cat just had teeth extracted and some issues followed...

[jackal2001]

Hello,
I'm hoping someone can give me some insight as I want a second opinion to my vets.   My 9 year old cat just got home yesterday from having oral surgery to have some teeth extracted.  He had this done 3 years ago and had no issues then.
1. When I got him back yesterday, his 3rd eyelid was closed in his right eye.  The Dr. told me this could be normal sometimes due to the extractions and should go away in 3 days or so.  My research on the internet only found a few cases of this and it didn't look so good.  They said if it didn't go away they could treat it with pregnazone I think but they didn't want to do it the same day he was released. I am concerned this will not go away as it is 2 days after his actual surgery and he still has it.
2.  If he shakes his head, he immediatly falls over on the right side.
3.  He hasn't eaten or drank anything in almost 24hrs now.

I am going to try and give him his oral antibiotics later today.

I am very concerned with my cats health and I am feeling that he is worse off than when he went in.  He had none of these issues other than licking his nose which indicated to me he was having issues with his teeth again.

[opus88]

there can be many bad reactions to the anesthestic used and the Vet needs to be open about this with you if this is possibly the issue.
the shaking of his head indicates he is having pain either in the jaw area from the extraction or in his brain....he maybe has a severe headache/unbalanced again from the anesthesia or infection..or nerve damage with the deep extraction!!!!  ...he does need IV hydration or syringe and soon!...I hope the Vet also considers IV antibiotics.
Poor baby, please let us know how he does after the exam......good luck.

[jackal2001]

i'm not sure how often distempers are needed, but he wasn't due for rabies for another few weeks.  we only take him to the vet when a problem arises as he isn't easy to get into the carrier and puts up a long fight.

the vet just called me and i told them he wasn't doing well at all.  they said we should bring him back in.  he may not be eating because he is in pain.  my wife is going to try and get home by 1pm est and we are going to try to get him from hiding and back to the vet.

we adopted our cat at about 1year old and he was found born in the wild.  9 years later we can still not pick him up as he doesn't like to be held.  He loves to lay on me all the time while watching tv.  he follows me around like a dog would.

[nancyjac]

Ah....ok.  His current symptoms could well be from the vaccinations he had just prior to the teeth extraction.  The combination of the vaccines with surgery and anesthesia.  That he was on IV fluids tells me that he might have a history of reaction to vaccinations?  One of my cats does and she needs subcutaneous hydration before any vaccinations.  But given that he did have IV fluids, I am not as concerned about dehydration, but still would try to encourage him to eat and drink.  Check him for "loose" skin.  That is if you pinch his skin, particularly around the neck or limb areas, and it seems you are getting more skin pulling away from his body than usually, that is a sign of dehydration,.

If your cat was not current on his distemper and rabies vaccines prior to the surgery, I don't fault your vet for giving the vaccinations so close before surgery, both for your cat's protection as well as his own and that of his staff.    

[jackal2001]

He is an inside only cat and the only cat we have.  He got updated on his distemper and rabies about 5hrs before his surgery.
He had no signes of any issues before we took him in to the vet.

The Dr. did state that he did have to go pretty deep to remove a partial tooth so I don't know if this caused the other issues.  

What got me mad is the Dr. didn't even tell me about his eyelid being closed until I picked him up yesterday.

He was on IV fluids Wed (day of surgery) and Thursday up until I picked him up on Thursday around 3pm.  He hasn't eaten or drank that I know of since thrusday at 3pm.

[nancyjac]

I haven't had much experience with cats who have had teeth extracted, but it doesn't sound like the other symptoms are related to that and the timing may be just coincidental.  Is he current on all of his vaccinations?  The eye situation could be conjunctivitis or URI.  Falling over could be from visual obstruction due the above or it could be a symptom of distemper.  But if it is only happening when he is shaking his head, it could just general weakness from not feeling well and not eating.  I am most concerned about his not drinking.  Cats can dehydrate very quickly.  Anything you can do to encourage him to drink, including force feeding or tubing should be considered.  If he continues to not eat or drink today, I would take him back to the vet for a hydratiion IV at a minimum.