Cat not eating after dental surgery

[thudfactor]

We’re about 60 hours Post-operation and we haven’t been able to get our cat to eat. He recognizes the food routine and paraphernalia and gets very excited, but once I put it down he pokes his nose at it once and then insists I give him his food again; I am wondering if he has lost his sense of smell.

He was given an opiate as a pain-killer instead of the usual NSAID because of other drug interactions, and has been back to the vet twice for subcutaneous fluids.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He was given an opiate as a pain-killer instead of the usual NSAID because of other drug interactions and has been back to the vet twice for subcutaneous fluids.

I realize anything is possible but would forgo the idea that your cat has lost his sense of smell, based on the dental surgery alone - at least not permanently. It could even be a side effect from the opiate he was given. Was it an injection, and how long did they tell you it would last in his system? There are some that seem to be the current 'go to' with vets that can last a long time in the system and have had some side effects from them.

What were the sub-Qs administered for? Did they suggest an anti-nausea med or even an appetite stimulant to get him through the healing process? What kind of dental work did he go through?

You might try other foods for now and see if that will spark his eating interest. Baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) are often accepted by cats even if they are a bit nauseous and are certainly gentle on healing gums - and stomachs.

 

[thudfactor]

The subQ fluids were to stave off dehydration (he’s not been drinking either… but they keep pushing him full of water at the vet, which might have something to do with it). The painkiller is a three hour three day sustained release opiate. We’re using Mirataz trans-dermal as an appetite stimulant (2x). And he had some extractions.

What makes me suspect the sense of smell is that he is excited at the prospect of food, i put some down, he touches his nose to it once, then he starts begging for food again. I suppose it’s possible he’s still a bit foggy, but my IBD cat won’t even come near a plate if she’s not feeling well. We’ll see if anything changes tomorrow. This guy is going absolutely bonkers over the prospect of food, which is his normal routine.

 

[FeebysOwner]

T thudfactor - So, he currently has no pain meds in his system? Could be part of the problem. An appetite stimulant is great, but not always enough if there is nausea involved - pain can attribute to nauseousness. Cats that are hungry will sometimes exhibit signs of interest in food, but when smelling it, it then turns their stomach, Nonetheless, give the baby food meat a try.

 

[thudfactor]

By my count the pain meds will be wearing off tomorrow, but the baby food is a good suggestion and we’ll give that a shot.

oh, I see I wrote “three hour” when I meant “three day.” :/

 

[FeebysOwner]

By my count the pain meds will be wearing off tomorrow, but the baby food is a good suggestion and we’ll give that a shot. oh, I see I wrote “three hour” when I meant “three day.” :/

That sounds like Zorbium, a very potent version of buprenorphine, and it has been known to cause some issues with cats, although they vary by cat. It is relatively new and may last longer in his system than just 3 days.

 

[thudfactor]

Yeah, probably wrong about the smell thing. I think he can smell the food, he just doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want it. Appetite enhancers just make him more frantic. I am afraid I have hijacked this thread, so that’s probably enough of an update.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Yeah, probably wrong about the smell thing. I think he can smell the food, he just doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want it. Appetite enhancers just make him more frantic. I am afraid I have hijacked this thread, so that’s probably enough of an update.

I am not sure you need to worry about hijacking this thread since the OP hasn't been back on this site since mid 2021. I do want to point out that an appetite stimulant can actually be a 'system' stimulant. So, sometimes the amount/dosage needs to be reduced. And don't forget, an anti-nausea med is often needed in addition to the appetite stimulant.

What else is going on?

 

[thudfactor]

He's started eating again, so I think we're out of the woods. What was so very frustrating to me (and the cat) was that he acted entirely as though he didn't recognize that the food was food -- not repulsed or uninterested, but "hey, I thought you were going to give me food!", hence my guess that smell was involved. And he was absolutely frantic for food -- inappetence did not seem to be the problem.

I took him to the emergency vet yesterday because it had been four days without eating. They checked on his dental surgery and said that looked like it was healing. They also did a blood panel and ultrasound, including liver enzymes, to check for anything else that could be causing inappetence including hepatic lipidosis, said all of that looked well within parameters.

We had stopped his lowish dose of pred abruptly because he couldn't take it in food and we were very anxious about disrupting the gum sutures trying to pill him; that vet said his gums were fine and we should restart it (which we did). They also gave him an anti-nausea med and a scrip for Elura.

The Elura just about pushed him into panic over food, and then he seemed zapped for several hours. At the end of that, though, he demanded food and ate a tiny bit of it (although meowing _into_ it in frustration a lot first). A short time later I saw him sniffing the air in general with a lot of interest, which he had not been doing at all with the food, and since then he's been eating small amounts pretty regularly.

A former vet tech I spoke with this morning says she has seen some cats who have nose problems right after dental surgery, so she doesn't think it's entirely out of line that something could have caused him to not be able to smell the food; or, she says, sometimes the anesthetic causes other weirdness.

I'd think twice about a second dose of Elura (or a first dose for another cat), but it could be responsible. Or it could be the pred reduced some inflammation somewhere else that either fixed the inappetence and / or inability to smell. Anyway, he seems to be doing much better now and is sleeping comfortably in front of the radiator.

Thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

That all sounds good!! If for some reason he should need more appetite stimulant and you think the Elura is negatively affecting him, you can always ask for mirtazapine instead. They both work as appetite stimulants but in different ways, and he might respond better to mirtazapine. This med can be taken orally, or via a transdermal get that you would rub into the pinnae of his ear. The dosage is easily adjustable with the transdermal get as many cats do not need to full amount to get results.