Anethesia side effects?

Hi guys, me again (sorry, I post so often) -- I was wondering if anyone knew how long after a procedure anethesia was supposed to wear off. Took my cat to a dental today (polish and cleaning), dropped him off at 7:30 am but I don't think he was seen until 3pm or so, and when I called they said he couldn't leave until after 4:30 because he was still really woozy. I went at 4:30 (nervous wreck I am) and he was blitzed out of his mind. From 4:30 this afternoon until 10 pm this evening he was still blitzed, (Unable to walk well, falling over, completely oblivious to me and anyone else, pupils dialated to size of dinner plates) but was slowly coming out of it. He was still having issues walking, would trip, put his foot in his food bowl, etc. He finally stopped pacing and laid down in his hamper to sleep @ 10:05. Is that normal for it to last that long? He had ketamine and valium injections. Qty .50 (no measurement listed) of 100mg/ml of ketamine and 5mg/ml of valium. (He is 10.5 pounds) I don't know what that means exactly or if it even tells how much he got. Also, he had an awful bruise where they cath'd him in his arm. I mean it looks so dark purple. Should I be suspicious of any of this? Thanks again guys.. Sorry I bug you guys so much!!!

I am so sorry I can't help you.... I just wanted to say this: There is NOT a need for apologies AT ALL!! Gosh - I have been here since November, and already posted well over 2,000 posts! We are all here to help each other in taking care or our babies, and ourselves too - I made great friends in here, I am sure you will too.
It's a pleasure to have you on the site, and feel free to post as many times you want!
Vibes for you baby

Some animals bruise easily with catheter placement. I wouldn't worry about it but make sure he doesn't lick at it because he could cause a sore.

As far as anesthesia it sounds like they must have done the procedure around 3pm because he sounds WAY groggy! We do our surgeries between 9:00am[when the Doctor gets in] and 12:00pm, patients can go home after 3:30pm. If we put them on fluids we usually keep them longer to get the full benefit. They are up and moving around by the time they get home, definitley sleepy but their eyes are usually back to normal by then, they might be a little unsteady but can usually navigate things fine.

It should wear off by tomorrow I would just keep him very quiet... maybe even in his carrier to sleep it off.

For future procedures, advise your vet that the anesthesia used this time caused minor issues. Request that they use gas only - isoflurane or sevoflurane and NO ketamine.

The standing surgical orders for all of my cats whenever they have to undergo anesthesia is:

• Mask induction with iso or sevo only - no ketamine

• Use iso or sevo only throughout the procedure - again, no ketamine

• IV fluids and pain relief on board throughout

• Oxygen and heart monitoring on board throughout

• Pain relief (usually bupronex) sent home with afterwards

Anesthesia lowers a cats body temperature significantly. When they must have it, ready their homecoming with a comfy, warm bed with soft, snuggly blankets and either hot water bottles or rice heaters. This will help them to raise the body to the normal 102.5 - once they warm up to normal body temp, they normally do much better.

Thanks guys. I figured maybe it was just because the procedure was late, but he has never had a hangover for that long before. He also didn't get anything to eat from 10 pm yesterday night to 4:30 this afternoon, so he was -not at all- happy. I just finished reading some vet recommendations about concerns using ketamine so I will make sure to call them tomorrow to note that in his chart. He kept thudding inside his carrier so I had taken him out and held him, walked around with him over my shoulder. He seemed to love that, or either was totally oblivious. Otherwise I followed him constantly to keep him safe so he could pace. Seemed like it helped him a little. He cuddled down in his hamper which has lots of soft warm towels in it. As far as pain meds, they have a "pain pack" they send him when teeth are removed, and I asked the doctor to tell me if he thought it was necessary, and he didn't send any home since no teeth were removed. I do know one thing, his wet food treats are going to have to significantly decrease in the coming days and months. Maaaan he is not going to like that either Thanks you carolinalima, you've eased my anxiousness and gayef, thank you for posting this information, it is very helpful to me. Plebayo, I will make sure he does not lick it. He acts like his paw/lower arm is sensitive to stand on, and I will keep a close eye on it. Thanks again!!

Wickett was like that after his neuter. I took him to neuterscooter and he was one of the last cats done so he was barely comming around when I picked him up. I closed him in the bathroom with lots of soft blankets where it was extra warm and I skipped the food and water to he didn't get sick or accidentally drown himself. I had it in there supervised and he face planted in his food dish several times. I picked him up around 6pm and by morning he was much better.

As for bruising, it could have been that when they removed the cath they didn't keep enough pressure on it or for long enough and so he continued to bleed out a little under his skin. Happened to me once with some blood work I had done. Just keep an eye on it and if he's still favoring that leg contact the vet.

