Updated September 30, 2026.
Prepare the home and a clear care record around the instructions from your dog’s treating team. TPLO, FHO and spinal surgery do not share one recovery calendar. This checklist helps you organise the instructions and questions for your dog; it does not prescribe exercises or a day to start wheelchair use.
Leave the clinic with an individual plan
The American College of Veterinary Surgeons’ postoperative-care guidance emphasises discharge instructions, activity limits, monitoring and follow-up. Ask for the following details in writing, and identify whom to contact after hours.
| Ask about | Record for this dog |
|---|---|
| Procedure and restrictions | The operation, treated area, permitted positions and movements, and restrictions that still apply. |
| Medication instructions | The prescribed name, dose and schedule copied from the discharge sheet; whom to call about a missed dose or suspected reaction. |
| Moving and toileting | How the team wants you to assist, which support or harness is approved, and what help you should have available. |
| Surgical-site protection | The team’s instructions for the incision, dressing or protective device, and what changes they want reported. |
| Equipment and rehabilitation | Whether a wheelchair or brace is approved now, its contact restrictions, and who will teach fitting or exercises. |
| Follow-up | The recheck date, contact route and criteria the team will use before changing activity. |
Set up the route and rest area before homecoming
- Choose the rest area specified by the treating team and make it easy for a handler to reach the dog.
- Plan the permitted route to the toilet area. Resolve steps, slippery sections and obstacles with the team rather than testing a new route after discharge.
- Place prescribed supplies, contact numbers and the discharge sheet together so another caregiver can follow the same instructions.
- Assign who will assist movement, give prescribed medicines and record observations. Keep one shared record to avoid missed or duplicated tasks.
Ask before adding a wheelchair or brace
Check whether the device is appropriate at this stage, which limbs should be supported, whether its harness crosses the treated area and who should supervise the first fitting. Once approved, use the exact product’s measurement method and model-specific fitting checks.
A calendar date does not establish readiness. For example, ACVS guidance for disc surgery includes postoperative exercise restriction; it is not a reason to begin cart walking automatically on day 15. Ask for the criteria that apply to your dog’s procedure and examination.
Keep a care record the team can use
| Record | Useful detail |
|---|---|
| Date and caregiver | Who observed the dog and who completed each instructed task. |
| Comfort and behaviour | A factual change from the previous entry, such as reluctance to rise or a different resting posture. |
| Eating, drinking and toileting | What happened and when; use any monitoring instructions the team supplied. |
| Movement | Only the permitted activity, assistance used and any difficulty noticed. |
| Surgical site or equipment | A dated photo if requested, and any fit or dressing concern. |
| Communication | What you reported, the advice received and any revised written instruction. |
Report changes instead of adjusting the plan yourself
Contact the treating team about new or worsening discomfort, wound changes, an equipment problem or an unexpected loss of function. Sudden severe pain, collapse, breathing difficulty or inability to urinate need prompt veterinary attention. Use the discharge sheet’s contact instructions when deciding how to obtain help.
Have a professional demonstrate any prescribed exercise, transfer or bladder-care technique. Heat, cold, joint movements, exercise repetitions and activity increases should come from that dog’s plan, not a generic postoperative checklist.
Where to go next
- Record mobility observations and videos
- Measure approved wheelchair equipment
- Check wheelchair fitting and first use
Sources and scope
Sources checked September 30, 2026.
- ACVS: Postoperative Care After Surgery — Background on discharge instructions, restriction, monitoring and follow-up.
- ACVS: Intervertebral Disc Disease — Procedure-specific aftercare context; not a universal recovery calendar.