OK so I'm a great big worrier, and of course I will ask the vet any questions that come to mind, but wondered if anyone had cats who had this operation....
My male kitten is due to be neutered in a couple of weeks, and will have an operation on his umbilical hernia at the same time. With a female, I understand that they do the spay through the same site, so there is only 1 incision - however my boy will essentially be having 2 operations on his little body at the same time.
I was wondering if these hernia ops tend to heal up ok or if there is likelihood of any ongoing problems? (The hernia itself has not caused any problems, we check it regularly and it is fine)
Is Radar likely to be prescribed pain medication or anything else, or would it be a good idea to specifically request some to minimise the chance of him licking/biting at his stitches
How big is the incision likely to be? I know that this will be different for males than females because it is usually the same incision as the spay, whereas for males it is a separate op.
Is he going to have to wear a cone, or is a body sock a better option? I cannot imagine him keeping either on for more than about 3.2 nanoseconds. He does not wear a collar normally and is therefore not used to wearing a collar.
My last and most awful (and probably most stupid) worry - I have heard that kitties with umbilical hernias are more likely to have other congenital problems, especially heart defects. The vet has listened to his heart on 2 previous visits, and has not said that anything is amiss. He would have said if he'd detected a heart problem, wouldn't he? Sorry I suffer from anxiety and I am getting repeated thoughts that my queries about aftercare will be irrelevant if he dies under anaesthetic. The vet wouldn't operate if there was a big risk of this, would he?
My male kitten is due to be neutered in a couple of weeks, and will have an operation on his umbilical hernia at the same time. With a female, I understand that they do the spay through the same site, so there is only 1 incision - however my boy will essentially be having 2 operations on his little body at the same time.
I was wondering if these hernia ops tend to heal up ok or if there is likelihood of any ongoing problems? (The hernia itself has not caused any problems, we check it regularly and it is fine)
Is Radar likely to be prescribed pain medication or anything else, or would it be a good idea to specifically request some to minimise the chance of him licking/biting at his stitches
How big is the incision likely to be? I know that this will be different for males than females because it is usually the same incision as the spay, whereas for males it is a separate op.
Is he going to have to wear a cone, or is a body sock a better option? I cannot imagine him keeping either on for more than about 3.2 nanoseconds. He does not wear a collar normally and is therefore not used to wearing a collar.
My last and most awful (and probably most stupid) worry - I have heard that kitties with umbilical hernias are more likely to have other congenital problems, especially heart defects. The vet has listened to his heart on 2 previous visits, and has not said that anything is amiss. He would have said if he'd detected a heart problem, wouldn't he? Sorry I suffer from anxiety and I am getting repeated thoughts that my queries about aftercare will be irrelevant if he dies under anaesthetic. The vet wouldn't operate if there was a big risk of this, would he?
