Impaired vision after anesthesia

My one-eyed 9 year old cat Chloe had surgery yesterday to remove a small skin growth on her back. She has only been outside the house twice in 4 years, and it panics her to go for a car ride. During the 10 minute drive to the vet's office, she was very stressed and started panting. I noticed her pupil was extremely dilated. When we got the vet's office, they took her to the back and I did not see her again until I picked her up later in the day. Vet said surgery went fine and there were no complications. Chloe seemed a bit "stoned" but otherwise OK. Then I noticed that her pupil is still completely dilated. I cannot see any of the iris. Her vision is significantly impaired and she's bumping into walls. She also seems desperately hungry and goes to her food bowl repeatedly, puts her face in the food, but seems to be confused and acts like she can't find the food. So she's not eating or drinking and is mostly blind now. She also does not recognize the other cat in the house, Molly, and hisses anytime she detects movement from Molly. I'm so worried her vision is permanently impaired. Any advice would be appreciated. I have a call into my vet's office but haven't heard from them yet.

Was the procedure done today, yesterday, last week?

If you haven't gotten an answer from the vet yet, call back and describe the symptoms to them in detail. 

From what you wrote, it sounds like Chloe's vision problems began in her car ride to the vet, before her surgery. That makes me think the anesthesia is not the culprit.     I'm not a vet myself, so this is just conjecture but I wonder if her blindness is the result of high blood pressure. When you talk to the vet,  you might ask about this.  Since Chloe will probably need to go back to the vet, ask him to prescribe medication to keep her calm during the ride and visit.  The usual medications are xanax, ativan or valium but recently I read of a case where gabapentin was prescribed with good results.  Also spray the inside of her carrier with Feliway and keep it covered with a towel while she's in the car - these will also help reduce her anxiety.  

If this is due to high blood pressure, it's my understanding that the sooner you get it treated, the greater chance Chloe has of regaining her vision.  

Please let us know what happens.  Fingers crossed that Chloe is okay.    

Thanks all. The vet called back just a minute ago. She thinks the dilated pupil is from the opiates they gave her to control the pain. Chloe's blood pressure was checked before the procedure and it was fine. Her heart rate was good through the entire procedure, too. Vet did notice when Chloe came into the office yesterday that her breathing was fast and shallow due to the stress of the car ride. Vet gave her a small dose of sedative to calm her down and let her relax for about an hour before starting the surgery. She instructed me to just watch her over the weekend and give her sub-q fluids tomorrow and Sunday if she's still not eating or drinking. If the eye isn't any better by Monday, she wants me to bring Chloe in the office to have it examined. I think I'm feeling even more stressed than Chloe!

Whew, that's great news about the blood pressure!      I should have realized that of course they would check it before performing surgery but I was really worried.  

One thing - I think you should probably be a little more proactive about getting Chloe to eat than just giving her sub-q fluids.  Would she eat if you fed her by hand?  I just worry about her developing hepatic lipidosis since it can develop so quickly.  

Here's hoping everything clears up soon!  

I'm worried about the lack of food, too. Chloe normally LOVES her regular food, so it's disconcerting to see her unable to even recognize food as food. I tried putting some in her mouth last night and she wasn't going for it. It just fell out of her mouth. I even tried giving her some bites of pepperoni, which is her all time favorite food. She sniffed at it but didn't recognize it either. Maybe I'll try some baby food in a syringe and squirt it in her mouth.

The chicken flavored baby food was a hit. Chloe ate almost the whole jar, and she's drinking a bit of water, too. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing the same improvement in her eye condition.

That's very good news about Chloe eating the baby food.  That's one less thing to worry about. 

The business with her eyes is certainly strange.  I have to admit I've never heard of this kind of reaction after surgery. If there's no improvement by tomorrow, it might be worth calling an emergency vet (it would be the weekend) and asking if you should bring her in.  At least it would give you peace of mind to get a second opinion.  

enterprise001 said:

 
Thanks all. The vet called back just a minute ago. She thinks the dilated pupil is from the opiates they gave her to control the pain. Chloe's blood pressure was checked before the procedure and it was fine. Her heart rate was good through the entire procedure, too. Vet did notice when Chloe came into the office yesterday that her breathing was fast and shallow due to the stress of the car ride. Vet gave her a small dose of sedative to calm her down and let her relax for about an hour before starting the surgery. She instructed me to just watch her over the weekend and give her sub-q fluids tomorrow and Sunday if she's still not eating or drinking. If the eye isn't any better by Monday, she wants me to bring Chloe in the office to have it examined. I think I'm feeling even more stressed than Chloe!

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i read further on that your Chloe is eating some chicken baby food -- that's great news! if she's not eating enough, near the amount that she normally does, then i'd be sure to give her the sub-q fluids tomorrow and/or sunday. subcutaneous fluids can in some cases prevent or at least delay hepatic lipidosis from developing. i know because sub-q's did that for my little snick once.

Chloe's pupil is finally starting to constrict a little bit, so about 2 or 3 millimeters of iris is showing. She's not bumping into walls anymore and is no longer hissing at the other cat. I think she's on the road to a full recovery. I'm feeling much better, too. 

I'm really glad to hear this.      What a relief!    I'm glad you're feeling more calm as well.  These little guys do have a way of putting us through the ringer worrying about them!  

How is Chloe today?  Hoping her vision is back to normal.

Poor Chloe. My pumpkin face had dialated pupils for three days following her dental procedure several years ago. But she was still eating and drinking. And bumping into things. I called the vet daily as I didn't think this was normal but I guess it is...keep up the babyfood. Its perfectly fine for a few days as you reintroduce her regular food.

Its so stressful after surgery. Seems we have so many things to keep watch out for and not get anxious. Not sure if this information helps but wanted to share my experience with this annoying side effect.

Chloe's eye has returned to normal. It took 3 days, but it's normal again. It appears the vet was right and we just needed to wait until the pain killers were out of her system. She's doing just fine now. Thanks for all the support, suggestions, and reassurances. 

I'm so glad to hear that Chloe is back to normal.   Thanks for keeping us updated - I certainly learned something from your experience!       I hope her incision is healing well.