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Why Is My Dog Not Drinking Water After Surgery? (Explained)

Is there a decrease in the water intake in your dog after surgery? Is your dog not drinking water post-surgery? Are you worried about whether or not it is common for dogs to showcase this behavior? If your answer is yes, then read till the end of this article.

Why is my dog not drinking water after surgery?

If your dog has recently been in surgery, chances are your dog may suffer from a loss of appetite which is perhaps very common for dogs to face. This will prompt your dog to have a lack of interest in thirst. Therefore, it is normal for your dog to go without water a day or two after surgery. 

After any kind of surgery, your dog’s water intake will decrease more than the normal amount. Although it is common for your dog to not drink water after surgery, it is not fruitful practice.

Nausea: 

One of the most common reasons why there is a decrease in thirst in your dog is related to the fact that your dog is actually suffering from nausea due to the medications.

In addition, different antibiotics and pain relievers like buprenorphine, cephalexin can also cause severe nausea in dogs and this will eventually cause your dog to have a decrease in water intake. 

Pain: 

Another common reason why your dog will stop drinking water after surgery is due to pain. It goes without saying that your dog will be having pain even after all the antibiotics and pain relievers and eventually, this pain causes your dog to have a loss of appetite.

Underlying Illness:

Another possible reason for your dog to not drink water after surgery is due to the fact that there may be some underlying diseases or illnesses lingering in your dog.

Is it normal for a dog not to drink water after surgery? 

There can definitely be a loss of interest in drinking water after surgery in dogs due to nausea, pain, and illness but if this situation prolongs, then it is not normal. 

2 Days After Surgery: 

Technically, dogs can go a day or two without water after surgery and will not develop any major signs of dehydration but it is highly advised to make your dog drink water.

3 Days After Surgery: 

Sometimes, your dog will not feel great after surgery and will not like to drink water and there will also be a loss of appetite. Dogs can survive without having water for three days but it is nowhere normal as major symptoms of dehydration will be visible in your dog. 

After Dental Surgery: 

It is normal for your dog to stop drinking water after dental surgery but the longevity of this should not be more than one day. 

How long can a dog go without water after surgery?

It is never a good idea for your dog to go without water after surgery however, it is not uncommon for dogs to do so.

Typically, a dog can go without water for 6-8 hours when the situation is regular and your dog will not show signs of illnesses. 

Conversely, if the circumstances are adverse and if your dog has been in surgery, then the time limit will change therefore, it is okay for your dog to refuse drinking water after 24 hours of surgery.

What to do if your dog won’t drink water after surgery?

Although refusing to drink water after surgery is not something uncommon, however, prolonging refusal to drink water can severely harm the natural functioning of the body.

Going 24 to 72 hours without water after surgery may be considered normal but you should be on high alert of the symptoms of dehydration in dogs and if the situation starts to deteriorate and if your dog still will not drink water after 72 hours, you need to consult a vet immediately.

In addition, if your dog seems to be fine after but will not drink enough water, then you can adopt some home remedy to change that. You can take some bone of beef or chicken and boil it and then give the broth to your dog.

Another thing you can do is that you can use an eyedropper and make your dog drink water when your dog will not drink water willingly. 

How to make your dog drink water after surgery?

It is very crucial that your dog is hydrated all the time even after having surgery. Therefore, being knowledgeable about the ways of making your dog drink water after surgery can help you to make appropriate decisions. 

Look for Signs of Dehydration:

The first and foremost thing for you to do is to check whether your dog is suffering from dehydration or not. And to do that, there are some ways you can apply to test the hydration level of your dog.

Firstly, you can slightly pinch the neck of your dog and if you notice that your dog’s skin takes time to go back to normal upon stopping pinching, then it may be an indication that your dog is suffering from dehydration.

In addition, you can also check your dog’s gum to know whether or not your dog is suffering from dehydration.

Add Broth to the Water:

If you are noticing that your dog is not drinking water after surgery, then you can add flavor to the water so that your dog will be enticed to drink more water.

Additionally, to make the water more flavorful, you can simply add some chicken, beef, or bone broth in the water and that will help your dog to drink water. 

Feed Wet Food:

To make your dog drink water after surgery, you need to add water to your dog’s food or you can simply give wet food to your dog. In addition, the dry foods that your dog eats only contain ten percent of water and it will not suffice. 

Moreover, to remedy this situation, you can simply give canned food to your dog or you can add water to your dog’s dry food to make it more moisture-ridden. 

What are the signs of dehydration in dogs?

Dogs also need proper functioning and sufficient water intake to function well just like any other animals because water can also give necessary nutrients to dogs.

In addition, it is not that abnormal for dogs to lose water throughout the day by daily exercise, panting, urinating, breathing, and so on. However, the dehydration phenomenon is also an alarming thing for dogs. It occurs when a dog’s water intake is not sufficient to make up for the water loss.

Moreover, the prominent signs of dehydration in dogs are the reduction of fluid, blood flow, and oxygen. 

Additionally, other signs include loss of appetite, panting, vomiting, reduction of energy, diarrhea, thick saliva, tiredness, and so on. Loss of skin elasticity can also be another sign that your dog is suffering from dehydration. 

How long does it take for a dog to get dehydrated after surgery?

Normally, a dog will be fine to go without water for 6-8 hours and your dog will not show any signs of dehydration. 

In addition, when your dog will not drink water for 2 or 3 days after the surgery, chances are your dog will show major signs of dehydration such as sunken eyes, excessive panting, and reduction of energy. 

How do you hydrate a dog that won’t drink after surgery?

Dehydration in dogs is something that can cause some severe and permanent damage in your dogs especially if you are not treating your dog properly. And it is rather very common for your dog to refuse to drink water after surgery.

In addition, the first thing you can do is that you can hydrate your dog after surgery by placing water in several places in the house rather than just putting the water bowl in one place. 

Consequently, this may cause your dog to be encouraged to drink water regularly and you also need to make sure the water is very clean. 

Dogs tend to avoid drinking water especially if there is dirt, leaves, and insects in the water. Another thing you can do is that you can bring a change in the taste of the drinking water that you are going to give to your dog.

Consequently, you can give your dog distilled water, tap water, or bottled water to see whether your dog will drink it or not as all these different varieties of water have different tastes. 

In addition, you can also put some spoons of chicken or beef broth in the water to add flavor to your dog’s water so that your dog will be prompted to drink water after surgery. 

Final Thoughts:

To conclude, it is very normal for your dog to stop drinking water for a day after surgery due to the pain or nausea caused by pain-relieving medicines, and antibiotics. However, you should nevertheless try your best to keep your dog hydrated before your dog starts to show signs of dehydration.