways to approach this type of surgery: either by cutting through the chest bone (a.k.a. sternum), or by cutting between two ribs, where only muscles are cut. Because Moose had a tumor in the left lung, the best approach was to go between two ribs on the left side. After surgery, Moose would need to be closely monitored at the hospital for a few days. We discussed the possibility of taking a needle biopsy of the mass before surgery to learn more about the tumor, but agreed that it would not be very helpful.Reasons included:
Removing the mass from the lung
Each lung (left and right) is not a single sac, but made of several parts or lobes. After opening Mooses chest, we found an orange sized mass (in a 16 pound Shih Tzu!) in the left lower lung lobe. Removing it was not exactly easy, but it came out safely. The next task was to place a device called a “chest tube,” which is a fairly large silicone tube, in the chest. It protrudes from the body to allow the nurses to remove air or fluid which may build up after this type of surgery. The chest was closed up, and Moose was recovered in ICU. There, he received pain medications and antibiotics, as well as plenty of TLC. Recovering from lung surgery Moose recovered smoothly. The next morning, he was surprisingly bright and alert. He even jumped into my arms when I went to check on him! We aspirated the chest tube with a syringe every few hours. The amount of fluid and air decreased every time we did this. When the amount became small enough, we removed the chest tube. Moose was kept under close observation for another 12 hours, to make sure no problems occurred after removal of the chest tube. He was then sent home. I went over the discharge instructions with his guardians; they basically entailed pain medications and antibiotics for 1 week, a lovely plastic cone around his neck for 2 weeks, and strict confinement for a month. Confirmation of lung cancer About a week later our suspicion was confirmed: the tumor was an adenocarcinoma, which is a type of lung cancer. The bad news would have been neither chemotherapy nor radiation therapy would have helped much. The good news was we had removed the mass entirely. I had another discussion with Moose’s guardian, and we agreed that we should track his progress closely by scheduling follow up exams every two months. Little Moose has been doing great ever since the surgery.
Cancer diagnosis
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, to diagnose cancer, your vet will want to run several tests in addition to a physical exam, depending on the type of cancer suspected. The techniques to provide a definitive diagnosis will be specific to the kind of cancer it is believed to be.
These may include:
Rusty’s Lung Cancer Surgery – For Vets
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling, board-certified surgeon in Allentown, PA. His website is www.DrPhilZeltzman.com. He is the co-author of “Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound” (www.WalkaHound.com).
Moose, a 14 year old Shih Tzu, had been coughing more and more over the past few months. Not too concerned initially, his owners eventually took him to their family vet. Shockingly, chest X-rays showed a large mass in his left lung. The vet referred Moose to our surgery service. After reviewing the X-rays and the blood work, I had a long heart-to-heart with Moose’s owners about the only definitive treatment: open chest surgery, which is considered a specialized surgery. [Editor’s Note: Pet insurance is a great way to offset the cost of surgeries.] Lung surgery There are two ways to approach this type of surgery: either by cutting through the chest bone (a.k.a. sternum), or by cutting between two ribs, where only muscles are cut. Because Moose had a tumor in the left lung, the best approach was to go between two ribs on the left side. After surgery, Moose would need to be closely monitored at the hospital for a few days. We discussed the possibility of taking a needle biopsy of the mass before surgery to learn more about the tumor, but agreed that it would not be very helpful.Reasons included:
Removing the mass from the lung Each lung (left and right) is not a single sac, but made of several parts or lobes. After opening Mooses chest, we found an orange sized mass (in a 16 pound Shih Tzu!) in the left lower lung lobe. Removing it was not exactly easy, but it came out safely. The next task was to place a device called a “chest tube,” which is a fairly large silicone tube, in the chest. It protrudes from the body to allow the nurses to remove air or fluid which may build up after this type of surgery. The chest was closed up, and Moose was recovered in ICU. There, he received pain medications and antibiotics, as well as plenty of TLC. Recovering from lung surgery Moose recovered smoothly. The next morning, he was surprisingly bright and alert. He even jumped into my arms when I went to check on him! We aspirated the chest tube with a syringe every few hours. The amount of fluid and air decreased every time we did this. When the amount became small enough, we removed the chest tube. Moose was kept under close observation for another 12 hours, to make sure no problems occurred after removal of the chest tube. He was then sent home. I went over the discharge instructions with his guardians; they basically entailed pain medications and antibiotics for 1 week, a lovely plastic cone around his neck for 2 weeks, and strict confinement for a month. Confirmation of lung cancer About a week later our suspicion was confirmed: the tumor was an adenocarcinoma, which is a type of lung cancer. The bad news would have been neither chemotherapy nor radiation therapy would have helped much. The good news was we had removed the mass entirely. I had another discussion with Moose’s guardian, and we agreed that we should track his progress closely by scheduling follow up exams every two months. Little Moose has been doing great ever since the surgery.
If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets. Reviewed by: