To carry a dog after surgery, support your dog's body weight using two hands and place one hand under the dog's chest and one hand under the dog's abdomen or the dogs hindquarters, to keep the dog's spine straight.
Also lift your dog using your legs, to minimize strain on your body and keep your dog close to your body, especially if the dog is larger, to maintain control avoid causing the dog pain.
Place one of your arms under your dog's chest, between the dog's front legs, and place the other arm under the dog's hindquarters, to support your dogs back and abdomen.
Then rise slowly, using your legs, to lift the dog in an even plane, keeping the dog's spine straight and aligned.
And hold the dog close to your body for stability and to avoid putting pressure on the dogs surgical site.
For large or heavy dogs you may need to use a sling, like a figure 8 sling, to help lift the dogs hips during walks, allowing the dog to place it's paws on the ground for stability.
And if your dog is too heavy for one person to lift or carry safely, you should have someone help you.
When you pick up your dog after surgery, get down to the dog's level to minimize any excitement and prevent it from jumping.
It's also normal for dogs to smell bad after surgery due to the dogs body metabolizing the anesthesia.
After the dog has anesthesia for the surgery, it can also take awhile for your dog's body to metabolize the anesthesia and the process of metabolizing the anesthesia, combined with the stress of the surgery can also cause a temporary and unusual body odor or odors for some time after the surgery, which is normal.
The odor from your dog should start to go away within a few days or so after the surgery as they heal and recover.
Other reasons for a dog smelling so bad after surgery is a result of increased sweating, normal healing, urinary changes and possible infection.
A dog may also be less active after surgery and spend more time laying down, which can result in increased sweating in the treated area, and this sweat when combined with bacteria can also make for an unpleasant odor from your dog.
And a metallic smell, especially in male dogs after a neuter procedure can also be a result of normal hormonal changes and is a normal part of healing, which involves residual blood.
Also watch for signs of infection after surgery such as persistent redness, warmth, significant swelling or discharge, which can be yellow, green or thick fluid at the incision site.
If you notice any possible signs of infection in your dog after surgery you should let the vet know as soon as possible.
It's also okay to crate your dog after surgery as crating your dog after surgery is often recommended to restrict the dogs activity and for proper healing of the surgical site and surgery.
Crating your dog after surgery will prevent your dog from running or jumping, which are things that could cause complications with the incision from the surgery or even possible internal injuries.
The vet will also provide you with specific guidelines after the dogs surgery and let you know how long to implement the crate rest for your dog after the surgery.
Also discuss your crate rest plan for your dog after surgery to ensure that you follow the vets specific instructions for your dogs specific surgical procedure.
And make sure that the dog crate is also large enough for the dog to stand, turn around and lay down comfortably, although make sure that the dog crate is not so large that the dog can run or jump around inside the dog crate.
A wire dog crate is often best for dogs after surgery as they provide good visibility and good ventilation.
You should also make the dog crate comfortable for the dog after surgery, by adding some soft bedding, and place a non slip mat on the floor of the dog crate to prevent the dog from slipping in the dog crate and causing further injury.
After you bring your dog home from surgery, the dog crate rest should start immediately after you arrive home from the vet.
And only take your dog out of the dog crate for any activities that are essential, such as for pooping and peeing and for larger dogs, using a sling can also be helpful for support.
And keep the dog in the dog crate occupied with activities such as a feeding toy or frozen Kong toy, but avoid dog toys that cause any excessive excitement.
And keep a close eye on your dog for any signs of infection of their incision and check for any signs of any distress or pain.