Nutrition

Reviewed by FeedYourDog Nutrition Team A dog post-surgery diet is one of the most powerful recovery tools available to you — and one of the most frequently under-managed. Surgery places extraordinary demands on the body at a cellular level: muscle catabolism begins within hours of the incision, immune function spikes to protect the wound site, and anaesthesia slows gut motility for 24–48 hours, making rapid feeding both ineffective and potentially harmful. Diet is one of the few variables you, as an owner, can directly control during recovery. The right post-operative dog nutrition shortens healing time and reduces complication risk; the wrong approach extends it. This guide covers the two-phase recovery model — 0–48 hours stabilisation, then 3–14 days active healing — with the specific nutrient science behind each recommendation. It applies to any surgery type, not only TPLO or neutering, and is intended to complement your veterinarian’s discharge instructions, not replace them. ...

Receiving a cancer diagnosis for your dog is one of the hardest moments an owner can face. While your veterinary oncologist leads the medical treatment, nutrition plays a crucial — and often underestimated — role in supporting your dog through surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. If your dog has recently undergone a surgical procedure, our guide to nutritional support after cancer surgery in dogs covers the immediate recovery feeding protocol in detail. The right diet won’t cure cancer, but it can help preserve strength, reduce treatment side effects, and maintain quality of life. ...

The liver is the body’s metabolic hub — responsible for detoxifying the blood, producing bile for digestion, storing glycogen for energy, and synthesising key proteins. When it’s compromised, the ripple effects touch almost every system in the body. For dogs diagnosed with liver disease, diet isn’t just helpful — it’s one of the most important tools available. The right nutritional approach can reduce the liver’s workload, slow disease progression, prevent dangerous complications, and keep your dog feeling as well as possible for as long as possible. ...