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Scheduled an Echo for Stella

ultra_stella

ultra_stella

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Brooke said:
I'm sure there are cats that won't tolerate being held down onto a table. You wouldn't believe some of the wild cats we used to see when I worked for a vet. No doubt there are cases where an accurate echo is impossible without sedating the pet.

However, my girl, Helen, is almost impossible - it took 2 of us pinning her down to draw blood last time we were at the vet, I have to sit on her to put drops in her eyes and sneak up on her when she's asleep to clean her ears.(hard to believe, sweet little Helen) I thought she was going to be a nightmare for her echo, but she did great. I honestly don't think you need to worry about sedation even coming up as an option for Stella. I'm sure she'll behave! You can always make the decision to try, and if they decide to sedate her you can call off the scan and have it done elsewhere.
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Poor Helen! I wish our buddies would understand that the drops, visits, creams, baths and everything else is out of love and to promote great health!

Here's my other concern: They said they ask for the owners to leave the room before they take them to get the Echo (you stay during the Cardiology Office Call, though). When I showed interest in having an echo in the past, the tech told me that they like to perform these tasks on their patients at the same time. My guess is that it would be a crowded room if all us "parents" wanted to stay during this visit. But if there isn't but maybe one or two animals getting scanned that day, why wouldn't I or the other animal's parents be able to stay? Like I said, I had just enough time to schedule the visit and get a brief overview. I'm definitely calling them tomorrow. I'm wondering if I'm having too many doubts now. Wondering if I should try to find someone else that can do this? Geez, it doesn't take much to get me worried.
 
BareOnAHotTinRoof

BareOnAHotTinRoof

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Sometimes when animals go to the vet, their heart rate is alot higher than it would be if they were calm and at home. The sedation, if used, is only to calm her down so the cardiologist can actually see the heart move and see the heart walls. They have to have a slower heart rate to get quality pictures. If a heart is going 240 beats per minute, it's pretty impossible to get a good look and to be accurate. I would rather the cardiologist take their time and get good pictures than to have a squirmy, racing-heartbeat kitty and get bad pictures and it take 5 minutes. I want my money's worth.

The sedation they use nowadays is extremely safe, even in elderly animals. We use Dexdomitor and when we're done with the procedure, the medication is reversed and the animal wakes up uneventfully.

Some animals act very good when being scanned, but others just protest to being held down for 15-20 minutes while cold stuff is on their chest. It's just safer for everyone involved when the cat or dog is sedated.

I highly doubt they would completely knock her out since that's not necessary, but a little bit of Dexdomitor or buprenorphine(injectable pain medication) will help them be calmer and not having such a racing heart. At the clinic I work at, we sedate dogs and cats regularly for radiographs and other procedures if we know it will be painful for them. We want it to be a good experience for the patient and owner and not have a scared dog or cat every time they come back to see us. Also, if they are sedated, we are able to easily examine them, radiograph them without pain(stretching the joints of 13 year old large breed dogs is not easy and it hurts!), and they wake up as if nothing happened. It's just so much more pleasant for them and they aren't hurting themselves or us (even if inadvertently) out of fear, poor kiddos. They just don't speak good english and don't understand most of the time what we want them to do :)

Sorry, forgot to add something. Also, animals generally act alot better when away from their owners, and by law, we cannot allow owners to restrain their own animals in our clinic. It's just policy. Technicians, like myself, are trained in how to restrain cats and dogs safely but firmly so we are able to examine them, but the animal won't cause harm to others or themselves.
 
Brooke

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ultra_stella said:
Poor Helen! I wish our buddies would understand that the drops, visits, creams, baths and everything else is out of love and to promote great health!

Here's my other concern: They said they ask for the owners to leave the room before they take them to get the Echo (you stay during the Cardiology Office Call, though). When I showed interest in having an echo in the past, the tech told me that they like to perform these tasks on their patients at the same time. My guess is that it would be a crowded room if all us "parents" wanted to stay during this visit. But if there isn't but maybe one or two animals getting scanned that day, why wouldn't I or the other animal's parents be able to stay? Like I said, I had just enough time to schedule the visit and get a brief overview. I'm definitely calling them tomorrow. I'm wondering if I'm having too many doubts now. Wondering if I should try to find someone else that can do this? Geez, it doesn't take much to get me worried.
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Is the echo performed in the same room where you'll be having the office call or will they be taking Stella back to a different area of the clinic? If the ultrasound equipment is in the back area, it could simply be a matter of liability that they can't bring you back with them. In all honesty, the scans I had done wouldn't have been any less accurate if I'd been sitting in the other room while they were performed! (though it was cool to see it all in action). And, in some cases, pets behave differently - and often times better - when their parents aren't in the room with them. It may just be their policy, and nothing you can do to change it.

I can understand your concern about sedation. It's always nerve-wracking when we think of having to knock our kids out!! Sometimes it's totally necessary but I really don't think Stella will need it - just based on the 10 or more echo's I've just watched in the last 6 months, all Sphynx, all handled it beautifully (some squirmier than others). Oh, and ALL WERE HCM NEGATIVE!! woohoo!

Try not to let your nerves get the best of you. It'll all be over in less than a week...hang in there, Dani, you're doing a great thing for Stella! :ThumbsUp:
 
ultra_stella

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BareOnAHotTinRoof said:
Sometimes when animals go to the vet, their heart rate is alot higher than it would be if they were calm and at home. The sedation, if used, is only to calm her down so the cardiologist can actually see the heart move and see the heart walls. They have to have a slower heart rate to get quality pictures. If a heart is going 240 beats per minute, it's pretty impossible to get a good look and to be accurate. I would rather the cardiologist take their time and get good pictures than to have a squirmy, racing-heartbeat kitty and get bad pictures and it take 5 minutes. I want my money's worth.

