Cat's extractions stopped early because of arrhythmia.

tml1991

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My 4 year old cat was taken in today for oral extractions, around the two hour mark, they had to stop his extractions because of a heart arrhythmia. Does anyone here have any similar experiences or a cat with arrhythmias? Are they always as bleak as they are said to be? My cat seems alright, although his breathing is fast sometimes. His appetite and weight are still good and he has a lot of energy.
 

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Irregular Heartbeat in Cats | PetMD
Diagnosis: Heart Disease

I am sorry that you are having this experience and know that it is very frightening. Your vet did the right thing to exercise caution and stop the procedure. The two articles above will give you some background on heart conditions and cats. I have a 4 year old with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he sees a cardiologist. His vet was much more bleak about the condition than the cardiologist, probably because the latter was able to put it in perspective with all cardiac conditions as opposed to just seeing him as a cat with a heart condition.

I would ask for a referral to a cardiologist. If there are none around you, try for an internist at least. I would follow up on this however with an echocardiogram to start with in order to determine what is really going on. You will read that arrhythmias are serious, but many cats live for years with them, so don't panic or give up.
 
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tml1991

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Irregular Heartbeat in Cats | PetMD
Diagnosis: Heart Disease

I am sorry that you are having this experience and know that it is very frightening. Your vet did the right thing to exercise caution and stop the procedure. The two articles above will give you some background on heart conditions and cats. I have a 4 year old with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he sees a cardiologist. His vet was much more bleak about the condition than the cardiologist, probably because the latter was able to put it in perspective with all cardiac conditions as opposed to just seeing him as a cat with a heart condition.

I would ask for a referral to a cardiologist. If there are none around you, try for an internist at least. I would follow up on this however with an echocardiogram to start with in order to determine what is really going on. You will read that arrhythmias are serious, but many cats live for years with them, so don't panic or give up.
Lee's appeite is still good, despite the recovery process. The veterinary surgeon said it could be HCM or a thyroid problem causing his breathing issues. The cat still needs 5 teeth removed, however, I am wary of doing so given what happened yesterday, and the worst teeth were also removed too. I thought yesterday I could get his tooth issue out of the way and not have to worry about my cat's health so much, but now I feel even more worried. It's also bad that the nearest cat cardiogolist is over an hour away.
 

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Can your vet contact the cardiologist and speak to them? Even out here in LA, the cardiologist to which I took Jamie was an hour away but it is not like you go all the time as they do not become a primary care vet. Personally, I would investigate HCM, which can be treated, and do testing for hyperthyroidism which is very common in cats and easily treatable. At least your vet got the worst 5 teeth.
 

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It's also bad that the nearest cat cardiogolist is over an hour away.
Ask your vet if they have a cardiology specialist who visits their practice. When our vet detected a serious heart problem in a cat we took in a long time ago she told us they had a cardiologist who visited one day a month. Maybe your vet offers this type of service.

I'm very sorry your cat and you are going through this but as the above member posted it was wise for your vet to stop the extraction surgery. I wonder if the fact that you mentioned his surgery lasted two hours attributed to his health issue. Regardless I would definitely follow up with a cardiology specialist. Since the nearest cardiologist is over an hour away if you feel your cat gets anxious or easily stressed out in the car you may want to ask the vet about giving him a low dose of an anti-anxiety med. Sending special thoughts. 🤗
 
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tml1991

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Can your vet contact the cardiologist and speak to them? Even out here in LA, the cardiologist to which I took Jamie was an hour away but it is not like you go all the time as they do not become a primary care vet. Personally, I would investigate HCM, which can be treated, and do testing for hyperthyroidism which is very common in cats and easily treatable. At least your vet got the worst 5 teeth.
I will ask. Would you in my situation take my cat back again to have those other teeth removed in two weeks? After yesterday, I am afraid to. The remaining teeth are inflamed, but nothing to to the degree of the removed ones. One of the removed ones was starting to cause an abscess.
 
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tml1991

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Ask your vet if they have a cardiology specialist who visits their practice. When our vet detected a serious heart problem in a cat we took in a long time ago she told us they had a cardiologist who visited one day a month. Maybe your vet offers this type of service.

