Blindness after sedation!!

ginag

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Hi there, i resently had to take my cat to an emergency vet clinic after he had a bad cat attack and couldn't walk and was in a lot of pain. they had to sedate him in order to check him over so i left him with them for a few hours. The following day i noticed that he actually couldn't see anything at home and had issues with going outside or using the litter tray. We took him to our normal vets where they adminstered a pain killer which then made him go to the loo - i think he had been building it up. They said the blindness was not due to high blood pressure so it must have been the sedation (as they did mention it took a while for him to go under). Just wondered if anyone else has had a similar occurance, hes only 10 and i'm really hoping its not going to be a permenant thing. Any ideas welcome as we are soooo frustrated this has happened!!! Thanks
 

alleygirl

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Oh the poor thing. I don't have any advice to offer but sending positive vibes to you and your kitty. I hope this isnt permanent!
 

miss mew

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Oh my goodness! I've never heard of that before....poor little guy


I'm sure there will be someone along with some wisdom on this issue soon
 

les0304

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Post-anesthetic blindness would most likely be caused by brain hypoxia (not enough oxygen in blood or poor perfusion to brain). If this is the cause of the blindness it could be temporary or permanent depending on how long the brain was deprived of oxygen.

I am sorry to hear that this happened. Hopefully he returns back to normal asap.
 
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ginag

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thanks for the info, any idea how long i should wait before we think it will be permenant rather than temporary? I really don't know what to think....
Thanks
 

white cat lover

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Is there any way for you to get another opinion from another vet or maybe an eye specialist? I don't know anything about blindness after sedation, but I have a 7 y/o kitty who has retinal degeneration & is almost 100% blind now. If you have any questions about living with a blind cat, I'm more than willing to answer them! You can drop me a PM with your questions.
 

kittenkiya

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Does it appear that the cat has regained his sight? If not, I would suggest a call to the vet as soon as possible.


By the way, are you sure it is the sedation and not that his eye was injured in the cat attack?
 

jean44

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Your poor kitty.
What a horrible thing to happen. I hope the blindness is only temporary. Hugs to you in dealing with this.
 

kittycorner

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I am sorry to hear about your poor kitty. I am a vet tech and have seen it happen in a few rare cases. One was our receptionist's kitty, we went to do surgery for a foreign body and while under the cat died briefly. After resuccetation, Hairy was temporarily blind but it has been one year since the incident and he has regained 99% of his vision. A few cases have also come over from the emergency clinics in our area where they have been temporarily blinded from anesthesia, but all have reagined sight. I have learned from the neurologist that what you see in roughly 2 weeks is what you will get. A few cases have continued to improve over the next few months but most of what is there after 2 weeks is what you will have permanently. Do you know if your kitty is totally blind or just able to see shadows and light, this may make a difference in how fast he/she recovers. Just a few thoughts and I will keep you and your kitty in my thoughts and pray for the sight to make a comeback quickly.
 
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ginag

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thanks for that, i'll keep you posted. Another issue he seems to be developing is toilet issues..... as i have to keep him in at the moment he keeps holding on and not using his litter tray which normally he has done in the past. It got so concerning that we had to take him into the vets yesterday and was going to have to have a catheter put in but luckily he got scarred and produced a wee, but since yesterday day time, nothing in the litter tray as yet!!!! We've been putting him in it, scratching in it but still can't tempt him, the problem is the more you hold it in the more painful it gets i suppose. Any ideas?
 

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If he is refusing to use the litterbox indoors I guess I would let him out to do his duties with your supervison, if he can't see too well chances are he isn't gonna get very far away from you. Can you put a leash or something on him to keep him close? I am just a little concerned because if he continues to hold it-you may end up dealing with more issues than him not being able to see. I can evolve into bladder infection, possible behavior problems later on, kidney failure, and even getting blocked so he cannot pee. Have you tried using the Cat Attract litter? or maybe you can lock him into a bathroom with the litterpan and some food and leave him there till this all passes-remember MOST kitties do not like to soil the floor where they are living, so that forces them to have to use the litterbox, doesn't always work, but just a thought. There are also some behavior alering drugs that can be used to help him remember to use the litterpan but those can get expensive and he seems to be having enough health issues that I would consider this as a last resort. Good luck and I will keep thinking on your problem and let me know if there is anything else I can help with. Poor little guy and poor mom and dad!
 
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ginag

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Hes getting back to normal THANK HEAVENS!!!! Its truely amazing but his eyes are starting to go back to normal and he seems like he can see again and he seems to be going to the toilet ok.... so touch wood he should be back to his old self again!!! I'm sooooo pleased!!
 

white cat lover

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Originally Posted by ginag

Hes getting back to normal THANK HEAVENS!!!! Its truely amazing but his eyes are starting to go back to normal and he seems like he can see again and he seems to be going to the toilet ok.... so touch wood he should be back to his old self again!!! I'm sooooo pleased!!
We all are as well! I'll be sending {{{full recovery}}} vibes to you!
 

kittycorner

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That is GREAT news, I am glad to hear it. I was really hoping for your sake that he would continue to improve. Keep up the good work little man and we will keep our fingers crossed that he continues to regain sight and the litterbox issues!
 

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This is an old thread, I dont expect anyone to respond.

This must have been so upsetting for you and your cat. Im glad he has recovered (fully?).

These complications are why we dont take our pets to the vet unless we absolutely have to......and we would have taken our cat to the vet had we been in your position after the cat fight.

Scary........
 
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