My dog just got neutered. Is vomiting and lethargy normal?
Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Buster, it can be exhausting on surgery day. It can be considered a "normal" occurrence for pets to be tired the day of surgery due to the anesthesia and analgesics (pain control medications) administered for the surgery itself. On occasion they may also experience some mild vomiting (i.e. once following a car ride, after eating supper/drinking water). Buster should want to sleep tonight and we do not want him running around/playing until the surgery site is healed (minimum 2 weeks). If he is too mobile/active this could result in hemorrhaging at the surgery site or failure of the incision. If he continues to vomit, seems painful/agitated, or excessively tired/lethargic then he should be evaluated by his veterinarian or an emergency veterinarian. I instruct my clients to always monitor there mucous membrane (oral gum) color at home the night following surgery to make sure it stays pink (normal color).
Updated on September 23rd, 2025