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Is Thecatneuterer around/any vets? Strange reaction to anaesthesia. Very worried.

14 replies

Threetoedsloth · 11/10/2016 08:29

Our almost 8 month old Norwegian Forest boy was castrated yesterday. The vet was very happy with how the procedure went and we were told he came round from the anaesthetic very well.
We collected him at 2pm and he was his usual bouncy self. However he behaved VERY oddly around the water fountain, paddling in it , splashing it everywhere, putting his face under the flow (our previous boy did this occasionally but only momentarily , followed by a disgusted shake of his head)We lifted his water and continued to watch him carefully. He seemed OK- running around , playing with his toys and plaguing his big sister. But his pupils remained (and are still..............) very dilated.
At bedtime we put down his water- same reaction- paddling around, pushing it out of the bowl, awash with it. We put down a much shallower bowl, with a wider surface area, and he did the same. We rang the duty vet , who said he was probably spaced out and nothing we were describing gave her cause for concern, but to check back in this morning if we were still worried.(I am waiting for the phoneline to open as I type) We left the shallow white bowl down with a centimetre of water in, on her advice. It appears to have been drunk overnight(we have two cats so our girl could have had a drink too), but I refilled it this morning and there he is, paws splashing around, although not as persistent and almost frantic as he was last night. As I mentioned above his pupils are still dilated.
Now if it weren't for the water, and the pupils, we'd be fine. He's eaten, he's urinated, he's pooed and all seems well in those areas. He's a very bonded boy and loves a huggle. He's just had his usual chest sit on me (I wear him like a stole) Full on cheek rubs against my face and contented purring. But we're very twitchy about the things we're twitchy about. I am hoping TCN, with her vast experience, is going to come on and say she's seen this and all will be well- I am aware from hours of internetting until the early hours that some cats take a while to throw off anaesthesia.
Our breeder put the fear of God in us in us late last night, after we'd rung the vet, talking about neurological damage, saying "something's gone very wrong" that males recover from neutering really quickly etc etc. (we chatted on messenger) She knows our vets and has no time for them. We, on the other hand, have had really good experiences with them over the last 6 years. Granted the breeder's friend (another breeder) has not, but that doesn't change our positive view.

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Threetoedsloth · 11/10/2016 08:37

We have a 9.30 appointment with the senior vet whom we spoke to last night. I'll report in when we get back.

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Makeroomforthemushrooms · 11/10/2016 08:51

Interested to know what advice you get.

One of mine had cerebral hypoxia while under anaesthesia and woke up blind and turning in circles. He also started knuckling his paws under himself. What you're describing doesn't sound so bad though.

On the up side, my cat recovered some vision and walked normally again after the vet gave him a steroid shot (although he's still a bit clumsy). Apparently it happens sometimes with anaesthesia. I'm worried as he needs to have his teeth cleaned and I'm not sure it would be a good idea for him to be put under again.

Hope your cat is ok. Do report back!

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SuburbanRhonda · 11/10/2016 08:54

Oh mushrooms that sounds awful. I'm so glad your cat made a partial recovery.

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Makeroomforthemushrooms · 11/10/2016 09:06

Thank you. It was awful! The vet who had done the surgery was quite upset about it. It was just one of those things though. Plus kitty and I had such an intensive bonding time while he recovered that he now thinks he's human!

