Pets are part of the family, and their company can be a great comfort while you recover. However, a healing surgical wound needs protection from licking, paws and contaminated bedding. A few temporary changes to your usual routine can help you enjoy your pet’s company while looking after your wounds.
Prepare a clean bed before your operation
Before coming into hospital, change all your bed linen, including sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers. Have freshly washed towels and clean nightwear ready for your return.
Wash these items with detergent according to the fabric’s care instructions and dry them thoroughly. If your pets normally sleep on your bed, keep them off the freshly changed bedding while you are in hospital.
This is a practical hygiene precaution: your home does not need to be sterile, but your recovery space should be clean and easy to maintain.
Give your pet a separate sleeping space
As a precaution, avoid sleeping with pets during your postoperative recovery while wounds are healing or drains remain in place. This includes pets sleeping on top of the duvet.
Set up a comfortable pet bed before your operation so your pet has time to adjust. Keep pets off your bed during the day as well, and close the bedroom door if necessary.
Ask your surgical team when bed-sharing can resume. This should depend on your wounds being fully closed and dry, drains being removed, and your team being satisfied with healing, rather than a fixed number of days.
Keep pets away from wounds and dressings
Never allow your pet to lick, sniff closely at, paw or rub against your surgical wound, dressings or drain sites. A dressing does not make contact with a pet safe. NHS wound-care advice specifically recommends preventing pets from coming into contact with wounds. [source]
During dressing changes:
- Put pets in another room.
- Prepare a clean surface for your supplies.
- Wash your hands before and after wound care.
- Keep fresh dressings in their packaging, away from pet beds, bowls and toys.
- Follow your surgical team’s instructions about when and how to change dressings.
Keeping pets out of the room during dressing changes is also recommended in published incision-care guidance.
Wash your hands after handling pets, their food or waste, and always before touching your wound or dressing. Arrange help with litter trays, cleaning up after pets and dog walking if these activities conflict with your recovery restrictions.
Why licking matters
Published reports describe postoperative wound infections involving Pasteurella multocida, a bacterium associated with the mouths of dogs and cats. These reports support taking pet contact with surgical wounds seriously. “Surgical-Wound Infection with Pasteurella multocida from Pet Dogs,” New England Journal of Medicine [source]
These studies and case reports do not establish an exact infection risk for someone recovering with pets at home. Equally, they do not prove that changing bedding or avoiding bed-sharing reduces infections by a particular amount. These are sensible precautions intended to limit opportunities for wound contamination.
You can still enjoy your pet’s companionship during recovery. Giving them their own sleeping space and keeping them away from wounds allows you to stay close while protecting the area that needs to heal.
Always follow the specific aftercare instructions provided by your surgical team.
