Tough Decision Whether To Neuter

[Megsnan]

I have an almost 7month old BSH and he’s still intact. Naturally my plans were to have him neutered at this point but he has health issues to consider. He has dilated cardiomyopathy and the cardiologist said he is not a good candidate for surgery because of the risk of anesthesia. He’s at risk for hypotension during the surgery and he’s at risk of CHF and worsening arrhythmias for days after the surgery. My cardiologist told me that I would have to decide if the risk is worth the reward. I’d love to hear some opinions on what you guys would do if this was your cat. I’m so torn because I don’t want him to die but I really don’t want to leave him intact either.

 

[Willowy]

I'm not willing to live with a tomcat. I suppose there's some chance that he might be an "easy" tom, but you wouldn't know that until after it's too late.

Did the vet say if there's some kind of chemical castration/hormone treatment that could be used instead? If surgery is that big of a risk I'd look into hormonal options.

 

[Megsnan]

Oh I didn’t know such a thing existed. Thank you, that’s a really good idea and I will talk to my vet about it.

 

[Willowy]

Vets in the US are reluctant to use hormonal options for some reason. Vets in Europe do it all the time. So if your vet says it isn't an option, try to find European sources online and see if your vet is willing to try it out.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I have an almost 7month old BSH and he’s still intact. Naturally my plans were to have him neutered at this point but he has health issues to consider. He has dilated cardiomyopathy and the cardiologist said he is not a good candidate for surgery because of the risk of anesthesia. He’s at risk for hypotension during the surgery and he’s at risk of CHF and worsening arrhythmias for days after the surgery. My cardiologist told me that I would have to decide if the risk is worth the reward. I’d love to hear some opinions on what you guys would do if this was your cat. I’m so torn because I don’t want him to die but I really don’t want to leave him intact either.

Megsnan - Given this consideration, has your veterinary cardiologist discussed the possibility of an intra-testicular injection using CaCl2 in alcohol (i.e. calcium chloride) rather than surgical neutering?

Edit: I see that I'm late to the party as usual, but the answer's the same at all events.
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[Megsnan]

Megsnan - Given this consideration, has your veterinary cardiologist discussed the possibility of an intra-testicular injection using CaCl2 in alcohol (i.e. calcium chloride) rather than surgical neutering?
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I will certainly mention this to the cardiologist. Is it just one injection? Thanks for the input! Very helpful!

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I will certainly mention this to the cardiologist. Is it just one injection? Thanks for the input! Very helpful!

Megsnan - It is, yes. This is a short read:

Clinical Evaluation of Non-surgical Sterilization of Male Cats with Single Intra-testicular Injection of Calcium Chloride

and should answer any questions you might have.
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[Megsnan]

Vets in the US are reluctant to use hormonal options for some reason. Vets in Europe do it all the time. So if your vet says it isn't an option, try to find European sources online and see if your vet is willing to try it out.

Are the drugs/hormones not approved in the US? Or just the procedure? Just wondering if it’s an FDA issue.

 

[Willowy]

Vets use a lot of products off-label so I don't think it's an FDA thing. I think it's just what they're used to, and what they're taught in vet school.

 

[Margret]

Since neutering is a fairly minor surgery, I'm kind of wondering whether it could be done under a local anesthetic. Have you asked your vet about this?

Margret

 

[Megsnan]

Since neutering is a fairly minor surgery, I'm kind of wondering whether it could be done under a local anesthetic. Have you asked your vet about this?

Margret

I will talk to my vet about it as I believe this is the best route to take considering his heart disease. Thank you so much!

 

[Margret]

Any time. Don't give up on the other options that have been mentioned, though. The more options you have, the better.

Margret

 

[Megsnan]

Any time. Don't give up on the other options that have been mentioned, though. The more options you have, the better.

Margret

That is so true. All input is valuable. I’ll present all options to my vet and hear what they have to say.

 

[Royalty]

That is so true. All input is valuable. I’ll present all options to my vet and hear what they have to say.

Good luck to you and your bsh I have two

 

[Royalty]

Good luck to you and your bsh I have two

They are beautiful cats aren’t they I had both of mine neutered at seven months, but I would talk all aspects through with the vets until I got all info and then able to make my mind up I hope if you decide to it all goes well take care

 

[Megsnan]

Yours are so cute!! Is the one in your profile pic a silver tabby BSH? I just love the coloring! Thank you for the well wishes!

 

[Royalty]

Yours are so cute!! Is the one in your profile pic a silver tabby BSH? I just love the coloring! Thank you for the well wishes!

Thankyou very much yes that’s Luther silver tabby n Zeus is silver spotted they are little mischiefs

 

[Megsnan]

I bet they are! They are beautiful!

 

[Royalty]

I bet they are! They are beautiful!

I think my phone is playing up everytime I’m posting pics they are coming up with two of the same pic I apologise can’t delete the extra ones

 

[Royalty]

I bet they are! They are beautiful!

Thankyou very much you have a beauty too x