My dog won't eat after surgery. Is it pain, e-collar, or recovery?

It could very well be a combination of both. However most dogs get over the e-collar after the first 1-2 days. If you are concerned about her pain level then I would ask her vet if they can prescribe additional pain medication for her. Also depending on what pain medicaitons she is on it may be making her drowsy. Take care and I hope Pepper is able to make a fully recovery from her surgery soon.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lily! Removing a few lumps isn't the same as removing the eyes. She could be more painful than you think or is reacting to the pain medication or the antibiotic. I would start to worry 3 days after surgery. Give her time. It's barely been 24 hours after this major surgery. And even if we though she was 100% blind before she may have seen some light and now her world is dark. I have seen dogs we thought were blind have both eyes removed and they were depressed for a while. I wish you and Lily the best!

Occasionally after spaying, dogs will have no appetite for the first 12-24 hours. This may be due to the lingering effects of [anesthesia](https://www.petcoach.co/article/pets-and-anesthesia-everything-you-need-to-know) and/or some post operative discomfort. If she still has no appetite two days after spaying, I would be concerned that she may be in [pain](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-measure-your-dogs-pain) or there may be another underlying concern affecting her[ recovery](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-ways-to-rest-your-pet-after-surgery-or-injury). Call your veterinarian to discuss your concerns. He or she may recommend a recheck, and some more [pain medication](https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-pain-relief-solutions-for-dogs). In the meantime, take a look at her incision site. If it is red, swollen and hot to the touch, she needs to see your veterinarian right away as these symptoms may indicate infection. You can also try offering her a bland diet of boiled chicken and white rice or some treats to stimulate her appetite.

Poor girl. I would definitely recommend taking her in for a recheck appt since she has gone more than 48 hrs without eating at least 1/2 of her food. They need to check her incision area thoroughly for any signs of infection and potentially get her on an appetite stimulant during her recovery process. Until you can get her seen, you can try mixing her food with some beef or chicken broth to try and entice her to eat. I hope that your fur baby Lupita feels better soon! Take care.

This is not normal, so I would be somewhat concerned. I would be more concerned if she was also vomiting, had diarrhea, and/or a decrease in activity. Some pain medications can cause side-effects in the stomach and usually have directions not to give these when they are not eating. Make sure to double-check the medication labels for these warnings. If Diamond goes longer than 24 hours without eating, then I recommend contacting your vet. I hope that helps and Diamond gets better soon.

Because Lily is eating wet food, she is getting moisture into her system through that. If she won't drink water, I would offer her more wet food to increase her hydration. She likely is having trouble drinking water with the cone on. Put the water in a similar bowl to the one she is eating out of, as she can clearly eat with the cone on from that bowl. Be sure to keep the cone on her because she will rip out her drains if she has access to them. To keep it on her, you can use a cat collar strung through the loops of Ecollar to prevent her from taking it off.

He may still be experiencing some pain and probably does not like the E-collar. You could call your vet and see if he/she could add an additional pain medication or change medications to see if it helps at all. Hopefully, he will be back to normal within a few days.