Spay and neuter are common procedures for puppies and your veterinarian will walk you through the initial preparation and post-op care for your pup. But keeping a puppy calm, yet entertained, during recovery can be a challenging task in itself! In this blog we cover what to do and what to avoid to ensure your pup a safe and speedy recovery!
The Puppy Academy student: Montego!
Your puppy is about to have — or just had — their spay or neuter procedure. As the puppy parent, your role is to provide your pup with post-operative care which is usually around 7 days for males and 14 days for females. During that time, your puppy will need to have limited activity, so what does that mean? Getting creative on what activities to do with your puppy!
So just how do you prepare to care for your puppy during their recovery? Along with your veterinarian’s instructions, we have a list of care tips and activities we share with our students at The Puppy Academy and The Puppy Academy Online School to help your puppy combat boredom, while keeping their training in-check!. Even if you have a high-energy puppy, these activities we’re sharing will help to engage your puppy’s brain and avoid behaviors that come from lack of stimulation like barking, whining, destructive chewing, and jumping.
Post-Surgery Care:
Your veterinarian will have an initial consultation with you and following your puppy’s procedure, provide you with care instructions for home. If you are preparing for your puppy’s spay or neuter, or just want more information on how to care for them, the tips below provide a general guideline to follow along with your veterinarian's direction!
Keep your puppy’s activity level to a minimum
No jumping on or off furniture
No running around the house
Avoid exciting them and keep them as calm as possible
Limit stair use for the first few days
Use the crate to help your puppy relax and keep them safe, especially when you can’t supervise them
Don’t change your puppy’s diet
Surgery can sometimes temporarily alter your pup’s eating habits. It may take them a couple of days to get their full appetite back, or they may devour their next meal as soon as they get it! Keep your puppy’s food the same during this time, and know that it is common for them to experience digestion issues, constipation, and soft stool from the pain meds they’re on. If you have any concerns about your puppy’s food intake or bowel movement while they’re recovering, please contact your vet right away!
Pro tip: Some pups will have trouble eating with their cone on, or the sound of the cone hitting the bowl can be distracting for them! It is ok to remove the cone for periods of time throughout the day to give them a break for a few minutes, as long as you are actively monitoring them the entire time.
Keep the incision dry and check it regularly
Many veterinarians use internal sutures that dissolve on their own after the surgery date. Additionally, your puppy may have surgical glue to keep the incision closed. Don’t bathe your puppy for the first week or up to ten days from surgery when your vet has cleared them.
Keep your puppy from licking the incision to prevent accidental rupture, surgical glue dissolving too soon, and infection. Your veterinarian will advise you on how long your puppy should wear the medical cone.
The best way to make sure your puppy’s incision is dry, clean, and intact is to regularly check it throughout the day. If you notice any crusting, changes in color, bleeding, etc., reach out to your veterinarian as soon as possible to avoid infection.
Other things to look out for in the event of complications with your puppy’s surgery include vomiting, continued lack of appetite and water intake, pale gums, diarrhea, difficulty going to the bathroom, or labored breathing.
For more on spaying or neutering, check out our blog: Spaying or Neutering Your Puppy!
Activities To Do With Your Puppy After Their Spay Or Neuter:
The Puppy Academy student: Louie!
One of the toughest jobs puppy parents face while their pup is recovering from surgery is how to keep their energetic pup calm but still entertained!
This is especially difficult when you need to avoid any physical activities and play that could put a strain on their bodies from surgery and their incision area. Walks are temporarily out, but here’s what’s in:
Why mental stimulation is so important
Making sure your puppy gets enough mental stimulation during this recovery time will not only keep them busy and fulfilled but will be just as rewarding (if not more so for them!) as physical stimulation.
Working puppies mentally is a great way to keep them entertained while also providing an outlet to release energy in a calmer way, that will ultimately have them be able to settle down. Plus brain games will help your puppy boost their problem-solving skills and increase their confidence while challenging them in new ways!
Watch our video to go over our suggested activities and spay/neuter do’s and don’ts along with some special bonus tips, or skip ahead to read about them:
ACTIVITY #1: Puzzle Games and Snuffle Mats
These games are great for encouraging your puppy to work on problem-solving and get rewarded for it! Many of these games involve hiding a treat in a little compartment and letting your puppy sniff and use their nose or paws to push them out. Depending on the puzzle game, your puppy will be able to flip lids, turn knobs, open drawers, flap over fabrics and lift up cones to uncover hidden treats.
ACTIVITY #2: Food Dispensing Toys
The classic Kong toy and other variations of food dispensing toys are a great form of mental stimulation that will release an immediate reward for your puppy’s work! Stuff it with their favorite food or treats and let them chew it until the food is dispensed. The best part about these toys is that they allow your puppy to problem-solve and chew. This is a natural way your puppy relieves gum pain, especially if they are teething, and combat boredom! To increase the difficulty, freeze some healthy dog-friendly peanut butter in the Kong for your pup to lick out. Bonus: licking can be very soothing for pups!
ACTIVITY #3: Calm Training Routines
Just because your puppy is recovering, doesn’t mean their puppy training should take a break! Keeping up with the structure and your puppy’s daily schedule is important for keeping your puppy on track and not regress in their training. But, we will want to make sure to modify some of their normal training routines for the time being to not put stress on their bodies or incision.
One of our favorite activities you can practice that has limited movement but is very mentally challenging is: “Calm Place and House Patterning”. This is where you have your puppy on a leash and slowly guide them from their crate (“House”) and Place cot, with lots of pauses and Sits in between. Having your puppy work at a slower rate than what they’re used to forces their brains to work in a different way. After 10-15 minutes of this “boring” work, they’re usually ready for a nap!
For step-by-step guidance on this routine along with others you can do while your puppy is recovering, join us in The Puppy Academy Online School! And once they’re back to their regular scheduled activities, you’ll be able to transition to all our advanced routines to keep your pup learning at the highest level and bring out the best manners possible.
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Have more questions about prepping for your puppy’s spay or neuter procedure? Ask our trainers LIVE every Wednesday at 1 pm PT on our Instagram @thepuppyacademy and TikTok @thepuppyacademy during the Ask A Puppy Trainer Show! All replays are posted afterward, and you can catch up on our last ones on our YouTube channel!
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