My dog hasn't pooped after neuter surgery. What should I do about it?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend adding 1 tbsp of canned pumpkin to his diet and see if this helps normalize his bowel movements. If by the bandage change he has not defecated, you can discuss other options with your veterinarian. 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.

This can happen. Between being fasted prior to surgery and pain medications, his GI system may be empty yet or slow. Continue to feed him as you normally and he will eventually defecate. If he doesn't within 48 hours of eating normal meals, have him rechecked by your veterinarian.

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes anesthesia, opioids and other pain medications can bind the stool or slow things down. As long as Russ is still eating, drinking, isn’t vomiting, and isn’t straining the poop should come. If he still doesn’t have a bowel movement by Monday night I’d call your Vet to discuss. I hope this helps and I wish Russ a speedy recovery!

If the area is too swollen for him to urinate (ie the urine cannot be evacuated through the opening prepared by the surgery), then this needs to be rechecked by your veterinarian. He could also withhold urinating due to pain, so make sure you give him the pain medication given to you for him by the vet , or get some from the vet for a few days. Any movement, including pressing to poop, probably hurts, so Ginger may try to avoid eliminating. Again, pain medicine is necessary to help him eliminate without fear and pain. Food wise, I suggest you feed him the food he is used to, do not abruptly changed his diet. If Ginger does not urinate within another 23 hrs, it is an emergency and he must be seen by the vet.

While you wait for the surgery I would suggest the following tactics to help make it easier for Teddy to pass feces; Add in a wet food which is higher in water content and will hopefully make his motions easier to move through Increase exercise and this is proven also to help with gastrointestinal health Canned pumpkin Oil supplements- see dosing in article below Here is an excellent resource that I recommend for constipation; https://www.petcoach.co/article/best-home-made-remedies-for-your-constipated-pet/

Pain after neutering does occur, and your vet can give you pain medication for him if they haven't already. After neutering, some dogs can be tired and want to rest a little more than usual. Keep an eye on the stitches where the surgery was done, and make sure they don't become red and swollen. Do not let your dog lick the stitches. Your dog likely didn't poop until this morning because they weren't allowed any food for 12 hours before the surgery, so they wouldn't have anything to poop out. Butt scooting can also indicate parasites, so if his worming isn't up to date, I would get worming tablets from your vet. If the incision site becomes red, swollen, and warm to the touch, I would contact your vet right away for an appointment. It is also okay to give your vet a call if you are concerned about your dog being in pain, and see what options they can give you for pain relief.