Foreword

I first wrote these notes in 2022 for the members who came to our counter with a surgery date circled on the calendar and a knot in their stomach. Some were facing a planned spay or a dental cleaning; others had spent the night in an emergency hospital and were bringing home a dog with a shaved belly and a long row of staples. They all asked the same questions, in one form or another. What can I do before? What should I feed after? Which remedies help, and when do I give them? How do I keep my animal comfortable without reaching for drugs I do not trust? I updated the notes in 2024 as new tools arrived, and again in 2026, and they have grown into this little book.

Its purpose is simple. Surgery is a major event for any animal's body, and a naturally reared animal needs the same thoughtful support through it that we give them the rest of their life. I have gathered here what I do with my own animals and what I have seen work for our members' dogs and cats over many years: how to prepare your animal and your home; how to feed through each stage of healing; which homeopathic remedies, flower essences, herbs and peptides I reach for; how hands-on healing, light and gentle energy fields can help; and how to recognize the moments when only your veterinarian will do.

The protocols in this guide are my own, developed and refined over a lifetime with animals. I have worked as an assistant to a veterinary homeopath, as a veterinary technician and assistant, as a working student and trainer in hunter/jumper and Hanoverian stables, as a pet sitter and wildlife rehabilitator, and as a foster home for many rescued animals. I began feeding raw in 1989 with my seriously ill nine-year-old cat, Gem, who went on to live to twenty-two, and every animal in my care since has been Naturally Reared on a fresh, home-prepared diet, including the Great Danes who have shared my life since 1991. Along the way I have worked with Western herbs, homeopathy, flower and gem essences, Reiki, acupressure, therapeutic massage, supplements and essential oils, in domestic and wild animals alike, and since founding SFRAW in 2003 I have walked a great many of our members and their animals through surgery and recovery. Where research supports what I do, I have linked it in the text, and where other practitioners have reached the same conclusions, I have noted them at the end of each chapter.

The planner that comes with this guide works out the details for your animal, based on their weight, their age and the kind of surgery ahead, with amounts and timing for each stage. The guide itself explains the reasoning behind each suggestion.

Before You DecideIs Surgery Really Necessary?

Before a date is set, and before you begin to prepare, I ask you to pause and ask the most important question of all: is this surgery really necessary? Some surgeries cannot wait. A dog who is bloating, an animal bleeding internally, a blocked bowel or a swallowed sock: these are emergencies, and the right answer is to get to the hospital now. Most surgeries, though, are planned, and a planned surgery gives you time to ask questions and look at every option before you commit.

There is no going back after a surgery. What is removed cannot be put back, and what is changed stays changed for the rest of your animal's life. If your animal's situation is not an emergency, a second opinion is your best course of action, and there may well be a non-surgical option for your dog or cat's ailment. For a second opinion, I recommend Dr. Judy Jasek of Animal Healing Arts, a holistic veterinarian who works with animals everywhere by phone and video (Animal Healing Arts, Dr. Judy Jasek). Please also feel free to reach out to me for a consultation (Book a consultation with Kasie at SFRAW).

Spay and neuter are the clearest example. I no longer recommend spaying or neutering, except under certain circumstances, and then only on a case-by-case, individualized basis and only after full maturity, over the age of two years. Chapter fourteen explains why, along with the hormone-sparing options to consider when sterilization is truly needed.

OneA Valuable Tool, Wisely Used

While surgery is something we all strive to avoid, when it is truly needed, I try to keep in mind, and I ask you to keep in mind, that surgical treatment and modern general anesthesia can be incredibly valuable and lifesaving tools. A twisted stomach, a swallowed sock, a bleeding mass on the spleen: none of these can be met with herbs alone. Recognizing the rightful role of surgery in your animal's overall care eases a great deal of apprehension, and an animal whose guardian is calm and prepared tends to have a better outcome.

Perhaps the most valuable thing holistic care offers during a health crisis is support for the animal's life force, their spirit. Many complementary methods carry an energy medicine component that can strengthen a compromised animal's healing response: acupuncture and acupressure, Reiki, homeopathy, flower essence therapy and aromatherapy, as well as herbal medicine. Many holistic practitioners also have their own protocols for meeting the psychic and physical effects of anesthesia, and you will find mine in the chapters that follow. Combining traditional and holistic approaches gives your animal the opportunity for the best possible outcome. The goal is always a longer, healthier life, reached by drawing on nature's pharmacy and the holistic modalities alongside modern veterinary medicine.

The conversation before the date is set

Whenever possible, before you schedule any surgery, sit down with your animal's surgeon and talk about your wish to integrate these healing techniques and supportive care. Ask whether you may be present when your animal wakes. Ask whether the clinic offers acupuncture during or after the procedure; if your veterinarian can administer acupuncture while your animal is being treated, it will help control pain, bloating and nausea after the surgery. Ask how they feel about homeopathic remedies and flower essences being given by you in recovery. If your concerns are not taken seriously, or your requests are refused outright, consider another practitioner. A good surgeon does not need to share every one of your beliefs, but they should respect them and work with you.

Tell your veterinarian about every medicine, supplement, herb and remedy you give, and follow their directions about whether and when to stop each one. Expect them to order a pre-operative blood panel, which tells them whether any underlying condition could compromise your animal's ability to withstand the physical stress of surgery.¹ If any values come back "off," further screening may follow. A heart murmur in an older dog, for example, can be a compelling reason for an echocardiogram to rule out heart failure, heartworm or a structural problem in the heart.²

Important points to discuss with your veterinarian

If you live with a collie, Australian shepherd, Shetland sheepdog, long-haired whippet, German shepherd or one of the many herding breeds and their mixes, tell the team, and if you do not already know your dog's status, ask about a test for the MDR1 gene. Dogs carrying this mutation are more sensitive to several drugs commonly used around surgery; Washington State University, which discovered the mutation, notes that acepromazine and butorphanol need reduced doses in these dogs.^3,4

If you live with a flat-faced breed, such as a Bulldog, French Bulldog, Pug, Boston Terrier, Shih Tzu or Pekingese, or a Persian or Himalayan cat, tell the team and ask how they will manage the airway. These animals have narrow nostrils, long soft palates and crowded throats, and the riskiest time is often not the surgery itself but the recovery, after the breathing tube comes out. In a study of 223 flat-faced dogs, they were about four times as likely as other dogs to have complications after anesthesia, most often aspiration pneumonia and regurgitation (Gruenheid et al., Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2018). The research is in dogs, but flat-faced cats share the same anatomy. Ask that your animal be watched closely until fully awake and swallowing well, and once home, keep them cool and calm, and use a harness rather than a collar.

Second, no vaccines and no flea, tick or heartworm pesticides in the three weeks before surgery, right up to and including the day itself. Many clinics give a vaccine while an animal is under anesthesia, or hand over a parasite preventive at the surgery visit, as a convenience. I would decline both, and I ask that you tell the surgical team so plainly, and in writing on the admission form if you can. Vaccines are meant for healthy animals; as one holistic veterinarian puts it, the vaccine insert itself warns that they are not meant for animals who are going to be anesthetized for a major surgery such as a spay or neuter.⁵ Dr. Jean Dodds advises against vaccinating anesthetized patients because a hypersensitivity reaction with vomiting and aspiration could occur, and because anesthetic agents themselves can be immunomodulating.⁶ Her broader guidance is to vaccinate only healthy animals, never sick ones or those under stress,⁷ and any animal going into surgery is already under stress.

The same reasoning applies to the pesticides. Every spot-on, chew, collar and heartworm preventive is processed by the same liver that must clear the anesthetic drugs and pain medicines, and vaccines, drugs and parasite preventives all add to the toxic load the liver has to carry.⁸ The isoxazoline flea and tick products, sold as Bravecto, NexGard, Simparica, Credelio and Revolution Plus, carry an FDA alert for neurologic reactions, including muscle tremors, loss of coordination and seizures, which can occur even in animals with no history of seizures.⁹ I do not want that risk on top of anesthesia. Three weeks gives the body time to clear these products and settle before surgery. If your animal is already on a monthly product, plan the surgery date, or the last dose, so that at least three weeks separate them, and make sure no one at the clinic applies a flea product during the stay.

Vaccines and these pesticides also disrupt the microbiome, and they put stress on the immune system and the organs, and not the good kind of stress (hormetic stress) that makes the body stronger. Surgery and anesthesia are already hard on the gut flora, as chapter nine explains, and I do not want to add to that. Dr. Judy Morgan names the routine use of flea and tick pesticides as one of the most common veterinary causes of imbalance in a pet's gut bacteria, and points out that about eighty percent of the immune system is found in the gut.¹⁰ Dr. Michael W. Fox warns that oral and injectable parasiticides may cause health and behavior problems by harming the gut microbiome,¹¹ and a 2023 review in The ISME Journal found that pesticide exposure consistently disrupts the gut microbiota in animal studies (Pesticide Exposure and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis, 2023). As for vaccines, Dr. Dodds notes that the adjuvants added to make a vaccine provoke a stronger immune response also raise the risk of autoimmune and inflammatory reactions (Dodds, Early Life Vaccination of Companion Animal Pets, 2021), and Dr. Richard Pitcairn has long taught that vaccination does more than produce antibodies and can leave a lasting, chronic disturbance in the body, known as vaccinosis.¹² Going into surgery, I want the gut, the immune system and the liver as rested and steady as they can be.

Third, if your animal is very young, very small, diabetic, or living with liver or kidney concerns, say so plainly and ask how the anesthetic plan and the fasting instructions will be adjusted. These animals are the exceptions to almost every general rule in this book, and your surgeon needs to know you understand that.

Notes

1. Whole Dog Journal, Get Your Dog's Bloodwork (whole-dog-journal.com)

2. Whole Dog Journal, Preparing Your Dog for a Successful Surgery (whole-dog-journal.com)

3. Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (hospital.vetmed.wsu.edu)

4. AAHA, White Feet, Don't Treat (aaha.org)

5. Holistic Veterinary Care, Sometimes It's Just Not a Good Time to Get a Vaccine (holistic-vet-care.com)

6. Hemopet, Vaccines and Titer Options (hemopet.org)

7. Dodds, vaccination guidance (cdn.shoplightspeed.com)

8. Dogs Naturally counts vaccines, drugs and flea, tick and heartworm preventatives among the toxic exposures the liver has to deal with. Dogs Naturally, Signs Your Dog's Liver Needs a Detox (fourleafrover.com)

9. FDA, Isoxazoline Flea and Tick Products (fda.gov)

10. Dr. Judy Morgan, The Importance of a Healthy Microbiome in Your Pet (drjudymorgan.com)

11. Dr. Fox, Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides (drfoxonehealth.com)

12. Pitcairn, A New Look at Vaccines (drpitcairn.com)

TwoThe Weeks Before

When surgery is planned rather than an emergency, you have time to get your animal into the best condition you can before the surgery date, and the most important thing you can do in that time is to address their weight. Excess body weight has a meaningful impact on the joints, and it is the number one factor in an animal's ability to keep healthy joints and preserve mobility as they age. If your dog goes in for a knee surgery carrying extra pounds, all of that weight shifts onto the other side while he heals, and that knee may fail too, leaving him, quite literally, without a leg to stand on.

Keeping your dog lean, even slightly underweight, should be a priority at any time; research shows it contributes to a significantly better quality of life, a lower risk of many common illnesses and a longer lifespan. In the weeks or months before a planned surgery, gently reducing calories to reach any needed weight loss will improve your animal's ability to heal and will influence the whole outcome. For cats, go slowly; a cat should never be starved down, and I say more about why in chapter seven.

Clean and ready

Good grooming supports a safer recovery. Long nails can scratch an incision and dislodge stitches. You can request a nail trim while your animal is under anesthesia, but very long nails may need several sessions before they are short enough to protect the incision. If surgery is several weeks away, trimming them yourself may be more effective. With a handheld rotary tool such as a Dremel, you can trim every three to four days, working around each nail and along the sides to encourage the quick to recede faster.

If your animal needs a bath, give it the day before surgery, unless their health or mobility does not allow it, because they may not be bathed for some time afterward while the incision heals. Check for fleas and address them before surgery, so that itching, scratching and chewing do not complicate recovery. And when it comes to the fur around the surgical site, trim carefully: it is important to clear the hair away, but just as important not to cut so close that you abrade the skin, since shaving that abrades the skin can allow staph bacteria to enter.¹³

Practicing with the collar

Many dogs and cats need a cone or Elizabethan collar after surgery to keep them away from the incision. If your animal is unfamiliar with one or dislikes it, practice in the weeks before surgery: start with a few minutes a day and gradually lengthen the time, pairing it with something pleasant. A soft fabric collar is often better for your animal than a hard plastic cone, which can restrict movement and scratch furniture and doorframes, and some animals will not need a collar at all. There are many comfortable alternatives to the classic veterinary cone on the market now that distress animals far less. Whatever you choose, test it beforehand to be sure your animal cannot maneuver around it to reach the surgical site. If your animal is having eye surgery, the collar is not optional, and I explain why in chapter fifteen.

