The aim of the study was to examine gastrointestinal motility after distal gastrectomy and the influence of meal viscosity on gastric emptying. Gastrointestinal motility and gastric emptying of acaloric meals with different viscosities were measured in normal dogs and after a two-thirds gastrectomy with Billroth-I or Roux-Y gastroenterostomy. After distal gastrectomy, gastric emptying depended on the viscosity of the meal, as in normal dogs. Acaloric viscous meals emptied significantly faster in the Billroth-I than in the Roux-Y group due to different contractile patterns of the duodenum and jejunum. In comparison to normal dogs, gastric emptying of viscous meals was accelerated in the Billroth-I and delayed in the Roux-Y group. Several motility parameters of the stomach and intestine differed between the normal and gastrectomized dogs. Thus, after distal gastrectomy, the viscosity of the meal and the contractile patterns of the small intestine are important determinants of gastric emptying.