Please help, I took my cat to get neutered and he died.

[q.nna]

 

[q.nna]

Hello,

Earlier today I dropped my cat off at the vet to be neutered. Later in the day, we got a call saying that the procedure went fine and he should be ready to be picked up in about an hour. Right when I was about to head out, I got another call telling me that all of a sudden they found him unable to breathe and without a heartbeat and declared him dead.

When I spoke to the vet they claimed that after the surgery when the anesthesia wore off he was up and seemed fine and they put him in his carrier for recovery. They said they “checked periodically,” but that apparently meant that they would just walk past him and have a glance at him. Within that hour, they found him without a heartbeat and claimed to make attempts to revive him with no luck.

Something about this seems off, although I did not opt for blood work, they claimed that they saw no signs of negative reactions to anesthesia. The fact that they claimed he was fine after surgery and suddenly passed after does not sound right either. I'm devastated, and it was more frustrating that the vet shows no sympathy. All they did was said that they will not charge me for the procedure, and said that the $100 voucher I gave them for the neuter could go towards his cremation. I can't believe that he's gone..Part of me is resentful that maybe if he was more closely watch, and they could catch him in time when he stopped breathing, in that critical moment, he could be saved if they did CPR or something? Not for him to be found dead 10 minutes before we pick him up.

Is there anyone that can tell me the required procedure for cat neuter and the possibility that this cause could be an example of malpractice? I would love more insight, information, and a better understanding of the protocol. His name was Yogurt, he's a British shorthair and tomorrow was supposed to be his 6 months.

 

[jamajessie33]

That is devastating I'm speechless I don't even know what to say. I can't even imagine what you're going through on top of not not even get any support from the vet that did this I hope you get Justice in some kind of way

 

[LeiLatte]

So sorry for your loss... that is a horrible thing to go through. I don’t have any good advice just that you and kitty are in my thoughts

 

[StanAndAlf]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

At my clinic, male cats do not undergo general anesthetic. They receive a heavy sedation, in which they can breath on their own without being intubated, get a reversal and pain relief injection when the procedure is over. Certain drugs are safer for cats, and others, like isoflurane (which is the drug we use for general anesthetic) can contribute to a rougher wake up and recovery.

After the surgery, they are placed back in their kennel or carrier with a blanket and are checked on periodically. Yes, this often means just a glance as we walk past, but if they aren't responsive or look off (especially if they were already awake) then it is bought to a vet's attention immediately. Action is then taken from there, beginning with an assessment of their vitals.

There is risk with every surgery. It is possible, seeing as cat castrations are normally fairly quick, that he had a reaction to a drug at some point after he was returned to his cage, or was accidently overdosed. It sounds to me as though they may have called you prematurely. If they called you right after the surgery was finished, then there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong. At my clinic, we do not contact the owner until the animal is fully awake for some time, unless something has gone wrong and we need to inform them.

There is also the possibility your kitty had some underlying condition you or anyone else was unaware of, even at such a young age, and his system couldn't handle the duress. We had a perfectly healthy, 6 month old male dog come in for a castration. The surgery was going smoothly, until it wasn't. His vitals were normal, he was breathing fine throughout the procedure etc. The moment we turned off the anesthetic though, I realised his heart rate was crashing. We gave him emergency drugs, put him back on oxygen immediately but he wouldn't respond to anything. One of the vets called his owner to inform him we were doing our best to save him, but the reality wasn't looking good. Then after two hours of him being unconscious (the vet sat with him the entire time) he finally came around. We were all incredibly lucky, including him, but it just went to show that genetics play a large part and even healthy animals face a risk.

As horrible as this sounds, if cats aren't positioned correctly after surgery, they can suffocate, so that may be a factor as well.

If you really want to get to the bottom of this, you could demand that the clinic tell you what drugs (and how much) they used on him, and what preventative measures they took exactly to make sure he was as safe as possible. You could also ask what position they found him in, though this may not get you anywhere. Then you could research the drugs used to determine how appropriate they were.

He looked like he was an absolutely gorgeous boy, a real light in the world. I can imagine the pain you are in, and may he rest in peace, forever in your heart.

 

[q.nna]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

At my clinic, male cats do not undergo general anesthetic. They receive a heavy sedation, in which they can breath on their own without being intubated, get a reversal and pain relief injection when the procedure is over. Certain drugs are safer for cats, and others, like isoflurane (which is the drug we use for general anesthetic) can contribute to a rougher wake up and recovery.

After the surgery, they are placed back in their kennel or carrier with a blanket and are checked on periodically. Yes, this often means just a glance as we walk past, but if they aren't responsive or look off (especially if they were already awake) then it is bought to a vet's attention immediately. Action is then taken from there, beginning with an assessment of their vitals.

There is risk with every surgery. It is possible, seeing as cat castrations are normally fairly quick, that he had a reaction to a drug at some point after he was returned to his cage, or was accidently overdosed. It sounds to me as though they may have called you prematurely. If they called you right after the surgery was finished, then there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong. At my clinic, we do not contact the owner until the animal is fully awake for some time, unless something has gone wrong and we need to inform them.

