My dog won't drink water after surgery, but eats ice chips. Is it normal?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. To be honest, if a dog is eating and happy, he is almost certainly getting enough fluids. As for the soft stool, it doesn’t look abnormal enough for me to be terribly concerned. Call and let your surgeon know but in general, if Lou is eating and happy, a little soft stool is no big deal. Best wishes to you and Lou!

She may not have a drive to drink if she received iv fluids during her procedures and you are meeting what she needs through her diet. If she is otherwise happy with normal appetite and energy level and no vomiting or diarrhea you can continue monitoring. If any of these change in addition to not drinking then that would be more concerning as dehydration could ensue. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Charlie. Well his incision looks great. If he is eating food then that is a good sign. Drinking water is sometimes not adequate during the time of recovery from a surgery of this magnitude. Try adding water to his food or giving him canned food to increase his water intake. I wouldn't be too concerned just yet and give him another day or two of observation and recovery time. If you notice any foul smells, discharge, severe swelling or undoing of the sutures, then its best to have him seen by your vet. However, I would expect him to pick up his water intake and activity level in the next few days, as long as there are no complications from the surgery. You can also check his rectal temperature daily (normal is 100-102.5 degrees F) to make sure there are no signs of infection. I wish your fur baby Charlie well in his recovery.

Poor guy. The fact that he is producing urine and pooping means that he is getting something in his system. Is he getting people food instead? If he is eating some people food, try mixing the food in with his normal kibble. Or you can try another brand of dog food that is perhaps more palatable for him. Some good dog food brands to consider are: Royal Canin, Eukanuba, or Purina One. If he still doesn't want to eat his normal food after 2-4 days or starts acting abnormal or lethargic in any way, then at that point it is best to get him checked by your vet just to make sure everything is ok. Best of luck with your pet Shadow moving forward and I hope that he regains his normal appetite soon! Take care. : )

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!

Hello. I would not be too concerned. Just continue to add water, or low sodium broth to his food. You can also offer him broth or stock ( either beef or chicken ) as a source of liquids. He might find this very appealing. If his appetite is great, he will probably start drinking soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.