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Why is my dog having diarrhea after neutering and vet visit?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | French Bulldog | Male | neutered | 11 months and 26 days old | 18 lbs

He was neutered on Friday and spent the night at the vet. He was also given his final round of vaccines and microchipped. Since he has been home, he has had very bad cases of dirreha. Is this normal after a procedure? He is acting fine, just the bathroom issues.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 29th, 2018

Being neutered (surgery with anesthesia) and vaccinated and microchipped and riding in the car to an exciting place was a new and exciting or even upsetting experience, and stressful. I suggest you keep him off food for 12 hours, then feed him bland food (boiled white rice with boiled boneless white chicken meat) for two or three feeds. Then slowly replace the rice with his regular food over two days until he eats regular food again. By that time his diarrhea should be over. If not, he will need to be seen by the vet for a recheck.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on March 8th, 2020

    It could be due to the diet, especially if it was a recent change. You should submit a stool sample to your veterinarian to diagnose or rule out intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth though. If Major is behaving normally otherwise, you can try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte. Resume feeding a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with 1 tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount. Feed bland until the stool is normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. Symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian include: lethargy, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, loss or appetite or abdominal pain.

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    Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 5th, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and congratulations on you new pup! Diarrhea of this description could absolutely be caused by the stress of all the changes in living arrangements, adjusting to your house, and/or from surgery. Marco has been through alot recently! That being said, coccidia (a single celled parasite not treated by regular dewormers) can also cause terrible diarrhea (and vomiting for that matter) and should probably be addressed sooner rather than later. The conservative route would be to wait and watch for 48 hours. During that time, start a probiotic such as Purina Forti-Flora as directed on the box. I would also start a bland diet. The recipes vary, but I usually recommend 1/3 plain boiled or canned chicken, (no skin, no seasonings), 2/3 plain cooked white rice (no seasonings). Feed the same amount you would feed of dry food. Continue any pain medications given to you for the neuter as pain can also contribute to stress-related diarrhea. If the diarrhea is not improving in 48 hours, head to the vet (with a stool sample- coccidia is usually easy to identify on a fecal exam). If at any time Marco starts vomiting, is not eating/drinking, seems lethargic, or has dry/sticky gums, its time to head to the vet immediately for treatment. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Marco!

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