For future procedures, advise your vet that the anesthesia used this time caused minor issues. Request that they use gas only - isoflurane or sevoflurane and NO ketamine.

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Just FYI you have to be careful with gas anesthesia as well. It can be really stressful for the cats to go down and if they go down stressfully that how is how they awaken. It can also make their trachea spasm and cut their air off. There is no 100% anesthetic. valium/ketamine combo is actually one of the safest because it doesn't lower blood pressure like some of the other drugs do. [Domitor/torb lowers blood pressure significantly]. Yes gas is nice because they are down and up right away but it can be very stressful for the cat and there are still certain dangers.

I think the problem mostly here is it sounds to me like they should have made the cat stay over night if they weren't going to do the procedure in the morning.

Originally Posted by Plebayo

Just FYI you have to be careful with gas anesthesia as well. It can be really stressful for the cats to go down and if they go down stressfully that how is how they awaken. It can also make their trachea spasm and cut their air off. There is no 100% anesthetic. valium/ketamine combo is actually one of the safest because it doesn't lower blood pressure like some of the other drugs do. [Domitor/torb lowers blood pressure significantly]. Yes gas is nice because they are down and up right away but it can be very stressful for the cat and there are still certain dangers.

I think the problem mostly here is it sounds to me like they should have made the cat stay over night if they weren't going to do the procedure in the morning.

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I respectfully disagree with you that ketamine/valium anesthesia is "safe". I realize that a lot of vets have used this combination successfully in cats for years, however, due to personal, first-hand experience, none of my cats will ever receive ketamine again. I have lost three beloved companions over time from the complications of ketamine use. On each occurance, the explanation I was given for their death was "there are some cats who don't respond well to ketamine and until we use it, there is no way to know which ones will respond well and which ones won't" or some differently-worded comments that essentially meant the same thing.

As for gas induction being stressful, yes, I agree that it can be for some cats. However, IMO, the small amount of stress experienced is an acceptable risk when compared to the alternative, which could potentially end up being catastrophic. I would rather my cats experience a little stress than wind up dead. I completely understand the "certain risks" of gas anesthesia, such as the trachea spasms ... this is why I demand that my cats be intubated and O2/constant monitoring is on board throughout the procedure.

My strong encouragement to anyone who is preparing to have a cat go under anesthesia would be to speak openly and frankly with their trusted vet, find out what kind of anesthesia will be used, discuss and research the risks associated long before the procedure is to take place, and make their own decision as to what route to take.

Originally Posted by gayef

I respectfully disagree with you that ketamine/valium anesthesia is "safe". I realize that a lot of vets have used this combination successfully in cats for years, however, due to personal, first-hand experience, none of my cats will ever receive ketamine again. I have lost three beloved companions over time from the complications of ketamine use. On each occurance, the explanation I was given for their death was "there are some cats who don't respond well to ketamine and until we use it, there is no way to know which ones will respond well and which ones won't" or some differently-worded comments that essentially meant the same thing.

As for gas induction being stressful, yes, I agree that it can be for some cats. However, IMO, the small amount of stress experienced is an acceptable risk when compared to the alternative, which could potentially end up being catastrophic. I would rather my cats experience a little stress than wind up dead. I completely understand the "certain risks" of gas anesthesia, such as the trachea spasms ... this is why I demand that my cats be intubated and O2/constant monitoring is on board throughout the procedure.

My strong encouragement to anyone who is preparing to have a cat go under anesthesia would be to speak openly and frankly with their trusted vet, find out what kind of anesthesia will be used, discuss and research the risks associated long before the procedure is to take place, and make their own decision as to what route to take.

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I agree with Gayef. I lost one of my aby cats to Ketamine after a dental procedure. It was an awful experience I would never want to go through again. Ever since that happened I will never let my vet use Ketamine on any of my cats. ISO is not as bad on the kidneys and liver and they come home awake and alert. I have talked to my vet about ISO and he also says it isn't as hard on their system.

My vet uses a combination of propofol (a short-acting injectable) and either iso or sevo for maintainence. My old boy tends to be a little loopy when he comes home but for him, that is usually a side effect of the pain medicine (Buprenex) rather than the anesthesia. When my vet used to use Ketamine, there was a much longer recovery period.

Hello. I understand your concern and have serious thoughts on the implications of anesthesia on cats.