Notes

13. Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com)

ThreeThe Healing Den and the World Outside It

Think ahead to the accommodations your animal will need once they come home. Crate rest is the safest way for a dog or cat to recover from surgery, especially for animals who are already crate trained, because they feel safe in their dens and love spending time there. Set up the den before surgery day, in a quiet part of the home, ideally near a door to the outdoors so that you can reach the yard or garden easily during recovery. Avoid stairs if you can, and do not allow jumping onto or off furniture.

If the wound is likely to drain, have plenty of fresh, clean cotton bedding on hand. I keep clean cotton fitted sheets, the kind sold for children's mattresses or infant crib mattresses, stretched over a freshly washed bed. It matters that the bedding stays clean and dry at all times during the healing period. My favorite pads for animals in recovery, or for those living with incontinence, are the NorthShore Champion XD Washable Underpads. NorthShore makes them for human incontinence care, but they work extremely well for animals and come in several sizes. Buy the washable ones; they hold up best and stay flat on the bed. Buy several, so that you can always swap in a fresh, dry pad while the damp or soiled ones are laundered.

If your animal will be limping or hobbling on three legs, make sure there is a non-slip, easily navigated path to the potty spot. FLOR carpet tiles are a good option for covering hard floors; they will not move or slip, and they can be washed when needed. For large dogs, plan a way to give support as they walk, either by making a sling to pass under the belly for gentle lift, or by investing in a support harness that lets you guide your dog when she is less than steady on her feet.

Fresh air, sunlight and darkness

Give your animal daily access to fresh air and sunlight, and let them move into darkness indoors once the sun has gone down. Dogs especially are diurnal, much as we are, and the healing body keeps time by the light. Situate the crate or healing space so that there are no electronic devices or blue-spectrum lighting nearby at night; switch instead to a salt lamp or red or amber bulbs in the evening. And keep your own mind as steady as you can. Our animals read us constantly, and a calm, confident guardian is part of the emotional recovery.

Grounding, forest bathing and negative ions

As soon as your veterinarian allows short, controlled outings, spend a little time in nature every day. Direct exposure to fresh air and sunlight, with paws in direct contact with the natural earth, a practice called grounding or earthing, helps animals heal faster and recover better. If you can spend that time near the ocean and its crashing waves, or near a waterfall, your animal will also be exposed to negative ions, which have been associated with improved mood, enhanced immune function, reduced inflammation and better respiratory function. Simply walking slowly beneath redwoods or through any forest offers unique benefits to the microbiome and the immune system and can speed healing. Keep these outings on a short leash and well within the activity limits your surgeon has set, and keep the incision clean and dry. All of these daily practices contribute to a more successful recovery.

FourFinal Preparations for the Surgical Procedure

One week before surgery, if your animal is already taking PetTides or any other product containing BPC-157, stop giving it. Three to four days before surgery, I stop feeding large amounts of seafood and stop giving omega-3 oils, herbs, vitamin and mineral supplements, joint supplements and any NSAIDs. In their place I feed a simple raw diet of meat, bones, eggs, tripe and organs. Supplements can inhibit clotting, complicate surgical outcomes, and interfere with how the body metabolizes anesthesia and how the team doses it. Some herbs and nutraceuticals, such as ginkgo biloba and vitamin E, thin the blood and increase bleeding, which you certainly do not want before an operation, and large doses of vitamin C may interfere with anesthesia.¹⁴ Never stop a prescribed medication on your own, though; ask your veterinarian about each one.

Most guardians know the basic rule for the night before: withhold food, and often water, for twelve to twenty-four hours, depending on your veterinarian's instructions, so that the stomach is empty and there is no risk of vomiting during the procedure.¹⁴ For a naturally reared adult dog who is used to an occasional fast, this is no hardship. There are important exceptions. Puppies and kittens should not be fasted overnight, because they can become hypoglycemic, and they need to be kept warm.¹⁵ Diabetic animals need a specific plan from the veterinarian for both food and insulin. Very tiny animals and cats need shorter, carefully supervised fasts. Follow your surgeon's instructions, and ask before you decide to change anything.

The two things to have in the house

Before surgery day, pick up Arnica 1M and Rescue Remedy. Please read my article on how to use homeopathic remedies at sfraw.net/homeo before you need them, so the routine is familiar. For everything else, the Surgery Care Planner that accompanies this guide builds a complete shopping and prep list for your animal and the surgery ahead, from the healing den to recovery nourishment, so it is all in the house before you need it.

Rescue Remedy is a flower essence combination, and it is safe to give right up to the surgery and immediately afterward. During an acute crisis, or when there is a lot of pain or fear, I give a little squirt or two drops under the gums every fifteen minutes; on the day of surgery I keep to that rhythm, and then drop to about six times a day, and up to twelve times a day in the days following surgery, for as long as it is needed. It works very well for post-operative physical stress and for emotional stress, too. For cats, small animals and any animal who should not have alcohol, use the pet formula, which is preserved in vegetable glycerin and water rather than brandy and is labeled free of alcohol (Bach Rescue Remedy Pet).

Notes

14. Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com)

15. Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com)

FiveThe Waking Hour

If it is at all possible, ask your veterinarian whether you may hold your animal in the clinic right as they come out of surgery, wrapped in a blanket, while they regain consciousness. This is the ideal time for the first dose of Arnica 1M, which will go a long way toward reducing pain and speeding recovery. If your animal is taking a while to regain consciousness, or seems to be having difficulty with the anesthesia, give a dose of Phosphorus 30C fifteen minutes after the Arnica; this can really help. Rescue Remedy can be given alongside both.

My practice is to give Arnica immediately after surgery, not before, and then again every six to twelve hours for a few days, but only when it is needed. It eases pain, reduces bleeding and speeds healing, and it is useful after any medical procedure, from surgery to invasive testing to dental work; it meets mental shock and trauma and helps protect against infection. If your animal is feeling better or resting comfortably, do not give a dose. Give one only when they are clearly uncomfortable, and give it right away when you notice the symptoms. Timing matters in homeopathy. It is not meant to be given on a schedule; it is given according to the individual's need.

Here my practice parts ways a little with the older texts. The classical materia medica suggests that Arnica may be given before an operation and Bellis perennis after it. I prefer to save Arnica for when your animal is waking up, when the trauma has actually happened and the body needs it. Either way, the wisdom is the same: Arnica first, for shock and bruising, and a deeper tissue remedy after.¹⁶

For Phosphorus, your animal will most likely need only the one dose to recover from the effects of anesthesia. In rare cases, they may need another dose the next day if they are still groggy, confused, growling or vocalizing, unsteady on their feet (ataxic) or constipated.

Choosing one supportive remedy

After that first dose, I move on to Arnica alongside a single supportive remedy chosen for what the animal is showing me. Choose only one. If your animal has none of the signs below, simply give Arnica when it is needed for pain. Give the supportive remedy fifteen minutes after the Arnica, on the day of surgery or after coming home, and then every twelve hours, only if needed, for pain and discomfort such as drooling, whining, panting or any other sign that your animal is uncomfortable. Do not give more than six to eight doses in total; it is typical to need just one or two. Repeat a dose only when the symptoms return, are not resolving, or are very slow to resolve.

Aconite 30C is for fear, anxiety or panic before or during a medical procedure. Bellis perennis 30C is the first remedy I think of after injury to the deeper tissues, especially after major operations: trauma to the pelvic organs, soreness of the abdominal wall, injured nerves with intense soreness. Calendula 30C reduces swelling and soreness, improves the healing of incisions, protects against infection and promotes the rapid healing of damaged tissue; it comes in after Bellis has met the deep trauma, and the trio of Arnica, Bellis and Calendula is often used, one after another, through convalescence after surgery. Hypericum 30C is for injuries related to dental work and for nerve pain, and for surgery involving the extremities: toes and feet, tails and ears. Ipecac 30C is for persistent nausea in which vomiting brings no relief, as can happen after chemotherapy, radiation or a difficult anesthesia.

Nux vomica 30C is useful for symptoms caused by allopathic medicines, especially narcotics, or by the overuse of commonly prescribed drugs such as antibiotics; the animal needing Nux is irritable, even angry, with an upset digestive system and constipation.¹⁷ Phosphorus 30C is for ailments from anesthesia, clearing its side effects, and for excessive bleeding after a tooth extraction or surgery. Staphysagria 30C reduces post-operative pain and the pain of surgical wounds, with swelling and inflammation, and is especially used after operations on the female reproductive organs and after urinary catheters.

In this edition I have added three remedies for particular surgeries, each one I have relied on for years. Ruta graveolens acts on the periosteum, cartilage and tendons and on the eyes, and it has a real affinity for the knee and for tendon and ligament injury. Arnica followed by Ruta has been my protocol for torn cruciate ligaments for many years, and Ruta is my choice after cruciate surgery.^18,19 Symphytum is the great bone remedy, for fractures and for soreness of the periosteum, and Boericke writes that for traumatic injuries of the eye, "no remedy equals this".²⁰ After fracture repair, Arnica after surgery is followed by Symphytum starting the next day, once daily for three to four days and then weekly until the fracture has healed.²¹ Carbo vegetabilis is the remedy of collapse and of the greatly distended, gassy abdomen, the patient who is cold and weak and "must have air".²² I keep it for the dog recovering from bloat. Let me be very clear, though: no remedy is a substitute for emergency care for a dog who is bloating. That is a drive to the hospital, with the remedy given on the way.

Notes

16. Dogs Naturally shares a closely related protocol used in one holistic clinic after spay: Arnica 1M as soon as she is awake, once an hour for three doses, followed by Bellis perennis 1M once an hour for three doses for deep abdominal trauma and pain. Dogs Naturally, Homeopathic Remedies After Spay (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

17. Dogs Naturally also suggests thinking of Nux vomica after drugs or surgery. Dogs Naturally, 20 Natural Remedies (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

18. Boericke lists Ruta for sprains, after Arnica. Boericke, Ruta (homeoint.org)

19. Dogs Naturally also notes Ruta's affinity for the knee and for tendon and ligament injury. Dogs Naturally, 12 Homeopathic Remedies (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

20. Boericke, Symphytum (homeoint.org)

21. Dogs Naturally describes the same fracture protocol. Dogs Naturally, Top 5 Remedies for Joint Pain and Injury (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

22. Boericke, Carbo vegetabilis (homeoint.org)

SixPeptides for Repair

My current top recommendation for rapid recovery, faster healing, reduced inflammation and immune support, for both dogs and cats, is PetTides Full Body Support, which we carry in our SFRAW store in San Francisco. It combines three peptides: BPC-157, the anti-inflammatory peptide KPV, and Immune Peptide A2, a thymic bioregulator (Integrative Peptides, PetTides). BPC-157, used alone or together with TB-500, is a natural peptide derived from gastric juice, and I use it for all injuries and surgeries in mammals, humans, dogs and cats alike. It rapidly heals joint, ligament, tendon and soft-tissue injuries, supports digestive function, helps repair neurological damage such as that from strokes and traumatic brain injuries, and promotes endothelial nitric oxide production.

Three peptides, three jobs

BPC-157 is the healer of the three, for the gut, the brain, the heart and the joints. It is a fifteen-amino-acid fragment of a protective protein found in gastric juice, and it encourages collagen synthesis, including the type 1 collagen that tendons and ligaments are built from, and it stimulates growth factors such as VEGF that bring new blood vessels into healing tissue. Through the nitric oxide pathway it improves blood flow and oxygen delivery, it protects and repairs the lining of the stomach and intestines, and it is neuroprotective. It has also been used to ease pain in damaged tissue, which is one more reason I reach for it after surgery. Given by mouth, its strongest track record is in the gut, with ulcers and inflammatory bowel conditions, and the research suggests it supports healing, calms inflammation and promotes collagen whether it is swallowed or injected.

KPV is for reducing inflammation. It is a tiny peptide of just three amino acids, lysine, proline and valine, taken from the tail end of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone. It quiets the inflammatory signals inside cells, including NF-kB, TNF-alpha and IL-6, without suppressing the immune system as a whole, which is exactly the balance I want while an incision closes. It supports repair of the skin and the gut lining and helps modulate histamine and allergic responses. In laboratory work, intestinal cells take KPV up through a transporter called PepT1, and KPV given by mouth reduced intestinal inflammation in two different models of colitis (Dalmasso et al., KPV and Intestinal Inflammation, 2008). It is considered safe for long-term use.

Immune Peptide A2 helps the immune system. It is a short-chain dipeptide made of just two amino acids, lysine and glutamic acid (Lys-Glu), and it acts as a bioregulator for the thymus, where T cells learn their work. It helps bring them back into balance, calming an immune response that is running too hot and supporting one that is running too low. That makes it useful during recovery from surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, and for animals prone to infection. There is no dependence and no overdose risk.

Dimmer switches and direct commands

When looking at immune-modulating peptides, they generally fall into two categories: short-chain bioregulators, which act like cellular dimmer switches, and larger, complex polypeptides, which act like direct cellular commands. Immune Peptide A2, Thymogen and Thymosin Alpha-1 (TA1) all target thymic and immune health, but they differ significantly in structural size, clinical backing and how they are used.

