From:
"Tony Clarke"
Date: 2007-01-15 00:47:27 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Post op recovery
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
My Suki (8 months) had surgery on 8th. Jan. She was spayed
and had kidney and liver biopsies. The anesthetic used was the
normal isoflurane which she recovered from very well. She was
given pain medication and I brought her home at 6pm..
The incision was long (3.5in./9.0cm.) to give access from liver
to uterus and was stitched internally and glued. There was no
sign of bleeding and only minimal bruising.
Suki was put in her recovery cage(1 floor, sleeping box, litter
box and room for food and water) next to her normal cage so
she could see her companion, Sugar. She was sleepy and over
the next few hrs she ate small amounts of food and drank
some water. When looked in on her at about midnight she
had urinated and passed some solids.
The next morning she had eaten more food and used her
litter tray normally but was reluctant to leave her blankets. I
checked her incision and it was looking good, she slept most of
the day and ate several small amounts of food. There was no
changes in her behaviour up to midnight, still reluctant to leave
her sleeping box and only eating small amounts.
By the wednesday evening she was still the same but there
didn't seem to be much food being eaten and nothing in the
litter box. I hand fed her some homemade soup off my finger
but she would only take a small amount at 30 min intervals She
was looking depressed and would rub her chin on the ground
after eating but still drinking OK.
No signs of wound infection, lymph nodes all seem OK, no
signs of internal swelling, no sign of anemia.
Thursday, nothing in litter box so, off to the vet, he examined
her and said he thought it was pain related and gave an
injection (opiate based) of pain relief. Within 10 mins she was
rattling the bars of the carrier and taking kibble from my hand.
She continued to take small amounts of food at home and
wanted out of the cage. She would take the soup from my
finger but not from a dish and and a few pieces of kibble every
hour or so.
Friday, still seems depressed and reluctant to get out of bed
but some kibble had been eaten in the night. After checking
the incision I decided to take the risk and let her out with her
companion. The pain med had obviously worn off by now and
I constantly checked her wound. The change was miraculous
she danced and ran all over, I was worried she might damage
her wound and kept checking. She did have one small spot of
blood like a pinhead after 2 hrs. but she was HAPPY. She slept
then for about 6 hrs and I let her out again for an hour and
then put her away.
Saturday, she is behaving as though she had never been to
the vet at all.up and down stairs, on and off chairs, me
checking her constantly. Eating and drinking normally,
unscrewing the food jar (her favourite pastime).
Was I right to let her out so soon with such an incision? It
seems to me that her mental state improved so dramatically
that the risk was worth taking.
Has any one else noticed this before, the change from
confinement to freedom bringing radical mental changes in a
recuperating animal, appetite returning to normal as though
I had pressed the <eat now> button.
Tony (not a vet), Sugar and Suki
In memory of Sally and Sue.
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