My dog just got neutered. Is vomiting and no poop normal? Care tips?

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).

Hi, and thanks for your question. That could be completely normal after the procedure and anesthesia. I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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.

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.

Poor pup! If he's vomiting, not eating, and isn't able to keep anything down, this is very concerning - so I would recommend taking him back in to your veterinarian today to be seen. It's possible that this could be some type of complication related to his neuter surgery, or could be a totally separate problem. Your veterinarian can examine him and may recommend blood work, x-rays, or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what kind of treatment is needed.

Bear can have dinner the night before the procedure but no breakfast or food of any kind the morning of the procedure. He should be fasted for 12 hours. The stitches will heal in 10 to 14 days and during that time Bear will need to wear an Elizabethan collar at all times and cannot have any exercise at all. Those are the two best things you can do to help ensure a smooth recovery. You will need to check the incision every day for redness, swelling or discharge and have him examined if anything looks abnormal. I hope this helps and feel free to post any additional questions.

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!