Immune Peptide A2 and Thymogen are the bioregulators. Because both are tiny two-amino-acid chains, they have very high oral bioavailability and are easily absorbed by the body. Immune Peptide A2 (Lys-Glu) focuses on baseline cellular resilience and daily maintenance. Thymogen (Glu-Trp) is used more aggressively, in short pulses or resets of 7 to 14 days, to bring a severely crashed or overactive immune system back to baseline. Because they target different pathways, wellness formulations frequently stack the two together in a single blend, often marketed under names like Thymogen Alpha-1 or as immune complex blends, to take advantage of their synergy.

Thymosin Alpha-1 is a completely different class of molecule. At 28 amino acids long, it is far too large to survive oral digestion effectively, and it has historically been given by subcutaneous injection. Unlike the subtle signaling of A2, TA1 binds directly to immune receptors called Toll-like receptors and orchestrates a powerful, dual-action response: it ramps up the body’s antiviral and antitumor forces while triggering brakes, such as the enzyme IDO, that keep the body from attacking itself. While A2 is used for general wellness and daily maintenance, TA1 has been heavily investigated in clinical trials for severe conditions such as chronic hepatitis B and C, as an adjuvant to cancer chemotherapy, and for severe immune deficiencies (Thymosin Alpha 1: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature). In the United States, an FDA advisory committee voted in December 2024 against adding it to the list of substances pharmacies may compound (FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee).

Why I like them together

For surgery, BPC-157 and KPV are the pair I want working side by side, and the same pairing serves well for severe gut flares and chronic inflammatory states. Immune Peptide A2 is the part of the blend I lean on most when infection, severe autoimmunity, cancer or recovery from chemotherapy is part of the picture. Having all three in one bottle keeps things simple during a stressful time, and all three can be stacked with the Russian bioregulator peptides.

How much and for how long

Timing matters as much as the dose. If your animal is already taking PetTides, or any other product containing BPC-157, stop it one week before the surgery. Afterward, I wait one week after surgery before starting PetTides, and then continue through the weeks of tissue repair.

For PetTides, use the dosing on the label exactly as written. Both bottles suggest five drops per pound of body weight, and each gives a weight scale for its range, with each teaspoon equal to about 100 drops. The bottle for small pets covers animals up to 30 pounds: up to 10 pounds, 25 drops, or 1/4 teaspoon; 10 to 20 pounds, 50 drops, or 1/2 teaspoon; 20 to 30 pounds, 100 drops, or 1 teaspoon. The bottle for large pets covers 30 to 95 pounds: 30 to 40 pounds, 150 drops, or 1 1/2 teaspoons; 40 to 50 pounds, 200 drops, or 2 teaspoons; 50 to 70 pounds, 250 drops, or 2 1/2 teaspoons; 70 to 95 pounds, 300 drops, or 3 teaspoons. The drops can be given directly into the mouth or added to food. Keep going through the weeks of tissue repair.

If you are using BPC-157 capsules on their own, the current approach to dosing is to take the protocol for an average-sized person, work out the amount per pound, and apply the same micrograms per pound to your animal. A typical suggested dose for a 150-pound person is 250 to 500 micrograms of BPC-157 by mouth each day, which works out to 1.67 to 3.33 micrograms per pound of body weight. Starting one week after surgery, I begin with a loading amount at the higher figure, 3.33 micrograms per pound a day divided into two doses, for the first one to three weeks. From there I move to a maintenance amount of 1.67 micrograms per pound, once or twice a day, for a few more weeks while the tissue finishes remodeling. Brain injuries and chronic gut conditions can call for a longer course, up to about four months. A 60-pound dog, then, would take 200 micrograms a day during the loading phase, given as 100 micrograms twice a day, and 100 to 200 micrograms a day after that. The planner does this arithmetic for you.

Give each capsule dose with a meal or snack that provides some fat and protein, opening the capsule and mixing the powder into the food.

Safety and quality

On safety, the most thorough preclinical study to date evaluated BPC-157 in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs, and found it well tolerated without serious toxicity, with no genetic or embryo-fetal toxicity (Xu et al., Preclinical Safety Evaluation of BPC-157, 2020). A follow-up study of how BPC-157 moves through the body in rats and beagles also found it well tolerated in the dogs (He et al., BPC-157 Pharmacokinetics in Rats and Dogs, 2022). Digestive upset is rare, mild and settles on its own.

Peptides are only as good as the lab that makes them. I look for independent third-party testing with certificates of analysis for purity, potency and contaminants, Good Manufacturing Practices, a short and clear ingredient list without unnecessary fillers, and a company that answers questions openly. I stop peptides one week before surgery, start them again one week after, tell the surgical team I am using them, and continue through the weeks of tissue repair. As with everything in this guide, the best partner here is an integrative veterinarian who knows peptide and bioregulator protocols.

If cancer is part of the picture

If your animal has been diagnosed with cancer, you may choose to avoid BPC-157. It stimulates growth and repair, and there is a theoretical concern that this may be a risk where cancer is present. At the same time, I have found no credible evidence that BPC-157, KPV, the thymic peptides or the bioregulators promote cancer, and others are using BPC-157 as part of their cancer treatment plans. Both of these things are true, so proceed within your own comfort, and talk it through with your integrative veterinarian or oncologist.

SevenFasting, Broth and the Body's Own Housekeeping

Research has shown that the trauma of surgery sets off a generalized physiological response throughout the body. This systemic response encompasses a wide range of interlinked endocrine, metabolic and immune pathways, and it does not end when the incision is closed. There are things we can do to manage these effects and to soften the long-term consequences of a surgical procedure, and the first of them, perhaps surprisingly, is to eat less.

Autophagy

Autophagy is the body's own housekeeping: a natural process in which cells break down and remove damaged parts, recycle their components and regenerate newer, healthier cells. It is triggered when cells are stressed or deprived of nutrients, and it clears out dysfunctional material that can otherwise contribute to disease, including cancer and autoimmune conditions, while promoting overall cellular health. This is why I think of a fast as hormetic stress, the good kind of stress: a short, manageable challenge that prompts the body to strengthen its own repair and defense systems, much as exercise strengthens a muscle. Clearing damaged cells contributes to longevity, and autophagy appears to protect against neurodegenerative disease by removing toxic proteins.

How long it takes to trigger autophagy through fasting varies with metabolism and diet, but it is generally believed to begin after about eighteen to twenty hours of water-only fasting, with more significant activity after twenty-four to forty-eight hours. In my experience, a water fast, or a period of three to four days on liquid bone or meat broth, gelatin or collagen, with raw goat milk or raw A2 yogurt and small amounts of meat, followed by reduced food for the first few weeks after surgery, helps the body recover from surgery much faster. In the planner, I use about three-quarters of your animal's usual daily amount as a starting point for that reduced period.

If your animal has diabetes or any trouble with blood sugar, or is very young or very tiny, therapeutic fasting may be contraindicated. Please ask your animal's health or nutrition mentor, or your veterinarian, whether a short fast of three to four days would be right for your animal. Seniors and animals with liver or kidney concerns also deserve that conversation first.

Cats are different

I do not water-fast cats after surgery, and I do not restrict their food. A cat who stops eating, especially an overweight cat, can develop hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver, within a few days, and it can become life-threatening.²³ The guidance from feline medicine is to call your veterinarian if your cat has eaten nothing for twenty-four hours.²⁴ For cats, I offer broth, gelatin and gently warmed, appetizing food from the first evening home, and my aim is to have them eating normally within a day. The same applies to puppies and kittens, who need steady nourishment to keep growing.

The collagen-rich meal

When food returns, focus on high-quality, digestible animal protein and on the parts of the animal richest in collagen: feet, tendons, ligaments, necks and any cut that is mostly cartilage. SFRAW makes a topper called Mobility Mix that blends all five sources of collagen with naturally occurring chondroitin and glucosamine, glycosaminoglycans, eggshell membrane and chitin (SFRAW brand products). It can be fed as a meal for up to two or three days after surgery to help with healing, especially for the repair of ligaments and tendons, though it is useful for repairing tissue throughout the body. After that, use it as a topper while your animal recovers. I recommend Mobility Mix after every kind of surgery, unless a low-fat diet is needed after liver, gallbladder or pancreas surgery, as chapter eight explains. To boost the healing effects of collagen-rich foods and accelerate tissue repair, give SFRAW Wholefood Herbal Vitamin C Powder to bowel tolerance, building up until stools soften and then easing back just below that point.

Daily foods for healing

Oral and orthopedic surgery do not call for a lean diet, so bone broth and green tripe are both wonderful foods after these operations. Bone broth, alone or with added vitamin C or glycine, Red Gold Raw, Golden Paste, and raw goat milk or raw A2 yogurt are all good choices to help with healing; chapter nine has more on the milk and yogurt. In every case, a diet rich in high-quality animal protein will be the best choice for tissue repair. The exceptions, for the mouth, the gut and the organs of fat digestion, have a chapter of their own.

Notes

23. Cornell Feline Health Center (vet.cornell.edu)

24. PetMD, Hepatic Lipidosis (petmd.com)

EightFeeding a Tender Mouth or a Mending Gut

Depending on the complexity of the work being done, oral and dental surgery, and surgery on the gastrointestinal system, whether for bloat or for the removal of a foreign body such as a rock, a shoe, a ball, a toy or a length of cloth, call for a little more care with nutrition. In these cases I suggest avoiding whole raw meaty bones for three to four weeks after surgery.

Raw foods are completely safe after surgery. If you are concerned, though, you can modify the diet as needed. One option is to switch to Healthy Powder with Living Bone powder alongside ground meat and organs, such as our Ancestral Blends or MSF Patty Mixes, instead of our Grinds or Formulas, which contain pieces of bone that could cause trouble if your dog's mouth has open surgical sites or pockets where food could collect after oral surgery. Another option is to feed a cooked, meat-based diet of soups or stews for four to ten days afterward, or until any sutures are removed, which is sometimes up to fourteen days; ask your veterinarian about the timing. With cooked meals, use Healthy Powder with Living Bone, RX Vitamins for Pets Canine Minerals or eggshell powder as the calcium source, since the bone is no longer part of the meal. Once the mouth or gut has healed, return to your usual raw diet, still minus whole raw meaty bones until the three to four weeks have passed.

When the pancreas, gallbladder or liver was involved

If your dog or cat had surgery related to the pancreas, gallbladder or liver, it is important to feed a low-fat diet for a period of time afterward. Boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, rabbit, or lean fish such as cod or halibut are all possible options. Cooked egg whites make a wonderful, significant part of the diet in this period: they are practically fat-free, low in phosphorus, and an extremely high-quality protein with an amino acid profile well suited to healing and rebuilding tissue.

Refrain from feeding bone broth unless you can skim off or separate the fat. Bone broth, like bones themselves, is a high-fat food, and cooked fats are risky for several reasons; they are not easy to digest and they are hard on the pancreas, gallbladder and liver in particular. Small amounts of raw A2 yogurt, raw goat milk and raw kefir can be fed. Add our Wholefood Herbal Vitamin C and glycine to speed healing. Green tripe is another possibility, but it is not as lean as chicken breast, cooked egg whites or cod, so I reserve it for after the first week or two following surgery. After this, feed your usual raw diet, still minus whole raw meaty bones for three to four weeks.

While the gut mends

For any abdominal surgery, and especially after a stomach or intestinal surgery, follow your surgeon on when food begins and how much to offer in the first days, while the sutures in the gut are healing. Keep the dog calm and quiet after eating, and offer water freely but not in great gulps. This is a short-term measure for a mending gut, not a new way of feeding. Once your veterinarian is happy with the healing, I return to my usual rhythm of one meal a day, or a feast-and-fast prey model pattern, as I describe for bloat in chapter fifteen.

NineThe Long Shadow of Anesthesia

The anesthesia process often continues for weeks after the treatment. Anesthetics are toxins that the liver must work hard to eliminate, and some animals develop what Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine calls liver qi stagnation from the effects of general anesthesia. Dr. Chris Bessent, a TCM veterinarian, has observed that about 90 percent of the dogs she sees who have recently received anesthesia have a purple to red tongue, indicating a condition of heat caused by a liver imbalance; a healthy dog's tongue is pink. In her view, the lingering reactions are not the direct result of the anesthesia itself, but of the liver's effort to clear it.²⁵

To correct liver qi stagnation, Dr. Bessent uses acupuncture and combinations of Chinese herbs, including coptis and scutellaria, or sometimes long dan xie gan tang, and she may recommend the herbal combination Great Mender to help speed healing of traumatized tissue (her herbal formulas are at herbsmithinc.com). Normally, after a single acupuncture treatment and a course of herbs, the dog is back to normal, which she confirms with a follow-up reading of the pulse and tongue. Older animals, or those whose livers are already compromised or overburdened, may have a much harder time after anesthesia, and for them a second acupuncture session may be given ten to fourteen days after the first.

