My dog is starving after dental anesthesia. Can he eat and drink?

Hi there! Phew Eazie had a big procedure done today. If the vet office is still open, give them a quick call because they know the specifics of his surgery. If they are already closed, in general what I recommend is to offer water ( small amounts at first) over night, and then as long as he's not vomiting, you can start introducing a little food in the morning. I also suggest starting feeding with a gentle bland food such as cooked boneless chicken breast or a commercial prescription food like hill's i/d. I hope he makes a full recovery!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the dental surgery was yesterday I would give it some more time for the interest in water to come back. I've seen this commonly post operatively where the patient does not want to eat or drink for 1-3 days after the procedure and is then fine after. If she is not taking in any water at all, you can syringe feed her some water throughout the day to ensure she is taking in enough water. Adding moisture to the kibble will give her water but likely not enough if you are only adding a small amount. I would add in 1/2-1 cup of water to the kibble and see how she does with this. If the decreased thirst continues beyond 2-3 days, I would call your veterinarian again and discuss this with him / her over the phone about what they would like you to do next. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

He may still be a bit groggy or nauseous from anesthesia yesterday or he may be a bit painful still. If he doesn't have pain medication, contact your vet and ask the something be dispensed. Mix in some warm water or a teaspoon of baby food with his food to stimulate his appetite. You can also offer a bland diet of plain white rice mixed in equal parts with boiled boneless/skinless chicken breasts. Once he begins eating, transition him slowly to his regular diet. Make sure he has water or some unflavored PediaLyte to drink to prevent dehydration. This should pass in the next 24 hours. Monitor for lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain. If Odin doesn't begin eating in the next 24-36 hours, have him examined by your veterinarian.

Anesthesia can make a dog quite sleepy. She should be back to normal in the morning. And yes, it is normal to see a decrease in appetite and a decrease in drinking water. Again, this should be normal in the morning. If it's not, you will need to take her back into the vet.

He may still be a little nauseous from the anesthesia or medications that he received. Call your vet and give him/her an update. Your vet may want to prescribe an anti-nausea medication to see if that helps. Continue to offer him fresh water and you could also try some boiled chicken and white rice to see if he will eat that.

Try feeding her some sloppy soup with rice and white boiled chicken, or canned dog food. You may have to sit next to her and entice her to eat. Be patient, she will start eating . The Tramadol sometimes will not work very well, so she may be in pain.

It is not unusual for dogs to not have interest in food and water that first night after anesthesia and surgery. However, if you have concerns that something isn’t right then it is always safest to have her examined by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian may have an emergency number or they may refer to a local emergency center. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon.