*URGENT* Help Needed (LONG)

Oh gawd, I am *SO* freakin' *STUPID*. How could I have been so d*mn
*BLIND*!

I told you guys that my 15-year-old, Bandit, had her teeth cleaned on Feb.
25 - a week ago last Friday. Well, since then she has been even meaner and
grumpier than usual, growling and hiss-spitting at everyone and everything.
My reaction to that (**@$$HOLE**) was to leave her alone except to pet and
brush her head and back to try and soothe her. I figured she had a touch of
arthritis that all the fighting at the vet's had aggravated (**STUPID**).
Sunday she was walking even more stiff than usual, then yesterday afternoon
I noticed a horrible smell from her. I attributed that to her getting
litter all over her hind quarters when she urinates.

Every night when I give them their canned food I pick her up off my bed and
take her over to the food dish to make sure she eats OK and none of the
younger cats eat her share. Last night when I picked her up a felt
something wet on her stomach. Again, I though litter box (she's long haired
and sometimes when she squats down in the litter box her rear quarter will
get wet and litter will stick - I brush her off every night.

So last night at around 9:10PM I was brushing her and decided to turn her
over to make sure I got any stuck litter off of her tummy. Ohmygawd, I was
appalled at what I saw.

Bandit had lost the hair on her belly and there was a *HUGE* area (about 2
1/2 inches in diameter) that looked like a big, weeping blister. The stench
(*horrible* smell) was coming from that. I had just taken my Ambien,
Alluna, Melatonin, and 2 muscle relaxers (Zanaflex), so I screamed for DH to
come down and drive us to the emergency vet.

We got there at 9:30PM, but I was so out of it from the meds I didn't even
realize it wasn't until about 11:45PM before the doctor even saw us. They
had to give Bandit 2 shots of sedative in order to calm her down enough to
handle her. The would *NOT* let me handle her (hospital pollicy bullsh*t),
no matter how much I begged. I was *SO* worried about them giving her so
much sedative when she was in an obviously weakened state. Finally they let
us back in to see her so I would hold her down on her back while the vet
looked at the sore.

The vet said it looked like a burn, possibly a chemical burn but more likely
a heat burn (she kept asking us if there was something Bandit could have
been burned on at home). There is *NOTHING* in my house, either chemical or
heat, that could have burned Bandit. Our heating vents are on the ceiling
and Bandit doesn't even come upstairs much less go into the kitchen by the
stove. Then I thought about the report I posted hear from when she had her
teeth cleaned and they had something on there about a heated recovery.

I know Bandit is a *VERY* bad cat at the vets and it's possible that the
techs didn't check on her as often as they might have another cat. But do
you think that she could have been burned by the heating pad they used???!!

I am *SICK* with worry, self-recriminations, and just plain outrage that my
baby could have been in such horrible pain for *10 DAYS* without my even
knowing it. Imagine having a burn over your entire stomach, from groin to
sternum, and having it go untreated for that long - ohmygawd!!!

The emergency vet gave us some Clavamix, some pain pills, and some Sulfadine
(SP??) cream to put on the wound and I'm supposed to call my regular vet
this morning. I just don't know if I can *TRUST* my regular vet - OK, it
may have been a mistake, they happen, or neglect by a vet tech and the vet
may have had no idea anything happened, but it makes me wonder.

What should I do??? Any advice????? Please send lots of purrs that my baby
gets better soon!!

DH is staying home with her today and I'm going to try to get off the rest
of the week. I'll keep you all posted on how she is. Thanks for listening,
guys.

Hugs,

CatNipped

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Oh gawd, I am *SO* freakin' *STUPID*. How could I have been so d*mn
*BLIND*!

I told you guys that my 15-year-old, Bandit, had her teeth cleaned on Feb.
25 - a week ago last Friday. Well, since then she has been even meaner
and grumpier than usual, growling and hiss-spitting at everyone and
everything. My reaction to that (**@$$HOLE**) was to leave her alone
except to pet and brush her head and back to try and soothe her. I
figured she had a touch of arthritis that all the fighting at the vet's
had aggravated (**STUPID**). Sunday she was walking even more stiff than
usual, then yesterday afternoon I noticed a horrible smell from her. I
attributed that to her getting litter all over her hind quarters when she
urinates.

Every night when I give them their canned food I pick her up off my bed
and take her over to the food dish to make sure she eats OK and none of
the younger cats eat her share. Last night when I picked her up a felt
something wet on her stomach. Again, I though litter box (she's long
haired and sometimes when she squats down in the litter box her rear
quarter will get wet and litter will stick - I brush her off every night.

