Spaying and Neutering: What to Expect Before and After Surgery

Spaying (an ovariohysterectomy or sometimes ovariectomy) removes the ovaries and usually the uterus from a female animal under general anaesthetic, while castration removes the testicles from a male. Both are considered routine procedures performed daily in general practice, but 'routine' refers to how often vets do them, not to the level of care a pet needs around them; any general anaesthetic and abdominal or scrotal surgery deserves the same attentiveness from an owner as a more unusual operation.

The exact technique varies by species, age, sex and sometimes by vet preference, including whether a traditional open spay or a smaller keyhole approach is used, so it is worth asking your own vet what to expect for your specific pet rather than assuming every description online applies identically.

Most practices send written pre-operative instructions, and following them precisely matters more than owners often realise, because they are tailored to the specific anaesthetic protocol being used. Fasting instructions differ meaningfully between species: dogs and cats are typically asked to have no food from the evening before, with water usually still allowed until a specified time, while rabbits and other small herbivores should never be fasted before anaesthesia because their digestive system depends on continuous gut movement and a pause can trigger dangerous gut stasis.

Pre-anaesthetic blood tests are commonly offered, particularly for older pets or those with any health history, since they can reveal organ function issues that affect anaesthetic choice before the pet is ever sedated. It also helps to arrange time off work or someone to supervise the first day or two of recovery in advance, rather than trying to organise it the morning of surgery when stress is already higher.

Pets are typically admitted in the morning, given a physical examination to confirm they are fit for anaesthesia, and then settled into a kennel to wait their turn in the surgical schedule, which can mean some hours of waiting that are easy to underestimate when picturing the day. Anaesthesia is induced and maintained with continuous monitoring of heart rate, breathing and other vital signs throughout the procedure, and pain relief is generally given both during and after surgery as part of standard practice rather than something that needs to be specifically requested.

Most dogs and cats go home the same afternoon or evening, groggy and quieter than usual, though some clinics prefer to keep certain patients, particularly larger dogs, rabbits or pets with additional health concerns, in overnight for closer observation. A phone call home with a summary of how the procedure went and written aftercare instructions should accompany discharge, and it is worth asking questions on the day rather than assuming everything will be obvious later.

The incision needs real protection for the first week to ten days while it heals, which generally means an Elizabethan collar or a well-fitted alternative to stop licking or chewing, strict rest with no running, jumping or rough play, and short lead-only toilet breaks for dogs rather than free access to the garden. A pet that seems bright and comfortable a day or two after surgery can still have an incision nowhere near full strength internally, and a burst or infected incision from too much early activity is one of the more common avoidable complications seen in general practice.

Checking the incision daily for excessive redness, swelling, discharge or gaping, without constantly handling or cleaning it unless specifically instructed, allows problems to be caught early without interfering with normal healing. Most practices schedule a post-operative check within a week to ten days to review the incision and, for some techniques, remove external stitches or staples.

Mild lethargy, a reduced appetite for a day, and some grogginess from the anaesthetic are expected in the first 24 hours, but a pet that will not eat at all beyond a day or two, is vomiting repeatedly, seems painful despite prescribed pain relief, or has an incision that is swollen, discharging or gaping needs prompt veterinary assessment rather than a wait-and-see approach. Male animals occasionally develop scrotal swelling after castration that can look alarming but is often a normal part of healing; even so, any swelling that is rapidly worsening, hot, or clearly causing distress is worth a call to the vet to confirm it is within the expected range for that individual pet.

Most pets recover fully and without complication within the expected window, generally returning to normal activity over one to two weeks depending on the procedure and species, and the benefits of preventing unwanted litters and reducing certain disease risks, such as the womb cancer affecting many unspayed female rabbits, generally make the short recovery period worthwhile for the animal's longer-term health.