I'm very sorry your cat and you are going through this but as the above member posted it was wise for your vet to stop the extraction surgery. I wonder if the fact that you mentioned his surgery lasted two hours attributed to his health issue. Regardless I would definitely follow up with a cardiology specialist. Since the nearest cardiologist is over an hour away if you feel your cat gets anxious or easily stressed out in the car you may want to ask the vet about giving him a low dose of an anti-anxiety med. Sending special thoughts. 🤗
I do think the duration of the surgery was an issue. He was neutured in May and had no negative effects at all, but that is a much shorter process.
 

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I would have a very careful talk with the vet about the removal of the other teeth. Your point about the duration of the surgery could be valid and maybe this one is shorter? You need to do a very thorough risk vs benefit analysis with your vet to make a decision. What is outcome of leaving teeth? How dangerous is it to extract them on this second attempt?
 

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Can someone explain why it takes two hours to remove only five teeth, then finally figure out the heart is dangerously malfunctioning?

I would send your cat's medical records to the referred cardiologist before driving over an hour for an appointment.
 
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tml1991

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Can someone explain why it takes two hours to remove only five teeth, then finally figure out the heart is dangerously malfunctioning?

I would send your cat's medical records to the referred cardiologist before driving over an hour for an appointment.
It was a cleaning + extraction, but it does seem suspiciously long. The guy thinks it will take the same time to remove the other teeth too
 

neely

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It was a cleaning + extraction, but it does seem suspiciously long. The guy thinks it will take the same time to remove the other teeth too
Just out of curiosity was the doctor a Board Certified Veterinary Dentist? What is a Veterinary Dentist? | AVDC.org
If not I would suggest consulting with this type of specialist for a second opinion.
 

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Can someone explain why it takes two hours to remove only five teeth, then finally figure out the heart is dangerously malfunctioning?

I would send your cat's medical records to the referred cardiologist before driving over an hour for an appointment.
It depends on the teeth really, if they were back molars or canines, and weren't overly loose, then it could definitely take that amount of time. Not every vet is quick either, especially of they are less experienced.

But I agree, the heart issue should have been picked up earlier, unless it it was a reaction to the general aesthetic after being exposed to it for that period of time.
 
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tml1991

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It depends on the teeth really, if they were back molars or canines, and weren't overly loose, then it could definitely take that amount of time. Not every vet is quick either, especially of they are less experienced.

But I agree, the heart issue should have been picked up earlier, unless it it was a reaction to the general aesthetic after being exposed to it for that period of time.
My cat does seem to breath quite fast when awake, which is likely related to whatever this heart issue is. I am wary of putting him under again, especially since the worst teeth were removed and his mouth already looks much better. Little to no redness at all in it currently, and his energy levels seem good. The possibility of him having HCM is worrying me a lot though. He's only 4 years, and is such a sweet, affectionate little cat.
 
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tml1991

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Mod Note: Threads merged.

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My 4 year old cat is supposed to have four more teeth removed next week, to finish his extractions, however, he had an arrhythmia last week when he was under and is breathing fast lately. I am afraid to put him under again, especially with not knowing what is causing his problem. I fear him dying on that table during surgery. He had the worst teeth removed, one of which was causing an abscess. He still has some bad teeth. I don't know what to do, as his bad teeth will still cause a problem, but I am very afraid to put him under again, after his arrhythmia.
 
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Heart For Cats

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Did you express your concerns to the vet?

Once I refused to let the vet extract my geriatric cat's bad teeth and do a full dental cleaning because she had CRF and anesthesia is eliminated via urine. I knew if she died on the operating table, I would never forgive myself. Ten years earlier, I would have wanted him to do it. Obviously this is not an issue with a four-year old cat, but your cat's situation would make me panic too.
 
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tml1991

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Did you express your concerns to the vet?
The vet who did the operation only comes in twice a month. I could talk to the others, but they kept implying my questions are best suited to the vet who did the surgery.
 

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The vet who did the operation only comes in twice a month. I could talk to the others, but they kept implying my questions are best suited to the vet who did the surgery.
Your regular vet should have no problem answering questions. I assume the diagnosis and extraction were done at the same place, so it should not be difficult for both vets to have access to the same cat's medical records.
 
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tml1991

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Your regular vet should have no problem answering questions. I assume the diagnosis and extraction were done at the same place, so it should not be difficult for both vets to have access to the same cat's medical records.
He had the arrhythmia during the procedure, which is why it ended early. They didn't do any further testing, unfortunately.
 

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He had the arrhythmia during the procedure, which is why it ended early. They didn't do any further testing, unfortunately.
They should have done further testing. Ask about that when you take him back.

What is his name?
 
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