The sedation they use nowadays is extremely safe, even in elderly animals. We use Dexdomitor and when we're done with the procedure, the medication is reversed and the animal wakes up uneventfully.

Some animals act very good when being scanned, but others just protest to being held down for 15-20 minutes while cold stuff is on their chest. It's just safer for everyone involved when the cat or dog is sedated.

I highly doubt they would completely knock her out since that's not necessary, but a little bit of Dexdomitor or buprenorphine(injectable pain medication) will help them be calmer and not having such a racing heart. At the clinic I work at, we sedate dogs and cats regularly for radiographs and other procedures if we know it will be painful for them. We want it to be a good experience for the patient and owner and not have a scared dog or cat every time they come back to see us. Also, if they are sedated, we are able to easily examine them, radiograph them without pain(stretching the joints of 13 year old large breed dogs is not easy and it hurts!), and they wake up as if nothing happened. It's just so much more pleasant for them and they aren't hurting themselves or us (even if inadvertently) out of fear, poor kiddos. They just don't speak good english and don't understand most of the time what we want them to do :)

Sorry, forgot to add something. Also, animals generally act alot better when away from their owners, and by law, we cannot allow owners to restrain their own animals in our clinic. It's just policy. Technicians, like myself, are trained in how to restrain cats and dogs safely but firmly so we are able to examine them, but the animal won't cause harm to others or themselves.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input, as well. It's nice to hear different opinions/experience. Perhaps the law you speak of is what the University is abiding by. I will further investigate. I can see the benefits of using the sedation for some animals, but it makes me very nervous! No doubt the horror stories contribute to these nerves. I am only reacting as a worried momma, lol. It's interesting you say that animals act a lot better when away from their owners. I would have thought the opposite! But then again, I'm not around a whole bunch of animals to make that observation. Thank you for contributing to the thread! Advice always helps!
 
ultra_stella

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"Is the echo performed in the same room where you'll be having the office call or will they be taking Stella back to a different area of the clinic? If the ultrasound equipment is in the back area, it could simply be a matter of liability that they can't bring you back with them. In all honesty, the scans I had done wouldn't have been any less accurate if I'd been sitting in the other room while they were performed! (though it was cool to see it all in action). And, in some cases, pets behave differently - and often times better - when their parents aren't in the room with them. It may just be their policy, and nothing you can do to change it."

I am not sure where the ultrasound equipment is. I have only seen the "general check up area" (for lack of a better description!) and the ophthalmology clinic. If I can't be there with her, I'll just have to put my big girl panties on and say "She'll be okay!" :LOL:


"I can understand your concern about sedation. It's always nerve-wracking when we think of having to knock our kids out!! Sometimes it's totally necessary but I really don't think Stella will need it - just based on the 10 or more echo's I've just watched in the last 6 months, all Sphynx, all handled it beautifully (some squirmier than others). Oh, and ALL WERE HCM NEGATIVE!! woohoo!"

That is AWESOME that they were all HCM Negative! Stella does pretty well at her vet visits, except for when she hisses at the very beginning! That only began recently. It was probably because I had to take her so many times when I wanted to make sure she didn't have an ulcer during a flare up with her FHV and the Skin Fold Dermatitis on her belly. By the way, the Skin Fold Dermatitis on her belly is completely gone! I've had to schedule a few rechecks because the vet wanted to make sure it stayed away, and it has!


"Try not to let your nerves get the best of you. It'll all be over in less than a week...hang in there, Dani, you're doing a great thing for Stella! :ThumbsUp:"

It's just crazy how much affection you can have for these beautiful companions! Unconditional love! I will hang in there. :Smile:
 
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ultra_stella

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Well I dropped Stella off at the clinic after the office call! I could not be there for the echo which sucks, but I trust she is in good hands. I'm at work right now. They said that if they cannot get her to calm down during the echo then they will call me at work and ask for permission for sedation. They DO NOT use Ketamine. I told them of my prefences, but they said they don't use anything to knock them out. It's just a calming effect, and I don't have the names of the stuff they use on hand! Darn it. I'm thinking one started with a U and the other one started with a B. Could be wrong. They said what they use is very light. Hoping she does just fine without any assistance. I'll find out the results later on today when we pick her up. Missing my baby right now!
 
ultra_stella

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Brooke: Oh my gosh, yes! I could hardly eat today, but I felt so hungry after we picked her up lol. So exciting! I wish Stella knew what all that was about, and every other cat for that matter. We do the things we do because we love them! She looked confused when we picked her up, but she was perfectly fine in the car. She was fascinated with the snow falling.
 
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ultra_stella said:
Brooke: Oh my gosh, yes! I could hardly eat today, but I felt so hungry after we picked her up lol. So exciting! I wish Stella knew what all that was about, and every other cat for that matter. We do the things we do because we love them! She looked confused when we picked her up, but she was perfectly fine in the car. She was fascinated with the snow falling.
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Dani, that's exactly how I felt...I didn't sleep at all the night before and then I couldn't eat all day. After it was over, I stuffed my face and then slept for 12 hours!! :LOL::LOL:

Just curious, did they end up having to sedate Stella for her echo?
 
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