This dog article will answer the major question, “Why won’t dogs eat after surgery?” we will also discuss the reasons why your dog won’t eat after surgery, the tips to feed your dog after surgery, and what to do if your dog doesn’t eat after 24 hours.
Why won’t dogs eat after surgery?
The major reason why dogs won’t eat after surgery is nausea. The anesthetic drugs induce nausea in your dog. If your dog eats, he will vomit all the food. The second reason is the pain due to the surgery. The pain will inhibit the appetite of your dog.
What are the reasons for dogs not eating after surgery?
Following are the reasons for dogs not eating after surgery:
Anesthesia
The surgery is a complex procedure that involves the use of anesthetic drugs prior to surgery. These anesthesia drugs sedate the animal so that the dog is unaware of the surroundings. It also reduces the pain sensation of your dog.
The one thing that anesthesia does is, it can induce nausea. Nausea inhibits the appetite of your dog and your dog is no longer interested in the food.
This is not a big concern. It is very natural for your dog not to eat at least 24 hours after surgery. During this period the dog is usually kept on a liquid diet to fulfill the requirements of your dog.
Post-surgical pain
Post-surgical pain is the next thing you should consider in this manner. If your dog is not eating after surgery, it could be due to the pain at the surgical site.
The anesthetic agent can reduce the pain but they do not inhibit the pain. Prostaglandin is the agent of pain which are released in the body when the body is hit by some external force.
It usually continues for 24 to 48 hours and after that, your dog will start eating because the pain subsides after that.
Medications
The next thing you should consider after surgery is medications given to your dog. Some medications can inhibit the appetite of your dog so you need to consider such medications too in your list.
If you are sure that the medications given to your dog after surgery are the cause of inappetence then you should talk to your vet. He will be happy to remove such medication from the treatment list and add a few others if necessary.
Stress
The surgery is overall not a familiar thing for your dog. The surgery puts stress on your dog. The first thing that is affected by the stress is the appetite of your dog.
Your dog won’t eat if he is scared or depressed due to any reason. You should try to provide as much care as you can to your dog after surgery so that he can feel better.
What are the tricks to feed your dog after surgery?
Following are the tricks to feed your dog after surgery:
Soft diet
If your dog is not able to eat dry kibble, you should try boiling the kibble in the water. It will soften the food which is very easy for your dog to eat.
The next thing you can do is add broth to the dry kibble. Broth can improve the aroma of the foods which is considered appealing to your dog. Consuming such soft food is also safe for your dog.
Hand feeding
If your dog is not able to eat on its own, you can hand feed your dog. You should keep the following things in your mind while hand-feeding your dog:
- You shouldn’t rush if your dog is slow in eating.
- You should sanitize your hand before feeding your dog.
- You should also provide a small bite size to your dog.
- You should feed your dog with love and care.
Hand feeding can further strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Hand feeding is the best and inexpensive practice in this case.
Increase protein
Dogs love to eat protein so increasing protein can attract the dog to eat. It is very important that you should calculate the amount of protein you are giving your dog because too much protein can cause weight gain in your dog.
What to do if your dog doesn’t eat after 24 hours?
You should call your vet if your dog doesn’t eat after 24 hours. It may be due to infection. Your vet will examine your dog and will treat it afterward.
Conclusion
In this brief discussion, we answered our important question, “Why won’t dogs eat after surgery?” we also covered the reasons why your dog won’t eat after surgery, the tips to feed your dog after surgery, and what to do if your dog doesn’t eat after 24 hours.
References
https://assisianimalhealth.com/blog/why-wont-my-dog-eat-after-surgery/
https://boneocanine.com/blogs/dog/7-ways-to-help-a-dog-not-eating-after-surgery
