How to care after Spay??

[Extremis]

It's been soooo long since I've had a kitty spayed, I just wanted to make sure I'm preparing properly and giving care properly afterwards :)

The Vet just said that Gilly can't have any food after 8PM tonight (she can have water), and she's going in first thing in the morning (8AM), and will be ready to pick up at 5PM that same day.
(I was lucky enough to qualify for a FREE Spay program here offered by NOKA--I qualified for their program, they pay the Vet bill--gotta like that )

I'm thinking I should keep her separated from the other 2 cats and the doggies, give Gilly her space.
I can setup the spare bedroom with a comfy bed, water and litter box filled with Swheat Scoop litter (not clay), but is there something I'm not thinking of??

I want her to be as comfortable and safe in her recovery as possible :)

So if anyone has any helpful hints or links, please let me know Ok??
(I'm searching the net too, but haven't found anything so far)

Thanks in advance for your time :)

[tiffers]

Sounds good so far. Make sure she stays calm away from everyone, if you find that she's stressed being secluded and running around and whatnot, put her back with the others. Also, be sure that she doesn't lick or chew on her incision. If she does this, she may open it back up. Don't allow her to run and jump around either, as she could also open the incision. (There are three layers that will be sewn back together, and just because the outside is still together, doesn't mean the inside is.)

If something goes wrong in the surgery, God Forbid, your vet will have different instructions for you.

[krazy4birds]

Sounds like you are a very careful fur mommy. Best of luck tomorrow and let us know how Gilly is doing!

[Extremis]

Thanks Tiffers, I always worry about any kind of surgery, and am praying that everything goes smoothly.

What are the risks regarding a spay??
Are there any questions I should ask the Vet??
(he/she will be totally new to me, becuz of the Free Spay Program--it's at a different Clinic than what I've been to previously)
When I made the appointment, I asked who their best Vet was, and the receptionist told me they were all great, hopefully that is correct :)

I just read on one of the ASPCA posts that it's a good idea to get one of those cone-type things to put around the cat's head to keep her from licking her stitches, what do you think?? Sounds like it might be a good plan :)

Gilly's not as crazy-all-the-time as she used to be (she's 1 year old now), but if she gets around her favourite toy (a little sponze ball), she chases it around like a wild cat, grabbing it her mouth and throwing it, batting it with her paws like a game, she's a hoot to watch!
Guess no toys for a while ;)

How long should she stay calm and low-key??
How long does it usually take before she can begin getting around again without me worrying??
Two weeks, a month? 2 months? more?

When is it ok to resume her feeding??
When I pick her up at 5PM, will it be Ok for me to give
her her supper??
(I feed my Zoo two meals a day--morningtime and suppertime )

I definitely want to make sure she's all healed up properly before attempting any counter-to-counter jumps or anything resembling a threat to her well-being.

Thanks again for your help

[Extremis]

Thanks Krazy4Birds, I do my best :)

l'll be sure to post about her recovery, which I hope is a comfortable healthy & speedy one :)

[Extremis]

Just found this link that answers many questions I had:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_the_feline_spay.html

I also have a new worry as it appears my Gilly has went into heat again tonight!
(She seems to be in heat every three days ;) )

Might have to call tomorrow and re-schedule for safety sake.

[tiffers]

I'm sorry to have not replied to answer your questions. Did you have her spayed yet? Do you have any other questions?

[Extremis]

No worries Tiffers :)
It was longer than I expected before I took Gilly in to the Vet's to be spayed (she kept going into heat, so I had to cancel her appointment at least 2 times).

I finally got her in on Dec 10th. I took her in at 7:45 AM and picked her up at 4PM that same day.

The Vet assistant told me that everything went smoothly, and that Gilly was wide awake and feisty already (that's my girl ;) )

She also gave me a paper with info on it, and told me to keep her as calm as possible, with no jumping allowed, no going outside (she's an indoor cat, so that was no problemo), to keep her away from my other pets for a while,and no licking allowed (I insisted on getting one of those 'Head-Cone' thingys, thank goodness, as I know that my Gilly is a major groomer. So the Vet assistant kindly put it onto Gilly but I had to chuckle though, becuz on the 5 minute ride home, Gilly had taken her 'Head-Cone' completely off!)

The assistant also told me that her stitches were the dissolving kind which would disappear on their own within 6 weeks.

Here's info from the paper that they gave me:
"Post Surgical Care for Gilly"

Gilly has just undergone an Ovariohysterectomy. It involves the removal of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus through an abdominal incision.

After the operation, Gilly will not come into heat, and will have neither the interest nor capacity to breed.

Please follow these guidelines to insure a healthy and speedy recovery:

Keep Gilly away from stairs, beds and other furniture, as jumping and climbing should not be encouraged for 7 days.

Keep indoors for 7 to 14 days.

Keep activity level to a minumum; do not encourage excessive exercise or rough-housing. Increase exercise gradually back to normal over the next 7 days.

Offer water after arriving home.

Offer normal amount of food upon arrival at home unless otherwise stated.
(the Vet assistant told me to only give her a small amount of her food as she'd probably feel nauseous. Luckily, Gilly wasn't nauseous at all, and ate with no troubles)

CHECK INCISION AREA DAILY for redness, swelling, bleeding, or oozing of any fluids.

DO NOT allow Gilly to chew or lick at the surgical site. If she is licking (more than normal grooming) and if you cannot observe her, you must get an E-Collar to put around her neck so the incision cannot be reached.

Notify the clinic if any of the following occur:

Vomiting or bleeding

Excessive chewing or licking at the surgical site

If you have any questions regarding home care.


So, I took her home, and everything was going ok (Gilly was resting nicely in her quarantined room that I had set up for her), but after a few days, I noticed that under and around her incision it was swelled up quite a lot, and I wasn't sure if that was normal or not, so I called up the Vet instantly and got her in that same day.

A different Vet assistant took a look, and told me that she was pretty certain that it was the fat underneath that had gotten mildly irritated, (one of those 3 layers you mentioned) and that this happened sometimes with a spay.

She explained that it was like a scab in the fat under the skin that had to heal, and to make extra sure that Gilly couldn't lick it, and to keep her from jumping around. (she mentioned that even with the Head-Cone, some cats are sneaky enough to figure out how to get at their stitched area--which I soon found out Gilly could almost reach, and if she really really wanted to get it, she'd find a way I'm sure.....so I've had to keep an extra special eye on her.)
The assistant also said to keep the Head-Cone on as long as possible too.

Then she took Gilly in to see the Vet, who was in surgery, to have him take a look, just to double-check her assessment, which he did.

So back home we went, and as of today, Jan 4th, her swelling is almost completely gone, and her Head-Cone is still on (although I've had to re-tie it a bunch of times, cuz she's a little Hoodini)

I've been calling her 'My Little Space-Alien', HeeHee.

She's back to her rambunctious self, even with her Space Helmet, but thankfully it's slowed her down with jump attempts and other craziness she's known for.

Her absolute favourite thing is to be scratched under her chin where the Helmet rests.

We're both looking forward to the day when the little brown stitches are gone, and when she is Helmet-free, which is hopefully soon :)

[tiffers]

I'm glad she's doing well. :] Thanks for the updates.