My dog vomited and is sleepy after dental surgery. Should I worry?

It depends quite a bit on what drugs and doses were used for anesthesia, so unfortunately it's difficult to give a good answer to this question without being able to look at his medical record. But in general, for most anesthetic procedures, it's not uncommon for many dogs to remain somewhat groggy or drowsy for up to 12 hours or so afterwards - my rule of thumb for owners at our clinic is that their pet should be acting normal again by the following morning, but not to worry overly much if they are a bit sleepy or "off" for the rest of the afternoon or evening after going home. However, the pet should be able to get up and walk around, eat and drink without problems, etc. - if they are groggy to the point of being unresponsive or unable to stand, this is not normal. If you are concerned about Falkor, the safest course of action would be to call your vet's office and describe how he is currently acting - they should be able to tell you if this is reasonable, based on their anesthesia protocol. If he is unresponsive, having difficulty swallowing, or seems to be getting worse over time, I would take him back to your vet or your nearest emergency clinic to be checked.

Poor girl. It is not normal for a pet to have continuous vomiting and lack of appetite post dental extractions. If she was sent home with an NSAID to take that helps with pain and inflammation, then that could be the underlying cause of her symptoms. This would be considered an adverse reaction to the medication. If she seems like she can't control her vomiting and is very unstable, then yes an ER visit may be best for her. At the very least she needs to be seen within the next 12 hrs if possible, to get her treatment to stop the vomiting and help settle her stomach. Best wishes and I hope that Leeloo feels better soon.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Cruz. It could be he is just very tired from the surgery and anesthesia. I'd keep an eye on him for now, and if he isn't back to normal by the morning, give his vet a call. Best of luck.

Hi there. It's certainly possible for dogs to have a mild upset stomach for 12-24 hours after an anesthetic episode, but it would be unusual to see this three days later - especially with such severe symptoms. I would recommend having her rechecked by your veterinarian tomorrow morning, or going to the ER tonight if she seems overly distressed or lethargic. It's possible that she could have a stomach ulcer as a result of the Rimadyl (uncommon, but can happen occasionally even with appropriate dosing), or may have some other problem that may or may not be related to her surgery. It sounds like she needs an exam and likely some lab work +/- x-rays to help determine what's going on and see what kind of treatment is needed.

Older dogs can take longer to completely process the anesthesia medications and return fully to normal. If she's on any pain medications after the cleaning (for example if she had dental extractions), that could also be causing some sedation. If she's eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, and appears comfortable, there's nothing you need to do right now and can give her another day or two to be totally normal. If she's not back to normal tomorrow evening, it might be wise to take her in for an appointment Friday before the weekend to make sure nothing else is going on.

Hello, sorry to hear about Taz. Sedatives and anesthesia may take up to 24-32 hours to wear off in some dogs, particularly older patients. Other factors that contribute to this include any concurrent illnesses such as liver disease, kidney disease, or even his ulcer. If Taz continues to be sedate and without an appetite, then he should be rechecked at the latest tomorrow morning. If he seems more lethargic or painful, then he should be evaluated sooner. Please contact your veterinarian to inform them that Taz is still sedate and not wanting to eat as they may want to see him sooner depending on his concurrent medical history and what agents they used for anesthesia. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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).