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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005Cat Just Spayed: Pain Management?
The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster) cat's spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that some parents of cats do not think it's necessary. Can people post quickly their experience with this? Also, can anyone make suggestions for a home-made Elizabeth collar, should my cat start licking at her incision? So far she has not, and the tech who called to report on her surgery said that means she likely will not, but I want to be prepared. Thank you. Had many girlcats spayed over many years; never gave any of them "pain pills"....they slept heavily for a couple days, I remember. For God's sake don't give her aspirin. AFAIK, vets use a different suture type on belly incisions for cat hysterectomy (spaying) that cat can't rip out as easily as those put in for a wound....ask your vet. > The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster) cat's > spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Thank you. > The vet's office says pain management medicine following my > (foster) cat's spaying this morning is optional. They recommend > it, but recognize that some parents of cats do not think it's > necessary. Can people post quickly their experience with this? I would go with the pain management. Just buy some to have on hand because if she's in pain, you'll know it. My Scarlett was spayed in January and the pain meds they gave her just before coming home wore off and she was in pain. Moving very slowly and crying. I called the vet to ask about pain meds, but it would have been better to already have them on hand. > Also, can anyone make suggestions for a home-made Elizabeth > collar, should my cat start licking at her incision? So far she > has not, and the tech who called to report on her surgery said > that means she likely will not, but I want to be prepared. Scarlett didn't have an e-collar for the spay incision and she picked at it some, but not enough to worry over. They used surgical glue for the external incision, and internal sutures. She did end up having a bad reaction to the internal sutures, but that's a whole other story and it wasn't something that happened immediately following the surgery.  SignatureCheryl "The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." - W.C. Fields Thanks for sharing your experiences, Hopitus and Cheryl. I just got back from picking up my newly spayed, little foster cat. Given that I am also caring for a cat with a mending broken leg, I needed the cat who just got spayed to be as calm as possible. So I rolled the dice. For peoples' reference: It was only $12 for five, daily, oral liquid doses, the first to be given tomorrow. The medication is called "Metacam," a.k.a. "Meloxicam." From a quick google, it's some kind of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, used also for arthritis pain or other surgical-related pain. So far she's not licking the incision. I have her in the pen to which the other cat was previously confined, and they are chatting relatively calmly with each other now through the bars. Sounds good so far! No doubt she has "sore belly" but the other cat may distract her attention and they could be comparing each others pain levels for all we know. Hope she's back to her old self soon.... > Thanks for sharing your experiences, Hopitus and Cheryl. I just got back > from picking up my newly spayed, little foster cat. Given that I am also [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > other cat was previously confined, and they are chatting relatively calmly > with each other now through the bars. > Thanks for sharing your experiences, Hopitus and Cheryl. I just > got back from picking up my newly spayed, little foster cat. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > which the other cat was previously confined, and they are > chatting relatively calmly with each other now through the bars. I'm so glad you got the pain med. $12 is very reasonable. Having a pal nearby might help her stay calm through her healing. I hope she finds her onetruehome soon! Bless you for fostering. I couldn't do it for long. Too hard to let them go. :) I kept my last foster cat, Shamrock. SignatureCheryl "The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath." - W.C. Fields > I'm so glad you got the pain med. $12 is very reasonable. Having a > pal nearby might help her stay calm through her healing. