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Drooling After Anaesthetic? - Update, Rip My Little Man


kiwioz
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My apologies for reposting this from health and nutrition, but I'm having a bit of a freak out and wanted a better chance of more people reading this!

Cal had a liver biopsy today, poor wee man is not very well and I await the results on Monday. But in the meantime this evening he is drooling thick, mucusy saliva fairly consistently from his mouth. I did ring the after hours vet and she was lovely, said that occasionally they could get fluid on the lungs after an anaesthetic but that it could just be mucus in his throat. Google gives me varying information, that drooling is normal, and that it is a cause for concern so I'm not quite sure what to think! It is a fair hike to the after hours clinic and I'd rather keep him warm and quiet but am not sure whether to be concerned. When he lies down his breathing becomes pretty noisy but he is managing to get a full breath in. Perhaps due to this, he is very reluctant to settle and keeps pacing.

Any thoughts or advice very welcome!

Edited by kiwioz
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How,upsetting for you.

I don't know about after surgery but the only time my old boy drooled like that it was due to pain...

Does your dog appear to be in pain? If so, maybe a trip to the emergency vet..

To be honest if it was me (and I am a major worrier when it comes to the dogs), I would probably pack them up and tale them in just for reassurance...

I hope someone who knows comes in to answer you question with better medical knowledge

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That's a worry. Ideally he should go back to the vet clinic and be supervised and given suction. If not possible, ring them back and ask about maybe trying an antihistamine to help dry him up a bit. He may be in pain and stressed, or he may have some trauma to his mouth from the breathing tube that is worrying him. If he stays with you, keep an eye on him overnight as he may be at risk of aspirating if he falls asleep and obstructs his airway. Keep an eye on his breathing and his gum colour.

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Thanks so much for the replies guys. I did end up going to the after hours and the nurse had a listen to his chest to make sure the fluids weren't in his lungs and a risk. She said the drooling is probably a combo of reacting to the breathing tube and nausea. She thought he was pretty sore and wanted to give him more pain relief, but I was a bit hesitant as I didn't have a record of what he's already had today. I'm back home to try and settle him to get some sleep, if he can't settle in the next couple of hours I'll take him back to see a vet.

It is all a bit stressful as the biopsy results may well show he can't be treated :( facing up to the fact this may be my last weekend with him :(

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If it is cool where you are a hot water bottle under a few layers of blankets might make him more comfy.

We did that with our old guy a couple of times after surgery to get him to rest.. They have heated pads in the hospital and it seems to make them sleepier.

I hope you get good news on his biopsy.

Edited by Staffyluv
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Thanks :)

He finally settled enough for sleep last night. The after hours clinic said to be worried if he hadn't managed to lie down by about midnight, got him sleeping around 11.30. I had a fairly restless night trying to keep an eye on him, but I think he actually slept quite solidly which is good news. Today he's still not at all a well dog, but thankfully his discomfort has eased enough for him to comfortably lie down. So he is just chilling on his bed instead of pacing the house. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get him to eat anything yet, OH has just gone to buy some chicken so I'll try that.

It's hard to know what to do, I want to make the most of the time if there is not much of it left, but I want to leave him in peace as well. He is not the most cuddly/affectionate dog at the best of times so me getting in his face will not be very appreciated! Just trying to hang out with him, keep him comfy and warm and make sure he's as happy as possible.

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Hug given :) Thank you!

He still hasn't eaten at all and hasn't had much to drink since this morning :( Just gave him a couple of syringes worth of water to get at least some fluid into him. I've made him go out for a wee a few times but otherwise he hasn't moved :(

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I'd suggest to go back to the vet - sounds very nauseus and perhaps even in pain from what you have described. Considering he's probably been fasted before anaesthetic he really needs to get something into him even perhaps IV fluids.

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