Aftercare Instructions

Every pet recovers a little differently, but these guidelines apply to most spay, neuter, and dental patients. For instructions specific to your pet’s procedure, download the detailed discharge sheet below.

Questions or Concerns After Surgery?

For routine questions or a recheck, contact your regular full-service veterinarian. Mermaid SANDS operates by appointment only with limited hours and doesn’t provide post-operative appointments.

For urgent or emergency concerns, contact:
Veterinary Medical Center of Indian River County
1833 US-1, Vero Beach, FL 32960 — (772) 794-5800
If unavailable, go to your nearest emergency veterinary hospital.

What to Expect Today and Tonight

These should steadily improve over 24–48 hours. If your pet is extremely weak, pale, collapsing, or difficult to wake, seek urgent care immediately.

Feeding

Tonight: offer about half of your pet's normal meal, then the rest 1–2 hours later. This helps prevent overeating and vomiting after anesthesia.
Not eating tonight? That's normal — try again in the morning.
Tomorrow: resume normal feeding.
Water: keep fresh water available at all times.

Activity Restriction

E-Collar (Cone)

Your pet must wear their e-collar at all times until the incision has been examined and cleared by a veterinarian. Licking or chewing at an incision can quickly cause swelling, infection, or the incision reopening.

Incision Monitoring

Check the incision once daily. A small amount of straw-colored to red-tinged discharge can be normal, similar to a scab. If cleaning is needed, use a clean cloth with warm tap water — do not use hydrogen peroxide, as it can delay healing.

Seek evaluation by your regular veterinarian or Veterinary Medical Center of Indian River County — (772) 794-5800 — if you notice:

Pain Medication

Give all medication exactly as prescribed. Never give human pain medication. Your pet’s specific discharge sheet has full dosing and side-effect details for the medication they received.

Giving Oral Medication

Hand pilling: place the pill at the back of the tongue, close the mouth, and encourage swallowing.
Pill plunger: use to safely deliver the pill toward the back of the tongue.
Pill paste: coat the pill and offer it directly — confirm your pet fully swallows it.
Hiding in food (use if other methods aren't working): mix the pill into a small amount of food, fed separately from the regular meal. This carries a higher risk of a missed or partial dose if your pet doesn't finish the food — confirm it's fully eaten before assuming the dose was given.

Elimination

Seek evaluation by your regular veterinarian or Veterinary Medical Center of Indian River County — (772) 794-5800 — if your pet hasn’t urinated within 24 hours, or if it’s been longer than 4 days without a bowel movement.