How to Care for a Dog After Spaying - Keeping Your Dog from Licking the Wound

1. Keep your dog’s bandage in place for 24 hours. Some clinics send the patient home with Primapore (an adhesive dressing) covering the incision. Keeping this in place for 24 hours allows a seal to form over the incision which protects it from getting infected with bacteria.
- Some clinics do not use Primapore anymore, as removing it can irritate the dog's skin.

2. Get your dog a cone collar to keep her from licking the wound. Do not let your dog or any other animal lick the incision, as this carries a high risk of infection and breaking the stitches. To prevent her from doing this, there are a variety of cone collars to choose from. These collars are variously described as looking like an Elizabethan ruff, a lampshade, or a bucket with the bottom taken out. Most are made from clear plastic.
- Pick a collar that fits your dog. The narrow end of the collar sits around the dog's neck and is held in place with her regular collar. The wider end of the cone should project two to three inches (5–7.5 cm) beyond her nose, so the collar is between her and the wound.
- Alternatively, you can get the dog an inflatable neck brace, to prevent the dog from turning her head. These look a lot like life-saver inflatable rings and are fitted to the diameter of your dog's neck.

3. Put an old T-shirt on your dog if you have other dogs. If you have several dogs, any number of them might try to lick your recovering dog’s wound. To keep this from happening, find a T-shirt that is large enough to cover your dog’s whole body down to where the incision was made. Have your dog wear the T-shirt for 10 to 14 days. Cotton T-shirts work well for this, as they are very breathable.[2]:
- Pull the t-shirt over your dog’s head and put her two front legs into each sleeve of the shirt. Pull the shirt down so that it covers the incision, and tie it up so she can walk around. If the shirt is long enough, you could also cut two holes in the bottom that you can put your dog’s back legs through.
- If the T-shirt becomes soiled, replace it with a clean one.