Speutering on a full stomach

jen

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What is the problem with speutering a cat who has eaten in the past few hours? One vet says to let the cat eat whenever he wants before the surgery and the other almost freaks out if you aren't 100% sure that the cat did not eat anything before coming in. What is the deal? what are the problems that can occur if the cat did eat something? Is it a life or death situation here?
 
gayef

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It can be ... the purpose of being without food (or NPO - which is the Latin nil per os and means 'nothing by mouth') before surgery is based on the nausea which often accompanies anesthesia. Inhaling vomited stomach contents into the lungs is called "aspiration", and can be dangerous. Fortunately, the body has an effective mechanism to stop this from happening. Unfortunately, while a body is unconscious, this mechanism does not work and so most vets will recommend that all surgical patients be NPO for 8 to 12 hours prior to any procedure requiring anesthesia.
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by gayef

It can be ... the purpose of being without food (or NPO - which is the Latin nil per os and means 'nothing by mouth') before surgery is based on the nausea which often accompanies anesthesia. Inhaling vomited stomach contents into the lungs is called "aspiration", and can be dangerous. Fortunately, the body has an effective mechanism to stop this from happening. Unfortunately, while a body is unconscious, this mechanism does not work and so most vets will recommend that all surgical patients be NPO for 8 to 12 hours prior to any procedure requiring anesthesia.
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That exactly... In a human the stomach is emptied between4-6 hours after eating...
 
katiemae1277

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The vet clinic that I am taking my 4 to on Thursday (the spay/neuter clinic on Fulton Rd, Jen) said that if they are less than 6 months old I can let them eat, but if over 6 months not too
I always thought that they were not supposed to eat too... but what about those feral clinics like TNR1 volunteers at? how do they know if they have eaten or not?
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by katiemae1277

The vet clinic that I am taking my 4 to on Thursday (the spay/neuter clinic on Fulton Rd, Jen) said that if they are less than 6 months old I can let them eat, but if over 6 months not too
I always thought that they were not supposed to eat too... but what about those feral clinics like TNR1 volunteers at? how do they know if they have eaten or not?
Click to expand...
My vet does feral s spay/ neuters last part of the day after you bring them in first thing in the morning
 
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plebayo

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It can be ... the purpose of being without food (or NPO - which is the Latin nil per os and means 'nothing by mouth') before surgery is based on the nausea which often accompanies anesthesia. Inhaling vomited stomach contents into the lungs is called "aspiration", and can be dangerous. Fortunately, the body has an effective mechanism to stop this from happening. Unfortunately, while a body is unconscious, this mechanism does not work and so most vets will recommend that all surgical patients be NPO for 8 to 12 hours prior to any procedure requiring anesthesia.
Click to expand...
This is the truth. We do a lot of spays and neuters on rescues and the foster parents don't seem to be informed NOT to feed them, and they all end up throwing up half the time. It's a pain because as stated they can end up sucking the vomit back into their lungs. Most cats or dogs if fed before a surgery will throw up.
 
jcat

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Originally Posted by katiemae1277

The vet clinic that I am taking my 4 to on Thursday (the spay/neuter clinic on Fulton Rd, Jen) said that if they are less than 6 months old I can let them eat, but if over 6 months not too
I always thought that they were not supposed to eat too... but what about those feral clinics like TNR1 volunteers at? how do they know if they have eaten or not?
Click to expand...
I've read that, too, i.e., that in the case of a "pediatric spay/neuter", the really little ones can eat. I'm guessing, but they might need the calories to maintain their body heat. A two or three-month-old usually gets about four (or five) small meals a day, while a six or seven-month-old gets two or three.
 
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