Help..Had anesthesia/sedative scare at Vets

[Jackie]

I took Beckett in yesterday to be neutered. My vet called me in the afternoon to say that he had a problem and they couldn't neuter him. She said that when she gave him a sedative and started to give him anesthesia he started to gag and tried to vomit so she stopped. She said she had never seen that happen before. She doesn't know what caused it. She wants to wait a month or two and try again. I'm so nervous now. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should let her or go to a different vet. Has anyone else ever had this happen or heard of this happening? I don't know if it was her fault, an allergic reaction, ?? she doesn't know either. I was thinking of taking him somewhere else just for the neutering. Somewhere that is a 24 hr. hospital. I talked to my breeder last night and she had never heard of this happening either. PLEASE let me know if anyone has heard this happening before. I'm so nervous right now about getting it done. Thanks.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have heard of dogs having an allergic reaction to anesthetic...in fact, I have heard a horror story relating to a dog who experienced it during spay surgery. It was not a good outcome.
This is going to come down to how well you know your vet & how much faith you have in her. If there is any doubt in your mind, start shopping for another vet. Find out EXACTLY what anesthesia & sedative was used on Beckett and EXACTLY what dosage. Then you can talk to other prospective vets and give them that information, so that they will be forwarned. It will also give you the info you need to do a little research on-line about those particular drugs, any reports of side-effects, similar incidents, etc. I am so sorry that you've had this frightening experience, I would be a nervous wreck, too. Hope you can get some answers.

[Leslie and Halas]

sorry, I don't have any advice, but I hope Beckett is feeling better. I think it is definitely a good idea to check with another vet. Are there any big animal hospitals in your area? Sometimes the big hospitals have seen a lot of things that a smaller vet office may not have seen.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I did find this on my favorite veterinary website, marvistavet.com :

It is very important that the patient has not been fed in at least 8 hours. Anesthetic medications commonly induce nausea and vomiting can be very dangerous in a sedated patient (vomit can be inhaled/aspirated leading to pneumonia).

Apparently, it is common for a dog to experience nausea & vomiting from anesthetic.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

One of my dogs had a similar experience and was unable to be spayed. I was very nervous too and made sure when I took her in for a second try that there were big red letters on her chart, tag around her neck (which may have been removed as soon as I left, but made me feel better). There were no problems at all on the second try. The difference is that my dog's blood pressure dropped too. The other bigger difference is that my vet did not seem surprised or overly concerned. He just reiterated that I not feed her afte midnight and prevent her from inadverently ingesting something. I was so freaked the poor dog did not even get dinner. I decided better hungry than vomitting or something. She went on to live on long time, have two more surgeries and several teeth cleanings and no more problems with anaethesia. It does come down to do you trust your vet and how experienced is she?

[Jackie]

Yeah, I might go to another vet for the surgery..probably a 24 hr. hospital. I've felt comfortable with this clinic but I've only been going for routine visits since we got Beckett at 8 weeks. (he's 6 months now) There is a big animal hospital in our area..Tufts Animal Hospital. I'm going to call the vets office tomorrow and get as much info as I can on what they gave him, name of meds., amount, etc. Beckett did not have anything to eat after 11:00 the night before. They said nothing after midnight. So I know that didn't enter into the problem. I was just so upset. And now I'm so nervous about when we have to do this again. Beckett is feeling better. Thanks for all the info and support.

[Leslie and Halas]

Tufts is the vet school, isn't it? We have University of Illinois not too far from here, and around here, U of I vet hospital is where people get referred to if their regular vet can't figure something out or just can't treat something right. So maybe Tufts can help if you want to go that route. It may be quite a bit more expensive than your regular vet, though. Glad Beckett's feeling better. Halas was worried about his fellow Paw Pad alumni.

[Jackie]

Thank you Leslie. Yes, Tufts is the vet school.It probably is more expensive. I think I'm going to call the vet's office tomorrow and get as much info as possible. I think I'll ask them about having it done and maybe going to a 24 hr. hospital. They have 2 that they refer people to for nights or Sundays. That way they can also send everything needed (meds. he was given, etc.) to the 24 hr. hospital . I think I'll feel better knowing the vet doing the surgery has ALL the info they need. Tell Halas thanks for the concern and not to worry. lol.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Jackie:
I may be wrong, but I don't think Tufts would necessarily be more expensive for a neuter...the veterinary specialists are much more expensive anywhere, but for routine procedures, the pricing may even be less...teaching institutions are not in it strictly for profit like private vets, after all. Check it out just to see. If it is too costly, you have the option of the 24-hr hospital. I am glad you're looking into these options and will get all the info from the current vet. You're a great doodle mom, and I know Beckett will be just fine. Doodle hugs to you both.

[Leslie and Halas]

Good point...whenever I hear of people going to vet schools, it isn't usually for something that's supposed to be routine. It's usually something that requires a lot of treatment or a lot of testing. So that's probably the biggest reason for the high cost.

[Tamara & Giada]

I have no advise.........but hope all works out good. Keep us posted:)

[Jackie]

Thank you everyone for all your help and support. I've talked to the Vet and have the names of all the drugs he was given.(for future reference if he ever needs emergency surgery) I spoke to another Vet and he said he has heard of this happening before. My Vet said that if their clinic does the surgery they will use an inhalant to put him under not IV drugs. I'm going to do more checking at other places too. Beckett is better tonight but last night and today he was peeing alot (got me up at 3:30) The vet said that's normal because they gave him alot of IV fluids to flush out all the drugs. He was also not as friskie as usual but that's normal too she said. Thanks again.