Is it ok to sedate cats for shots?

[sap483]

So some of you may remember my little monster Theo from past threads about him destroying my house, growling at his new brother, etc. In recent months he''s gotten especially skittish about noises, hates to be held, won''t let you pet him for very long, etc. That''s just his personality though, and he''s not a mean cat at heart- he''s just more of an independent cat. Well increasingly it''s become more and more difficult to take him to the vet. They even have a note in his file about how he''s such a bad kitty. Today my DH took him for his rabies shot- and came home sans shot. Apparently he was too high strung for them to give him the shot. I had a feeling this was going to happen as lately even clipping his nails or getting him to go into his carrier is a nightmare involving growling, swiping and hissing. So they said we need to have him fast and then bring him in tomorrow morning so they can sedate him and then give him the shot. Is this normal/ok? Are there any health risks associated with sedation? I know that he was sedated when he was neutered, but just like with humans I''m worried about health risks if it''s not absolutely necessary. I''m wondering if there are any alternatives, or if this is just a reality for people with high strung pets. Thanks!

 

[HollyS]

They surely don''t mean that they will put him under; I would suspect that they will just give him the same ''mood altering'' drug that they give cats who don''t travel well. It will just make him mellow enough to handle the whole thing. That way, it''s less upsetting to him, and they don''t run the risk of injury to him trying to hold him down.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 12/17/2008 6:10:40 PM
Author: HollyS
They surely don''t mean that they will put him under; I would suspect that they will just give him the same ''mood altering'' drug that they give cats who don''t travel well. It will just make him mellow enough to handle the whole thing. That way, it''s less upsetting to him, and they don''t run the risk of injury to him trying to hold him down.

Ditto Holly - if they are going to anesthetize him that would be a problem. Have you asked them if they''ve considered physical restraint though? They had to do that one of my mom''s kitties when we first rescued him, though he has since mellowed considerably.

 

[deegee]

My cat has to be sedated every time I take him to the vet for shots or blood tests, which is bad because he was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is having to go back often to see if his medicine is working. Every vet I have ever taken him to has sedated him when trying to give shots or take blood. He gets wild in there! The vet had my husband and me come back with him to try to calm the kitty so they could take blood without sedating him, but he gets completely freaked out. He''s only out for about 15 minutes, and then is very groggy for a few hours. The last time he got sick on the way home, even though we made sure he fasted for 12 hours before the sedation. The next time we go in (which, thankfully, is in 6 months instead of 1 month), I''m going to ask if we can try again without the sedation. Every now and then is probably okay, but he''s having to have blood taking so often that it can''t be good for him to be sedated every time.

 

[LAJennifer]

Ask your vet to give you 5mg tablets of acepromezine (spelling?). Give it to your cat about 3 hours before you leave your house for the vet appointment. It will take take the edge off, and keep him from getting overly stressed - it will make it much easier for you to get him in the carrier and he''ll also be much easier to handle. It takes about 8 hours or so to wear off.

 

[sap483]

I just talked to DH because he was the one who took him, and they told him that they would be putting him under, by putting him in a gas chamber of some sort. He has to drop him off in the AM and pick him up in the PM. That's why I posted on here because it didn't seem normal to me.

ETA: Apparently they tried unsuccessfully to restrain him today. They pulled out the long leather gloves and had twp people plus DH there trying to pin him down and he was going absolutely crazy hissing, growling, clawing, showing his teeth, etc.

 

[Haven]

Date: 12/17/2008 9:09:35 PM
Author: deegee
My cat has to be sedated every time I take him to the vet for shots or blood tests, which is bad because he was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is having to go back often to see if his medicine is working.

Sorry for the threadjack, but deegee--our little Bootsie lived very happily for over three years with hyperthyroidism. Please post if you ever have questions about the hyperthyroidism. I''m not an expert or anything, but we tried a lot of different meds before we found a system that worked. I know it can be a scary diagnosis, but she really did have a high quality of life for a long time.

 

[deegee]

Thanks Haven. We just took him for the 3rd round of tests since September on Saturday. Poor little guy. From the time I made the first appointment to the time I got him in, he had lost down to 4 pounds. He''s up to 6.


sap483 - I''ve never had to drop him off and pick him up at a later time. He''s only out for a little bit, and we''re usually ready to go in about 1/2 hr. I have to watch him really well when we get home. The vet described what they sedate him with as the equivalent of "laughing gas." He''s usually back to normal in a few hours.

 

[bee*]

The odd time in work we have to sedate cats for boosters and other routine treatments. We usually give them an injection of ACP (Acepromazine). They are not completely sedated but groggy enough that we can work on them without the cat or handler getting injured. Normally we try and just get two nurses to hold the cat to avoid the sedation, but I wouldn''t be too worried about getting it done, provided that your cats in good physical shape.