6 month old teacup chihuahua had gastrotomy surgery

hello my teacup chihuahua has had gastrotomy surgery to remove  a bunch of stuff he had eaten,it has only been 17 hours since his surgery, he has only had 3 licks of water ,he doesnt want to eat , before his surgery he had gone 2 days without eating  so now its been 3 days he weighs 2 pounds 7 oz , well basically what i want to know is how long before he will want to eat im worried how long can he go with out food

[Jaybay]

I am so sorry your little pup had to go through such a serious surgery so early in his life.  I have a dog who had a similar surgery last year and it was 3 days before she really started eating anything.  When the intestines are injured, it can take quite a while before they start working again.  Peristalsis is the wavelike action that moves food and waste through the intestines, and both injury and anesthesia can stop that motion or reduce it to next to nothing.   The condition is temporary unless there is another issue like infection involved.

Since it hasn't even been one day since surgery, don't be concerned yet.  The good news is that he's showing interest in water.  Does he have an IV for fluid support?  I hope so - that's the most important thing for the next few days.   Dogs can go for many days without food, but not water.  You might ask your vet if TPN would be appropriate if he isn't showing interest in food in 2 or 3 more days.  TPN is liquid nutrients administered through an IV, usually placed in a large vein in the neck.  

When my dog had pancreatitis the hospital installed a port in his neck.  It sounds worse than it really is.  The port allowed the staff to not only administer meds and TPN, but to take daily blood for lab work without constantly sticking the poor guy in the leg.  

Try to stay calm.  He's had major surgery and it's going to take some time for him to feel better.  It's going to take time for him to even feel like smelling food, so no worries for right now.  Please keep posting back with updates, and I'll be sending prayers your way.  :-)