After Exploratory Surgery

Hi friends! My kitty just had exploratory surgery for a large hairball. She is 4 days out of surgery and she seems to be healing (eating, going to the bathroom, incision site is clear). I have a few questions though:
-how can I prevent another life threatening hairball?
-will it happen again?
-is 4 days of pain meds enough? ( she's out of meds now)
- do you have any suggestions or comments?
Thanks for your help!

keroandpoppy said:

Hi friends! My kitty just had exploratory surgery for a large hairball. She is 4 days out of surgery and she seems to be healing (eating, going to the bathroom, incision site is clear). I have a few questions though:
-how can I prevent another life threatening hairball?
-will it happen again?
-is 4 days of pain meds enough? ( she's out of meds now)
- do you have any suggestions or comments?
Thanks for your help!

Click to expand...

hi

4 days of pain meds should be enough.

A hairball that bad might indicate a motility issue of the gut (transport issue, and sometimes this has a connection to inflammatory bowel disease down the road. discuss with vet.

As to prevention, regular brushing can help, all the fur on the brush is fur not ingested.  Occasional use of an anti hairball product like laxatone can help, its an edible lubricant but discuss with vet - overuse can lead to nutrient absorption issues.  Lastly using a hairball prevention dry food may help as well.