Why Is My Dog Experiencing Increased Hunger After Spaying Surgery?

Dear VetBabble: Understanding Post-Spay Hunger in Pet Dogs

As pet owners, we always want the best for our furry friends and will do whatever we can to keep them comfortable, especially following surgery. Let’s discuss a common query – “Why does my She was spayed today and seems to be unusually hungry? Could it be related to the surgery. And if so, how should I adjust her feeding schedules?”

The Main Cause: Surgery and Feeding

It’s completely normal if your recently spayed female dog seems hungrier than usual. Before surgeries like spaying, vets often require fasting to ensure the dog’s safety under anesthesia. This means she went a significant time without food, which explains her increased appetite post-surgery. She’s making up for the calories she missed while under anesthesia. However, it’s crucial you not be tempted to overfeed your pet. Doing so may overburden her digestive system which is gradually coming back online after the surgery. You can learn more about the process of desexing your dog here.

What You Should Do: Feeding Smaller, More Frequent Meals

Rather than making the error of feeding her large portions, try splitting up her usual food amount into smaller, more frequent meals. This approach will not only satiate her hunger but will also prevent her stomach from struggling to digest a large meal. This can help avoid any potential upset stomach which can occur following surgery. It’s also important to keep in mind that spaying can predispose dogs to certain health issues, such as urinary incontinence, which you may want to read more about in this article.

Special Considerations: Effects of Spaying

It’s also worth noting that spaying affects your dog’s hormonal balance, which can have an impact on her appetite and weight. The decrease in hormones may decrease your pet’s activity level, possibly leading to weight gain if she consumes the same amount of food as before. On the flip side, if your dog was in heat at the time of operation, her false pregnancy symptoms (including decreased appetite) could resolve, making her seem extra hungry. It’s always important to monitor your pet’s behavior and health after a significant event like spaying. In case you’re curious about the potentiality of pregnancy before spaying, you can read more about dog’s pregnancy here.

As feared as the sterlization process may be, it’s quite common not just for dogs but cats as well. More insights about the desexing process in cats can be found here.

If her hunger persistently seems excessive or if you notice any other unusual behaviors post-surgery, don’t hesitate to contact your vet. Remember, you are doing an amazing job caring for your pet and asking questions alongside.