Dr. Bessent advises guardians to watch for the many effects of anesthesia that can continue long after surgery, including what look like the beginnings of allergies, gastrointestinal upset with vomiting and diarrhea, inflamed eyes, anal sac problems, vaginitis, seizures, and even irritability and aggression. Dr. Cheryl Schwartz, author of Four Paws, Five Directions, describes something similar after spay and neuter: if a dog is fatigued or lethargic in the weeks after surgery, or becomes disobedient and willful, and a veterinary exam rules out an obvious cause, she suspects that the liver qi has stagnated from the surgery. She suggests plenty of exercise, once healing allows, to smooth the flow of qi, and nourishing the blood with tonifying, blood-building foods such as small amounts of liver and lean muscle meat.²⁶

Do not give any TCM herbs to your animal within forty-eight hours of surgery. The one exception I make is Yunnan Baiyao, which is given specifically to control bleeding, very often at the surgical team's own suggestion and always with their knowledge. It has its own chapter.

Supporting the body's own detoxification

To support natural detoxification after surgery, I use broken-cell-wall organic chlorella plus one of the following: SFRAW Starter's/Detox Herb Blend, milk thistle seed, burdock root or liposomal glutathione. Together they facilitate the clearing work the liver is already doing. In addition, I choose from three supports according to what I see in the animal in front of me. Shilajit is restorative, and I reach for it when an animal is weak or depleted after surgery; it helps restore strength and endurance and reduce inflammation. DMG enhances oxygen utilization, so I add it when an animal seems to have less stamina than usual, or pants and tires with little exertion, once your veterinarian has ruled out pain, fever or a breathing problem as the cause. Fresh ground raw organic beet root is optional, and a lovely addition. It supports healthy blood flow and circulation, its betalains and antioxidants help combat oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, its fiber aids gut motility, and it brings vitamin U for stomach support. Beet root also helps clear sludge from the liver and gallbladder, which is why I use it in my hepatic protocols and after liver, gallbladder or pancreas surgery. I begin these once my animal is home, eating and past the first forty-eight hours, and introduce one thing at a time.

Bioplasma cell salts are incredibly helpful for animals who have been through major, life-threatening physical trauma. They help an animal grow stronger and recover their vital force, their chi, after a very traumatic event or an extended illness. I give one to three tablets, dissolved in the cheek or under the lip, two to three times a day for thirty days after any traumatic event that involved the loss of blood, or after an extended hospital stay in critical condition. The planner suggests one tablet for cats and small dogs, two for medium dogs and three for large dogs.

The disrupted microbiome

The physical stress of surgery, together with the various drugs involved in surgery and anesthesia, is known to cause significant disruption to the fitness and health of your animal's microbiome. It is important to provide gut support in the form of probiotics after surgery. Orthomolecular Probiotics, The Wolf, Felix's Flora and The Ultimate Probiotic are all excellent choices, and we carry them all here at SFRAW for you. Green tripe and small amounts of raw kefir, where the diet allows them, add living support of their own.

Raw goat milk and raw A2 yogurt, made from cow, sheep or goat milk, are two of my favorite foods once eating resumes after surgery. They are soft and easy to lap up for an animal with a sore mouth or a tender gut, and they are rich in the living cultures the microbiome needs after anesthesia and drugs. Raw goat milk also brings digestive enzymes and immunoglobulins to the meal.²⁷ For dairy, including raw goat milk, raw A2 yogurt and raw kefir, I usually recommend 1 fluid ounce for every 10 pounds of body weight per day, so a 10-pound cat would have 1 ounce, or 2 tablespoons, and a 50-pound dog would have 5 ounces. Raw milk keeps the lactase enzyme that pasteurization destroys, which is why many animals who cannot digest pasteurized milk do well on raw.²⁸ A2 refers to the type of beta-casein protein in the milk. Most ordinary cow's milk contains the A1 type, and in a randomized trial in people, milk containing A1 beta-casein caused more digestive discomfort and higher markers of inflammation than milk containing only A2 (Jianqin et al., Nutrition Journal, 2016); goat and sheep milk carry a beta-casein much closer to the A2 type.²⁹ Start with a spoonful and build up to the full amount over several days while you watch the stools. Goat milk is about four percent fat, so after liver, gallbladder or pancreas surgery I keep to the small amounts described in chapter eight until the low-fat period is over.²⁸

Notes

25. Whole Dog Journal, What You Should Know Before Your Dog Receives Anesthesia (whole-dog-journal.com)

26. Whole Dog Journal, When Is a Good Time to Spay or Neuter (whole-dog-journal.com)

27. Dogs Naturally lists raw goat milk among its everyday healing foods for its probiotics, digestive enzymes and immunoglobulins. Dogs Naturally, 9 Healthy Foods for Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

28. Dogs Naturally, Goat Milk for Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

29. Dairy Foods, All About A2, Goat and Sheep Milk (dairyfoods.com)

TenWhen Bleeding Is the Worry

I left Yunnan Baiyao out of the first editions of these notes, and I should not have. It is wonderful, and it belongs here. Yunnan Baiyao is a Traditional Chinese herbal formula with a long history of use to stop bleeding, and veterinarians now use it in dogs and cats for internal bleeding from masses such as hemangiosarcoma, for bleeding into the abdomen or around the heart, for nosebleeds, and around surgery itself.³⁰ Practitioners also use it for dental extractions and for spays performed while a female is in heat, when the reproductive tract is engorged and more likely to bleed (Modern Herb Shop). I think of it whenever there is a concern of hemangiosarcoma, internal bleeding, or oozing and leakage from a surgical site.

Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer of the blood vessel lining, most often found in the spleen, heart or liver, and its masses can rupture and bleed without warning. In the laboratory, Yunnan Baiyao caused dose- and time-dependent death of canine hemangiosarcoma cells (Wirth et al., Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 2016). That is cell-culture work, not a cure, but it is encouraging, and it adds to the formula's long record for bleeding.

How it is given

Yunnan Baiyao comes as capsules, and each card of capsules includes a small red pill. The red pill is traditionally reserved for severe bleeding or shock and is given under the tongue as a kind of insurance in a crisis.³¹ A general range is roughly one 250 mg capsule per twenty pounds of body weight, two to three times a day.³² A commonly shared dosing guide suggests one capsule twice daily for dogs of ten to thirty pounds, two capsules twice daily for dogs of thirty to sixty pounds, and two capsules three times daily for dogs over sixty pounds, with cats given half to one capsule once daily; after the acute phase, many practitioners move to alternate days or a five-days-on, five-days-off rhythm for longer-term use.³³ The planner shows the band for your animal's weight. Please use it with your veterinarian's knowledge and guidance, especially around surgery.

It is generally well tolerated. A safety study in healthy beagles found no meaningful adverse effects at the doses given (Yunnan Baiyao safety study in dogs). In a study of healthy cats, vomiting occurred in about 17.6 percent (Yunnan Baiyao in cats), so I give it to cats with a little food and watch closely. Use it with caution in animals with liver disease, in pregnancy, and in animals with a history of clotting problems,³⁴ and know that some animals show a rise in liver enzymes with longer use.³³

Turkey tail, for the longer road

When the surgery was the removal of a spleen with hemangiosarcoma, many guardians ask about turkey tail mushroom. In a 2012 University of Pennsylvania pilot study, dogs given a turkey tail extract at 100 mg per kilogram per day after splenectomy had a median survival of 199 days, then the longest reported for dogs with this cancer treated without chemotherapy (Brown and Reetz, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012).³⁵ A larger 2022 follow-up did not confirm that benefit (Gedney et al., Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 2022). I still consider turkey tail a gentle immune ally and use it with the oncologist's knowledge, but I want you to know the full picture.³⁶

Notes

30. MSPCA-Angell, Yunnan Baiyao: To Use or Not to Use (mspca.org)

31. Dr. Wendy Blount, TCVM and Cancer (wendyblount.com)

32. This is the general range described by MSPCA-Angell. MSPCA-Angell, Yunnan Baiyao: To Use or Not to Use (mspca.org)

33. Yunnan Baiyao dosage guide for dogs and cats (yunnanbaiyaousa.com)

34. VCA, Yunnan Baiyao (vcahospitals.com)

35. HuffPost, on the Penn study (huffpost.com)

36. Dog Cancer Blog, Turkey Tail Mushroom (dogcancer.com)

ElevenLight, Field and Needle

Red light therapy, PEMF and acupuncture are some of the most helpful tools I know for recovery. None of them adds anything to the body for the liver to clear, and each one helps the body's own repair along. I want to describe them plainly, with what is known and what is still being learned.

Red light therapy and cold laser

Red light therapy and cold laser therapy are two forms of the same idea, known in the research as photobiomodulation. Red and near-infrared light, at particular wavelengths, is absorbed by the mitochondria within cells and appears to increase cellular energy production, improve local circulation and calm inflammation. In the clinic, this is usually delivered with a therapeutic laser, often a powerful Class IV unit, by a trained practitioner. At home, it is delivered with LED pads, wraps and mats, which are gentler, cover a larger area and can be used daily. The light is not hot and does not hurt; most animals relax into it.

The evidence is encouraging and still mixed. In a study of forty-nine dogs and cats in which one half of each surgical wound was treated with a Class IV laser and the other half was not, the treated halves healed faster (Class IV laser split-wound study, 2025). A randomized trial in dogs after TPLO knee surgery found no significant differences in recovery measures between treated and untreated dogs, although five incision infections occurred in the untreated group and none in the treated group (American Journal of Veterinary Research, PBMT after TPLO, 2024). A fluorescent light treatment improved healing after mammary surgery in dogs (Fluorescent light energy after mastectomy), and a broad review describes the overall veterinary picture as promising but inconsistent (Review of photobiomodulation in veterinary medicine).

For home use, I like the devices from Photonic Health. The Magic Mat offers red, near-infrared, blue and green light with programmable frequencies through an app, and the company suggests five to ten minutes per area a few times a week (Photonic Health, Magic Mat). The Essential pad combines red and near-infrared LEDs with ten, twenty and thirty minute settings (Photonic Health, Essential Back Pad), and a smaller half-wrap fits paws and joints (Photonic Health, Essential Half-Wrap). After surgery, I lay the pad over the bandage or near, not on, the fresh incision for short sessions, and over the supporting muscles and the opposite limb after orthopedic surgery. Ask your surgeon when you may begin.

A few cautions apply to all light therapy. Never shine a laser or bright light into the eyes; cover them or turn the head away. Do not use laser therapy over a known cancer or tumor, over areas of active bleeding, over a pregnant uterus or an overactive thyroid, or in animals with lymphoma or on immune-suppressing drugs, and use caution over the growth plates of animals under a year old with higher-powered devices.³⁷ That matters most after removal of a mass or for an animal who is still bleeding.

The Assisi Loop

The Assisi Loop is a small, drug-free ring that delivers targeted pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, or tPEMF. It is placed over or around the area to be treated, even over bandages, and switched on for a fifteen-minute session; it is silent and does not need to touch the skin. The research is strong for a device of its kind. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fifty-three dogs after spinal surgery, those treated with the Loop had significantly better wound healing at six weeks and needed pain medication less often in the first week (Alvarez et al., JAAHA, 2019). A separate trial after spinal surgery found less incisional pain in treated dogs (Zidan et al., Journal of Neurotrauma, 2018).

The manufacturer's post-operative protocol is a fifteen-minute treatment every two hours for the first two weeks, then twice daily through weeks three to six (Assisi Animal Health protocols). For dental surgery, a smaller DentaLOOP can be started three to five days before surgery, twice daily, and after surgery used three to four times daily for five to seven days, then twice daily (Assisi DentaLOOP protocol). PEMF is among the gentlest of the rehabilitation tools, but it is not used in animals with pacemakers or heart arrhythmias, or over active bleeding,³⁸ which matters after bloat surgery or with a bleeding mass.

Acupuncture and acupressure

Acupuncture has a long and growing record around surgery. In a pilot study of dogs undergoing spay, electroacupuncture given in place of an opioid produced at least twenty-four hours of pain relief, while four of the six dogs given the opioid needed additional pain medication (Groppetti et al., British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2011). In a randomized, blinded trial, dogs given electroacupuncture during elective surgery woke from anesthesia significantly faster (American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, 2023). Not every study agrees; in a trial of fifty-six dogs undergoing spay, a single ten-minute session did not reduce pain scores, and the authors concluded that ten minutes may simply be too short, which tells me that the length and skill of the treatment matter (Iwe et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025). Ask your acupuncturist to show you a few simple acupressure points you can hold at home between sessions, and remember Dr. Bessent's second session at ten to fourteen days for older animals.

Notes

37. Merck Veterinary Manual, Photomedicine (msdvetmanual.com)

38. Today's Veterinary Practice, Rehabilitation Modalities (todaysveterinarypractice.com)

TwelveHands That Heal, Sounds That Soothe

Reiki and other forms of hands-on healing are some of the oldest and simplest ways we can comfort an animal. Reiki is a Japanese practice in which the practitioner rests their hands lightly on or just above the body, or works at a distance, with the intention of supporting the body's own balance and healing. Animals often show us they are receiving it: a long sigh, softening eyes, a deep sleep afterward.

It is gratifying that research has begun to catch up with what so many of us have seen. In a blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of fifty-four dogs aged eight and older, those who received six weekly sessions of distant Reiki from certified Reiki Masters showed a significant reduction in pain, beginning after just three sessions (Barbieri, Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, 2025). In another study, a fifteen-minute Reiki session lowered cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure in forty dogs (Universidad de La Salle study of Reiki in dogs), and a Brazilian study found measurable relaxation in dogs receiving Reiki (Acta Veterinaria Brasilica).

