Cat Not Recovering Well After Spay...

SmileForMe

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Hello again all, and thank you for taking the time.
My Lucille is just over 6 months and just had her spay done last week. She is not recovering well and I am very concerned. She is eating and drinking and using the litter box, but she seems to be in a lot of pain, is very sleepy, and possibly has an infection. She shivers or trembles and I believe she has had a fever (although I have not taken her temp myself she seems to be very hot at times).
Two days ago (almost a week after the spay) I took her back to the vet, told them all of my concerns, they looked her over, her temp was normal at the time, they said the shaking/shivering was due to pain and gave her a shot for pain and pain meds to take home. They said they didn't believe she had an infection but gave her a 2 week antibiotic shot as well.
She seemed happy when I got her home, at first, but as these past two days have gone by I am not seeing any improvements. I have been giving her the pain meds per instructions and the antibiotics have been in her system for nearly 48 hours now. She is still shivering, maybe even a little more often now, she seemed to have a fever again last night, she is still very sleepy. The pain meds seem to only make her happy for a couple hours. And last night when I looked at her belly to check her stitches I noticed a small amount of dried yellow discharge.
I am waiting for a call back from the vet to find out when I should see an improvement or if I need to bring her back in yet again. I am extremely concerned, borderline terrified. It was just a routine spay for a 6 month old kitten, but now she's not getting any better.

Has anyone else ever had an experience like this?
If so what was the outcome or prognosis?
I'm at a loss. I'm considering taking her to a different vet clinic although I can't really afford to after having already spent $600 so far, but I just want her to be well again.
 

verna davies

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Can you post a photo of the spay area. If there is an infection the antibiotics should start to kick in about now and fight the infection and that will ease the pain.
 

FeebysOwner

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I agree with V verna davies . It would take at least a couple of days for the antibiotics to start to work, more days to see a tangible improvement. If there is an infection, that would likely add to her pain.

I hope your vet tells you to bring her in for a check up. Or, if the vet's office accepts pics, you could also send them one of the incision area.
 
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SmileForMe

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Thank you for your replies. The vet was taking too long to call me back so I just took her in. They gave me a free exam so that was nice of them, I requested a different doctor this time. Lucille had a fever of 104, which confirmed the infection. The doctor gave her a thorough exam this time and said that nothing else seems to be wrong. Other than the infection, her lungs and heart sound good, her stitches are healing well despite the fact, and the fact that she is eating and drinking and using her litterbox normally is a good sign.
The doctor believes that the infection is just a bit of a rough one and although convenia is a good antibiotic, it probably won't do the trick. So they prescribed Lucille amoxicillin to be taken orally. We are going to take it one day at a time and see if her condition will improve from treating the infection. God forbid she does not, the next step is lab work and x-ray.
I am trying to remain as positive and hopeful as possible. This has been a very stressful and terrifying ordeal for both Lucille and myself. Since her first dose of antibiotics her fever has reduced, and she has not been shivering anymore. I should start to see some improvement by the end of the weekend, otherwise it's back to the vet on Monday we go.
Please send us your good vibes!
 

verna davies

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It sounds as if this vet is thorough. Yes there should be a noticeable difference by tomorrow. Sending well wishes. Please let us know how she is.
 

Erin80

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Awww poor girl. I am taking Kaia in in December for her spay and I’m so nervous about it. I hope Lucille feels much better today!
 

BlueJay

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I'm glad she's doing better! Hopefully she is feeling like herself again soon.

:vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:

Also, sometimes antibiotics(I'm not sure about hers) can cause reduced appetite, so if she starts eating less, don't panic, it doesn't necessarily mean she's getting worse. Of course contact the vet if she stops eating and drinking all together, has other issues, etc.
 
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SmileForMe

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Thank you all so much! Lucille is doing much better! I am so thankful! She still has some antibiotics to go, and I have no intention of stopping them early as I know that can have repercussions, but I believe her infection is gone. She hasn't had a fever in days, the chills are gone, and she's back to her normal self. Her incision is just about healed. Thank you all for your well wishes.

Erin80, my best advice would be to do your research. If you're not familiar with the vet or hospital/clinic, look up reviews. Talk to your friends and family with pets and see who they recommend. And always trust your gut. I made the mistake of not looking at the reviews for the animal hospital before I took her in and was shocked and terrified when I did after the fact. All of the bad reviews that were left were directed specifically at the vet that was her "primary" and was taking care of her at the time. A lot of the complaints being eerily familiar to our situation. He was ignoring her condition, but I knew something was wrong. As soon as I requested a different doctor, her infection was confirmed and she got on the right antibiotics and started making drastic improvements. Trust yourself and keep an eye on her, if you notice anything alarming don't doubt yourself. Better to be safe than sorry. Good luck and best wishes!

On a different note I invested in a recovery suit for Lucille rather than the "cone of shame" to give her a little more freedom to eat drink and clean herself and it has been amazing! 100x better than the cone. They run about $35, if you can afford one I would highly recommend it. It takes some of the stress off you and the cat.
 
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SmileForMe

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Sounds pretty good so far! Are you supposed to give her the antibiotic with food? If cats are like humans, it is usually recommended, because some antibiotics can upset the stomach - more so if it is empty.
Yes, they recommended to give it to her with food. She gets a treat for taking the antibiotics as I'm sure it's no run for her, and then a little wet food to ease her tummy. She has kept them all down!
 
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