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > -- > Cheryl One of the vets here offers take-home pain meds as an "option"... at $20. Of course most people are going to take it. But IMO, that's emotional blackmail. I'm not sure exactly what the drug was, but it was *one* tablet. I do know that you can buy a whole crapload of human pain meds for $20. Sherry > One of the vets here offers take-home pain meds as an "option"... at > $20. Of course most people are going to take it. But IMO, that's [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Sherry Probably Torb. But $20 is steep. Most cats don't need pain meds for when they are home - they usually get a shot of Torb before they are sent home. If an animal is older or pregnant, then they may get meds for home use. -L. > One of the vets here offers take-home pain meds as an "option"... at > $20. Of course most people are going to take it. But IMO, that's > emotional blackmail. Yes, that was part of my skepticism, too. Wish I knew how many stitches were in place, or whether for such a young cat the recovery is indeed faster. Just the fact that the first dose was not due until the following morning made me think perhaps it could be foregone. Still, I'm happy rolling the dice for only $12, especially with the other patient in the house. I gave the first dose an hour ago, and it seems to have tired her out, though the vet's office said it wouldn't make her drowsy. She seems alert enough that I'm not worried and figure the metacam is working the way Ibuprofen works with me--definitely relieves my knee pain but puts me to sleep, too. Hopitus--yes, I think they are definitely companions-in-arms over their ailments. They are staying close and I think are much happier with the company. Thanks also to L. and Barry for your thoughts. Purrr back at ya from my hop-a-long Cracker Jack Caramel tabby and the recently spayed Strawberry Blonde tabby. > > One of the vets here offers take-home pain meds as an "option"... at > > $20. Of course most people are going to take it. But IMO, that's > > emotional blackmail. > > Yes, that was part of my skepticism, too. Wish I knew how many stitches were > in place, or whether for such a young cat the recovery is indeed faster. How old is the kitten? For 8-10 weeks they usually have 2 internal and 2 external sutures. Recovery is within a few days. They usually don't need meds to go home. If the cat was a year old or older, I'd take meds. > Just the fact that the first dose was not due until the following morning > made me think perhaps it could be foregone. Still, I'm happy rolling the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I'm not worried and figure the metacam is working the way Ibuprofen works > with me--definitely relieves my knee pain but puts me to sleep, too. That's a good description. :) Watch the Medicam though. Some cats have adverse reactions to it. If she drools at all, quit giving it to her. > Hopitus--yes, I think they are definitely companions-in-arms over their > ailments. They are staying close and I think are much happier with the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > hop-a-long Cracker Jack Caramel tabby and the recently spayed Strawberry > Blonde tabby. Please keep us posted on how they do. -L. "-L." <gentleboa@peacemail.com> wrote snip for brevity > How old is the kitten? For 8-10 weeks they usually have 2 internal and > 2 external sutures. Recovery is within a few days. They usually don't > need meds to go home. I think she's somewhere between 8 months and a year. She's very small, but that might be the way she is always. As I mentioned earlier (I think), she had a litter of kittens a couple of months ago. We don't have much by way of records, once she became pregnant, because she is a rescue cat. I appreciate the info on the sutures. > If the cat was a year old or older, I'd take meds. Noted for the future. :-) > > Just the fact that the first dose was not due until the following > morning [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > have adverse reactions to it. If she drools at all, quit giving it to > her. Okay. So far her appetite is good and she has passed urine. She is sleeping more than yesterday, though. > Thanks for sharing your experiences, Hopitus and Cheryl. I just got back > from picking up my newly spayed, little foster cat. Given that I am also [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > other cat was previously confined, and they are chatting relatively calmly > with each other now through the bars. Good luck with them both- keep us posted. :) -L. > The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster) cat's > spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that some [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Thank you. purrs >The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster) cat's >spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that some >parents of cats do not think it's necessary. Can people post quickly their >experience with this? I had the vet medicate my cats. I think they do better with post-op pain medication. They did not need any medication after they got home. The hard part was keeping them quiet for the week or 10 days until they got their stitches out, so it was apparent they were not in much pain. >Also, can anyone make suggestions for a home-made Elizabeth collar, should >my cat start licking at her incision? So far she has not, and the tech who >called to report on her surgery said that means she likely will not, but I >want to be prepared. You might borrow one from the vet. The plastic ones are better because the cat will lick the inside of the collar. Be sure the cat can drink water with the collar on. My two did not need any restraint. I did keep them in their own room for a week so they wouldn't climbing on furniture. The surgeries were 8 years apart. One is now 10 and the other is 2. > >The vet's office says pain management medicine following my (foster) cat's > >spaying this