How I offer it

You do not need to be a Reiki master to offer your animal healing touch, though a trained practitioner, many of whom work at a distance, is a lovely addition to the recovery team. Sit quietly beside the crate when your animal is settled. Slow your own breathing. Rest one hand lightly on a part of the body far from the incision, the shoulder or the back of the neck, or simply hold your hands an inch or two above the body and let your animal decide how close is comfortable. Some animals lean in; others prefer the hands to hover. Never press on or near the incision. Ten or fifteen minutes, once or twice a day, is plenty, and the stillness is good for you as well.

Gentle stroking along the length of the body, cupping the ears, and slow massage of the unaffected limbs all help release the tension an animal holds while guarding a sore area. If your rehabilitation therapist or acupuncturist shows you specific massage or acupressure for your animal, fold those into the same quiet sessions.

Flower essences and aromatherapy

Beyond Rescue Remedy, individual flower essences can be chosen for the emotional state you see in recovery: the frightened animal, the frustrated one, the one who seems to have withdrawn. A practitioner trained in the essences can help you choose. Aromatherapy has its place for dogs, used very gently: a few minutes of diffusion in a well-ventilated room the dog can leave, never applied to or near the incision, and never in place of fresh air. For cats, I do not use essential oils at all. Cats lack an important liver enzyme for clearing many of their compounds and are especially vulnerable to their toxicity,³⁹ and an animal already clearing anesthesia does not need another burden on the liver.

For dogs who need to keep their activity low, or who seem anxious after surgery, I reach for our Chill Out Oil (SFRAW, Chill Out Oil). It is a certified organic blend of valerian, spikenard, vetiver, ylang ylang, neroli, petitgrain, sweet marjoram, sweet basil and clary sage, with our Rara Avis flower remedy blend, in organic cold-pressed olive oil. My preferred method is self-selection. Put a few drops on a cotton ball or a small fabric or wool toy, 1 to 2 drops for a small dog, 3 to 4 for a medium dog and 5 to 6 for a large or giant breed, and set it on the floor where your dog can reach it easily. Then let your dog decide how often to sniff, lick or rub against it, or whether to walk away. If your dog avoids the oil, do not force it or rub it on them. If your dog is drawn to it and comes to you for more, place the drops in your palm, rub your hands together and stroke the chest or front legs, up to four times a day. It fits naturally into the quiet hands-on sessions described above. Keep the oil, and your scented hands, away from the incision, the eyes and the nose. Chill Out Oil is for dogs only; like all of our essential oil blends, it is not for use on or around cats.

Healing sounds

Sound is one of the gentlest gifts we can give a recovering animal. A soft healing soundtrack playing near the den helps an animal settle, rest and sleep, and it masks the household noises that startle a sore, drowsy animal. That matters for healing. A calm animal lies still and rests the repair, sleeps more deeply, and is far less likely to pace, whine or worry at the incision, and a body that is not braced against stress can put its energy into mending. Many healing and calming soundtracks are available on YouTube and Spotify, and many of them are layered with binaural beats, gentle pulsing tones meant to guide the brain toward a calm, restful state. Mozart for Meditation: Quiet Music for Quiet Times, a 1995 Philips collection of slow Mozart movements, is a lovely album for pets (Apple Music). Solfeggio frequencies are specific tone sequences widely used in meditation tracks; 174 Hz is used for pain relief and the release of tension, 432 Hz for emotional balance and cellular alignment, and 528 Hz for transformation and stress reduction. Acoustic instruments such as Tibetan singing bowls, crystal singing bowls, gongs, chimes and handpans produce rich harmonic overtones that help shift brain wave patterns from active states to calm ones. Nature sounds, including rain, ocean waves, thunder and babbling brooks, provide an ambient white or pink noise that masks disturbances and activates the parasympathetic, rest-and-digest side of the nervous system.

Play the track softly near the den, and if you can, sit with your animal and listen too. Our animals read us constantly, and a calm, confident guardian is part of both the physical and emotional recovery.

Your own voice is part of this too. Chanting, humming and toning use breath and vocal resonance to reach specific emotional and physiological states, and humming softly while your hands rest on your animal joins sound and touch in a single practice. Master Mantak Chia teaches the Taoist Six Healing Sounds as a daily practice for releasing stress, with each sound paired with an organ and made slowly on a long exhalation, such as the soft "shhh" for the liver and "sss" for the lungs (Mantak Chia, Six Healing Sounds). The long, slow exhale calms you, and your animal feels the change.

The research on music for animals in surgery is young, but it is encouraging. A 2025 review in Frontiers in Veterinary Science gathered the perioperative studies in dogs and cats and found lower heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure, a reduced need for anesthetic and pain drugs, and less anxiety after surgery when music was played. In dogs recovering from spinal surgery, a calm, enriched recovery room that included music meant less rescue pain medication and more eating (Georgiou and Galatos, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025). In a rescue center, classical music helped kennelled dogs spend more time lying down and improved their heart rate variability, a sign of lower stress (Bowman et al., Physiology and Behavior, 2015). Dogs grow used to the same music within days, and changing the music keeps the effect going (Bowman et al., 2017, Purdue Canine Welfare Science). For cats, music composed especially for them, with purring tones and frequencies in the feline vocal range, lowered stress scores and made cats easier to handle during veterinary exams (Hampton et al., Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2020); the piece used in that study was "Scooter Bere's Aria" by David Teie.⁴⁰

Keep the volume low, about the level of a quiet conversation. The same review recommends staying at or below 65 decibels and avoiding sudden peaks in volume (Georgiou and Galatos, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025). Choose a downloaded or ad-free playlist so an advertisement does not break the calm. Place the speaker near the den rather than inside it, so your animal can move away from the sound, and vary the tracks every few days. Watch your animal for the answer: soft eyes, a long sigh and a deep sleep tell you it is working, while restlessness, pinned ears or moving away tell you to turn it down or off.

Notes

39. Merck Veterinary Manual, Essential Oil Toxicoses (merckvetmanual.com)

40. The Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com)

ThirteenMovement, and the Edges of This Book

Rest is essential, and so is the right amount of movement at the right time. Complete inactivity weakens the good limbs, while too much activity too soon slows healing.⁴¹ Knowing where that line is for your animal, day by day, is the work of a physical rehabilitation therapist, and for any orthopedic or spinal surgery, I consider one essential.

Canine and feline rehabilitation has become its own discipline, with therapists certified as CCRT or CCRP, and many offer hydrotherapy, either in a pool or on an underwater treadmill, where the buoyancy of warm water lets an animal rebuild strength without loading the healing tissue. Animal chiropractors, too, can help with the compensations that develop when an animal has been moving unevenly. You can find certified therapists through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute and the American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians.

If you can, meet with your PT or chiropractor before the surgery. Ask them what exercises you can do now to strengthen the other limbs and the core before the operation. Ask how to use the sling or harness safely, and how to set up your home. Ask when gentle range-of-motion work, massage, and cold or warm packs can begin, and when hydrotherapy will be safe for the incision. Ask how long the leash walks should be in each week of recovery, and what signs mean you should slow down. Ask, too, whether and when a chiropractic adjustment would be appropriate, and how to protect the opposite knee or hip while the surgical side heals. The planner gathers questions like these for the kind of surgery you are facing.

Physical therapy, hydrotherapy and chiropractic care are deep and individual fields, and the specifics of a rehabilitation program are beyond the scope of this guide. Please let a qualified therapist who has examined your animal design that program, in partnership with your surgeon.

Notes

41. Dogs Naturally, Treating a Torn Cruciate Holistically (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

FourteenSterilization and the Hormones Left Behind

Of all the surgeries our members ask about, spay and neuter are the most common, and they are the ones I most want you to think through carefully before the date is set. I no longer recommend spaying or neutering, except under certain circumstances, decided case by case for the individual animal, and only after full maturity, over the age of two years. A traditional spay removes the ovaries and usually the uterus, and a traditional neuter removes the testicles. Both shut off the major source of the sex hormones, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, which are responsible for far more than reproduction.⁴² Those hormones help regulate growth, joint development, body condition and much else, and their sudden loss has been linked to joint disease, certain cancers, urinary incontinence and behavioral change.⁴³

The hormone-sparing choice

If your animal has not yet been sterilized and sterilization is truly needed, please wait until after full maturity and look at the hormone-sparing options first. An ovary-sparing spay removes the uterus and cervix and leaves the ovaries in place, so she is protected from pregnancy and from pyometra while keeping her hormones; a vasectomy leaves the testicles in place and severs only the ducts. Dr. Peter Dobias notes that an ovary-sparing spay is not a more complex or more traumatic surgery, simply a different approach, and that pyometra cannot occur when the whole uterus is removed.⁴⁴ The Parsemus Foundation explains these procedures and keeps a directory of veterinarians who perform them (Parsemus, Hormone-Sparing Sterilization; Parsemus veterinarian directory). The risk of joint disease rises greatly when a dog is sterilized before the growth plates close, which in giant breeds may be close to two years of age, and vasectomy and tubal ligation interfere far less with the sex hormones.⁴⁵

For recovery from any spay or neuter, I follow the waking-hour protocol in chapter five; Bellis perennis and Staphysagria are the supportive remedies I reach for most often after surgery on the female reproductive organs. If a female must be spayed while she is in heat, ask your surgeon about Yunnan Baiyao.

Restoring what was removed

For animals who have already had a traditional spay or neuter, I highly recommend hormone restoration, and as soon as possible after the surgery, before the long-term effects of hormone loss have time to settle in. The Parsemus Foundation describes hormone restoration as treatment for dogs with health or behavior problems resulting from the loss of natural hormones, with the goal of restoring hormonal balance and improving health. It explains that without the ovaries or testes there is no feedback to control luteinizing hormone, or LH, and that high, unopposed LH likely influences diverse health disorders throughout the body.⁴⁶ In a ninety-day study of neutered male dogs given weekly testosterone at up to five times the standard dose, treatment was safe at all doses tested (Testosterone safety study in neutered dogs, BMC Veterinary Research, 2025).

Dr. Dobias describes the protocol he prefers: for males, a deslorelin implant to lower LH and weekly testosterone injections; for females, the implant when signs of high LH are present, oral estriol, and a lower weekly dose of testosterone. He notes that in the United States the implant is approved only for ferrets, so some veterinarians use it off-label.⁴⁴ Some clinics offer testosterone therapy for spayed and neutered dogs under the name Dogosterone, aimed especially at the dog who struggles to rise, has lost muscle, or lives with arthritis, hip dysplasia or disc disease.⁴⁷ All hormone restoration must be prescribed and monitored by a veterinarian, with regular blood tests. Never use human hormone creams on an animal; they are far too concentrated, can be toxic if licked or absorbed, and many contain xylitol.⁴⁶

Feeding the glands

Alongside hormone restoration, and for cats and any animal for whom restoration is not an option, I recommend feeding the glands themselves.⁴⁸ Our Ancestral Blends that include ovary or testicle, such as the Bison Ovary Blend and Bison Testicle Blend (SFRAW bison; SFRAW Ancestral Blends), are the whole-food way. For a concentrated form, the glandular supplements from Ancestral Supplements are excellent: MOFO, the Male Optimization Formula, combines testicle, prostate, heart, liver and bone marrow (SFRAW, MOFO), and FEM, its female counterpart, combines ovary, uterus, fallopian tube, liver and bone marrow (Ancestral Supplements, FEM).

Here I want to be honest about where sources differ. Dr. Dobias does not recommend glandulars as a way of replacing hormones, because their hormone content cannot be dosed accurately; he prefers pharmaceutical-grade hormones for that purpose, while allowing that glandulars may offer some support for glandular health.⁴⁴ I agree that glandulars are not a substitute for a prescribed restoration protocol. My practice is to use both: restoration through a veterinarian, and the ancestral nourishment of ovary and testicle on the menu.

Notes

42. Dr. Will Falconer, Dogs Naturally (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

43. Dogs Naturally, Early Neutering in Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

44. Dr. Peter Dobias, Hormone Replacement Therapy and Hormone-Sparing Spay and Neuter (peterdobias.com)

45. Dogs Naturally, Spay/Neuter and Joint Disease (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

46. Parsemus, Hormone Restoration in Dogs (parsemus.org)

47. Small Animal Clinic, Dogosterone Therapy (smallanimalclinic.com)

48. Dogs Naturally agrees that ovaries can support hormone health in spayed females, and that testicles can provide hormonal support for neutered males. Dogs Naturally, Glandulars (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

FifteenThe Particular Surgery

Everything in the chapters before this one applies to nearly every surgery. Each kind of surgery also has a few specific needs, and I have gathered them here. The planner draws on these same notes.

The mouth and teeth

After dental work and extractions, feed as described in chapter eight, with no whole raw meaty bones, hard chews or tug toys for three to four weeks. Hypericum is the supportive remedy I think of first for the nerve pain of dental work, and Phosphorus if a socket keeps bleeding. A gentle mouthwash helps too: dissolve a pellet of Calendula 30C in water and drizzle it over the area three to four times a day, alternating with Hypericum prepared the same way.⁴⁹ Yunnan Baiyao is used for extractions, and the DentaLOOP described in chapter eleven can be started before the dental appointment.

