How to provide immediate first aid at home
DEW CLAW PROFESSIONAL
Should you have any enquiries or further concerns about the post-operative care of your pet, please do not hestitate to phone us at (06) 3588675 to discuss.You can perform some immediate first aid at home, especially if there is some bleeding to take care of, but then contact your vet for professional treatment.
Most antibiotics and pain relief medications are generally given with a meal. Please administer all medications as directed on the label. Some pets may have oral medications to go home with. It is not unusual for some loss of appetite to occur in the first 24 hours following discharge from our clinic however, if this persists, please give us a call at the clinic on (06) 3588675. A small portion of your pet's diet should be fed in the evening that they come home with you, and then resume feeding normal portions in the morning. Unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian or veterinary nurse at the time of discharge, no significant change is usually required to your pet's diet following sedation to address his/her dew claw injury. No off-leash activity is recommended for 5-7 days following the dew claw injury. Cats should ideally remain indoors until te dew claw is fully healed. Dogs should also only receive light lead exercise only until the dew claw is fully healed. It is important that all dogs are toileted on a lead. Exercise RestrictionĬonfinement to a dry indoor area is necessary until all the the dew claw is fully healed and all bandages are removed. For cats - please only use shredded paper or non clumping litter in the litter tray to prevent the litter material from sticking to the affected dew claw. Pets should not get bathed or allowed to get their feet wet in any way, until the dew claw has fulled healed. It is important that you keep your pet in a clean and dry environment so that the affected dew claw remains clean. Once the bandage is removed, the affected area around the dew claw should be checked daily for persistent swelling and/or discharge. If the bandage appears uncomfortable for your pet, becomes wet, oversoaked with wound discharge, is smelly and/oror shows signs of loosening, please contact us on (06) 3588675. A change in your pet's behaviour or demeanor is often an early warning sign that the bandage has become uncomfortable. Please check your pet's toes daily for swelling which would indicate that the bandage is too tight. This bag must not be left on while indoors as it can cause sweating under the bandage. We will also usually provide a foot bag to keep the foot bandage dry. Please place the bag provided over the foot/paw bandage when taking your pet outdoors, to prevent the bandage getting wet or dirty. E-collars may be purchased from our clinic reception. Ensure that pets are not allowed to roam outdoors without close supervision when they are wearing an E-collar, as this poses a choking hazard if it gets caught in a fence or branch. If you notice your pet licking or chewing at the foot bandage and/or dew claw, he/she will need to wear an Elizabethan collar to prevent this. Your pet should not be allowed to chew or lick at the bandage - if you notice him/her doing so, please place an E-collar on him/her. It is imperative that the foot/paw bandage is kept clean and dry. In some cases, your veterinarian may recommend that the affected paw remains bandaged and she will advise you the frequency in which your pet needs to come back to our clinic for bandage changes. If your pet had a foot/paw bandage applied, this is usually removed by one of our veterinarians. Most, but not all, dew claw injuries may need to be bandaged. Some bruising to this area may be seen when they go home with you however, if this persists beyond 72 hours, please give us a call at the clinic. The shaved area on your pet's front or back legs is the IV sedative and/or IV catheter site. Shaving the affected area around the dew claw also ensures that fur does not poke into the raw nail bed and that the area continues to stay clean after the surgery You will find that we may have shaved the fur around the affected dew claw in order to cleanse it thoroughly prior to trimming the affected nail back.
If your pet is discharged on the same day that he/she had the dew claw injury addressed, they may still be a little bit drowsy after they go home with you. There may also be some irritability or incoordination during this initial 24-hour period immediately after the procedure. Home Care Instructions for Pets Following Dew Claw Injuries What to ExpectĪfter coming home from the clinic, your pet should be kept in a warm, dry, quiet and ideally indoor location in the 24 hours following discharge.