Greetings all,

I am looking for a bit of help or advise. I have a 2 year old female GSD I am getting neutered on 12 March. I am new to the raw diet (1 whole day raw under the belt ) and wanted to know what I should feed her after the surgery. I am currently feeding her turkey legs and ground turkey, I have less than two weeks before she goes in and I was reading in other location that chicken and rice is best, but I am trying to keep her off grain due to itching and chewing on herself. Is it okay to stay raw after the surgery or should I cook the meat (without bone)?

The only instructions the vet gave me was bring a old t-shirt and no food the night before.

Kim

I don't modify the diet.

Depending on the vet, you may be asked to stop fish oil a few days prior. (Some vets prefer not to give what is a very mild potential blood thinner just prior.)

I have a dog going for a dental workup Thursday and I asked about fish oil, because I anticipate an extraction, and I was very pleased to hear that she no longer asks that it be stopped prior to surgery.

The only thing I will do is to grind the food if he does have an extraction.

Now I am curious, though:

What was the idea behind chicken and rice? That's a bland diet for GI problems. How was it mentioned in relation to surgery?

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

What was the idea behind chicken and rice? That's a bland diet for GI problems. How was it mentioned in relation to surgery?

Anesthesia can make some dogs extremely nauseous so the thinking is a bland diet and a smaller-than-usual evening meal will help prevent vomiting. Vomiting isn't a terrible thing but if any meds need to be given, particularly with food, you want them to stay in the dog.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

What was the idea behind chicken and rice? That's a bland diet for GI problems. How was it mentioned in relation to surgery?

Anesthesia can make some dogs extremely nauseous so the thinking is a bland diet and a smaller-than-usual evening meal will help prevent vomiting. Vomiting isn't a terrible thing but if any meds need to be given, particularly with food, you want them to stay in the dog.

Oh yeah. That makes sense!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

What was the idea behind chicken and rice? That's a bland diet for GI problems. How was it mentioned in relation to surgery?

IME anesthesia can cause temporary tummy upset. Oscar has almost always gotten diarrhea after procedures that require prolonged sedation (like his root canal). We switch to boiled chicken and rice and it resolves within a day or two, but our dog seems to be predictable like that.

Kim, I wouldn't EXPECT your dog to have any GI issues after her spay, but I would consider it a possibility (which is what your vet might have been alluding to) and I might prepare for a day or 2 of boiled chicken and rice if that occurs. Connie, do you think that little amount of rice (a couple days, tops) would be a bad choice for this dog if grains are thought to be an allergen? I don't know what else would work as well for a home diarrhea remedy... but again, this dog might be just fine after her surgery and not have ANY GI issues... just trying to cover bases.

~Natalya

Edited by Natalya Zahn (02/22/2009 11:41 AM)
Edit reason: Sarah beat me to it! :)

Good to know and thanks for all the help, this will be her first time going under and I am just worried. I have read that some dogs just do not react as well as others (just like humans). I have also asked the vet to x-ray her while she is down for hip and elbow dysplasia. When she was 7 months (when I got her) the vet did x-rays and found she had signs of elbow issues, I think if she is under anesthesia there will be less stress and I will have a better idea of where the dysplasia is at if any.

I will test the rice later this week once she has more time to adjust to the raw diet. I know she likes boiled chicken so its the rice we shall see.

Kim

Low-fat unsweetened unflavored yogurt is also one of the foods recommended for nausea.

And IME, most dogs just loooove it.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Low-fat unsweetened unflavored yogurt is also one of the foods recommended for nausea.

And IME, most dogs just loooove it.

This was the only thing my dog would eat after her spay; she was nauseous for the evening following her spay, and felt fine the next morning...

And yogurt is very easy to make.

Heat 1 gal of whole milk (or whatever fits in your pot) to 165F (~75C). The low-fat varieties make a runnier yogurt. The heating repasturizes the milk and also conditions the milk proteins to set up more firmly.

Let cool to 115F. That's about the optimum temperature for the yogurt bacteria to grow and reproduce.

Stir in some store-bought yogurt that has **live** cultures. I've been usng the Dannon Dan-Active. It seems to make a denser result.

Keep at 115 for 5-6 hours. I just put the pot in an ice chest and pour in hot water from the tap to surround the pot with the milk.

The consistency will be thinner than the store-bought stuff but then they usually put thickeners in the their mix.

Cost?

A gallon of milk is about $3. It makes 128 fluid oz. of yogurt. A six oz container of Yoplait is $0.60 or $12.80 for a gallon.

Since the dog will probably be on antibiotics, yogurt will help repopulate the bacterial flora in the dogs gut.

I typically give mine a cup or so every 4-5 days. They really look forward to yogurt night.

I also keep some back for myself. Drain some through cheesecloth and it makes a pretty nice spread for crackers and toast. The dogs also like the whey that drains off the yogurt.