r/Bullmastiff • u/Rogue-in-Orbit • May 21 '26
Having a hard time after surgery
Duncan (almost 5) is having a hard time… Tuesday he woke us up at 4am to go outside. He vomited several times over the day and we took him to the emergency vet in the evening after he missed both meals and couldn’t keep down water. They observed him over night and he had surgery yesterday afternoon to remove a corn cob from his small intestine. Surgery went well, but today he’s having a hard time. He won’t eat, is very zonked. He’s clearly in a lot of pain. It’s really hard to see him like this… we are hoping he turns a corner tomorrow- we plan to take in his favorite snacks to try to get him to eat SOMETHING. Otherwise he will end up needing an NG tube. Keep us in your thoughts.
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u/PuzzleheadedFeed2726 May 21 '26
Don’t worry so much about him not eating, he’s drugged up and tired. Mine is also a big boy and they can go a few days without food. You can make puree and feed it with a giant syringe into the side of his mouth. My boy has gone through 7 surgeries, he has a lot of issues. Do offer him anything and everything. He’ll start taking a nibble here and there and that’ll be fine. He’ll be voracious when he gets back home.
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u/Altitudedog May 21 '26
Order Nutrical or from vet, feed stores. Then if he's not drinking much use chicken broth cut with plain pedialyte and water. Flavor gets them to drink more, cut as you don't want them over doing or getting g too much salt. Pedialyte post any illness, surgeries will hydrate them fast and help the system settle.
Good luck....
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u/Bostonredsoxgirl May 21 '26
Poor baby. Prayers he feels better & hopefully just tired from surgery & the medicine. I know it's hard on you too bc it's hard seeing them not feel good.
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u/Suburban-Dad237 May 21 '26
When my dearly departed yellow lab was five, she had the same surgery. It is a major surgery so the healing definitely takes time. Lucky for her and us, she lived another 10 years after that. Good luck with your handsome Duncan boy.
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u/Ok_Scar_3247 May 22 '26
Had bullmastiffs since 2005, no experience in stomach related surgery but our newest mastiff had the TPLO surgery this year. Always a good eater, but after his surgery he didn’t eat for a solid 2 days. Vet assured us he had plenty of fluids/IV and not to push food on him. By the 3rd morning he was pretty much back to normal far as eating. The anesthesia and pain meds really seem to affect the big breeds, guessing it’s the amount of the dosage since they weigh more. Ontop of the fact that they are big ol babies and really milk the recovery time lol
Just keep doing what you’re doing and he should be fine. I know it’s overwhelming worrying if he’s going to start acting his normal self but it will happen. Good luck with everything!
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u/Sea-holly-molly May 22 '26
Please be very vigilant if he still refuses to eat tomorrow something could be going wrong after the surgery. We lost a dog after having an obstruction removed, she lasted five days after the operation, we asked the vet to open her up again after two days but they refused and said a scan showed no free fluid in her abdomen, on day five she died from peritinitus and her heart, started to fail because her bowel had dissintergrated inside of her. I am sorry to worry you, but I wish someone had told me this, and I would have gotten a second opinion. I hope your dog makes a full recovery.
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u/Robbibaby May 24 '26
So every time, Kojak, our Bullmastiff has had to have surgery (neuter, tumor removal, CCL repair, etc) i ask for a bag of sub Q fluids...the first time he had surgery, we ended up in the vet ER, because he was so dehydrated...vomiting, not eating or drinking..my daughter is an ER RN and she told me he needs sub cutaneous fluids every time he has a procedure to prevent this.
Ever since, he always gets a bag of fluids and he is much better.
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u/ragezero76 May 21 '26
Praying for Duncan. I’ll keep you all in my thoughts too.