I tried to search the health forum for posts about surgery risks for old cats, but I was unable to find any specific information about possible post-operative complications/risk evaluations for old cats, so I post my own question if that is ok.
What are the most common complications and risks with undergoing anaesthetized surgery for old cats(over ~15 years)?
Are there any specific anesthetics that are better for older cats?
Is there a point were it is better to euthenase than to take the risks with the
horrible complications following surgery?
The reason is that we lost our dear old friend last Friday. We were informed by the vet that older cats have a low survival rate in anaesthetized surgery, often resulting in acute kidney failure. But the condition with an infected tooth left no other options and the pre-operative screenings said she was in good shape.
She had undergone surgery several times before when she was younger without any problems, but this time it was as if the drugs never wore off. After three days with few signs of improvement we revisited the vet. They said that her kidneys were failing and she was given intravenous fluids.
But later that day she started getting convulsions, choking, wetting herself and was unable to rise up. (It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen) So we decided to relieve her from her pains.
Today we talked to our neighbors and they said that their cat had perished in a similar fashion shortly after surgery, so it seems like it is common for older cats. Is it perhaps better not to do surgery on old cats?
What are the most common complications and risks with undergoing anaesthetized surgery for old cats(over ~15 years)?
Are there any specific anesthetics that are better for older cats?
Is there a point were it is better to euthenase than to take the risks with the
horrible complications following surgery?
The reason is that we lost our dear old friend last Friday. We were informed by the vet that older cats have a low survival rate in anaesthetized surgery, often resulting in acute kidney failure. But the condition with an infected tooth left no other options and the pre-operative screenings said she was in good shape.
She had undergone surgery several times before when she was younger without any problems, but this time it was as if the drugs never wore off. After three days with few signs of improvement we revisited the vet. They said that her kidneys were failing and she was given intravenous fluids.
But later that day she started getting convulsions, choking, wetting herself and was unable to rise up. (It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen) So we decided to relieve her from her pains.
Today we talked to our neighbors and they said that their cat had perished in a similar fashion shortly after surgery, so it seems like it is common for older cats. Is it perhaps better not to do surgery on old cats?