Pre-anesthesia bloodwork before spay?

[kluchetta]

What an educational thread! Unfortunately I have a bit of a sad story, but the moral of the story is that it is good to get the pre-surgery bloodwork.

My kitten was going to be neutered at 6 months and I did (for some strange reason - I'd never done it before) order the bloodwork. They shared with me the fact that his protein was a "bit" high, they weren't sure what that was about, but possibly "a systemic problem that had been going on for a while."

They used Ketamine, and he was just groggy for at least 24 hours. He felt great for 1 day, then 2 days after the surgery he got extremely ill. High fever, third eyelid, not eating.

After a good almost 3 weeks and many, many trips to the vet and to specialists, we had to put Smudge to sleep due to FIP. I only share this because I think I would have not accepted the diagnosis of FIP except for the telltale bloodwork. So maybe the bloodwork won't tell you exactly what you were thinking it would. But it can be very helpful.

I hope your kitty will have an uneventful surgery - all mine did just fine, and felt much better after spaying! Good luck!

 

[gayef]

Originally Posted by Dr. Doolittle

... your cat had a pre-existing medical condition ...

... which is common in Abbys (and Siamese and a few others) as a breed ...

Originally Posted by Dr. Doolittle

... that caused him to die under anaesthetic. The condition must not have been found on his pre-anaesthesia exam ...

Perhaps if the owners of these at-risk breeds would better educate themselves on what issues do pertain, we could mention these concerns during the pre-anesthesia exam and perhaps if the vet community actually listened to us as both knowledgable owners and breeders instead of arguing with us about how safe it is, these concerns could be charted and the appropriate precautions would be taken.

Originally Posted by Dr. Doolittle

... If I thought that abby's and siamese were at risk, I would choose a different protocol.

As owners and breeders of these breeds will tell you, tragic experience is our teacher. As pet owners, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the issues which put our cats at risk and we have the right to request the treatment we think is best based on that knowledge.

 

[rosie0708]

So I dropped off my furbaby this morning...so now I'm just waiting to see how the surgery goes...

 

[ashleyjade]

Originally Posted by gayef

As owners and breeders of these breeds will tell you, tragic experience is our teacher. As pet owners, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the issues which put our cats at risk and we have the right to request the treatment we think is best based on that knowledge.

There are a lot of tragic experiences out there that don't pertain to everyone. For example, if I take a decongestant on a daily basis for my allergies, it gives me a disorder that gives me severe and intense panic attacks. I had to be hospitalized because of one, once. To say the least, I can't take decongestants, but that doesn't mean that they are good solutions for other people. I realize that they can have these effects on people, so if my daughter ever needs to go on allergy medication, I wont tell the doctor that she can't take certain medications, I will explain what happened to me, and ask opinions, and perhaps get a second opinion.

You're an owner/breeder, not a vet or anything in the medical profession. Im not saying that your knowledge isn't valid, but these peolpe are professionals, and went to school for many years to learn what they know. It's good to question and make your own decisions, but to have the attitude that you know more about what your cat needs than your vet does is asking for something bad to happen to your cats.

-Jade

 

[ashleyjade]

Originally Posted by rosie0708

So I dropped off my furbaby this morning...so now I'm just waiting to see how the surgery goes...

Good luck! I hope that everything goes well! Keep us informed!

-Jade

 

[rosie0708]

I just received a call from the vet and her spay went well. Her bloodwork came back as normal. I will get to pick her up tonight. I am SOOOOO Relieved. Thank you for all the Well wishes...I'll post tomorrow to update on how she is doing...

 

[xocats]

That is wonderful news.

I know that you are very relieved to have this over.
Here is a big hug for you both.

 

[gayef]

*very big smile* I have been waiting to read this post. I am so very glad everything went well for you!

~gf~

 

[rosie0708]

She is doing well today. I've been watching her so she keeps it easy and not too much action. I can tell she wants to play with my other furbabies.

 

[katie=^..^=]

The poll asked for an explanation is we chose depends, so here is mine.

First I've had a few frightening experiences with anesthesias. My older cat, Nancy when she was 11 came back from a teeth cleaning bleeding from her tiny adorable nose. AND her blood work showed some kidney problems. She never had any anesthesia after that and we were unable to operate on a cancerous tumor of her eyelid. She was 19 when she died.

Then I had a tiny feral kitten spayed at a Catnippers clinic where a surgery entering from the side (rather than the tummy) was demonstrated by a doctor from India. Before reading this thread, it didn't occur to me that they must have used a different anesthesia protocol on her, but I was frightened enough to call my partner from Catnippers to come and look at her because she was under much longer than her litter mates. She did finally come to and was fine.

Next I depend very much on my vet's advice. I have a vet that I trust although he has a single-vet practice. I would take his advice on most subjects with the feeling that he is much more knowledgeable and educated than I.