My dog had teeth pulled. Are pain meds essential for her recovery?

If she does not seem to be in any pain and is eating and happy than it should not cause a problem to discontinue the pain medication. If you notice that she stops eating or seems painful than you might want to continue the medication to help alleviate any discomfort.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bailey. Not eating can be a sign of pain in a dog. I would start giving her the medication and see if her appetite improves. If not, then she will need to see a veterinarian to determine the cause of her decreased appetite. You can try adding warm water to her dry kibble or you can offer warmed canned food. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Odin still seems uncomfortable from his tooth extraction. You may try applying an ice pack wrapped in a small towel to the swollen or painful area. I DO NOT recommend giving him any pain medications that intended for humans, as these can be fatally toxic to dogs. I recommend contacting your veterinarian during normal business hours to ask for other suggestions. If it has been this long and he is still painful, there may be a complication that needs to be addressed. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry she wasn’t given any aftercare instructions, but we are here to help. If Zia was given a Metacam injection then that lasts for 24 hrs of pain control. But you can safely give this medication after noon the following day in most situations. It’s best to wait until tomorrow and call your vet to see what time the Metacam was given of you want specifics, but she should be fine either way. : ) Also you can typically give 1/2 her regular portion of food the night of the surgery and then regular portions starting the following day. If she didn’t have any extractions then you shouldn’t have to soften the food or anything like that. I hope that Zia does well following her dental cleaning here moving forward! Best wishes and take care.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the picture you provided, it appears as though his right side of his face is swollen. I am assuming he has a tooth root abscess. The antibiotics help but do not fix the problem. The infected tooth likely needs to be extracted. The tramadol can cause sedation and to be honest, I feel that tramadol does not provide adequate pain relief. I typically use a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug such as carprofen or meloxicam. Additio al to that I will use Methadone at a low dose as well. If he is sedated and quiet, I would recommend asking for an anti inflammatory drug rather than tramadol. You also have to realize that tramadol does not reduce inflammation so any swelling associated with inflammation will not resolve with tramadol. I would get him scheduled for a dental cleaning to have this properly treated and consider switching medications for better pain relief. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

I am very happy you were able to take Maxie to the vet today. Once the abscess is removed and the tooth she will feel much much better. The tooth hurts, and when it is removed most of the pain will be gone and tomorrow she will hardly have any pain left. She will be able to chew and eat without any problem at all. You can soak her kibble in water for a few days to make it soft to help with chewing. But overall she should be fine. 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!

Yes, absolutely normal ! We all would want some pain relief if we had a similar surgery. I am happy to hear that Ella has improved and is better in herself .The most painful days are the first 3-4 after surgery, remember to try to keep her rested until you have your final post op check up and any skin sutures, if present, are removed.