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My puppy is in pain after neuter surgery. What can I give him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 3 months and 18 days old | 20 lbs

My 15 week old puppy just got neutered this morning and of course he's in some pain. Is there any medication I can give him to alleviate the pain ?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Anna M., DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 8th, 2018

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Achilles! We don't want poor Achilles to be in any pain, but I recommend you do *not* give him anything tonight, and instead touch base with your primary vet first thing tomorrow morning. Most likely, your vet gave Achilles some injectable pain medications as part of his treatment today, and many injectable pain medications will stay in the system for 12-24 hours. If you were to give anything tonight that was not prescribed by your vet, it could end up being something that might not be safe to have in his system along with the drugs he's already received. The most important thing you can do tonight is to keep him calm and quiet, to keep swelling to a minimum. If he will tolerate it you can also ice the incision line with an ice pack wrapped in a towel, for 10 minutes at a time. If he still seems painful tomorrow, your vet should be able to offer guidance on what would be a safe follow-up to what's already been given. I hope this helps and Achilles is back to his normal self soon!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 22nd, 2017

    Hello. I'm sorry to hear that Tikari is not feeling well after surgery. Most vets will send home pain medication after surgery. Did he not get any? If not, you should call the vet that did the surgery and ask for some if they are open tonight. If not, call tomorrow and ask them for some. The only thing you can do tonight is put some ice on the incision to help the swelling. Use a bag of frozen peas and put a thin towel between his skin and peas. Don't place the bag directly on the skin. Do this for 10 minutes. You can do this every 3-4 hours if you want to until the morning. Hopefully he will let you do it. DO NOT give him any over the counter pain medicine. If he seems terribly in pain and you can't get in touch with your regular vet you may have to contact an emergency 24 hour clinic. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you. Dr. Amber

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