The eyes

After eye surgery, the protective collar must stay on at all times; a single rub against the carpet or a paw can undo delicate work. Walk your animal on a harness rather than a neck collar, because pressure from a collar raises the pressure inside the eye (Pauli et al., Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2006). Keep the healing den dim and calm, prevent head shaking and rough play, and never use red light or laser near the eyes. Symphytum, the classic remedy for traumatic injuries of the eye, is the supportive remedy I keep for this surgery.

The stomach and intestines

After surgery for an obstruction or a swallowed foreign body, feed soft meals as described in chapter eight and keep whole bones off the menu for three to four weeks. Nux vomica and Ipecac are the supportive remedies for digestive upset and nausea, and probiotics matter more than ever. Watch especially closely through days three to five after surgery: this is when the intestinal incision is weakest and a leak is most likely, and signs such as lethargy, refusing food, vomiting, a painful belly or a fever need a call to your veterinarian the same hour (Intra-abdominal complications after intestinal surgery in dogs; Clinician's Brief, Early Complications After Intestinal Surgery). Once healed, look around your home and yard for whatever tempted your animal in the first place.

Bloat and gastropexy

Gastric dilatation and volvulus, in which the stomach fills with gas and twists, is one of the true emergencies of dog life. It is surgery first and everything else second. Dogs recovering from it often develop irregular heart rhythms for up to seventy-two hours afterward, which is why they are monitored in the hospital.⁵⁰ The gastropexy performed during surgery tacks the stomach to the body wall so it cannot twist again, but it does not prevent the stomach from bloating with gas,⁵¹ so a bloated belly, unproductive retching or restlessness still means an immediate trip to the hospital.

In the first days home, follow your surgeon on when food begins and how much to offer. After that, I do not divide the food into several small meals a day, and this is a position I changed in 2010. My breeds are Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds, two of the breeds at greatest risk for bloat, and many years of feeding them have shown me that one meal a day, or a feast-and-fast prey model rhythm with larger meals on some days and lighter days or fasts on others, is actually ideal, even for the breeds most prone to bloat. It is the natural pattern of a carnivore, and it is the Natural Rearing tradition: Juliette de Bairacli Levy recommended a weekly fasting day of water alone for adult dogs,⁵² and raw-feeding guidance in the same tradition is to feed once or at most twice a day, pick up what is left after fifteen minutes, and give only water on the seventh day.⁵³ This is where my practice and the conventional advice part ways. The often-quoted Purdue research found that for large and giant breeds, the risk of bloat was highest in dogs fed a larger volume of food once daily, but those were largely commercially fed dogs, and the relationship between a home-prepared raw or cooked diet and bloat has not been formally researched.⁵⁴ What I hold to without exception, for the rest of the dog's life, is a strict rest period around every meal: no exercise, running or rough play for one hour before and two hours after eating. This applies to every dog of a breed prone to bloat, whether or not they have had a gastropexy. Carbo vegetabilis is my supportive remedy for this recovery, and Bioplasma cell salts are well suited to a dog who has been through this kind of shock. For deep-chested breeds who have not bloated, ask your veterinarian about a preventive gastropexy, which can be done on its own through small laparoscopic incisions or at the time of another surgery.

The liver, gallbladder and pancreas

Feed the low-fat recovery diet in chapter eight, with cooked egg whites, lean white meats and skimmed broth, before returning to the usual raw diet. Milk thistle is the detoxifying herb I choose here, started after the first forty-eight hours, and Nux vomica is a good supportive remedy for the queasy, irritable patient. Be cautious with Yunnan Baiyao in animals with liver disease, and ask your veterinarian first.

The spleen, masses and bleeding

When a mass has been removed, or there is concern of hemangiosarcoma or internal bleeding, chapter ten is your guide: Yunnan Baiyao with your veterinarian's guidance, Phosphorus as the supportive remedy for bleeding, Bioplasma for the animal who has lost blood, and turkey tail for longer-term support. Avoid light therapy over the surgical site of a removed tumor and over any area that may still be bleeding. Pale gums, weakness, collapse or a swelling belly are emergencies.

Bones, joints and ligaments

For cruciate repair, TPLO, fracture repair and other orthopedic surgery, weight is everything, as chapter two explains, and so is the rehabilitation program described in chapter thirteen. Ruta is my supportive remedy for ligament and knee surgery and Symphytum for bone, following Arnica. Collagen-rich foods, Mobility Mix and vitamin C to bowel tolerance support the tissue being rebuilt, and the Assisi Loop and red light are both well suited to this recovery. Keep floors non-slip, use the sling or harness, keep every outing on a short leash, and protect the opposite leg.

Abscesses, bite wounds and drains

A bite from another animal is one of the most common reasons an animal ends up in surgery without warning, and even a small bite should be taken seriously. A tooth leaves a small puncture that can close over quickly and be missed under the fur, and every bite wound should be treated as contaminated, because the bite carries bacteria beneath the skin, where they can grow into an abscess or a spreading infection.⁵⁵ In cats this is so common that abscesses are the leading cause of skin disease seen in some practices, especially in outdoor males.⁵⁶ When the pocket is large or deep, your veterinarian will open and flush it and often stitch in a drain, a soft tube that lets fluid and pus escape while the tissue heals from below. An abscess is an infection that is already present, so this is the different conversation I mention in chapter sixteen; have it honestly with your veterinarian.

For punctures and bites, Ledum is always my first choice, especially when the wounded part feels cold or the skin looks bluish.^57,58 When the bite lands in a place rich in nerves, the paws, tail, ears or nose, and the pain seems far greater than the wound, Hypericum follows Ledum well.⁵⁹ When the attack itself was very angry or violent, I reach for Lyssin, also called Hydrophobinum, the nosode Constantine Hering prepared in the 1830s. Hering records a state disposed to get angry and fly into a passion,⁶⁰ and the old first-aid materia medica describe it as antidoting the effects of bites from animals that are not rabid, especially dogs.⁶¹ It is also the remedy I think of for the animal who comes home from an attack changed, fearful or reactive. Aconite belongs to the terror in the minutes after an attack, and Arnica to the bruising and shock, as chapter five describes.

Once an abscess is forming, Hepar sulph is the great remedy, for the animal who is exquisitely sensitive to touch and chilly, wanting to be wrapped warmly. Potency matters here: the higher potencies may abort suppuration, and the lower promote it.⁶² Before pus has formed, then, a higher potency may help the body resolve the swelling, while once the abscess is open and draining, a lower potency helps it empty; your homeopath can help you choose. Silicea is for the old abscess that is slow to heal and not very painful, and also for one with a foreign body such as a grass seed or thorn behind it. Belladonna fits the sudden, bright red, hot, swollen stage, and Hypericum and Calendula follow once the wound has fully drained.^63,64 As always, choose the one remedy that matches what you see.

Puncture wounds must be kept open, and a drain must be allowed to drain. As I write on the label of our own salve, a puncture needs to heal slowly from the inside, from the bottom of the wound up; if the skin closes too quickly, it can seal a pocket of infection beneath it, so punctures should be kept clean and open, not allowed to scab over (SFRAW, Healing Green Salve). Never pull, shorten or reposition a drain, and put nothing into the opening unless your veterinarian asks you to.⁶⁵ One emergency hospital's guidance matches my own: avoid ointments and creams around a drain, because they inhibit good drainage and draw the animal's attention to the site, and use a washcloth wet with warm water for ten to fifteen minutes twice a day to encourage drainage and remove dried debris.⁶⁶ Keep the collar on, give a washable bed, and expect the fluid to lessen each day. Drains usually come out within two to four days, and longer for extensive wounds; call your veterinarian for fresh bleeding, increasing or foul-smelling discharge, or growing redness or swelling,⁶⁷ and if the drain falls out, disappears beneath the skin, or stops draining while the swelling grows.

For cleaning the skin around a drain or puncture, many discharge sheets suggest chlorhexidine.⁶⁷ I do not use it. My choices are hypochlorous acid or dilute Betadine. Hypochlorous acid is the same compound the body's own white blood cells make, and the 2025 international guidelines on skin infection describe it as safe for use in open wounds, eyes and mucous membranes (International guidelines for canine superficial pyoderma, 2025). In a 2025 randomized trial of thirty-four dogs with fifty-one bite wounds, hypochlorous acid did as well as a polyhexanide wound cleanser while needing a shorter contact time (Hypochlorous acid in canine bite wounds, The Veterinary Journal, 2025). For Betadine, dilute it with sterile saline or clean water to the color of weak tea; a 2024 review of veterinary antiseptics gives one percent as the current recommendation for wound treatment (Nye and Thieman Mankin, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024). That review also advises against Betadine in animals with thyroid or kidney disease, but used topically to dress a wound for a short period in acute post-surgical care, I do not find it a concern for these conditions, and it is fine to use. Where I do agree with the review is on burns: I do not use Betadine on a burn. For burns, dilute topical colloidal silver may be the better choice. Silver has a long history in burn and wound care, and colloidal silver releases silver ions slowly, without irritating the tissues, which makes it a gentle antiseptic.⁶⁸ On a cat, or a very small dog, I keep silver to small areas and use it only for a short time; one veterinary review of wound care cautions that silver from silver-coated dressings can build up to toxic levels in smaller patients, particularly cats.⁶⁹ A dilute rinse is far less than a dressing, but with cats I would rather be careful. Whichever antiseptic you use, wipe away any pus first, because pus and other organic debris inactivate Betadine.⁷⁰ Chlorhexidine, for its part, calls for caution anywhere on the head because of its reactions in the eyes and ears (Nye and Thieman Mankin), and cats can show injury to the middle ear even at very low concentrations (Nye, Veterinary Medicine and Science, 2023); since bites so often land on the head and neck, that is one more reason I leave it on the shelf.

Once the drain has been removed and the openings are closing from below, Calendula speeds the healing of the site. I use organic Calendula tea or infusion, cooled, a Calendula tincture diluted well in clean water, or Calendula hydrosol, which contains no alcohol and is my choice for cats, applied two or three times a day. I wait until this stage on purpose: Calendula heals the surface so quickly that I never use it on a puncture wound as a lotion.⁵⁹ For the same reason, this is not the place for our Healing Green Salve. It is wonderful for healing damaged tissue fast, for burns, scrapes, cuts and sores (SFRAW, Healing Green Salve), but on a puncture, an abscess or a drain site it can close the skin over a pocket of infection, and its oily nature collects dirt, hair and debris at the site, which raises the risk of infection. On a closed surgical incision it is fine only if you are extremely careful about keeping the wound clean. For cats, choose the version made without essential oils (Apothecary by SFRAW, Healing Green Salve for Kitties).

When the surgery is something else

For a mass removal from the skin, a biopsy, a hernia repair or any other procedure, follow the general plan: Arnica as your animal wakes, the one supportive remedy that matches what you see, Calendula for the incision itself, a short fast or broth period for adult dogs, collagen-rich foods, probiotics, gentle detoxification and quiet, hands-on comfort.

Notes

49. This mouthwash is shared by homeopath Brenda Tobin. Dogs Naturally, How To Manage Slab Fractures (dogsnaturallymagazine.com)

50. dvm360, Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (dvm360.com)

51. Merck Veterinary Manual, Gastric Dilation and Volvulus (merckvetmanual.com)

52. Whole Dog Journal, A History of Holistic Dog Care (whole-dog-journal.com)

53. Whole Dog Journal, Feeding Your Dog a Raw Diet (whole-dog-journal.com)

54. Whole Dog Journal, Dog Bloat: Causes, Signs and Symptoms (whole-dog-journal.com)

55. VCA, Bite Wounds in Dogs (vcahospitals.com)

56. Cornell Feline Health Center, Feline Skin Diseases (vet.cornell.edu)

57. Boericke writes that for punctured wounds produced by sharp-pointed instruments or bites, particularly if the wounded parts are cold, this is the remedy. Boericke, Ledum (homeoint.org)

58. Dr. Richard Pitcairn also gives Ledum for bites and punctures, especially when the skin looks bluish or feels cold. Whole Dog Journal, Dr. Pitcairn on remedies (whole-dog-journal.com)

59. Holistic Animal Centre, First Aid Remedies (holisticanimal.co.nz)

60. Hering, Lyssinum (similia.io)

61. Simillimum, Bites and Stings (simillimum.com)

62. Boericke describes Hepar's tendency to suppuration as most marked, and notes that the higher potencies may abort suppuration while the lower promote it. Boericke, Hepar sulphuris (homeoint.org)

63. Dr. Pitcairn gives Hepar for the chilly, irritable animal with a very painful abscess, and Silicea to heal an old abscess that is not very painful. Whole Dog Journal, Dr. Pitcairn on remedies (whole-dog-journal.com)

64. The Helios pet guide agrees, adding Belladonna for the sudden, hot, swollen stage, Silica for a foreign body, and Hypericum and Calendula once the wound has drained. Helios, Homeopathy for Pets (rehabmart.com)

65. Aliso Beach Animal Clinic, Lacerations, Drains and Wound Care (alisobeachanimalclinic.com)

66. Emergency and Specialty Veterinary Center, Drain Care (emevc.com)

67. VCA, Penrose Drain Discharge Instructions (vcahospitals.com)

68. Merck Veterinary Manual, Metals as Antiseptics and Disinfectants (msdvetmanual.com)

69. Vet Times, Small Animal Wound Care Part 2 (vettimes.co.uk)

70. Merck Veterinary Manual, Initial Wound Management (merckvetmanual.com)

SixteenOf Pain, Drugs and Watching the Incision

NSAIDs, gabapentin and Rimadyl are not recommended, in my view, nor is the prophylactic use of antibiotics. Arnica is effective for pain control and healing without the very dangerous side effects of these drugs. Please avoid Rimadyl and gabapentin; they are not worth the risks, in my opinion and in the opinion of many holistic veterinarians. You can hear one of them discuss it in this Facebook Live video, and read more in Dogs Naturally's articles on gabapentin (Gabapentin for Dogs: Know the Risks) and on NSAIDs (The Problem With NSAIDs for Dogs; NSAIDs and Your Dog: The Hidden Dangers).

