Anesthesia - kitten died - seeking input

Friend of mine adopted ( saved) two kittens from that high-kill county pound we have been trying to change. One of the kittens, a little 8 week old two lb female DIED during spay surgery.

My friend is beside herself!!! She is a vet tech and really didn't want the pound vet to do the surgeries, but didn't have a choice. The vet is actually a livestock vet, not a small animal vet.

They are having a necropsy done. But this is her account of what was given to the baby:

She gave this baby enough drugs for a goat. Am sure that is why she died and believe (also told AB- AC Director) that she never made it to the surgery table. She was given Butorphonol and Ace and some other

to dry up mucous membranes and increase (tachycardia) the heart rate as a PRE-anesthetic and if she did make it to the table, Ketamine and Iso were added then. She only weighed 2# for God's sake!!!

I read here that Ketamine is bad for cats. I feel so bad for my friend and for the little girl kitten. RIP little doll. We tried to save you!!

Ace may have done the job on its own. http://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/learni...inary-use.html

Not a drug I am comfortable with and here, horse and cat vets (for some reason, the pair go together) will not use Ace

I hate to say this but it happens... a associate of mine had a litter she rescued 2 of the 3 died on the table ...

This is sooo sad I can imagine how your friend must have felt, it's so difficult to lose a little kitten

I'm sorry for your friend. I don't like Ace for cats either, and would certainly never give it to a kitten.

Originally Posted by sharky

I hate to say this but it happens... a associate of mine had a litter she rescued 2 of the 3 died on the table ...

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Yes, there are always risks associated with anesthesia, but what you don't know is that it is widely and badly kept secret that this vet is only marginally competent at best and her surgical work is awful. Lots of infections, sutures opening up. "Butchery" is what many of the vets these cats have been taken to have called the work. So there is more to the story than the anes. risks.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Yes, there are always risks associated with anesthesia, but what you don't know is that it is widely and badly kept secret that this vet is only marginally competent at best and her surgical work is awful. Lots of infections, sutures opening up. "Butchery" is what many of the vets these cats have been taken to have called the work. So there is more to the story than the anes. risks.

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I am so sorry... my story was from a competent surgeon ( my vet who does not claim to be great )

Originally Posted by sharky

I am so sorry... my story was from a competent surgeon ( my vet who does not claim to be great )

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Thats ok... this "shelter' was also s/n sick animals, putting them under with URIs, etc just to keep to the artificially contrived 14 day policy that has now finally fallen by the way side.

Several kittens nearly died afterward and a couple of them did pass away... This was last fall.

One word: Lawsuit

Did your friend already 'purchase' the kitten? ie was the kitten already your friends kitten? if the kitten was, it would make a difference...

If so, you could tell your friend to seek legal advice. Because, a Vet is a Doctor, and what you're saying is, that the Vet was negligent with your friend's kittens life. If this was a human, the Dr would probably be in jail right now.

The point isn't to get monetary value for this, it's to give this clinic a kick up it's ass, and maybe in the future it might not be so quick to do this. 8 weeks is really young to spay a cat isn't it?

If the kitten was already hers, and she entrusted it's care and well-being to the vet, regardless of waivers - if the vet was negligent, the vet should pay for that.

The vet and vet techs are TRAINED to know better. In my country, you need a high school GPA of 97.5% to get into a vet course and even then you might not be selected. A human doctor needs 95%, 2.5% lower! What I'm trying to say, is accidents do happen, but this vet should know better and should have been way more careful.

It's the equivelent of what happened to that Actors twins. Where they gave them 100x the dossage of a blood thinner by accident, and turned the neonatal twins blood into water. A doctor/vet should take care with any life, but to be negligent with a BABY, an INFANT is beyond disgusting, because they should be taking extra care with them being that they are so small and fragile.

It sounds like negligence, and the vet should be made to take responsibility for that. If it was accidental, fair enough, nobody can be god, but this vet as you said, gave the kitten way too much and that's the cause of death.

I'm sorry for your friends loss.

OMG! What a heartbreaking thing!

Isn't an 8 week old, 2lb kitten too small to spay?

They can be spayed at 2 lbs, that's the lowest they can weight but they can s/n 2 lb kittens. I wouldn't want a 2 lb kitten spayed but as long as they weigh at least 2 lbs it can be done.

Taryn

Two pounds is the min. yes. But she is not an expert is pediatric spay/neuter. I don't trust her to s/n an adult!! But we have no choice if we pull cats.. or dogs .. from this place.

This was a shelter kitten, a surrender. My friend bought her out along with her brother.

We do feel that the vet's incompetence plays a role, but proving it is another thing.

One of the things we were pushing for is foster homes for the tiny babies so they get be well and bigger before undergoing surg. and being adopted.

That is probably not going to happen.

Get as much information as possible, every scrap of paper listing medications used.
Then report the vet to the state veterinary board for malpractice and negligence due to the drugs and doses of drugs used in a kitten of that age and weight.

There are also several online advocate sites you can post the information to. Though be careful there as one doesn't want to be sued for libel.


I like kittens to at least weigh 3lbs and to be right on schedule as far as their development should be. Any illness or sign that they're lagging developmentally and I'll wait. I have one that's 5lbs now, and still not spay because she's so small and behind her brother and sister developmentally. (she looks like a 12-14-ish week old and only weighs what she does because all of my kittens are rather chubby)

Ace, Torb, and Ketamine... what a whammy on such a little one... I personally would've chosen torb/ace over torb/ket.... Torb/Ace should have been enough for a two pounder... if other kitties go through the same anesthetic protocol and survive, she may have had an underlying condition, like cardio myopathy, that caused her to crash. I'm not trying to defend the surgeon, particuarily, but giving a possible reason as to why her body reacted to the drugs like she did. Even if she was given a higher dose...

BTW, Acepromazine is used to reduce the heart rate and lower the blood pressure, not increase it. Just for your knowledge.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend's kitty. I have lots of kitties in heaven to look after her.

Okie

RIP baby kitty!!!

Thats horrible isnt there anyone you can go to and talk to, directors a board of some sort anyone. There has to be something done. Im sorry I know they are "trying" to help save animals lives by having them adopted out but even to me 2lbs and 8 wks is just too young to have s/n. They are so tiny then. My heart just breaks for that poor kitten and all the other animals that have passed due to that vets incompetance. Its horrible

Originally Posted by farleyv

OMG! What a heartbreaking thing!

Isn't an 8 week old, 2lb kitten too small to spay?

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I agree with this.

We lobbied for a different vet and were shot down by the county board, even in the face of stories about sick animals and sutures ripping open, etc.

The AC director did offer and is sending the kitten to Michigan State for a necropsy.

There will be a lot of changes coming at this "shelter". It has taken a year of lobbying to get there... and I am CONVINCED that a person with some horrible insider information spilled his/her guts to the commissioners. They smelled "lawsuit" and decided they had better get on the stick. Othewise we would still be banging our heads against the wall.

I was lying awake last night thinking about that poor kitten and that vet.

I hope you're right about the changes coming to that shelter. I also hope you realize what great, important work you are doing on behalf of animals who can't protect themselves from that vet. I can't praise you enough!

I wish there were a way to gather enough records to show that the vet should lose her license.