SPAY NEUTER SURGERY INFORMATION SHEET

Information Sheet to Discuss with Your Veterinarian

The Information Sheet is given out to all our newly adoptive parents as part of our Kitten Care Kit.

This Information Sheet is provided to all our new parents so that they are well informed and will know what questions to ask their Veterinarian prior to any surgery, especially spay/neuter, and thus make the best Veterinarian choice for their kitten. We, at Victorian Gardens Cattery, are trying to alleviate heartache from a parent choosing a Veterinarian or Veterinarian staff that may be incompetent and can cause grave harm to their kitten. Many Veterinarians are not practiced in Persian and Himalayan purebred kittens and cats and their body structures. This could cause potential harm to your kitten. So please be careful in picking the correct Veterinarian for your kitten's surgery.

Make sure your Veterinarian is aware that Persians/Himalayans naturally have elongated soft palates. It is normal for this breed. As such, your Veterinarian and his Certified staff need to follow Veterinarian guidelines for Endotracheal intubating of a kitten prior to surgery. Please make sure the Veterinarian’s staff is certified and well experienced in intubating kittens. Be extremely cautious and aware that forcing intubation in a kitten or cat can lead to a Laryngeal Spasm which will cause immediate death.

Here are some guidelines you can bring to your Veterinarian prior to any surgery. Make sure to ask the right questions and if at all possible, be there right when your kitten comes out of surgery and respectfully request to watch your kitten/cat carefully before and after the tube is taken out. If at all possible, be there when they are putting the tube in, in order to see that they are not forcing the tube in and are following standard Vet protocol. If a Veterinarian is on the up and up, he should have no problem with you watching at a distance while your kitten is intubated and extubulated. With you there watching, they will be on their toes and hopefully would not dare force intubation or not watch for a laryngeal spasm after extubulation.

http://instruction.cvhs.okstate.edu/vmed5412/pdf/22Canine-FelineAnesthesia.pdf

Oklahoma State University - Center for Veterinarian Health Science

Page 14 - Feline Anesthesia Instruction:

“ Endotracheal intubation

• The laryngeal spasm is easily provoked, so use of lidocaine spray or short acting muscle relaxant will facilitate the intubation
• In deep anesthesia laryngeal spasm does not occur, but this is not recommended as a routine procedure. However, where emergency intubation is required following accidental overdose of anesthetic, it is never necessary to use lidocaine spray or muscle relaxant
• Attempts to carry out forceful intubation through tightly apposed vocal folds, even if initially successful, will result in damage to the mucous membrane with edema and the danger of post-extubation airway obstruction
• The cat’s larynx may also go into spasm after extubation, so endotracheal tubes should, if there are no surgical contraindications, be removed without any previous deliberate lightening of anesthesia and after careful aspiration of mucous from the airway
• A standard laryngoscope with an infant size blade is useful to view the laryngeal structure
• A 4.5 - 5.5 mm ET tube is suitable for most adult cats, and use of stylet can facilitate the intubation”

In addition to the intubation dangers listed above, we are providing the following:

Ketamine Injectable Anesthesia Dangers

February 25, 2013

This warning on the use of Ketamine during surgeries came out from the fabulous Feline Health Blog to which I belong. It was advising and warning not to use Ketamine during surgeries because it can lead to death in kittens and cats, especially in certain feline breeds like Siamese, Orientals and Persians. Ketamine is an injectable anesthesia. It has very serious side effects and the most serious is death. It is an inexpensive anesthesia and that is why some Veterinarians are using it. Please have your kittens and cats medical records flagged at your Veterinarian stating you do not want Ketamine used on your cat or kitten for any reason. If you have any questions, please let me know.

At Victorian Gardens Cattery we do everything we can to warn parents of potential hazards as we become aware of them. This is to ensure our babies live a long, happy life.