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My dog won't take post-surgery antibiotics/painkillers. Can she skip?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shiba Inu | Female | spayed | 33 lbs

My dog just had surgery, her first dose of medication is due tonight, but I can't get her to eat anything nor the pills. i tried pill pocket and her favorite canned dog food but she just doesn't want to eat. I'll keep trying but how bad is it if she misses tonight's dose? It's antibiotics and painkiller.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 15th, 2017

Oh that's not good that Emma isn't taking her medications! It's quite important that she has these medications tonight, and you may need to stick it down the back of her throat to get her to take it. You can try putting it in some peanut butter, which will stick her in mouth. I will include a link to a website below detailing how to pill a dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3yHgItqGmo I hope this helps and Emma feels better soon!

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Antibiotic is the most important tablet and should be given ideally to prevent any possible infection. It can be eventually crashed and mixed with water (that can be syringed in her mouth). This is a great article to explain how to give the tablet even without food (as a vet would do!)..https://www.vetwest.com.au/pet-library/giving-your-pet-a-tablet-hints-and-tips

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