If your pet has had a routine sedation or anaesthetic, you can continue to feed their normal diet. We recommend feeding a small amount of food when you get your pet home. If they keep that down and still seem hungry, try feeding the rest of a normal meal 30-60 minutes later.
Water should be made available at all times. If your pet is not drinking, we DO NOT recommend syringing water - this can lead to breathing the water in and lots of complications in the lungs. Your pet has had IV fluids during their procedure. These provide excellent hydration, and it's possible your pet may not be super-thirsty for the first 12 hours after surgery. This is especially true if you're feeding soft food - this is full of water and may offset some of the need to drink. If your pet hasn't drunk in 24 hours, please contact the clinic.
If your pet has had a dental procedure, we recommend feeding something softer than usual the night after their procedure, as their mouth may be sensitive.
If your pet has had dental extractions, we recommend soft food for up to 7 days depending on the severity of the extractions and which teeth were removed. Your vet will make specific recommendations for your pet, but please call us if you have any questions.
If your pet has had surgery on the gastrointestinal tract, you will be provided with a gut-supportive food that is easily digestible and does not leave much residue for your pet's gut to have to deal with. We recommend you feed several small meals per day (2-4 tablespoons per feeding every 2 hours or so is best) for the first 3 days after surgery, moving through to 4 meals per day for a full week. This is to reduce the load on your pet's gut and ensure everything keeps moving.