# Cat teeth extraction, anesthetic ...



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

I have 2 ragdoll cats that just turned 9. 1 of my guys had bad teeth and needed 2 extracted. He had bloodwork done and has been healthy. He went in yesterday and had the teeth taken out at noon and I picked him up at 6:30. He was so wired when he got home, he didnt know what to do with himself and his eyes were dialated. His breathing seemed fast and after I stopped freaking out inside, he seemed to settle down. The anesthetic wore off and he finally slept in the morning. He has been sleeping all day long. He is so so so tired. He is eating when I bring it to him and seems quite hungry which is great. I have been mashing canned food with warm water and he is eating it all. He seems like he is wobbling and in the litter peed a lot but had a hard time really keeping his bottom up. He almost sat a bit in his pee and when he came out of the litter lay down when I took a warm cloth and wiped his bottom and the hair around it. He just seemed so tired. His eyes seem glazed over and he just seems really out of it. I know he must have had a terrible day yesterday being at the vet especially since he is so attached to me and isn't a big fan of other people. I am assuming since he had such a tiring day and was up all night he is now making up for it now. I just wanted to know how long it will take him to come out of it. He is just so exhausted. I called the vet 4 times and I was concerned . They suggested that if I was that concerned to bring him in, but he is so upset going out of the house that it was the last thing I wanted to do. . have you had similar experiences with this? please respond. Signed, a concern cat mommy


----------



## vabird (Sep 26, 2007)

It could be that all of the anesthetic hasn't worn off but I would think that he should return to normal by the morning. Sometimes, I think, that what may appear to be the effects of the anesthesia really is because the cat is worn out. They pick up that something is abnormal from their owners so they don't sleep well the night before, they have to travel to the hospital where they can't sleep well in the new environment, then they are given a tranquilizer which, finally, allows them to relax, but when they wake up from anesthesia they feel strange and can't sleep well. That would take a toll on us let alone a cat that doesn't know what is happening.


----------



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

Thanks. I hope he is better by the morning. My husband is home all day tomorrow and I was home all day today. We are trying to stay up later to keep an eye on him tonite....


----------



## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

It takes much longer for the effects of the anesthetic to wear off than most people realize. And I say "effects" because the effects, i.e. something out of the ordinary as a result of the anesthetic, can continue even when the anesthetic is completely out of the system. Being anesthetized is a traumatic experience. When we're anesthetized, we usually have retrogade amnesia and don't remember it. Can anyone say that's also true of cats? No, they can't. And so I think that getting over the traumatic experience is what they're experiencing after the anesthetic is worn off. And sometimes cats are going to be withdrawn for days, even weeks. And of course, some cats it doesn't bother at all and they're back to normal next day.

I'd say give it a couple more days. Probabilities are very high your cat will be all right. It's just going to take longer than the vet prepared you for.


----------



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

Thanks. The crazy thing is. ..My other cat who is the same age has kidney and heart problems had a tooth extracted a month ago. They were extremely careful because of the risks and when he came home it was like nothing happened. ..he was eating solid foods and didnt care. So with my cat who just had the surgery yesterday, I thought he would be ok too. It is scary seeing him like this. I hope by tomorrow morning he will be even better...


----------



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

*still tired*

My little guy cleaned himself early this morning which he was too tired to do yesterday. He is still eating a lot but is still super tired. My husband follows him around and is reading so where ever he lies, my husband sits quietly and reads. I am concerned that his energy level is still so low although he isn't get worse.. he is eating and drinking lots. Do you think i should bring him back to the vet tomorrow morning if he energy level is still low?


----------



## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

you could call your vet and ask them specifically what anesthetics were used on both cats. It might be something as simple as they are acting completely different because they were put under with different anesthetics due to your one kitty having kidney and heart problems, and your other being perfectly healthy.

We use Propofol (Propoflo) on all of our dentals, and my vet has even started using it with all of her declaws recently. They wake up quickly, but for the most part very smoothly. Ketamine/Valium is usually used in combination (I don't think I've been around cats that have been put under with it though) as well as Telazol. Us use Telazol for almost all of our routine spays and neuters. I hate watching the cats recover because they are generally freaked out. Dilated pupils, very unstable but insistant on being up up up, pacing/rocking, trying to climb out of their cages and "chasing invisible monsters" as we call it. 

With all of this though, they SHOULD be back to normal (for the most part) by morning.

Is your kitty on any pain medication? Most kitty pain meds are opiates (Buprenorphine/Buprenex being the most common that comes to mind) and they are still pretty "out of it" while they are taking the medication - again with the dilated pupiles and acting out of sorts... just not nearly as bad as with the anesthetics.

I think your best bet is to keep your kitty confined to a small room with food, water, a litter box and a place to hide... check in but for the most part let him settle for a few days. But don't at all feel like you're being too worried and calling your vet too much - its what they are there for! And if something really was wrong you'd hate it if you didn't call!


