Vet visit

**Karena** · 18th May 2010, 08:04 PM

I took Simba to the vet today to get his hernia checked and pick up a worming tablet. The vet felt it had got larger and that I should think about getting it stitched up. She said if I didn't it may cause complications in the future. I feel stupid cos I didn't ask what complications so if anyone knows I'd like to know what risks there are in leaving it. As it is I have booked him in for the operation 2 weeks tomorrow. I'm feeling very nervous about it - poor Simba. Hope I'm doing the right thing.

I gave him his worming tablet. I put him on the kitchen table held his head up, opened his mouth, popped the pill in as far as I could and stroked his throat. He struggled a bit but all in all quite good. He did foam at the mouth a bit after - what was that? No idea but I watched closely and he didn't spit it out. I washed his mouth and gave him a treat. Thank goodness I don't have to do it again for another three or four months! He is worn out now and sleeping. He meowed all the way to the vet and all the way back but was good while he was there. The vet couldn't believe how much bigger he had got. He weighed in at 4.5kg which was what I made him a week or so ago, so either I got it wrong or he hasn't grown in that time. Either way he is apparently on target.

**jckkerrison** · 18th May 2010, 10:17 PM

Hi Karena,if the vet has noticed that it is getting larger then most probaly you are doing the right thing getting it stitched,the worst complication is that part of the abdominal contents such as the intestines could come through the gap then become twisted & stop things passing through normally & that in turn becomes serious for the animal & requires a lot bigger op. Normally they tend to stay the same & as the animal grows you get so you notice it even less or they get repaired at neutering,it is a pity that if your fella was done before you had him that they didn't do it then because I would have thought it would have been picked up at his health check. He should soon bounce back though I always class it as a nip & tuck,a small incision push the bits back & sew them up,shouldn't take too long & you will have more fun trying to keep him quiet for the wound to heal.
Will watch out to see how he gets on....
Frothing from the mouth very often occurs after giving tablets so I wouldn't worry about that either,well done for getting it down !

**Karena** · 18th May 2010, 10:42 PM

Thank you so much for that info. I will go ahead with it then, wouldn't want anything bad to happen at a later date if I didn't. I was hoping it would just get smaller or not be a problem but I had noticed myself that it was feeling bigger. I did tell his breeder about it and she said her vet hadn't noticed it when he was neutered, but being he was so young it was probably very tiny then.

Glad the frothing was normal - never had that with my dogs but they are so greedy or stupid they just swallow it inside a bit of bread and butter

**harrymc** · 18th May 2010, 10:56 PM

Hi Karena, glad all is ok with Simba. Harry was fine after his op and the scar was quite small and didn't seem to cause him any problems what so ever. He had his stitches out 10 days later and he was really good then too and it all seems to be healed nicely (2 weeks on). As I said before the vet wasn't too bothered by his hernia, but I hadn't noticed that it had got significantly bigger. This was the first time the vet had seen him though, so he didn't know what it was like when we got him.

Hugs and love to Simba x

**Scrapdragon** · 19th May 2010, 01:42 AM

I'm sure you're doing the right thing.... hugs to Simba!

**Heather2mc** · 19th May 2010, 03:13 PM

I am off to the vets on saturday with Zack to get him weighed. He does stand on my scales but since the flight incident and the resulting injuries he freaks when he is put in his cage to go to the vets.

The vet suggested I put him in his cage and drive to the vets. weigh him, put him back in and bring him home fortnightly for a while and hopefully he will get the idea that the trips are not so scary after all!!!

As she said " you might want to try and get him used to the cage before he is a really big cat as it would be fun trying to get a fighting adult male MC into a cage"

Any other suggestions.

ps - wont go in there for treats or toys - well not yet anyway

**Helen & John** · 19th May 2010, 03:24 PM

How about a car harness! If he starts liking trips in the car then he may see it as fun, have the vets got a back door so you could walk him straight in on a harness that would take out the need for a carrier.

**Louie-Louie** · 19th May 2010, 03:31 PM

I would get some Feliway spray for the carrier & spray it an hour before hand also throw toys in the carrier & he will get used to going in to it after the toys & hopefully not be scared of it by the time you need to use it

**Heather2mc** · 19th May 2010, 03:45 PM

Thanks for that

I am not confident with the harnesses - have had a cat get out of one before and the vet is on a very busy road with only front entrance. Probably being paranoid but if he is in a cage then he cant get out.

What is the feliway spray - I have never heard of it. Is it something I can get in Aust.

**Helen & John** · 19th May 2010, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Heather2mc

What is the feliway spray - I have never heard of it. Is it something I can get in Aust.

Feliway is a calming product, it's available as a spray or a plug in. Many people use it around bonfire night or if they have a highly strung cat!

It's made by a company called Ceva. If you check their website it should say if it available in Australia.