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SuburbanRhonda · 11/10/2016 09:13

Hang on, I thought they were human ... Smile

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Threetoedsloth · 11/10/2016 11:36

Goodness me Mushrooms- I had read that could happen , but I was consoling myself with a whole lot of "It's not that bad, it's not that bad" Good to know that your boy made a partial recovery and that you're so very bonded.Of course they're small furry humans, whoever thinks otherwise?
Right it was a ketamine reaction, so poor little lad was tripping. He was fully checked over and pronounced to be in fine form. By 9am his pupils had begun to react properly .He would have been given diazepam if he was still spacey, but he was lots better by the time he was seen.
Our vet was extremely receptive to a long and detailed discussion on GA protocol and we agreed he'll not have ketamine again , if- God Forbid- he should ever need another GA. In nearly 30 years of sharing my life with cats, they have only had GA for neutering/spaying. Except for our previous Birman girl, who had her teeth done and died of CRF just 9 months later (can't help but feel the procedure compromised her)
Our vet said would we ask our breeder to collate evidence based info on ketamine reactions in NFCs, and she's going to do that, so we feel some good may come from this nasty experience. I know that ketamine is widely used, and well tolerated, but it clearly has potential for awful outcomes in an unlucky few. Of course I know no GA comes with a guarantee. I'm just everlastingly grateful for the fact that we seem to have dodged a bullet on this occasion.

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Makeroomforthemushrooms · 11/10/2016 12:49

Good news! Glad to hear he's back to normal. Perhaps he even enjoyed his ketamine high!
Do you know if it's always ketamine that's used for GA in the UK? I remember my vet abroad saying he had given ketamine as a post-op pain killer but not for the anesthetic itself.

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Makeroomforthemushrooms · 11/10/2016 12:51

Also what do you do about teeth cleaning if you are avoiding GA? Sorry, I'm hijacking your thread...

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Threetoedsloth · 11/10/2016 13:28

I am pretty sure ketamine's the first port of call in the UK, but there are certainly alternatives. I have heard that vets in the USA aren't as keen on using it as we are here. Well not for small animals anyway. Emails are flying around the globe re our boy's experience, with lots of NFC owners and breeders instructing their vets not to use ketamine. Now maybe that's an over reaction, but telling my story on a thread read by NFC people all over the world (at my breeder's request) might start a debate?
The teeth thing is a big conundrum. Bad teeth can cause a cat to succumb, and certainly affect their quality of life very adversely. So if a vet says it's essential I'd probably take the risk of a GA. But I wouldn't do it without being satisfied that the benefits outweighed the risks. Loads of elderly cats do fine- often thrive, after their teeth have been sorted. With your cat, maybe you need to talk about the type of anaesthesia he had which made him so very ill, and insist on something else being used. But GAs will always come with caveats.Difficult one, Mushrooms.

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Makeroomforthemushrooms · 11/10/2016 13:38

I didn't realise some breeds were so affected by ketamine. NF Cats are so lovely. Mine is not one but similarly huge and fluffy.

Yes, I will have to talk to the vet about the teeth and see what he suggests.

Thanks for the info and hope your cat stays out of trouble!

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Toddlerteaplease · 11/10/2016 14:02

We use ketamine a lot, mainly as a post op pain killer for 48 hours after spinal surgery. It's brilliant!! Very Occasionally get kids tripping on it and it's hilarious.

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RubbishMantra · 11/10/2016 20:01

I was told Little M would probably be sleepy after the bollock removal, with little appetite.

No he was not! He was speeding around the house at the speed of light, literally swinging off the chandeliers, and demanding food every 15 minutes.

He only settled when we took him to bed, and crashed.

Ask your vet what anaesthetic they use. My particular breed (Devon Rex) is intolerant to several.

He seemed to enjoy whatever they gave him though.

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Threetoedsloth · 11/10/2016 21:48

Ketamine Mantra (and other ones in a particular cocktail) But it was the ketamine that caused the problem. He may have enjoyed his trip. We certainly didn't. I bet Little M was high when he was tearing around- thank goodness that was all he did!
Our previous boy was batty when he was neutered, they said keep him quiet- ha! He wall of deathed around the sitting room...................Hindsight being a wonderful thing we can now recognise he was also high.

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abbsismyhero · 11/10/2016 21:53

Make ne was totally wobbly after his op he walked into the freezer (head first) fell into his food and then thought fuck it and went to sleep!

Glad yours is back to normal 😁

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