3 Teeth Pulled 2 Days Ago - He Still Hasn't Eaten Or Drank Water. Any Ideas To Get Him To Eat??

[artaq]

Shamus is our 7 y/o male silver Persian. he had 3 teeth pulled Monday and hasn't eaten since and from what we can tell, hasn't drank any water. we are calling our main vet in an hour when they open to have them drive out today (they don't have an exam office, they are a mobile vet.)

we've been offering him his normal pureed tuna with added water and some of the forti-flora on top that he LOVES, but no dice. he will briefly lick it from our fingertips but then isn't interested.

what is weird is when i give him the buprenorphine, when i am barely touching his lips with the syringe he starts rolling/curling his tongue around like there is something in there, when i haven't even squeezed the plunger yet. maybe there is a stitch string hanging loose or something in there.?. too hard for us to tell with his small snout/mouth.

we are hoping our mobile-vet can figure it out, the vet that did the surgery is over half hour away and Shamus stresses majorly at that distance.

thanks for any tips/advice!

 

[pushylady]

Definitely sounds like his teeth/gums are bothering him so much that he doesn't want to eat. Especially from what you said about the bupre. Let us know what the vet says!

 

[foxxycat]

Hoping it's not too serious! Poor baby! Let us know what the vet says! They surely don't like us to touch their mouths!

 

[artaq]

thanks y'all!

our primary vet (which is a mobile vet) just left. she advised no more pain meds because she feels that MIGHT have played a part in his not having an appetite. the other possible reason could be that his throat is still sore from the tube.

she said the small front incision, that stitch is partially open but that it looks fine and not to worry, "it should heal fine on it's own since it was a small incision and not much skin to close it anyways.

she gave him injection(s) of water just below the skin to hydrate him and gave him an injection of antibiotics. according to her he will now be (hopefully) done with both the antibiotics & pain meds (she said she generally doesn't like giving cats antibiotics after dental work, which i agree with.)

she said we can give Shamus his calming liquid (i can't find where my wife orders it online, but its called "Pet Naturals of Vermont - calming liquid for cats or dogs" --- i think. hard to find online anymore.)

that stuff REALLY works for both our golden & silver Persians!

Dr. Joanne is hopeful that he will eat a bite or 2 later today or tomorrow. she said we should start to worry in 48 hours if he doesn't eat on his own, and she will call us tomorrow to check his status.

i concerned about the "no more pain meds" idea, but she's the professional. if that is what is helping to kill his appetite, then i guess it is worth a try. the calming will help some.

 

[freddyf]

Gus the Cat had numerous teeth removed and we had the same problem with not eating or drinking. The vet prescribed Mirtazapine for him for 3 days. An hour after taking the meds he gobbled down his food. If the problem continues ask the Vet if this med is an option. It worked for us.

 

[artaq]

much appreciated Freddy!! i am going to email them now to ask about it

 

[IndyJones]

Have you tried a fishy cat food? Most cats can't resist a ocean whitefish food. Works when Indy's nose is blocked up.

 

[artaq]

we've tried tunafish, is that what you mean? or whitefish specifically??

 

[IndyJones]

Tuna would have the same effect but I was actually referring to a cat food.

 

[white shadow]

I share your concern about the "no more pain meds". Pain control is essential after surgery: not only is it humane, but it also speeds healing. Additionally, without it, any chance that he'll resume eating on his own is quashed.

Now, 'somewhere else' you mentioned that he was on Clavamox prior to the surgery and that he became constipated....if he's still constipated, the bloat from that can certainly deter him from eating.

I can only tell you what I'd be doing, and that would be to ensure he's pain-free and to begin syringe-feeding him (which would be doubly difficult w/o pain control).

The mention of an antibiotic injection also rang an alarm bell with me...do you know the drug's name? If it's "Convenia", it would be advisable for you to read through that article by Dr. Peterson ( Convenia- long term antibiotic: Is it worth the risk? ) so you can be watching him carefully for any adverse effects. While many cats do just fine with this drug, there have also been many who react poorly. I don't want to alarm you, this is just to raise your awareness. We've had many stories here of nasty reactions - this thread has examples: Convenia side effects?

If you haven't syringe-fed before, there are some key points - just post back.

 

[artaq]

again, thanks W.S.!!

so far it seems the Dr is right-on. we left for work several hours after the Dr came to our home and gave the IV fluids and Convenia (yep it was that one.) we were gone for only about 4 hours, got home and tried fresh pureed tuna. he walked up to it for the 1st time and bent his head but then thought better and stopped. then we tried plain tuna juice yet again. this time he drank a quarter cup, we are very relieved! baby-steps for us.

the Dr also returned my email about the Mirtazapine and said that if he hasn't eaten by morning, she doesn't mind going that route. Shamus met us at the door when we returned home...so that, along with the tuna juice = he is somewhat returning to normal. also rolling around and loving attention. it seems that the pain has subsided, thankfully!

i'll keep y'all posted on his progress tomorrow. thanks so much for all of the assistance peeps

 

[artaq]

for the sake of comparing prices, here is what we paid for the extraction of 3 teeth on Monday, along with everything that goes with it (antibiotics etc...though we denied bloodwork) ... total came to around $850.

that was painful, when he had 12 teeth removed 3 years ago it came to about $550. that was a much closer vet, but that vet didn't have openings until July and Shamus needed extraction ASAP, so we drive further and pay a lot more.

also, today's mobile vet visit (House-call, Subcutaneous Fluid & Convenia Injection) came to around $220.

all worth it to fix his tooth aches!

 

[artaq]

so far no dice. Shamus walks up to the food dish, bends down and then just can't do it. sooo close! not sure yet if we should do the Mirtazapine ASAP or give him a few more hours.

 

[Linda Dwyer]

you could try baby food, chicken or turkey, warm it just a bit and that would be easy for him to eat

 

[artaq]

unfortunately, both Shamus & Tula are allergic to feathered food. they get blood in their stool when they eat that stuff. thanks though!

 

[foxxycat]

that sounds like classic nausea. Ask the mobile vet to come back and ask about Cerenia. See if they can give Pepcid AC. that's also available as injection-may only need a few days regimen. Often there's a bit of nausea if there's constipation. Also try canned pumpkin to get poo going. You can also try baby food squash-it works the same way-if cat won't eat it-just smear it on the roof of mouth-only need less than 1 teaspoon will see results in 12-24 hours.

I know you just spent a good amount of cash-but I don't understand why vets don't treat for nausea. Also Cerenia has been shown to have possible pain control properties via intercept messages in the brain just as it intercepts nausea signals.

you can try meat baby food turkey or ham usually gets my girls interest. Or any of the flavors. just make sure no garlic/onion in it.

 

[artaq]

Shamus ate a full wet-meal last night, and 2 full wet-meals so far today. all is well again. thanks to you all for your support!!!