Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Swanson cannot give out estimates because all clinics charge differently. In some cases, medical progress exams, bloodwork, or radiographs may also need to be performed in addition to the surgery itself. Please consult with your regular veterinarian for a complete itemized estimate.

Typically 3-4 weeks, barring any complications.

Your pet’s incision should look very similar to what it looked like when your pet came home from surgery. It is normal to have a little redness and crusting around the incision for the first few days while it heals. However, if you notice increased redness, swelling, bruising, or discharge please contact us or your veterinarian promptly.

Your pet’s incision should look very similar to what it looked like when your pet came home from surgery. It is normal to have a little redness and crusting around the incision for the first few days while it heals. However, if you notice increased redness, swelling, bruising, or discharge please contact us or your veterinarian promptly.

Unless specifically prescribed by your veterinarian, do not use any topical medications (eg. neosporin or other over-the counter products) on your pet’s incision. The incision should stay clean and dry. Please check the incision 2-3 times per day to evaluate for any excessive swelling, redness, discharge, or opening of the incision. If you notice any of these signs, please contact your veterinarian to have the incision evaluated.

If tolerated by your pet, cold compresses will help minimize inflammation to improve your pet’s immediate postoperative comfort. Warm compresses will help to decrease any residual swelling, bruising, and pain that remains a few days after surgery.

Bowel movements may be delayed after illness, anesthesia, or surgery. Several days may be needed before the gastrointestinal system returns to normal, and bowel movements are likely to be small and infrequent until your pet is eating with a normal appetite. If it has been more than 4-5 days without your pet having a bowel movement, please call your veterinarian.

Cultures typically take 7-10 days and biopsies 5-7 days for the results to be received. We will contact you once the results are received to discuss any further diagnostics or treatment (if necessary). If it has been more than 7 business days from surgery and you have not received results, please contact your primary veterinary clinic.

Yes, it is imperative that they wear their E-Collar at all times to prevent them from licking and chewing at their incision, which can lead to complications, such as infection or dehiscence (opening of the incision). If these complications occur, additional diagnostics, treatment, and/or surgery may be required.

Many inflatable or soft E-collars are not suitable for surgery on the limbs (eg. TPLO, lateral suture, medial patellar luxations, paw surgery, etc.) because many pets are able to get around the collar to lick or chew at their legs and paws.

If you purchase your own E-collar, please consult with your veterinarian to ensure a proper fit to prevent your pet from getting access to their surgical site.

Postoperative confinement is critical for surgical procedures to have a successful outcome. Failure to follow the prescribed postoperative instructions can result in complications or failure of the surgical repair, resulting in the need for additional diagnostics, treatments, and/or surgery for an additional cost.

Complete bone healing typically takes 8-12 weeks of strict rest barring any complications. Once complete healing is documented on radiographs, gradual return to normal activity occurs over another 4 weeks.

Use of some sort of support (eg. towel, sling, harness, etc.) in the immediate postoperative period is typically recommended following most orthopedic procedures. However, in some cases specialized slings or harnesses can make the recovery easier for both you and your pet by improving their ability to ambulate. A couple of devices that we recommend are the Help ‘Em Up Harness and the Walk-a-bout sling. Please consult with your veterinarian if your pet will need a mobility-assistance aid after surgery.

Sedated recheck radiographs of your pet’s operated limb will be performed at this appointment. If your pet is completely healed, you can begin to gradually return them into their normal routine over another 4 weeks. If there are any signs of muscle atrophy, effusion, or if the bone is not completely healed, your pet will be prescribed physical rehabilitation therapy, and further recommendations regarding exercise restriction and additional follow-up radiographs/examinations will be made.

We are able to do a post-op physical to examine a range of motion and stability, however, we need radiographs to make sure the bone is healing as expected. The recheck radiographs are medically necessary before increasing your pet’s activity level or adjusting the physical rehabilitation regimen.

For orthopedic procedures performed on the hindlimbs, some swelling around the ankle will commonly occur due to gravity pulling fluid (edema) down towards the foot. This will typically resolve within a week or two with warm compresses and massaging from toes towards the top of the leg. If you have any concerns, please seek veterinary assistance.

“Age is not a disease, but with age comes disease.” To determine if surgery is an appropriate treatment for your older pet, there are a number of diagnostic tests (ie. bloodwork, radiographs, ultrasound, etc.) that are recommended to fully evaluate their health as a whole prior to surgery. Pending these diagnostic tests, final recommendations can be made regarding your individual pet. With that said, there are many older animals that can safely undergo anesthesia and surgery.