cuddles/surgery today,update

well, i dropped off cuddles at eight thirty sharp. it's one thirty pm here now and i just called to get an update. they said they removed the tooth but they also had to end up doing a thyroidectemy. now i'm really worried. the receptionist said she thinks she's doing fine. when i initially dropped her off they said i could pick her up from three to five. .now the girl just said she "thinks" cuddles is okay..had a lot of "uhms" and "uh's" and said in a weird tone the doctor needs to talk to me and i should call back at three and we'll "see how it is then".
i'm really worried, you guys.

I hope she is ok. That sounds kinda strange to me. You still have 1 hour to go. Let us know as soon as you know something.

Originally Posted by mews2much

I hope she is ok. That sounds kinda strange to me. You still have 1 hour to go. Let us know as soon as you know something.

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i will..thanx for the quick reply..i'm watching the minutes tick by..i haven't slept since saturday..ugh.

I know the feeling. My Oldest Cat is 16.

Sending tons of vibes that everything is ok!

well, they kept her overnight and gave her iv fluids..my OH had to pick her up today because i had an important appointment..apparently they DID NOT do the thyroidectemy..the receptionist got it wrong..i am so irritated about that! they ended up removing TWO infected teeth and she has to be on meds the rest of her life..two pills a day for hyperthyroidism..
she's back to her normal self which i am so relieved about...still a little annoyed they worried me for no reason..oh well, at least she's okay which is what is important, right?

I am glad she is better. The receptionist should not have said that to you.

Oh wow, stress is stress, next time you know to have the Vet himself call you to give you an update. I know how worried you have been and sitting there for another 24 hours worrying was not fair to you.

Sending quick recovery vibes for Cuddles

thanx all. cuddles is already eating kibble mixed with baby food as the vet said she ate a bit of hard food already during her stay..she must be feeling a bit better!

I am glad she is eating and is better.

Which pills are they and what dose are they starting her at? A lot of vets are still using old information and starting the cats at too high a dose--newer information shows that starting at a lower dose tends to result in fewer side effects. Then, if it's not enough (as shown by bloodwork), it can be increased. Pills for hyperthyroidism should definitely be given at least twice per day, but the amount may vary.

Originally Posted by Tink80

thanx all. cuddles is already eating kibble mixed with baby food as the vet said she ate a bit of hard food already during her stay..she must be feeling a bit better!

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It's surprising to me that your vet would have given Cuddles dry food to eat right after having 2 teeth extracted. Whenever any of my cats have had teeth removed, the vet gives me a list of instructions for home care, the first of which is *no* dry/hard food or treats for up to 14 days. Gums are tender and sore after extractions, and need time to heal. I'm also given Buprenex for pain relief to give at home.

To be honest, I'm relieved your vet *didn't* do the thyroid surgery. IMHO it wasn't the best idea to begin with. Your cat is 17, and at 6 lbs, underweight and in compromised condition because of her lack of eating. Surgery is the riskiest option even for otherwise healthy cats.

I wonder why Cuddles didn't get thyroid meds *before* the intended surgery? I was told that was always the first step in thyroid treatment. In the weeks before doing the I-131 for my cat, I had to give her Tapazole. Hyperthyroidism can mask kidney disease. By giving thyroid meds for several weeks, and then doing bloodwork, the kidney values and thyroid level can be checked to see if the thyroid is in normal range and that there's no underlying kidney problem.

My intent is not to second-guess your vet, but only to share what I learned when I went through treating my own cat for hyperthyroidism. You obviously love Cuddles and having all the latest information will help you make the best healthcare decisions for her. I'm very happy she came through her dental surgery so well.

thanx all for the info, i'll take it into account. the meds she's on is something that starts with an m..i don't have it in front of me but i think it also ends in "zole"...sorry, for the vague description. it's half a pill twice a day and it's 5mg a pill.
i'm not sure why they didn't start meds before other than i hadn't brought her in till a few days prior..i think maybe the vet just wanted to get those teeth out asap then decide how to treat the thyroid after she determined if there was a growth on it or not? we got blood results last friday determining they hyperthyroid and procedure was scheduled monday for teeth and possible lump removal if need be...i'm really not sure.
reading your posts i'm thinking maybe i should go back to the baby food. i was a little surprised too the vet gave her hard food when she stayed overnight. i know when i had a tooth removed and there was a big gap they wanted me on soft food too and were worried about two much food getting into the gap or disturbing it as it were healing so what you are saying makes sense to me..why not keep her on soft? i also have some canned food but she doesn't seem to like it much..i think i'll still offer it...then some baby food..then maybe some kibble soaked in water so she has a variety to choose from..a little buffer of soft choices, if you will.

Sending Cuddles lots of healing prayers and vibes

Originally Posted by laureen227

Methimazole?

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yep, that's it!

My Katy had several teeth removed last year. The only thing she'll eat is dry food, I mean, she won't touch anything else! Not canned food, not tuna, not baby food. I tried soaking some of her dry food in warm water, but she she wouldn't eat that either. I'd talked to the vet before the surgery, and she said it shouldn't be a problem. If the only thing she'd eat was dry food, then she'd find a way. And she did! Before having her teeth removed, she'd carefully crunched each piece, but right after her surgery, she just swallowed then whole. Thankfully, her food was small enough that she could do that. She did have a little problem with one tiny spot in her gum that took a little longer to heal, but other than that the dry food didn't cause any problems.

Originally Posted by DebsKats

My Katy had several teeth removed last year. The only thing she'll eat is dry food, I mean, she won't touch anything else! Not canned food, not tuna, not baby food. I tried soaking some of her dry food in warm water, but she she wouldn't eat that either. I'd talked to the vet before the surgery, and she said it shouldn't be a problem. If the only thing she'd eat was dry food, then she'd find a way. And she did! Before having her teeth removed, she'd carefully crunched each piece, but right after her surgery, she just swallowed then whole. Thankfully, her food was small enough that she could do that. She did have a little problem with one tiny spot in her gum that took a little longer to heal, but other than that the dry food didn't cause any problems.

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In a case like this, where the cat refuses anything but dry food, there isn't much choice but to let her eat that. But ideally, for most cats, dry food or any other hard treats shouldn't be fed until the gums heal.

Okay, that's not a bad starting dose. I was rather concerned that the vet might have you giving a full pill twice per day, and that would be too much to start with.