PET IS VOMITING AFTER SURGERY

The first thing for you to discern is whether your pet is vomiting or regurgitating. Both will result in fluid or food being brought up. Vomiting always will have heaving or retching of the abdomen prior to expulsion of the vomitus.

Regurgitation is not associated with heaving and the dog usually just opens the mouth and fluid or food will be expelled. Usually the regurgitant will be clear or brown colored fluid. Next is to identify the cause of the vomiting or regurgitation.

Cause of vomiting after surgery :

• When some pets return home after a stay in the hospital they may drink excessive amounts of water at one time and then vomit; if this appears to be happening the water should be limited to frequent smaller amounts.
• Medications such as antibiotics or tylenol/codeine are are common cause of vomiting after surgery. In order to see which medication is causing the problem the administration of each drug should be separated 2 hours apart. Usually the pet will vomit or appear nauseated (drooling and sick look) within 1 hour of administration of the medication that they are sensitive to. The antibiotic in some cases may be changed to a different one, or may be discontinued. The tylenol/codeine should be discontinued and another type of pain medication tried to help minimize vomiting.
• Stomach upset from anesthesia is a potential cause of vomiting and will pass within a couple of days.
• Unusual cause of vomiting after surgery is internal organ failure. Blood testing will confirm this problem. For this reason vomiting should not be ignored if it persists for more than 24 hours.
• If your pet had surgery of the bowels or stomach, vomiting is always a concern, as it may indicate that infection of the abdominal cavity, called peritonitis, is present. Do not ignore this sign

Treatment of vomiting after surgery :

• Symptomatic treatment of vomiting involves with holding food for 12 to 24 hours, then introducing small amounts of bland food such as rice and lean cooked hamburger, if your pet does not vomit after that then. In order to decrease the acidity of the stomach Pepcid AC 0.5 mg/kg given by mouth twice daily for 5 days can sooth an upset stomach.
• Metoclopramide is a good anti-vomiting medication for dogs and cats. You should always consult a veterinary healthcare professional before administering medication.

Cause of regurgitation after surgery :

• The most common cause of regurgitation is reflux of acid from the stomach into the esophagus while your pet is under anesthesia. Acidic fluid from the stomach can cause a chemical burn of the esophagus and result in a bad case of heart burn, which is called esophagitis. This results in poor motility of the esophagus so water and food will accumulate in this structure. In most cases esphagitis is self-eliminating and will resolve within two or three days.
• Regurgitation also can be caused by a neuromuscular degeneration of the esophagus and this problem will persist. It is not associated with surgery, rather other underlying diseases.
• If the esophagitis is severe the esophagus may develop one or more strictures. A stricture is a narrowing or stenosis of the esophagus, does not allow passage of food down the esophagus, thus the pet has persistent regurgitation. This problem should be brought to the attention of your doctor within the first two weeks so that it can be treated by ballooning the stricture (minimally invasive procedure as it is done with the aide of an endoscope). If an esophageal stricture is chronic surgery is needed.

Treatment of regurgitation after surgery :

• Symptomatic treatment of regurgitation caused by esophagitis includes feeding bland food, and administering a coating agent such as sucralfate. You should consult a veterinary health care professional if the regurgitation continues for more than a couple of days.

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