morning is optional. They recommend it, but recognize that some [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I had the vet medicate my cats. I think they do better with post-op > pain medication. That seems like the safer bet. I guess if the pain medication were really expensive, for a young cat (without other complications like having to live with another cat) I might forego it in the future. > They did not need any medication after they got > home. The hard part was keeping them quiet for the week or 10 days [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > You might borrow one from the vet. The plastic ones are better > because the cat will lick the inside of the collar. I have a plastic one on my other cat (the one with the mending broken leg), and yes, it works great, once he gives up trying to get it off, which takes a couple of days. I take it off for his 3x a day feedings and litter box visits. (Litter box visits are supervised so he doesn't soil or wet his bandage.) > Be sure the cat > can drink water with the collar on. My two did not need any > restraint. So far the cat that was spayed has not needed the collar, but I am definitely keeping her in her pen. She'd love to romp about if I let her, though she seems to be sleeping a lot now with the Metacam pain killer. > I did keep them in their own room for a week so they > wouldn't climbing on furniture. The surgeries were 8 years apart. > One is now 10 and the other is 2. Thanks, William > That seems like the safer bet. I guess if the pain medication were really > expensive, for a young cat (without other complications like having to live > with another cat) I might forego it in the future. 'Spaying' a cat is the actual removal of the female reproductive organs. In a human, it would be called a radical hysterectomy. If any doctor ever performed a hysterectomy on a woman and refused her pain meds, he'd find himself facing a judge. There is simply no reason to deny your cat pain meds. Spaying is, without a doubt, a painful procedure. I think that because spaying is so commonly done, people tend to forget it is a major surgery. Your vet isn't offering pain meds just because he's greedy and wants more cash. Study after study has shown that surgery is painful to animals and that they heal better and faster if given pain medication. Will your cat recover just fine without pain medication? Very likely. I know allot of people are confused by this new 'option'...after all, most of us have had cats spayed years ago and no one ever fussed over the idea that it might hurt! Why is it such a big deal now? The simple fact is that the vets are only just now starting to realize that animals really do feel pain and that their pain deserves to be treated. Any veterinary journal you pick up these days will be full of information on pain protocols and management. Spaying has always been a painful procedure but safe, effective pain management is a new concept to the veterinary world. It isn't the your cat needs pain meds...she will live without them and do just fine. But if you are given a way to help ease surgical pain, why not do so? If you underwent the same procedure, wouldn't you want your pain managed? Especially if you had no way to tell someone that it hurts? I do agree that charging extra for pain meds is a form of blackmail. At my clinic, the cost is built into the surgical price and you don't get a choice in the matter. We believe that all animals deserve pain management and that it should never be considered 'optional'. Again...if there were a way to keep your animal free of pain, why would you not take it? This is a sincere question...I simply see no downside. Sethran > Elle wrote: > > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > doctor ever performed a hysterectomy on a woman and refused her pain > meds, he'd find himself facing a judge. I don't think this popular analogy is valid, particularly for cats under a year or so of age. The sutures are far fewer, translating to a far less complicated procedure compared to a hysterectomy in an adult woman. The pain meds given during surgery or perhaps right after are effective for some 18 hours afterwards. > There is simply no reason to deny your cat pain meds. One reason we minimize pain meds in humans is because there are side effects. For example, ibuprofen can have detrimental effects on the liver. I minimize the use of anti-biotics--with me or animals--because they will lose effectiveness over time. I appeciate your opinion and know others have it. At this point I wouldn't condemn anyone for not choosing pain meds following spaying of a young cat. Not that you're condemning anyone. Just saying I have now chosen a side on this issue. "Dom" <domrunner@comcast.net> wrote : > I do agree that charging extra for pain meds is a form of blackmail. > At my clinic, the cost is built into the surgical price and you don't [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Sethran It's true. I suspect it harkens back to a time and the remaining mindsets of that time, when it was tacitly assumed that animals do not have the same feelings--emotions or physical feelings-- that humans do. Really stupid and really sick. |
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