The first 48 hours after an anaesthetic are the ones owners worry about most. Here is what is normal and what is not.
The first evening
Expect a subdued dog. Anaesthetic drugs take time to clear, and many dogs are sleepy, wobbly and a little disoriented for 12 to 24 hours.
Offer a small, bland meal a few hours after getting home, unless your vet has said otherwise. About a quarter of a normal portion.
Nausea is common. Signs include lip licking, drooling, turning away from food, and swallowing repeatedly. Many practices now send dogs home with anti-nausea medication; if your dog is clearly nauseous and you were not given any, ring and ask.
Small amounts of water frequently, rather than a full bowl gulped at once.
Do not worry about one skipped meal. Do ring your vet if your dog has eaten nothing 24 hours after surgery, or sooner for a puppy, a toy breed or a diabetic dog.
Encouraging a dog to eat
In order of how useful they are:
- Warm the food. Gently, to body temperature. Aroma drives appetite, and warmth releases it. This is the single most effective thing
- Something highly palatable — plain cooked chicken, white fish, a veterinary recovery diet. Recovery diets are formulated to be calorie-dense and extremely palatable for exactly this
- Small, frequent meals — four or five small ones rather than two
- Hand feed the first few mouthfuls
- Quiet, away from other pets
- Do not leave food down. Offer for fifteen minutes, remove, offer again later. Food that sits out goes stale and becomes less appealing
Do not escalate endlessly. A dog who learns that refusing produces roast chicken will hold out for it once they feel better.
What to feed
For the first day or two: something bland and easily digested. Plain boiled chicken and white rice, or a veterinary gastrointestinal or recovery diet.
Then back to normal, over two or three days.
Higher protein helps healing. The old instinct to feed a light, low-protein diet to a recovering animal is wrong — tissue repair needs protein, and surgical patients have increased requirements.
Watch the calories during confinement. A dog on crate rest is burning far less than usual, and post-operative weight gain is common. For a long recovery — an orthopaedic procedure, for instance — reduce the portion by roughly ten to twenty percent and monitor body condition.
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Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl
Once appetite returns, a maze bowl makes a reduced portion feel like a proper meal — which matters during weeks of restricted exercise when food is the highlight of the day.
Toileting
Constipation is very common after surgery, from the anaesthetic, opioid pain relief, reduced movement and reduced food intake.
It is normal for a dog not to pass a stool for two or three days. Beyond that, or if they are straining, ring your vet.
What helps: adequate water, gentle lead walking as permitted, and — with veterinary approval — a little plain tinned pumpkin or psyllium.
Urination should be normal. Straining, blood, or an inability to urinate needs a same-day call.
Protecting the wound
The cone is not optional. A dog can open a surgical wound in seconds, and infection or dehiscence turns a routine recovery into a second operation.
Alternatives to the plastic cone, if your vet agrees: an inflatable collar, a soft fabric cone, or a recovery suit. A recovery suit is often better tolerated for abdominal surgery.
Check the wound twice daily. Look for:
- Increasing redness or swelling
- Discharge, particularly if coloured or smelly
- Gaps in the wound edges
- Heat
- A dog who is repeatedly bothered by it
Mild bruising and a small amount of clear fluid in the first days can be normal. Anything else, ring.
Keep it dry. No baths, no swimming, no wet grass on the wound until cleared.
Rest, which is the hard part
Follow the instructions exactly. “Lead-only exercise for two weeks” means lead-only, including in the garden.
The internal healing takes far longer than the skin. A dog who looks perfectly well at day five is not healed at day five, and the most common cause of post-operative complications is a dog who felt better and was allowed to do too much.
Managing a confined dog:
- Puzzle feeders and snuffle mats
- Scentwork in a small space — hide treats, let them find them
- Training stationary behaviours — chin rests, targeting, tricks that do not involve movement
- Chews and lick mats
- A comfortable, supportive bed
- Non-slip flooring, since a slip during recovery can undo the repair
LickiMat Wobble Slow Feeder Lick Mat
Frozen with something soft, it occupies a confined dog for twenty minutes without any physical activity — and licking is calming, which helps a dog who cannot burn off frustration.
Snuffle Mat for Dogs
Scent work is the best enrichment for a dog on crate rest, because it is mentally tiring and physically undemanding. It can be done lying down.
Pain relief
Give all of it, exactly as prescribed. Owners frequently stop early because the dog “seems fine” — the dog seems fine because of the medication.
A dog in pain heals more slowly, moves abnormally, and is more likely to interfere with the wound.
Never give human painkillers. Ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol and aspirin range from risky to lethal in dogs.
Signs of inadequate pain control: restlessness, panting, reluctance to settle, whimpering, guarding the area, loss of appetite, a hunched posture. Ring your vet — pain relief can be adjusted.
When to ring
- Not eating 24 hours after surgery
- Repeated vomiting
- Wound redness, discharge, swelling or gaping
- Lethargy that is worsening rather than improving
- Pale gums
- Difficulty breathing
- No stool after three days, or straining
- Unable to urinate
- Obvious pain despite medication
- Anything that worries you
That last one is a legitimate reason on its own. Practices would far rather answer a phone call than see a preventable complication three days later.
