How to Bathe a Dog After Spaying
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Introduction
It may take a little time before your dog is perfectly healed after a spaying surgery. She may have been wearing a cone of shame or even just a t-shirt to keep her body covered to prevent her from licking her incisions. Even post-surgery, dogs need baths. If you're spayed dog has been wearing a t-shirt during the healing process, she might be a little stinky and could require a bath. You want to take special care post-surgery just to ensure she's not causing any damage or opening any incisions.
Dog's Perspective
Even if she feels like Superdog, she may be tender to the touch and a bit on the tired side after being spayed. When you go to touch, pet, or even wash her stomach your dog may flinch, or she may try to lick the area while you're washing her. Just be very cautious with her while she's healing.
The Incision Care Method
The Licking to Clean Method
Caution & Considerations
- If you have any questions or concerns about bathing your dog post-surgery, call your veterinarian.
- Keep your dog from licking the surgical site. Licking can introduce bacteria from her mouth to the incision, potentially causing an infection.
- Any foul odor coming from an incision could mean potential infection.
- If you see redness or swelling while bathing your dog after her surgery, contact your veterinarian for a re-check.
- Red lines spreading out from the incision could also mean infection. See your vet right away if you observe these lines on your dog's skin.
- Don't apply any creams or ointment to the incision site. Sutures need to stay clean and dry.
- Your veterinarian may request that you wait about 2 weeks before submerging your dog in water. This means 14 days without a bath.
- Do not let your dog’s sutures or incision get wet in the rain or outside in wet grass.
- If you can plan ahead, have your dog groomed before surgery so she can wait for a full recovery before having her next bath.
- Be sure to always follow any instructions your veterinarian has after your dog is spayed. Limit her activity and keep her resting for as long as possible. This will also help keep her clean so she won't require a bath until her body is ready for it.
Conclusion
Be gentle with your princess during this time of recovery. She is your baby, your pup, and she is going to want to be treated like a queen. Spot cleaning is okay, but keep your girl dry so she can heal.
Success Stories and Grooming Questions
Grooming Questions & Answers
Lucy
hello, my puppy jus got spayed about 2 and a half weeks ago, i’m just wondering if i’m ok to give her a bath
Azure is super smart, and seems to think she’s being punished by wearing the cone. She even managed to actually get it off once. But we were told under no conditions were we to bathe her or get her wet. As active as she is, that makes sense, but —well, that is it… her butt. Know what I mean? Don’t know what to do with that fuzzy tail and lots of hair back there.
She has ticks we just found. She got fixed on Thursday. Can we wash her to get rid of the ticks?
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Hi Melissa, I hope Kyra is doing well as she recovers from her spaying surgery. I'm assuming that you just discovered the ticks; it is very important to have the ticks removed by the veterinarian right away. Washing Kyra will not remove the ticks at all. They adhere to the skin and burrow their way in - they need to be removed properly so that no part of the tick is left behind. Ticks can carry diseases that have lasting effects so I cannot stress enough how important it is to see the veterinarian to have them removed. Best of luck with your beautiful pup!
We adopted Nellie and she was spayed almost 7 days ago I’m now seeing flea eggs everywhere on her and she is itching badly and smelling horrible can I bathe her?
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Hi Taylor, Nellie is adorable! I think that this is a situation for the veterinarian. Because Nellie was only spayed a week ago, that is the safest route. As well, if she is uncomfortable and smelly, too the vet will be able to provide the quickest and most effective remedy to relieve Nellie of the fleas. The vet can also prescribe a medication that will prevent this from happening again. As well, the clinic can provide info on how to get rid of fleas and eggs that may be present in your home. Good luck to Nellie!
We recently adopted a dog from our local shelter and she is bothering allergy’s for people in the house. She got spayed the day before we got her. Is there any safe way to bathe her before her 2 weeks is up?
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Hi Alexander! Congratulations on your adoption of Penny! Unfortunately, there is no safe way to bathe a dog before the two week waiting period. It is not worth the risk as the sutures absolutely cannot get wet at this point. Ask your veterinarian for advice; you may be allowed to spot bathe Penny with a sponge but I would ask the vet first before doing anything. Remember, she may be sore and needs to stay quiet. Thank you for your question!
I just adopted this sweet girl yesterday and she's getting spayed today. The shelter have to keep her until after her surgery, but they aren't going to bathe her before. She is very dirty and her fur is pretty overgrown and clumped a bit in spots. I know I can't give her a bath for at least 2 weeks after her surgery, but I was wondering if there were any alternatives that could help clean her up a bit. I purchased an undercoat brush to remove a lot of her loose fur, but I don't have a solution for her being so dirty.
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Thank you for the question and the photo of Juniper. It's wonderful for her that she will now have a home to go to. Congratulations to you, as well! There are a few things you can do. I would cut the mats out if you can - they may cause discomfort. Her fur may look uneven but it's not forever. This guide also gives a few options, like using pet wipes (this may work after the mats are cut). https://wagwalking.com/grooming/bathe-a-dog-without-water. This may help with the mats: https://wagwalking.com/grooming/brush-matted-dog-hair. Either way, do not try to do too much with Juniper's grooming needs until several days after the spaying. She may be in pain and you definitely do not want her to associate grooming with pain - that could cause major problems down the road. Let her rest for several days, and maybe ask the vet at the shelter for a timeline before attempting to clean her. Good luck!