There is also the possibility your kitty had some underlying condition you or anyone else was unaware of, even at such a young age, and his system couldn't handle the duress. We had a perfectly healthy, 6 month old male dog come in for a castration. The surgery was going smoothly, until it wasn't. His vitals were normal, he was breathing fine throughout the procedure etc. The moment we turned off the anesthetic though, I realised his heart rate was crashing. We gave him emergency drugs, put him back on oxygen immediately but he wouldn't respond to anything. One of the vets called his owner to inform him we were doing our best to save him, but the reality wasn't looking good. Then after two hours of him being unconscious (the vet sat with him the entire time) he finally came around. We were all incredibly lucky, including him, but it just went to show that genetics play a large part and even healthy animals face a risk.

As horrible as this sounds, if cats aren't positioned correctly after surgery, they can suffocate, so that may be a factor as well.

If you really want to get to the bottom of this, you could demand that the clinic tell you what drugs (and how much) they used on him, and what preventative measures they took exactly to make sure he was as safe as possible. You could also ask what position they found him in, though this may not get you anywhere. Then you could research the drugs used to determine how appropriate they were.

He looked like he was an absolutely gorgeous boy, a real light in the world. I can imagine the pain you are in, and may he rest in peace, forever in your heart.

 

[q.nna]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

At my clinic, male cats do not undergo general anesthetic. They receive a heavy sedation, in which they can breath on their own without being intubated, get a reversal and pain relief injection when the procedure is over. Certain drugs are safer for cats, and others, like isoflurane (which is the drug we use for general anesthetic) can contribute to a rougher wake up and recovery.

After the surgery, they are placed back in their kennel or carrier with a blanket and are checked on periodically. Yes, this often means just a glance as we walk past, but if they aren't responsive or look off (especially if they were already awake) then it is bought to a vet's attention immediately. Action is then taken from there, beginning with an assessment of their vitals.

There is risk with every surgery. It is possible, seeing as cat castrations are normally fairly quick, that he had a reaction to a drug at some point after he was returned to his cage, or was accidently overdosed. It sounds to me as though they may have called you prematurely. If they called you right after the surgery was finished, then there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong. At my clinic, we do not contact the owner until the animal is fully awake for some time, unless something has gone wrong and we need to inform them.

There is also the possibility your kitty had some underlying condition you or anyone else was unaware of, even at such a young age, and his system couldn't handle the duress. We had a perfectly healthy, 6 month old male dog come in for a castration. The surgery was going smoothly, until it wasn't. His vitals were normal, he was breathing fine throughout the procedure etc. The moment we turned off the anesthetic though, I realised his heart rate was crashing. We gave him emergency drugs, put him back on oxygen immediately but he wouldn't respond to anything. One of the vets called his owner to inform him we were doing our best to save him, but the reality wasn't looking good. Then after two hours of him being unconscious (the vet sat with him the entire time) he finally came around. We were all incredibly lucky, including him, but it just went to show that genetics play a large part and even healthy animals face a risk.

As horrible as this sounds, if cats aren't positioned correctly after surgery, they can suffocate, so that may be a factor as well.

If you really want to get to the bottom of this, you could demand that the clinic tell you what drugs (and how much) they used on him, and what preventative measures they took exactly to make sure he was as safe as possible. You could also ask what position they found him in, though this may not get you anywhere. Then you could research the drugs used to determine how appropriate they were.

He looked like he was an absolutely gorgeous boy, a real light in the world. I can imagine the pain you are in, and may he rest in peace, forever in your heart.

Hi there,

Thank you for taking your time and writing this to shed some light on the procedure. I feel devastated, helpless, and regretful that my kitty is just gone so suddenly.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry for your loss and understand how devastating this is for you. Years ago, I lost a dog who underwent surgery at my regular, long term dog vet clinic, it was not a neutering, but I walked into the clinic expecting to pick him up, only to be told that he was gone.

As for recourse for you, I think that S StanAndAlf has outlined the steps you could take. The anesthesia used should be in his medical records, all of which are your property, so you have a right to ask that you be given his file. Any other medical notes they may have made should be there as well. By law, these records are yours.

 

[bear]

I am sorry for the loss of your boy.

It is possible that he had an existing underlying condition. It is rare to lose a young male to this surgery, yet it can happen.
Even with such a very small chance, I always insist my rescues are altered before they go to their new families.

 

[q.nna]

I am sorry for the loss of your boy.

It is possible that he had an existing underlying condition. It is rare to lose a young male to this surgery, yet it can happen.
Even with such a very small chance, I always insist my rescues are altered before they go to their new families.

Yogurt was a Pedigree & TICA certified British Shorthair. He has had multiple checkups from the breeder to see that he was healthy before we picked him up. After we picked him up, we also choose to have an overall checkup just to make sure. He didn't have any problems and of course, I'll never know now.. It hurts, we were on a waitlist for over a year for him and he was only with us for less than 4 months..