Dehydration Rule- how do I tell? HELP!

broncowenz

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Princess Jazzmin went in for her teeth cleaning...and another 2 teeth pulled. She is doing much better than last time, but hasn't drank anything since last night about 9pm (its 11am now). The vet said to watch her for dehydration...but not sure how long to wait. I have tried the tuna water and she just looks at it. She is on some pain meds, but I know that she is still in pain because I can see her twitching. Help!
 

gratefulbear629

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I don't know about your vet but at our hospital each animal getting a dental has an IV cath with fluids. So they are well hydrated for a while. To check for dehydration pinch her skin and pull up. If it snaps back into place quickly she is hydrated. If it stays up or takes a while to go back down then she is dehydrated. You can do the same thing with your skin to get the idea.

Give her some time. If she's still in pain she just might not be interested in drinking right now. Maybe offer her a few ice cubes. Since she hasn't had much to drink just make sure you only offer her a small amount at a time. You don't want her to finally drink, gulp it all down, get a belly ache and throw up.

Let us know how she is feeling! Good luck!
 

glowbugm

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especially pinch the skin along the back, or at least that is what my vet did.
 

hissy

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You don't want to give her ice water right now. She needs room temperature water and you can syringe it is slowly. Signs of dehydration are as mentioned, if the skin when lightly scruffed, stays tented up instead of folding down to normal in seconds after released. There is a gum test, but under the circumstances, you should pass on that one.
And the appearance of the third eyelid is an indication that the kitty is dehydrated or running a fever. I would try to give her liquids slowly. Just dribble them into her mouth, she will swallow the liquid. But don't force it in to fast or she could asphirate.
 

petnurse2265

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What medication is she on for pain? some of the meds for pain can make the cat feel groggy and then they are not interested in such mundane stuff as drinking water. Different meds also affect different cats different ways so what may have worked for one cat may not work for another.
 

gratefulbear629

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After being discharged from surgery (or a dental) we recommend giving the animal a 1/4 cup of water or a few ice cubes at first so they can't gulp it all down, get a belly ache and throw up.

Sorry.
 
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broncowenz

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the skin test is still doing fine...and I see her drinking a little bit. in the last 3 days she has pee'd 3 times...and they were good ones and last night she did poop...but last night at 2am she threw up her dinner and then this morning, she threw up her breakfast (but I think she just ate too fast). when does it get to the point that I need to bring her in for fluids...or is she doing okay? Also, since this is twice that she has had such problems, and the vet said she has other teeth of concern, should I just have them all out? she is a pure bred persian...6 years old. I have stayed home from work (even though she is ignoring me) because I am worried. HELP!
 

hissy

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Is she showing signs of dehydration? If she is, get her in to get fluids. You can feed her a gruel by mixing her food with warm water and then elevating her food dish a bit to relax her throat so she doesn't gulp it down. If she is a extreme faced persian you will need to keep her nose clear so she can smell her food and want to eat. I know Starlight used to push his food around because he couldn't pick it up easily, he mouth was really flat too.
 
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