Cat walking strangely after anesthesia

[saskia222]

My male 12 yr old cat with early stage 2 CKD had a dental procedure yesterday where they did remove a few teeth. When we went to pick him up they asked us whether we wanted to give him pain meds orally or via a transdermal patch. This is where I messed up. Because my cat hates having meds squirted into his mount I opted for the transdermal patch - Zorbium Buprenorphine Transdermal 20 mg/ml (1 ml vial) to be exact.

He has been eating well but I've noticed he slept very little yesterday if at all. What worries me the most is his walking. He is waddling and his tail, posterior is sort of tucked in. He will walk for a few steps and then stop. He doesn't appear to be in pain and has even jumped up onto things but not much. We messaged our vet and she did say this was not normal and to keep an eye on it. They were careful when putting him into his carrier etc. Adding a video for reference but wondering if anyone has experienced this. My cat is my everything and I feel very irresponsible for not doing a search on this medication before agreeing to it. It seems to have a bad reputation for good reason. My cat has peed but it seems awkward for him due to his back. I'm hoping he starts to walk normally by tomorrow. Thanks so much in advance! Video of cat walking

 

[Alldara]

It's my understanding that Buprenorphine can make them a bit loopy which would explain it.

However, if you're concerned you should call your vets office and report the symptoms + ask what to be on the lookout for.

 

[saskia222]

Thank you! We reached out to our vet who said this was not typical but in searching this forum and reddit seems like other have had bad experiences on this drug. I sent the vet a video and if it gets worse will take him to the ER. So far he has been eating and walking a bit with his strange waddle. Hoping it wears off. Thanks for responding.

 

[Alldara]

Thank you! We reached out to our vet who said this was not typical but in searching this forum and reddit seems like other have had bad experiences on this drug. I sent the vet a video and if it gets worse will take him to the ER. So far he has been eating and walking a bit with his strange waddle. Hoping it wears off. Thanks for responding.

The internet will ALWAYS be biased towards negative reactions to medications because people whose cats did fine aren't out there on forums posting.

I always check the VCA website for the medication to see if they have an e-handout sheet and the manufacturer website to see potential side effects to look out for.

Nobel was on an oral drug at 15 post two dental extractions and he was waddling for I think 2 or 3 days? He was on onisar which has a lot of bad publicity online too. He was just loopy and unsure of his footing. The anesthesia made him restless before it was completely from his system.

Do you have carpet or is it wood or linoleum? A slippery floor could exasperate symptoms.

Good idea to go to ER if it worsens.

 

[saskia222]

Got it - does his waddle look like my cats? We have wood floors which probably doesn't help.

 

[Alldara]

Zorbium® (Buprenorphine Transdermal Solution) for Cats

Buprenorphine Long-Acting Transdermal | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals(brand,%2Dsurgery%20pain%20in%20cats.%22

 

[Alldara]

Got it - does his waddle look like my cats? We have wood floors which probably doesn't help.

I can't see your video as I don't have a Gmail account.

I can say Nobel walked much better on the carpet vs the tile in the kitchen. He preferred to be on carpet a few days and I remembered not wanting him to use the stairs unsupervised.

 

[saskia222]

Here is an imgur link

 

[fionasmom]

He is not walking as shakily as I expected, but he is hesitating as if he needs to reconfigure what is going on.

I know that you said that your patch was Zorbium, but I have had trouble with patches over the years. The worst was Duragesic, so I don't want to scare you as you are not using that, but they do deliver a pretty strong punch in general.

Do you have any runners or throw rugs that you can put in his general area for support?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am going to toss this out just because now I can see the video. I know with our cats they check their anal glands as part of the dental (along with nail clipping, etc.) I wonder if it's possible this issue is from that rather than the pain meds? It really looks to me as if he has an issue with his back end, like he feels as if he hasn't completed a poop or something. One of mine will act like that if he has a piece of poop stuck half in/half out. Have you looked back there? Just a thought.

He is adorable, BTW

 

[saskia222]

He is not walking as shakily as I expected, but he is hesitating as if he needs to reconfigure what is going on.

I know that you said that your patch was Zorbium, but I have had trouble with patches over the years. The worst was Duragesic, so I don't want to scare you as you are not using that, but they do deliver a pretty strong punch in general.

Do you have any runners or throw rugs that you can put in his general area for support?

i don't have any but have placed soft blankets and towels on the floor he can walk over and lay down on. He has many cat beds but not using them at the moment. Thanks for responding!