When should my dog have the first bowel movement after surgery?

Many dogs will not have a bowel movement for the first 4 to 5 days after surgery 
•    Reasons that a dog will not have regular bowel movements after surgery include: 

• The dog has been fasted prior to surgery
• Dogs do not eat well during the hospital stay
• They frequently do not eat well when the go home
• They are fed highly digestible food that produces little stool
• Pain medication that contain narcotics (such as tylenol with codeine, tylenol 3, tylenol 4, morphine) can be constipating

•    If a pet does not have a bowel movement on the 5th day of being home a stool softener such as metamucil can be fed

•     Dose of metamucil 1 tsp per 25 Kg (50 pounds)  mixed in with each meal (canned dog food)