My dog won't eat or drink after surgery but acts normal. Should I worry?

He should be rechecked by your vet or at the local veterinary ER today. He may be painful or still feeling the aftereffects of general anesthesia. This can last as long as 72 hours. If his bladder is full, the doctors can insert a urinary catheter if necessary to empty it. Medications can be administered or dispensed to alleviate pain which may make him comfortable. Supportive care can also be administered. SQ fluids may rehydrate him and perk him up.

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.

If he is behaving normally otherwise, continue feeding a bland diet for a few days. He may just have some minor stomach upset. Afterwards, transition slowly to the regular diet. Monitor for extreme lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lucy. Anesthesia will slow down the gastrointestinal tract and make bowel movements less frequent. Plus she was probably not eating well before surgery due to being ill and most patients are fasted for a bit after surgery. This means there is likely less food in her system to come out. Unless she is straining to defecate, it is typically not worrisome that she is not defecating regularly yet. As far as the drinking, she most likely received IV fluids under anesthesia and while hospitalized. This would have provided her with a large amount of fluids. Now eating the canned food, this is supplying her with moisture as well. As long as she is eating and is acting normally, then I suspect her recovery is going well. If you have any concerns though, I would seek emergency care this weekend just to be sure. I hope this information helps!

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!

The urine output will be masdibely down if he is not drinking. As long as the bladder isnt blocked not urinating is not an issue, but the issue is why he is not urinating. He must be really dehydrated and this is bad for his organs, but especially the kidneys. I would go to your vet asap as this is not normal. He may have issues since the anaesthetic or just be really sore.

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.