If you would like to use cannabis for pain management, I recommend VetCBD's 10:1 Extra Strength Formula, which contains THC (VetCBD 10:1 Formulation). But Arnica 1M, given appropriately, has always worked extremely well for me, for my human family and for my animals after surgery, broken bones and other severe pain.

From none at all to far too much

People ask me about pain control after surgery more than almost anything else, and my answer begins in the 1980s, when I worked as a veterinary technician and assistant in a conventional animal hospital. Pain control was simply not part of the routine then. The prevailing belief, shared by the veterinarians I worked for, was that animals did not feel pain the way we do and so did not really need relief from it. I found that idea absurd at the time, and I still do. We performed every surgery without any pain management at all, and I have no doubt that many of those animals, particularly the cats who were declawed, endured a great deal.

Veterinary medicine has come a long way since then. We now accept that animals feel pain much as we do, and I am glad of it. But I believe the pendulum has swung too far. My concern is less the amount of medication than the kinds of drugs prescribed after surgery and the way they are combined. In my experience, those drugs often cause more harm, stress and discomfort than the pain they are meant to relieve. That is not to say animals do not hurt after surgery, or that their pain does not matter. It is that the treatment can become the bigger problem.

I come to this as someone who avoids medication in my own life whenever I can. Over the years I have had my share of accidents and injuries, some of them the kind considered extremely painful, and I have managed them with homeopathic remedies, herbs and other natural modalities. Turmeric, for one, has controlled pain very well for me after injuries most people would treat with prescription painkillers. I have seen the same approach work, again and again, for my own animals.

When the drugs look like pain

Many animals wake from anesthesia confused. They may whine or growl, stare as if they are seeing things that are not there, pant, pace and refuse to settle. To anyone watching, this looks like pain, and in fairness, these are the very signs an animal in pain will show. Sometimes it is pain. Very often, though, in my experience, it is the anesthesia still working its way out of the body, or a reaction to the pain medication itself. This is the trap. The more distressed the animal appears, the more it seems to need medication, so the dose goes up, and more medication tends to bring more of the same agitation, or an animal so heavily drugged that it cannot truly rest.

Veterinary anesthesiologists have a name for this: dysphoria. In one published case report, three dogs given opioids after surgery cried continuously and did not respond to the people around them, and more pain medication and sedatives did not help. Within five minutes of a drug that reverses the opioids, all three quieted and became aware of their surroundings again (Opioid Dysphoria in Three Dogs).

So this is the guidance I give. If your animal is sleeping and resting easily, eating normally, and urinating and passing stool without trouble, they are doing exactly what they should, which is resting to heal. If instead they are agitated, panting, whining or pacing while on a pain medication, consider that the drug itself may be the cause; in many of the animals I have known, these signs faded once the medication was reduced. Start with the two simple checks under What to look for, the gums and the temperature, because pale gums, a slow capillary refill or a temperature out of range need your veterinarian right away, whatever the cause. If those checks are normal, call your veterinarian, describe what you are seeing, and ask about lowering the dose rather than adding more.

Spays, bloat surgery and orthopedic repairs are among the hardest surgeries to recover from. Even after these, I have found that pain can very often be managed completely with homeopathic remedies: Arnica in a high potency, always starting with 1M and moving up to 10M if it is needed, along with the supporting remedies described in this guide. The animals I have seen recover this way rest comfortably, feel well and have none of the side effects.

I know this view is unconventional, and I am not a veterinarian. It is my own perspective, built over many years of watching animals recover from surgery, my own included. Formal research on natural pain management after surgery is thin, but the absence of a study does not make what I have seen any less real.

A little discomfort is fine

I have to explain this to people all the time: after surgery, a little bit of discomfort is fine. It is what your animal needs. Pain is there for a reason. It tells a dog to rest the leg, to lie down instead of running to the door, and to protect the repair while it heals. An animal whose pain has been completely masked by drugs will often do too much too soon and re-injure the very tissue we are trying to heal. I am not asking you to let your animal suffer. I want them comfortable enough to rest well and aware enough to move carefully, and Arnica, rest and a quiet healing den give them exactly that.

There is one exception I make for NSAIDs, and that is hospice. If an animal is in the last weeks or days of life, and the drug truly helps, keeping them comfortable matters more than the harm these drugs do to the body over time. Outside of hospice and palliative care, I do not use them.

Two practical notes belong alongside this. If your animal already takes gabapentin or another medicine every day, do not stop it abruptly on your own; ask your veterinarian how to taper it safely. And if an infection is actually present, rather than simply feared, that is a different conversation, and one to have honestly with your veterinarian.

What to look for

Your veterinarian's discharge instructions and aftercare sheet come first. Your surgeon knows exactly what was done and what this particular recovery needs, so please read those instructions before anything in this guide, and follow them. There is one exception I make. Many discharge sheets still recommend a bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice, and for a raw-fed animal I do not find rice helpful. It is a sudden load of starch for a gut that is not accustomed to it, and the gut flora follow the food quickly: when dogs were moved from a starch-rich kibble to a raw meat diet, the carbohydrate-fermenting bacteria gave way to protein fermenters from the first week onward (The Fecal Microbiota of Dogs Switching to a Raw Diet). Pushing a raw-fed animal abruptly the other way, while the gut is already stressed by anesthesia, drugs and surgery, is a shift in the microbiome I would rather not cause.

Rice also costs a healing body the very thing it needs most. Every spoonful of rice in the meal takes the place of animal protein, and protein is the material the body rebuilds tissue from: a veterinary review of nutrition and wound healing names protein as a key nutrient for healing, notes that low plasma protein is associated with slower healing and a much higher risk of a wound failing to heal, and suggests that healing dogs receive 4 to 6 grams of protein per 100 kilocalories and cats 6 grams.⁷¹ Starch also changes the chemistry of the gut itself. Starch that reaches the colon is fermented into lactic acid and other acids, and when potato starch was added to a raw meat diet in dogs, fecal pH fell and lactic acid rose (Starch Sources in a Raw Meat-Based Diet and the Fecal Microbiome). In another feeding trial, dogs eating a frozen raw diet had a fecal pH of about 6.5, compared with about 5.5 on kibble, a difference the researchers attributed to the raw diet's low carbohydrate and high protein content (Translational Animal Science, Digestibility of Frozen Raw, Freeze-Dried and Extruded Dog Foods). A raw-fed gut is settled at its own pH, with the flora that thrive there, and a sudden load of starch pushes it somewhere else entirely, which is undesirable for a raw-fed animal at any time and especially while it heals.

Even within conventional practice the evidence for chicken and rice is thin; as one veterinary team puts it, no one has studied whether the switch actually works,⁷² and for cats with diarrhea, a veterinary nutrition review found no compelling reason to include carbohydrate in the diet at all (Clinical nutrition review, Journal of Nutrition). In its place, I feed the simple recovery menu described in chapters seven and eight. Wherever your discharge sheet recommends rice, or is silent, follow the instructions in this guide.

Before surgery, while your animal is calm and well, learn what normal looks like, because two simple checks tell you a great deal once they are home. The first is the gums. Lift the lip and look at the gum above the canine tooth: healthy gums are pink and moist. Press a fingertip on the gum until it turns white and let go; the pink should return in under two seconds. This is the capillary refill time, and a slower refill, or gums that are pale, white, gray, blue or very red, means you should call your veterinarian.⁷³ If the gums are naturally dark, use the inner lip or the inside of the lower eyelid instead, and treat pale gums with weakness, collapse or hard breathing as an emergency.⁷⁴ The second is temperature. Keep a digital thermometer with your recovery supplies, lubricate the tip with a little petroleum jelly, and take the temperature rectally. The normal range for dogs and cats is 100.0 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 to 39.2 Celsius); an excited animal can read falsely high, so let them rest ten minutes and check again, and a temperature above 104 or below 99 degrees is an emergency.⁷⁵ Between those, from 102.5 up to 104.5 degrees, I would call your veterinarian the same day.⁷⁶ Anesthesia cools the body, so a slightly low reading in the first hours home is common; keep your animal warm, with the goal of bringing the temperature above 99 degrees.⁷⁷ A fever that appears on the third day or later, especially with lethargy or a refused meal, can be a sign of infection, or after intestinal surgery, of a leak, and needs a call that day. After surgery on the rectum, anal glands or perineum, skip the rectal thermometer and ask your veterinarian how they would like you to check.

Watching the incision

Look at the incision at least twice a day. A healthy one is clean, with the edges touching, and the skin is normal or slightly reddish pink; a little bruising is common in pale-skinned animals. Do not bathe your animal or let the incision get wet, never clean it with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, and do not apply any cream or ointment unless your veterinarian has asked you to. For a closed incision once the sutures are settled, a cooled organic Calendula infusion or Calendula hydrosol is the gentlest support I know, and Healing Green Salve only with great care to keep the wound clean. For drain sites and punctures, I clean with hypochlorous acid or dilute Betadine rather than chlorhexidine, as described in chapter fifteen. Call your veterinarian right away if you see continuous dripping or seepage of blood or fluid, seepage that continues beyond twenty-four hours, swelling, increasing redness, a foul smell or discharge, or if your animal has removed any sutures.⁷⁸ Call, too, for worsening lethargy or pain, vomiting, poor appetite beyond what your surgeon expected, or any sudden change that worries you.⁷⁹ For cats, any day without food is a reason to call.

Two products I never recommend for any wound, whether an incision, a puncture, a bite, a burn or a scrape, are hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin. Hydrogen peroxide bubbles impressively, and that bubbling is exactly the problem: it destroys the healthy cells the body is using to rebuild, along with the bacteria. Even the mainstream veterinary references agree: although it is an effective antiseptic, hydrogen peroxide is toxic to healthy tissue and should not be used to flush wounds,⁸⁰ and it can delay healing.⁸¹ Neosporin and the other triple antibiotic ointments combine neomycin, polymyxin B and bacitracin, and they are the reason I call our Healing Green Salve an herbal Neosporin. As I write on our salve label, these ointments disrupt the body's natural, healthy microbial balance, increase the risk of resistant infections such as MRSA and staph, and do not actually help wounds heal. In a randomized trial of more than nine hundred people after skin surgery, plain white petrolatum and bacitracin ointment showed no significant difference in infection or healing, and only the bacitracin group developed allergic reactions (Smack et al., JAMA, 1996). Neomycin was named Contact Allergen of the Year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society in 2010,⁸² and bacitracin was given the same title in 2003 after increasing reports of allergy and anaphylaxis.⁸³ Cats face a more serious risk still: veterinarians avoid triple antibiotic products containing neomycin and polymyxin in cats because of concerns about anaphylaxis.⁸⁴ And whatever goes on the skin ends up in the mouth; an antibiotic ointment licked from a wound reaches the gut, where it can upset the flora and cause vomiting or diarrhea.⁸⁵

If an incision opens and tissue is showing, that is an emergency. Cover it with a clean, damp cloth, do not try to push anything back, and go straight to the nearest emergency hospital.⁸⁶

Most recoveries are quiet, steady and uneventful. With a prepared home, simple, yet nourishing meals, the right remedy at the right moment and a calm pair of hands, I have watched many animals come through surgery and return to their full, bright selves sooner than anyone expected. I wish the same for yours.

