🩹🐾 Vet Guide 2025: Post‑Surgery Care for Small Mammals — By Dr Duncan Houston

After surgery, your small mammal may show subtle signs of discomfort. As prey animals, they hide pain—and post‑operative care is essential to ensure healing, comfort, and wellness. In this detailed guide, I’ll walk you through key recovery steps: pain relief, hydration, nutrition, cleaning, environment, gentle handling, and when to contact your vet. Let’s ensure your companion heals smoothly! 😊

🗣 Before You Leave the Clinic

• 📅 Confirm expected recovery timeline and follow‑up appointment.
• 📍 Ask where incision is and what normal healing looks like.
• 📦 Clarify suture type—internal vs. external, and care instructions.
• 💊 Get clear instructions on medications and potential side effects.
• 📱 Ask whom to contact for emergencies outside clinic hours.

1️⃣ Warmth & Comfort First 24–48 Hours

• 🌡 Keep them indoors in a quiet, warm space—nest with towels or fleece.
• 🔥 Add gentle heat (wrapped bottle or pad), ensuring ability to move away if too warm :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
• ⚠ Avoid children or other pets until fully recovered :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.

2️⃣ Pain Relief & Medications

• 💊 Administer pain meds and antibiotics as prescribed—do not discontinue early.
• 👁 Monitor for sedation, nausea, or behavioral changes—report issues to your vet.
• 🧷 Keep a medication log (time and dose) to avoid missed treatments.

3️⃣ Hydration & Nutrition Monitoring

• 💧 Offer water in a shallow dish—not a bottle—to encourage drinking :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
• 🍽 Provide a recovery diet (like Critical Care slurry)—syringe-feed if needed within 24 hours :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
• 🪶 Watch droppings: stool and urine indicate gut activity; decrease signals risk of stasis :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}.

4️⃣ Wound & Incision Care

• 🔍 Check incision twice daily—look for swelling, redness, discharge, odor, bleeding :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}.
• 🚫 Prevent chewing—use an e‑collar or separate briefly from cage mates if needed :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}.
• 🧴 Keep area clean and dry; spot clean with vet-safe disinfectant as directed.

5️⃣ Housing & Hygiene

• 🧹 Provide a quiet, restricted space (like a playpen) to prevent jumping and injury :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}.
• 🛏 Use fleece, towels, or newspaper bedding; avoid loose straw to prevent wound contamination :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}.
• 🗑 Spot-clean cage daily; full clean weekly—ensure bedding is dry and sanitary.

6️⃣ Gentle Handling & Bonding

• 🤲 Limit handling to feeding and gentle reassurance—avoid lifting by surgical area.
• 🧘 Use quiet time and soft talk to soothe your pet during recovery.
• 👥 Bonded companions can stay together unless aggressive; they provide support :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}.

7️⃣ When to Contact Your Vet Immediately

• ⏰ Appetite or drinking gone within 24 hrs post-op.
• ❌ No droppings or urine signs after surgery.
• ❗ Signs of pain—teeth grinding, hunched posture, agitation.
• 🚨 Wound issues—bright redness, swelling, discharge, odor, bleeding.
• 😷 Lethargy, abnormal breathing, or neurological signs.

📌 Quick Post-Op Care Checklist

1. Confirm recovery plan and emergency contacts
2. Keep environment warm, calm, confined
3. Administer meds on time; note any side effects
4. Encourage water from a bowl; watch food intake
5. Feed recovery diet and check droppings
6. Clean and inspect incision twice daily
7. Spot-clean and refresh bedding daily
8. Handle gently and use quiet presence
9. Keep bonded pets together if calm
10. Contact vet at first sign of complications

🌈 Final Thoughts from Dr Duncan Houston

Recovery after surgery can be a delicate time—but with warm comfort, vigilant monitoring, consistent care, and gentle handling, you can help your small mammal heal well and safely. Stay alert for changes, rely on your veterinary team, and use the Ask A Vet app if you’re unsure or concerned. With patience and attentive support, your companion will bounce back and thrive again soon. 🐾📱