Q: When Should My Dog Have Their First Bowel Movement After Surgery?
A: Many dogs will not have a bowel movement for the first 3-4 days after anesthesia and surgery. This is normal as long as there is no straining to attempt defecation.
An Elizabethan collar, or e-collar as it is commonly called, is an effective way to prevent licking. If the incision is on the animal’s trunk, a T-shirt or baby onesie can be a comfortable way to protect the incision.
The incision should be checked at least twice a day for swelling, discharge, opening, or discoloration. A small amount of redness, swelling, and bruising can be normal. Please call your doctor if these are significant, the incision is warm, there is discharge, or if the skin feels cool, thin, or appears black or gray in color.
If your pet comes home the day of surgery, it is normal for them to be sleepy. However, they should always be rousable, or in other words, easy to wake. The following day, your pet should be much brighter and interactive.
Initially, the incision will be sore despite pain medication. Icing the incision with an icepack or a bag of frozen vegetables (peas are best as their shape allows the bag to conform to the area of application) can help relieve swelling and discomfort. Be sure to put a towel between the animal and the ice, as direct contact can be irritating and do not leave your pet unattended. This can be done two to four times a day.
Animals can show signs of pain in many ways. Sometimes obvious signs include crying, restlessness, unwillingness to lie down, excessive panting, difficulty getting up, or aggression. Other more subtle signs can be hiding, sitting or lying with their bodies tightly tucked up, or lack of normal grooming (especially in cats). You can learn more about signs to look for in cats and signs to look for in dogs.
If a pet does not have a bowel movement on the 5th day of being home, a stool softener such as Metamucil can be fed. Add Metamucil to the dogs diet, preferably mixing it in with wet food. Give half a teaspoonful twice a day to small dogs and two teaspoonfuls twice a day to larger dogs. Be sure to give the dog plenty of water. It may take 12 to 72 hours for the Metamucil to be effective.
The first thing for you to discern is whether your pet is vomiting or regurgitating. Both will result in fluid or food being brought up. Vomiting always will have heaving or retching of the abdomen prior to expulsion of the vomitus. Regurgitation is not associated with heaving and the pet usually just opens the mouth and fluid or food will be expelled. Usually the regurgitated material will be clear or brown colored fluid. Next is to identify the cause of the vomiting or regurgitation.
A cold pack may be a pack of frozen peas, crushed ice in a Ziploc bag, or a cold gel pack; place a thin barrier between the skin and the cold pack. An alternative to a cold pack is to freeze water in a styrofoam cup; after frozen cut the bottom of the styrofoam cup out. Cool the surgical site around the incision by rubbing the exposed ice directly on the skin in a circular pattern. Cooling the surgical site helps to numb the area.