Notes

71. Today's Veterinary Practice, Nutrition and Wound Healing (todaysveterinarypractice.com)

72. Vet Help Direct, Is Chicken and Rice the Best Thing? (vethelpdirect.com)

73. PetMD, Dog Gum Color Guide (petmd.com)

74. Garden State Veterinary Specialists, Pale Gums (gsvs.org)

75. VCA, Taking Your Pet's Temperature (vcahospitals.com)

76. Animal Medical Center, Fever in Dogs and Cats (amcny.org)

77. Fenton River Veterinary Hospital, Monitoring Anesthetic Recovery (fentonrivervet.com)

78. VCA, Care of Surgical Incisions in Dogs (vcahospitals.com)

79. American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Postoperative Care (acvs.org)

80. Merck Veterinary Manual, Initial Wound Management (merckvetmanual.com)

81. VCA, Wound Care Dos and Don'ts (vcahospitals.com)

82. DermNet, Neomycin Contact Allergy (dermnetnz.org)

83. StatPearls, Bacitracin Topical (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

84. MSPCA-Angell, Feline Herpesvirus Therapeutic Review (mspca.org)

85. AKC, Neosporin for Dogs (akc.org)

86. Montreal veterinary post-operative guide (montreal.vet)

SeventeenIn Closing

Surgery is hard on an animal, and on the people who love them. It can be frightening to hand over someone you love and wait for the phone to ring, and just as daunting to bring them home with a shaved patch, a row of sutures and a list of instructions. I hope this guide helps you go into it prepared rather than afraid, with a lean, well-nourished animal, a quiet healing den set up at home, a simple recovery diet, a few well-chosen remedies, and a clear sense of when to watch and wait and when to call your veterinarian. Your veterinary team provides the surgical skill, and the care you give at home makes a real difference in how well your animal recovers. Healing is the body's own work; our job is to support it, stay out of its way where we can, and get help quickly when it is needed.

I first wrote this guide in 2022, and I updated it in 2024 and again in 2026. It may be revised and updated in the future as new research and experience come along. Everything here is drawn from a lifetime of working with animals, as a pet sitter, a veterinary technician and assistant, a wildlife rehabilitator and in animal rescue, and from more than fifty years of personal experience caring for and healing animals of my own and those entrusted to me. I offer it to be used alongside the care of a veterinarian who knows your animal, with my warmest wishes for a smooth surgery and a full and speedy recovery.

Kasie

EighteenSupporting Research and Further Reading

These are the sources cited throughout this guide, gathered in one place for anyone who would like to read further. Natural Rearing sources are listed first, followed by veterinary and research references.

Natural Rearing and holistic sources: Whole Dog Journal, Get Your Dog's Bloodwork (whole-dog-journal.com); Whole Dog Journal, Preparing Your Dog for a Successful Surgery (whole-dog-journal.com); Whole Dog Journal, on clipping fur before surgery (whole-dog-journal.com); Kasie Maxwell Grujcic, How to Use Homeopathic Remedies (sfraw.net); Dogs Naturally, Homeopathic Remedies After Spay (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Dogs Naturally, 20 Natural Remedies (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Boericke, Ruta (homeoint.org); Dogs Naturally, 12 Homeopathic Remedies (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Boericke, Symphytum (homeoint.org); Dogs Naturally, Top 5 Remedies for Joint Pain and Injury (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Boericke, Carbo vegetabilis (homeoint.org); Whole Dog Journal, What You Should Know Before Your Dog Receives Anesthesia (whole-dog-journal.com); Herbsmith herbal formulas (herbsmithinc.com); Whole Dog Journal, When Is a Good Time to Spay or Neuter (whole-dog-journal.com); Modern Herb Shop (modernherbshop.com); Dr. Wendy Blount, TCVM and Cancer (wendyblount.com); Barbieri, Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, 2025 (holisticamentevet.com); Dogs Naturally, Treating a Torn Cruciate Holistically (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Dr. Will Falconer, Dogs Naturally (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Dogs Naturally, Early Neutering in Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Dr. Peter Dobias, Hormone Replacement Therapy and Hormone-Sparing Spay and Neuter (peterdobias.com); Parsemus, Hormone-Sparing Sterilization (parsemus.org); Parsemus veterinarian directory (parsemus.org); Dogs Naturally, Spay/Neuter and Joint Disease (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Parsemus, Hormone Restoration in Dogs (parsemus.org); Dogs Naturally, Glandulars (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Dogs Naturally, How To Manage Slab Fractures (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Gabapentin for Dogs: Know the Risks (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); The Problem With NSAIDs for Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); NSAIDs and Your Dog: The Hidden Dangers (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Boericke, Ledum (homeoint.org); Boericke, Hepar sulphuris (homeoint.org); Whole Dog Journal, Dr. Pitcairn on remedies (whole-dog-journal.com); Holistic Animal Centre, First Aid Remedies (holisticanimal.co.nz); Hering, Lyssinum (similia.io); Simillimum, Bites and Stings (simillimum.com); Helios, Homeopathy for Pets (rehabmart.com); Whole Dog Journal, A History of Holistic Dog Care (whole-dog-journal.com); Whole Dog Journal, Feeding Your Dog a Raw Diet (whole-dog-journal.com); Holistic Veterinary Care, Sometimes It's Just Not a Good Time to Get a Vaccine (holistic-vet-care.com); Hemopet, Vaccines and Titer Options (hemopet.org); Dodds, vaccination guidance (cdn.shoplightspeed.com); Dogs Naturally, Signs Your Dog's Liver Needs a Detox (fourleafrover.com); Dr. Judy Morgan, The Importance of a Healthy Microbiome in Your Pet (drjudymorgan.com); Dr. Fox, Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides (drfoxonehealth.com); Pitcairn, A New Look at Vaccines (drpitcairn.com); Dogs Naturally, 9 Healthy Foods for Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com); Dogs Naturally, Goat Milk for Dogs (dogsnaturallymagazine.com).

Veterinary references: Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (hospital.vetmed.wsu.edu); AAHA, White Feet, Don't Treat (aaha.org); Cornell Feline Health Center (vet.cornell.edu); PetMD, Hepatic Lipidosis (petmd.com); MSPCA-Angell, Yunnan Baiyao: To Use or Not to Use (mspca.org); VCA, Yunnan Baiyao (vcahospitals.com); Dog Cancer Blog, Turkey Tail Mushroom (dogcancer.com); Merck Veterinary Manual, Photomedicine (msdvetmanual.com); Today's Veterinary Practice, Rehabilitation Modalities (todaysveterinarypractice.com); Merck Veterinary Manual, Essential Oil Toxicoses (merckvetmanual.com); Canine Rehabilitation Institute (caninerehabinstitute.com); American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians (rehabvets.org); Small Animal Clinic, Dogosterone Therapy (smallanimalclinic.com); Clinician's Brief, Early Complications After Intestinal Surgery (cliniciansbrief.com); dvm360, Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (dvm360.com); Merck Veterinary Manual, Gastric Dilation and Volvulus (merckvetmanual.com); VCA, Care of Surgical Incisions in Dogs (vcahospitals.com); American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Postoperative Care (acvs.org); Montreal veterinary post-operative guide (montreal.vet); VCA, Bite Wounds in Dogs (vcahospitals.com); VCA, Penrose Drain Discharge Instructions (vcahospitals.com); Cornell Feline Health Center, Feline Skin Diseases (vet.cornell.edu); Aliso Beach Animal Clinic, Drains and Wound Care (alisobeachanimalclinic.com); Emergency and Specialty Veterinary Center, Drain Care (emevc.com); Merck Veterinary Manual, Initial Wound Management (merckvetmanual.com); Vet Help Direct, Is Chicken and Rice the Best Thing? (vethelpdirect.com); PetMD, Dog Gum Color Guide (petmd.com); Garden State Veterinary Specialists, Pale Gums (gsvs.org); VCA, Taking Your Pet's Temperature (vcahospitals.com); Animal Medical Center, Fever in Dogs and Cats (amcny.org); Fenton River Veterinary Hospital, Monitoring Anesthetic Recovery (fentonrivervet.com); Whole Dog Journal, Dog Bloat: Causes, Signs and Symptoms (whole-dog-journal.com); Today's Veterinary Practice, Nutrition and Wound Healing (todaysveterinarypractice.com); Merck Veterinary Manual, Metals as Antiseptics and Disinfectants (msdvetmanual.com); VCA, Wound Care Dos and Don'ts (vcahospitals.com); MSPCA-Angell, Feline Herpesvirus Therapeutic Review (mspca.org); AKC, Neosporin for Dogs (akc.org); FDA, Isoxazoline Flea and Tick Products (fda.gov); Vet Times, Small Animal Wound Care Part 2 (vettimes.co.uk).

Research: Xu et al., Preclinical Safety Evaluation of BPC-157, 2020 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Wirth et al., Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 2016 (onlinelibrary.wiley.com); Yunnan Baiyao safety study in dogs (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Yunnan Baiyao in cats (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); HuffPost, on the Penn study (huffpost.com); Gruenheid et al., Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2018 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Dominari et al., Thymosin Alpha 1: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature, World Journal of Virology, 2020 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Hofmeister, Herrington and Mazzaferro, Opioid Dysphoria in Three Dogs, Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 2006 (onlinelibrary.wiley.com); Brown and Reetz, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Gedney et al., Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 2022 (onlinelibrary.wiley.com); Class IV laser split-wound study, 2025 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); American Journal of Veterinary Research, PBMT after TPLO, 2024 (avmajournals.avma.org); Fluorescent light energy after mastectomy (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Review of photobiomodulation in veterinary medicine (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Alvarez et al., JAAHA, 2019 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Zidan et al., Journal of Neurotrauma, 2018 (rvc-repository.worktribe.com); Groppetti et al., British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2011 (academic.oup.com); American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, 2023 (ajtcvm.org); Iwe et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Universidad de La Salle study of Reiki in dogs (ciencia.lasalle.edu.co); Acta Veterinaria Brasilica (periodicos.ufersa.edu.br); Testosterone safety study in neutered dogs, BMC Veterinary Research, 2025 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Pauli et al., Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 2006 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Intra-abdominal complications after intestinal surgery in dogs (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); International guidelines for canine superficial pyoderma, 2025 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Hypochlorous acid in canine bite wounds, The Veterinary Journal, 2025 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Nye and Thieman Mankin, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Nye, Veterinary Medicine and Science, 2023 (onlinelibrary.wiley.com); The Fecal Microbiota of Dogs Switching to a Raw Diet (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Clinical nutrition review, Journal of Nutrition (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Starch Sources in a Raw Meat-Based Diet and the Fecal Microbiome (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Translational Animal Science, Digestibility of Frozen Raw, Freeze-Dried and Extruded Dog Foods (academic.oup.com); Smack et al., JAMA, 1996 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); DermNet, Neomycin Contact Allergy (dermnetnz.org); StatPearls, Bacitracin Topical (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Dodds, Early Life Vaccination of Companion Animal Pets, 2021 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Pesticide Exposure and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis, 2023 (nature.com); Jianqin et al., Nutrition Journal, 2016 (link.springer.com); Georgiou and Galatos, Music as a perioperative intervention in dogs and cats, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); Bowman et al., Four Seasons in an animal rescue centre, Physiology and Behavior, 2015 (sciencedirect.com); Bowman et al., The effect of different genres of music on kennelled dogs, 2017 (caninewelfare.centers.purdue.edu); Hampton et al., Effects of music on cats in a veterinary clinic, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2020 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).; Dalmasso et al., KPV and Intestinal Inflammation, 2008 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov); He et al., BPC-157 Pharmacokinetics in Rats and Dogs, 2022 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Products and practitioner resources mentioned in this guide: Dr. Judy Jasek, Animal Healing Arts, holistic veterinary second opinions by phone and video (ahavet.com); Consultations with Kasie Maxwell Grujcic, SFRAW (sfraw.as.me/consult); NorthShore Champion XD Washable Underpads (northshorecare.com); FLOR carpet tiles (flor.com); Bach Rescue Remedy Pet (bachflower.com); Integrative Peptides, PetTides, available in the SFRAW store (integrativepeptides.com); SFRAW brand products (sfraw.net); Yunnan Baiyao dosage guide for dogs and cats (yunnanbaiyaousa.com); Photonic Health (shop.photonichealth.com); Magic Mat (shop.photonichealth.com); Essential pad (shop.photonichealth.com); Photonic Health, Essential Back Pad (shop.photonichealth.com); Photonic Health, Essential Half-Wrap (shop.photonichealth.com); Assisi Animal Health protocols (assisi.zomedica.com); Assisi DentaLOOP protocol (assisi.zomedica.com); SFRAW bison (sfraw.net); SFRAW Ancestral Blends (sfraw.net); SFRAW, MOFO (sfraw.net); Ancestral Supplements, FEM (ancestralsupplements.com); Facebook Live video (facebook.com); VetCBD 10:1 Formulation (vetcbd.com); SFRAW, Healing Green Salve (sfraw.net); Apothecary by SFRAW (apothecarybysfraw.com); Dairy Foods, All About A2, Goat and Sheep Milk (dairyfoods.com); SFRAW Chill Out Oil (sfraw.net); Mantak Chia, Six Healing Sounds (mantakchia.com); The Boston Globe, music for cats (bostonglobe.com); Mozart for Meditation: Quiet Music for Quiet Times, Philips, 1995 (music.apple.com).

This guide shares my personal experience and the practices I have used with my own animals and with SFRAW members over many years. It is educational, not veterinary advice, and it is not a substitute for an examination by a veterinarian who knows your animal. Please share your plans with your surgical team, and always follow their instructions about medications, timing and emergencies. Never stop a prescribed medication abruptly without your veterinarian's guidance. Originally written 2022, updated 2024 and 2026, Kasie Maxwell Grujcic, SFRAW.