A Few Questions About Early Spay/neuter

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Hello!

Many rescues and shelters in my area spay/neuter kittens at either a "2 lb./ 2 month" or "3 lb./ 3 month" criteria.

I was wondering what is considered normal veterinary practice regarding doing pre-anesthesia blood work on that age of kitten prior to a spay/neuter? Are most spay/neuters done prior to 3 months of age done without testing of liver/ kidney function, etc., or is initial blood work always a good idea, no matter the age? Is there any anesthetic combo that has not worked well with the youngest of spay/neuters?

Further, if kitten(s) are orphaned and bottle-fed babies versus kittens who have have been fed and nurtured by their 'momma cat mothers' during their first months of life, are they (orphaned kittens) at more potential risk during anesthesia or surgery at young ages than not?

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

Hello!

Many rescues and shelters in my area spay/neuter kittens at either a "2 lb./ 2 month" or "3 lb./ 3 month" criteria.

I was wondering what is considered normal veterinary practice regarding doing pre-anesthesia blood work on that age of kitten prior to a spay/neuter? Are most spay/neuters done prior to 3 months of age done without testing of liver/ kidney function, etc., or is initial blood work always a good idea, no matter the age? Is there any anesthetic combo that has not worked well with the youngest of spay/neuters?

Further, if kitten(s) are orphaned and bottle-fed babies versus kittens who have have been fed and nurtured by their 'momma cat mothers' during their first months of life, are they (orphaned kittens) at more potential risk during anesthesia or surgery at young ages than not?

There are several questions in this post and I will try to answer each one.

Preanesthetic blood work in a kitten: If the kitten appears healthy on physical examination, is eating normally and gaining weight kidney and liver function will be normal and there is no need to perform preanesthetic blood work.

Anesthetic combo that may not work well in kittens: This answer may be a little controversial but I would avoid using gas anesthesia that requires that the cat be intubated. Studies have shown that for surgical procedures that last less than 30 minutes, intubation carries serious risks. I would suspect the risk would be greater in kittens simply because intubating them is more difficult. There are several intramuscular combinations that work great in kittens and are at least partially reversible once the surgery is completed.

Risk for orphaned kittens: The anesthesia and surgery is no more risky in healthy bottle fed kittens than in kittens that have nursed their mothers. But if the orphaned kittens NEVER nursed, this means that they did not get colostrum in the first few days of life and, therefore, did not get maternal antibodies (passive immunity) from their mothers. That would put the kittens at greater risk of getting infectious diseases when hospitalized for the surgery.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Thank you so much, Dr. Bushby!