Leaving the Hospital

After your pet has recovered from their anaesthetic you should receive a call from the veterinary surgeon or ward nurse to update you and to make a discharge appointment for later that day. Your pet will be discharged as soon as the case veterinary surgeon feels that their condition is stable enough for them to come home. Occasionally after longer or more involved surgical procedures or in elderly or juvenile patients your animal may be required to stay in the hospital. This is to ensure that the best post-operative care and any pain relief that is required can be provided to your animal and will usually be discussed with you prior to admission.

You will have a discharge appointment with a vet or a nurse and feel free to ask any questions you have at this time. You should be provided with a discharge sheet outlining exercise, diet, medication and wound management instructions at this time. You should be provided with any medication they require and you may be given a recovery diet to feed them for the next 48 hours. An appointment should be made at this time for their post-operative check-up within the next week.

Most animals will be subdued or sleepy for the first 24 hours after anaesthesia and this is normal. Some animals, particularly older animals make take a few days until they are fully back to normal. It is important to allow them to rest during this period and keep other animals and children away from them.

If you have any concerns during this recovery period then contact us immediately.