----------



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

The first cat who had a tooth extracted several weeks ago has heart and kidney problems so they used more gases and stuff like that because she said he would wake up faster and certain meds that dont filter through his kidneys. He has a lot of allergies so he couldnt have antibiotics and he was only given an injection of some pain meds that were fine and he was eating hard food right away as if nothing happened which I couldn't believe. So of course I wasnt as concerned about the other cat because he doesnt have the health problems. Now I am thinking maybe he has heart or other problems that I dont know about. The only way we actually knew the other cat had heart and kidney problems was after an ultrasound. My guy who just recently had the surgery was given (reading receipt) isoflurane and it says a local which it doesnt say. it also reads metacam injection and i was sent home with a teeny amount of liquid metacam as a pain killer to give him the day after (yesterday) as well as today. I really was not thrilled about giving it to him because I googled metacam and it had so many side effects. I called the vet to ask if there was something else I could give him and they said I should in fact give it to him because he would be in pain if I didnt. He is also on clavamox for the antiobotic which he has had before and was ok on. My husband and I feel that he isnt getting worse but he is just sooo tired and is sleeping so much. He gets up, waits for food mixed with tons of water, pees a ridiculous amount of urine and then he is so tired. i carry him back to the couch where he passes out again and sleeps sleep sleeps... He isn't vomitting or doing anything weird except for sleeping all the time.. more than he used to. I did call the vet several times and they said if i was concerned, i should certainly bring him in but I just didnt want to put him through more stress. He loves loves loves me and my husband but isnt big with other people or strangers. Going to the vet is sooo traumatizing and i thought if he was getting better.. he would go backwards. I wish they had given me a sheet of paper with a list of things that are normal/not normal. I am not a vet and it scares me seeing him not his normal self. I am hoping the sleeping is normal. They said the metacam wouldnt make him drowsy...(also...he hasnt had a bowel movement in several days before the surgery). ..any advice would be appreciated. i love him to bits and would do anything for him.


----------



## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

I am very iffy on the use of Metacam in cats. It won't (or shouldn't anyway) make him drowsy at all as it is an NSAID (just anti-inflammatory rather than the opiod types of pain meds). While it is used in dogs on a regular basis as an arthritis/anti-inflammatory with little to not problems, it was only approved for use as a single injection for cats. However, there are many clinics who use it off label as a course of take home medication but it is not meant to go beyond four days (usually an injection in the clinic and three days of medication given at home).

The clinic I work at now doesn't use Metacam at all in any cat. Ketoprofen (ketofen) is another anti-inflammatory but we only use it in young cats who no sign of kidney problems and its a single injection post operatively.

The clinic I used to work at (same vet I work for now) actually submitted (according to the company) the largest "study" of Metacam use in cats to date. Basically, we had at least two cats I can think of who had perfectly normal kidney function according to preop bloodwork performed in our clinic the day of surgery. Both were given Metacam injections and as far as I know sent with three days of take home. Both returned less than a week after surgery in full bown kidney failure.

I think there were a few "iffy" cases... but I also almost remember it was before we required bloodwork on ALL surgeries, so it may have been a matter of a seemingly young healthy cat that did not get bloodwork done so there was no "proof" of kidney function before... but I think there were mild elevations in kidney values.

We copied the records of EVERY SINGLE CAT who had received ANY Metacam in a 2 or 3 year period to submit to the company. And while it was hundreds of cats and only 2 serious cases, it was still enough that we felt it wasn't worth the risk (while there was no other factor we could pinpoint).

I'm not saying don't give it - your cat really does deserve pain medication, especially after extractions. I would venture yet another call to ask if there was any other medication you could possibly give though.


----------



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

I felt the same way regarding the metacam..after i read the studies online. I already gave him the doses they suggested. I have had his kidney blood work done over the past few months a few times and the day of the surgery. I will be very upset if he has kidney failure after this. 

Based on what i have described and his symptoms and your experiences at the clinic. My guy being so tired .. could it be that he is just taking a bit longer to heal? Have you seen this? I know when I had my wisdom teeth.. i was off for almost 2 weeks where my husband was fine a couple of days later. Also.. if for some reason he has kidney failure what would i notice? The only thing i noticed with my other guy was that he was drinking tons and that is why we investigated and had the ultrasound done. They are not siblings but cousins so they are still related. . . what is normal after teeth extraction. Are cats normally this tired for days?


----------



## Stryker (Apr 2, 2007)

I have no hesitation in saying that I am not at all *iffy* about the use of Metacam with cats. For me, it's *AN ABSOLUTE NO-NO-NEVER*.

I would strongly suggest that you contact/see the Vet tomorrow and request an alternate pain reliever. There are pleanty of other options.

What you may have read on the Internet was probably not even the tip of the iceberg. This drug is not licensed by the FDA for cats for substantial and legitimate reasons. The instances of kidney damage/failure are so numerous that the manufacturer has established recommended protocols to deal with them. Compensation claims are quietly paid out after the fact.

I personally believe that negative outcomes from the use of Metacam in the US and Canada are simply not on the radar. When a cat experiences kidney failure as a result of exposure to this drug, what Vet will advise the "owner" that it was, in all probability, due to a drug that the same Vet prescribed "off-label"? What are the chances that, instead, the ill effects will be chalked up to 'old age'/unexplained/anastheasia...?

Plain and simple rule of thumb: If you're in the US or Canada, *NEVER give Metacam to your cats!*


----------



## JillR51 (Aug 29, 2008)

I dont know what to do as he had the medicam injection during or after surgery (not sure...). I also gave him the liquid yesterday and the day before. he is now done with it. how long would kidney failure take effect? if i took him for blood tests in a week would they show? i will lose it if he has kidney failure after this....


----------