Last March I took my beloved Tania in for a routine cleaning...the only one she would have for her lifetime here, and as they did a blood panel and found she has a heart murmur, decided to use just gas. I was crying when I dropped her off and had serious second thoughts, but also am aware that my emotions and trusting other people with my child are evident. When I picked her up that afternoon I was told she had a hard time going under and by looking at her she was still 'rocked' with the drug. She was out of it. She has never been the same and had a crackly voice upon the following days sounding weak, some tremor's lack of appetite etc. I knew something was wrong. I took her into another vet and he thoroughly checked her over in particular looking into her eyes. He announced she had a mild stroke. So the idiots that did her cleaning nearly killed her by having no  oxygen to her brain. That is not a good vet. !!!  The vet that told me this also stated that she may only have a year or so left to live. As when they have a stroke it takes a lot out of them and ages them somewhat. So now I should have trusted my instincts. I tell you , too, if you have had a similar experience to trust yourself. I am giving Tania natural suppiments and upping her protein levels to where she should be for her age of 13. I have had her since she was 2. My Sabre lived until he was 18 and Sully to 21 years old. So to me 13 is too young to leave this world. I feel horrible, of course, because she trusted me. Anyway, please before you take your cat in and he or she has to go under anesthesia weigh out the pros and cons. If you have to brush their teeth yourself and get cat grass they love this stuff.   ~Laurie

I took my male kitten/cat not quite 6 months in to be neutered yesterday.  When I went to pick him up, they said they had just loaded him up on pain meds and I was given cautions -- keep quiet, few days, try to keep him in.  I brought home a buzzed amped up  crack-head cat who jumped, zoomed, paced, acted ADHD -- head jerk "Oh, what's that?"  Jerk again, "what's that?"  I kept him in a room for 3.5 hours in which I expected him to rest and instead I got this behavior.  It continued for the next 4-5 hours.  He was willing to lie down next to me about 10:30 that night and slept.  If he had been a human, I likely would have taken him to Emergency Room and asked if they could undo what was being done.  I went to the vet today and told them my cat's response.  The vet mentioned Ketamine derivative used.  And said it is all good since the cat today was a more subdued form of himself.  He said my cat didn't break it down the way most cats do.  I had to say, and I did, that his behavior following surgery was not okay.  What damage was done by all the running, leaping, chasing, etc. I felt I had to insist, which I did, that it be put in his chart no Ketamine.  And he cautioned me that I would have to remember it if I went some place else.  Like I would forget this???  Cool that it is safer for most cats than what they have done.  However, not my cat.  I know that meds can be different for all of us, regardless of number of legs and fur or feathers we have.  I am concerned that the vet wanted me to think everything was just fine.  And as I have read other posts on this topic, I'm glad I took the action I did.  And I am too old to be patted on the head and sent on my way.

That's not an unusual reaction when male kittens are neutered. Usually they crash after a couple of hours and might be subdued the next day, but the hyperactivity is fairly normal.

I don't think he could have damaged anything, since the OP was external. Most vets here don't give the males painkillers afterwards.

Thanks for the response.  I suspect that the person who said they had just loaded him up with pain meds was hopefully not telling the truth.  The front desk person seemed surprised the next day when I repeated what had been said to me.   I continue to be disappointed in vet's response, like it is no big deal.  It is a big deal when cat comes home like that, even if surgery was minor. 

The AAHA anesthesia guidelines recommend gas/ET tube(goggle site ) My healthy male 9 year old Himalayan was given Telazol for dental cleaning and he is till not back to normal 33 hours later. He had dilated pupils, unsteady gait-falling down, restless frequent meowing, rapid respirations, irregular heart rate, and expiratory wheezes. This is not a good drug and the vet didn't seem very interested in the symptoms when I called so I'll be finding another vet. I will never allow use this drug again and plan to report the effects. I hope others read information on this site avoid use of this drug and find a knowledgeable vet.

I edited off my post as I just realized this thread is from 2009. Oops. 

Hi there Snickerdoodle how are you?

We are Matthias and Lilian from Australia, we have four cats Felix, Stella , Tommy and Jerry.

Every time we take our cats to our Vet for a check up or for any other health reason we always ask questions if we have any doubts...Remember your pet is like a child and you have the right to ask all questions you think you need an anwser to them..

Remember a good Vet takes his or her time to answer your questions in regards to the health of your pet.

I Lilian can answer to your question, but normally your Vet should have gave you all the information about the side effects and how long it takes for an after  procedure anesthesia to wear off..., Normally it takes up to 24 hours from the time the anethesia began to work. So it is normall for an animal to feel a bit strange and dissorientated after the waking up from the anesthesia, but for this you must ask to your Vet to explain to you what you need to watch in the behaviour of your cat during the recovery hours or days after an operation, and if anything looks strange to you or you feel there is something not right in the behaviour of your cat please go back straight away to the Vet.., rather a ride for nothing then a ride to late... do you get me?

We wish you and you cat all the best. Lilian and Matthias.

Why no ketamine?