Giving dog pills with food before surgery: Is it okay to break fast?

Many times after surgery, an animal's appetite can be decreased / absent as well as being lethargic / sedated. If it has been less than 24 hours, I would give it at least 24-48 hours before contacting the veterinarian that performed the surgery. Once the appetite returns, you will have an easier time getting King to take the pills. If it has been longer than 24-48 hours, I would recommend contacting the veterinarian for the most appropriate recommendations. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. You can also feed a bland diet as outlined below and see if this helps. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You do not need to feed Coach anything special for his surgery, it is always best not to change things up too much. He should receive proper pain medications that should keep him very comfortable, & this will do more to prevent nausea & loss of appetite than anything else. He should do just fine. Take care.

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Gabapentin may be given with or without food so it doesn't matter that she is NPO. If you normally hide the medication in food you would need to give her the medication by placing the pill directly down her throat. If you don't know how to do this here is a video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN5Iil1hCAg So, I would give the Gabapentin tonight but not tomorrow morning as during the surgery the vet will likely give a narcotic (like morphine). Gabapentin can interfere with the efficacy of the narcotics. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Poor guy. I would wait it out if you can because typically post neuter pets are a bit nauseous and more likely to vomit if given food too early. If he absolutely cannot hold out then you can offer a small amount of food (perhaps 1/4 the amount) in an hour or two. He will be ok and can have food soon. Best wishes with your puppy Toffee and take care!

It would probably be easiest just to pill Buddy directly so you don't have to deal with breaking down the pill or hiding it in food, especially so you ensure he gets the correct dosage (some pills such as capsules should never be broken apart anyway.). You can get a syringe and fill it with water, and then place the pill as far back in Buddy's throat as you can, then immediately squire the water into his mouth. This will help him to swallow and make the pill go down easier.

It depends what type of pain killers she is taking, as it is every 8 hours i assume it is an opioid which is fine to give even on an empty stomach. antibiotics can also be given on an empty stomach, although not ideal as this can cause nausea. try giving her some boiled chicken, treats or a canned food called a/d from Hills.

You can soak his kibble in warm water for a few days or you can feed a bland diet of plain white rice mixed with boiled boneless/skinless chicken breasts. If he is eating normally though, you can feed him his normal meals.