[Ellie May]

There are two schools of thought on this.

The first believes that surgery isn't as painful to dogs as it is to humans. Besides, if we give meds, how are they going to know that they need to take it easy. They will feel too well and overdo it. They'll be fine without it.

The second is, this is a major abdominal surgery (comparable to a hysterectomy in women). Although dogs bounce back faster, that doesn't mean they're not in pain. There are also studies that show that less pain equals faster healing. And as a bonus, pain medications can actually make dogs sleepy.

I agree with the second group and would never let a vet do abdominal surgery on my dog without pain meds for 3-5 days after unless the pain meds put said dog in extreme danger. I have never heard of a 3 pound dog not being able to take pain meds. The right one(s) will just need to be selected.