Clover's tumor removal today(UPDATE and a Question)

user 78 · Feb 4, 2008

The only time my rats have been groggy after a procedure was when I had to pick them up within an hour of their surgery. They were fine within a couple of hours, though. Lil had literally come out of surgery 45min before I picked her up so she was pretty out of it and stumbled about, but she had perked right up within a couple of hours. I really don't understand why your vet had to give her more, unless she came out of it in the middle of the procedure. Any way you put it, it sounds like he gave her entirely too much after the first round.

I know that Shelagh [lilspaz] had a bad incident with her two boy's being neutered by an inexperienced vet. The boys were pretty bad off for the entire day [picked up several hours after surgery] and didn't really perk up until the next day.

Melissa's ZOO · Feb 4, 2008

Gas. And I don't think he did the surgery until 11 or so, so by the time she started to move around was about 7 to 8 hours after the actual surgery.

He said she just didn't want to go to sleep so he had to give her more.

Any other surgery he has done went well and by the next morning they were wide awake and happy. Ivy had two tumors removed at the same time as Lilly and she was a little more out of it than Lilly but she was under for longer.

Vanessa · Feb 4, 2008

Yes, I have had that happen during very serious abdominal surgery. It is not good for the animal to start coming out of it part way through, so if there is a question of how much to give they err on the side of too much. I wouldn't want to be coming out of surgery part way through either.
I have had bad reactions in animals, not the rats but the cats, and they all came out of it just fine.
The trick is that they need to be kept warm at all costs.

Melissa's ZOO · Feb 4, 2008

I was really worried about her at first, but after I was holding her for about 30 minutes she started to brux a little so I began to not be so upset.

Clover is my heart rat and I just love her so much. I was crying at first when I was wrapping her up but then I thought me being upset would just make it worse for her, so I gathered myself back together and held her.

She is fine now but I don't know that I will put her through that ever again.

She had a heating pad and they had her covered up with the blanket that was in her carrier so they really do a good job at keeping them warm.

Vanessa · Feb 4, 2008

It is very disconcerning, absolutely. You feel so helpless to make them feel better and you worry that they won't make it.
I have had one rat die a few hours after surgery and I was in hysterics over it. It was life saving surgery though, so I didn't have a choice, he would have died a miserable death if the surgery wasn't attempted.
I think that he might have stood a better chance with Dr. Munn, but I can't do anything about that now except guilt over it (which I do). I chose to have the surgery done by a vet that turned out to be less than ideal. I have not returned to that vet since, I will only have Dr. Munn or Dr. Luckwadlt do surgery for me now at any cost. Dr. Munn preferably.
It does get better the more experience you get, but that worry never goes away entirely. Anything can happen, even with the most routine procedures, and surgery should never be taken lightly no matter how many that you have had done with no problems.
Hang in there.