Cat Not Eating After Tooth Extraction?

brianl

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Darwin, my 4 year old cat, had a tooth extraction on Friday, 9/15. When I picked him up, the vet said he'd been given a pain reliever that was a slow release over 3 days. She also said to give him half of his normal meal Friday night, but to resume normal feeding after that. Well, Friday, I gave him 1/2 of his usual meal, and he ate about 1/2 of what was there. It is now Sunday morning and he has eaten nothing since.
I called the vet Saturday and asked if it was normal for him to not eat, and the vet said she was "confident" that he'd be eating by Saturday night. Nope. Sunday morning and still nothing.
My vet is closed Sunday, but I called another and they said not to force feed him water because it could cause aspiration pneumonia. They also said the painkiller would make them act very strange for a few days, which is fine, but how long can he go with no food or water? All of the vets I'm calling seem to be completely comfortable with this, but I'm freaking out. Has anyone had experience with buprenorphine SR? Especially after a tooth extraction?
 
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brianl

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try another vet. they are wrong. did they send you home with buprenorphine? He isn't eating because it probably hurts. What about meat baby food? Just make sure no garlic or onions...
They didn't send me home with anything, it was a slow release dose that lasts for 3 days. I've talked to 2 vets already.
 

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I think I remember them giving that injection to my angel elder cat-It didn't seem to help but made her very spacy for 24 hours..I think they said it's good for 48 hours. perhaps they said 3 days to ensure not to overmedicate.
 

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Are you feeding him wet food? One of my cats just had the same procedure done Thursday. She refused wet food but would eat dry kibble (cat logic). I bought her some kitten kibble because it's smaller than adult kibble so it's easier for her to eat it. She also had no problems scarfing down Applaws Puree treats and just today she ate quite a bit of Tiki Cat tuna. There's also a milk for cats called Catsip that you could offer, or Whiskas Cat Milk. I've gone through many flavors and brands of food to find things she will eat. As for the medicine, I can't recall ever having it given to a cat, but my memory isn't the best.

When my cats won't eat for two days, I'll syringe feed them. My Sweety (the one with the recent tooth extractions) had to be syringe fed for several days before she had her teeth pulled. I use a high calorie wet food mixed with Catsip and a high calorie gel. I also put her in a room by herself with various types of cat food, hoping she would eat something on her own. I can certainly feel your pain and hope that your kitty will eat soon.
 
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brianl

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Are you feeding him wet food? One of my cats just had the same procedure done Thursday. She refused wet food but would eat dry kibble (cat logic). I bought her some kitten kibble because it's smaller than adult kibble so it's easier for her to eat it. She also had no problems scarfing down Applaws Puree treats and just today she ate quite a bit of Tiki Cat tuna. There's also a milk for cats called Catsip that you could offer, or Whiskas Cat Milk. I've gone through many flavors and brands of food to find things she will eat. As for the medicine, I can't recall ever having it given to a cat, but my memory isn't the best.

When my cats won't eat for two days, I'll syringe feed them. My Sweety (the one with the recent tooth extractions) had to be syringe fed for several days before she had her teeth pulled. I use a high calorie wet food mixed with Catsip and a high calorie gel. I also put her in a room by herself with various types of cat food, hoping she would eat something on her own. I can certainly feel your pain and hope that your kitty will eat soon.
I've tried 2 kinds of dry food, 2 kinds of wet food, canned tuna, deli turkey (his favorite) treats... pretty much everything I can think of. I finally just syringe fed him and got about 10cc into him. He was yowling bloody murder the whole time. I'm going to let him rest and try more in a couple hours, I guess. I just want to get something in him to hold him until tomorrow when my vet opens.
 
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brianl

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wonder if he has nausea from the surgery. Can the vet give you something for nausea? Sometimes they have nausea in recovery.
That might be it... he doesn't like moving around and his pupils are dilated, so I'm sure he's feeling effects of the painkiller. Nausea is one of the side effects. But he still needs to eat. The vet can't do anything right now because they're closed. We have emergency vets in town, but they all have pretty bad reviews online and all seem to be very expensive. I'd rather not spend $250 just for them to say, "yeah, he's fine just wait for the meds to wear off" or something
 

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yep. Can you send an email to your vet? some let you do that-maybe they can approve Pepcid AC. if not, you can try raising the bowls up 2-4 inches-like on a big dictionary-sometimes raising helps stop the regurgitating feeling. If the pupils are dilated then that could be affecting his appetite. Do you have meat babyfoods available? you can try that on your finger, spoon or on a plate and see if he will lick at it. KMR in the can works in a pinch. kitten milk replacement-get Pet-AG one. Walmart sells it. they also have it in powder form-you can make a thick milk shake like and put in dish or syringe it to your cat.
 

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Vets usually send a cat home with a few doses of pain medicine post-dental extraction. Having teeth removed is painful. Can you ask the vet if he / she can prescribe your cat a few doses for the next few days? Buprenorphine is often prescribed. The vet gives you pre-filled syringes s all you do is squirt the contents of one syringe between the cat's cheek and gums every 12 hour or according to the vet's instructions.
 
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brianl

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Well I managed to syringe-feed him twice--about 10cc each time, a couple hours apart. He HATED it, but it happened. I also got an email back from the vet saying he should be ok for today, but to call when they open tomorrow to they can check him out and get him some fluids. She said the vast majority of cats do very well with the painkillers they gave him, but that they occasionally get ones that get excessively sedated and have poor appetites on it. She made a note in his file about his issues with buprenorphine. Just a minute ago, he actually took a few bites of kibble and staggered off drunkenly. So, yeah... this stuff has him pretty loopy, but it should wear off tomorrow. I'm a little more relaxed after getting some food in him and hearing from my vet. Thanks for the help, everyone.
 
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brianl

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Vets usually send a cat home with a few doses of pain medicine post-dental extraction. Having teeth removed is painful. Can you ask the vet if he / she can prescribe your cat a few doses for the next few days? Buprenorphine is often prescribed. The vet gives you pre-filled syringes s all you do is squirt the contents of one syringe between the cat's cheek and gums every 12 hour or according to the vet's instructions.
She actually gave him bupreorphine, but it was a 72hr slow release dose. It seems to be the painkiller that is killing his appetite. He seems to be coming around though.
 
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