Pre-Surgery Preparations

Get your pet ready for their appointment:

  1. Food & Water
    No food after midnight the night before surgery.
    Water is allowed until 2–4 hours before your scheduled appointment time.
    After that point, nothing to drink, unless instructed otherwise.
  2. Cats
    All cats must be kept indoors the night before surgery and for two (2) weeks after surgery.
  3. Community Cats
    All community (feral) cats must be trapped 1–2 days prior to the scheduled surgery appointment.

When you arrive at the clinic:

  1. Arrival & Check-In
    All animals and their owners must remain in their vehicle until called. Admission paperwork should be completed in advance, and payment is due prior to discharge.
  2. Dogs
    Dogs must arrive on a leash with a well-fitting collar (no choke, prong, or spike collars). Please do not bring dogs in crates, carriers, or harnesses.
  3. Cats
    All cats must be brought in their own individual, hard-plastic cat carrier.
    Carriers must be purchased in advance of your appointment for your pet’s safety. NO laundry baskets, cardboard boxes, canvas, cloth, or homemade carriers will be accepted for cats.

Appointment Drop-Off Times:

Dogs: Monday – Thursday at 8:00 am

Cats: Monday – Thursday at 7:15 am

Community (Feral) Cats: Thursday at 7:15 am

Discharge Information

Surgery Patient Discharges

Dogs will normally go home the same day as surgery unless they are being transported by our transport van and returning to a shelter or if alternate arrangements have been made in advance with the Clinic Director.

Discharge Pick-Up Times:

Dogs: Monday – Thursday – Same day, usually between 4:30 – 4:30 pm

Cats: Monday – Thursday  – Same day between 4:30 – 5:00 pm

Community (Feral) Cats: Thursday, same day, between 4:30 – 5:00 pm

Please note the clinic closes at 5 pm. All patients MUST be picked up at the designated time.

Post-Operative Care Instructions for Dogs

Post-Operative Care Instructions for Cats

  1. You must restrict the animal’s activity for the next 10 days to allow the tissue time to heal and avoid causing the incision to open. No running, jumping, playing, swimming or other strenuous activity. Cats should stay indoors. All dogs should go out on a leash to urinate/defecate and then return inside
    to rest. Keep the incision dry; do not bathe or apply topical ointment during the recovery period.
  2. Keep males away from unspayed females for 30 days. Keep females away from unneutered males for 7 days. Keep pets away from each other during the recovery period.
  3. Check the incision twice daily. Females should have no drainage; redness and swelling should be minimal. The incision for male dogs and male cats is directly on the scrotum. The scrotal incision is left open to allow for drainage. A small amount of drainage/discharge is normal for up to 3 days.
    Too much activity causes increased drainage, therefore activity restriction is very important. Dogs must wear an Elizabethan collar for 10 days after surgery. Call us immediately if your pet can still reach their incision. If cats are licking their incision excessively, an Elizabethan collar should be purchased from us.
  4. You may receive 2 days of pain medication for your pet. Give the first dose tomorrow morning, with your pet’s breakfast. Always give this medication with food, and do not give unless your pet is eating and drinking normally. If in doubt, it is safer to not give the pain medication.
  5. Appetite should gradually return within 24 hours of surgery. Do not change your pet’s diet at this time and do not give junk food, table scraps, milk or any other people food during the recovery period. This could mask post-surgical complications. Lethargy or loss of appetite lasting for more than 24 hours post-op, diarrhea, or vomiting are not normal and your pet should be taken to your regular veterinarian if these occur.
  6. Minimal redness and swelling of the surgery site should resolve within several days, but if they persist longer, or you have any other questions or concerns please call our office at (401)-369-7297. After office hours, please call your regular veterinarian or local emergency clinic (Ocean State Veterinary Specialists (OSVS) at 401-886-6787, Bay State Veterinary Emergency Services (BSVES) at 508-379-1233, or MASS-RI Veterinary ER at 508-730-1112). Do not give human medication to the animal. It is dangerous and can be fatal.
  7. Your pet received a green tattoo next to their incision. This tattoo is a scoring process in the skin; IT IS NOT AN EXTRA INCISION. Potter League for Animals Spay & Neuter Clinic will treat at our clinic, at minimal cost, any post-op complications resulting directly from the surgery, if the above post-op instructions are followed in full. Your regular veterinarian must address illnesses or injuries that are not a direct result of surgery. Please call for an appointment as soon as you see cause for concern. We cannot be held responsible for complications resulting from failure to follow post-op instructions, or for contagious diseases for which the animal was not previously properly vaccinated.
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