So last night at around 9:10PM I was brushing her and decided to turn her
over to make sure I got any stuck litter off of her tummy. Ohmygawd, I
was appalled at what I saw.

Bandit had lost the hair on her belly and there was a *HUGE* area (about 2
1/2 inches in diameter) that looked like a big, weeping blister. The
stench (*horrible* smell) was coming from that. I had just taken my
Ambien, Alluna, Melatonin, and 2 muscle relaxers (Zanaflex), so I screamed
for DH to come down and drive us to the emergency vet.

We got there at 9:30PM, but I was so out of it from the meds I didn't even
realize it wasn't until about 11:45PM before the doctor even saw us. They
had to give Bandit 2 shots of sedative in order to calm her down enough to
handle her. The would *NOT* let me handle her (hospital pollicy
bullsh*t), no matter how much I begged. I was *SO* worried about them
giving her so much sedative when she was in an obviously weakened state.
Finally they let us back in to see her so I would hold her down on her
back while the vet looked at the sore.

The vet said it looked like a burn, possibly a chemical burn but more
likely a heat burn (she kept asking us if there was something Bandit could
have been burned on at home). There is *NOTHING* in my house, either
chemical or heat, that could have burned Bandit. Our heating vents are on
the ceiling and Bandit doesn't even come upstairs much less go into the
kitchen by the stove. Then I thought about the report I posted hear from
when she had her teeth cleaned and they had something on there about a
heated recovery.

I know Bandit is a *VERY* bad cat at the vets and it's possible that the
techs didn't check on her as often as they might have another cat. But do
you think that she could have been burned by the heating pad they
used???!!

I am *SICK* with worry, self-recriminations, and just plain outrage that
my baby could have been in such horrible pain for *10 DAYS* without my
even knowing it. Imagine having a burn over your entire stomach, from
groin to sternum, and having it go untreated for that long - ohmygawd!!!

The emergency vet gave us some Clavamix, some pain pills, and some
Sulfadine (SP??) cream to put on the wound and I'm supposed to call my
regular vet this morning. I just don't know if I can *TRUST* my regular
vet - OK, it may have been a mistake, they happen, or neglect by a vet
tech and the vet may have had no idea anything happened, but it makes me
wonder.

What should I do??? Any advice????? Please send lots of purrs that my
baby gets better soon!!

DH is staying home with her today and I'm going to try to get off the rest
of the week. I'll keep you all posted on how she is. Thanks for
listening, guys.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Actually, I just got off the phone with my vet and I feel *SO* much better
about her. *SHE* brought up the probability that it was the heating element
that caused the burn - no denial, no excuses - she said that no other
injection nor the anesthesia would cause something like that. They
immediately pulled the heating blanket out of use as soon as the emergency
vet called them this morning and are going to have it thoroughly checked out
before using it again.

I know that mistakes happen and can forgive that, and the fact that she is
willing to, up front, take responsibility makes me trust her even more. I
really do like this vet, so Bandit is going to see her today at 12:30. I'll
keep you posted.

Hugs,

CatNipped

CatNipped wrote:
"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Oh gawd, I am *SO* freakin' *STUPID*. How could I have been so
d*mn
*BLIND*!

I told you guys that my 15-year-old, Bandit, had her teeth cleaned
on Feb.
25 - a week ago last Friday. Well, since then she has been even
meaner
and grumpier than usual, growling and hiss-spitting at everyone and

everything. My reaction to that (**@$$HOLE**) was to leave her
alone
except to pet and brush her head and back to try and soothe her. I

figured she had a touch of arthritis that all the fighting at the
vet's
had aggravated (**STUPID**). Sunday she was walking even more stiff
than
usual, then yesterday afternoon I noticed a horrible smell from
her. I
attributed that to her getting litter all over her hind quarters
when she
urinates.

Every night when I give them their canned food I pick her up off my
bed
and take her over to the food dish to make sure she eats OK and
none of
the younger cats eat her share. Last night when I picked her up a
felt
something wet on her stomach. Again, I though litter box (she's
long
haired and sometimes when she squats down in the litter box her
rear
quarter will get wet and litter will stick - I brush her off every
night.

So last night at around 9:10PM I was brushing her and decided to
turn her
over to make sure I got any stuck litter off of her tummy.
Ohmygawd, I
was appalled at what I saw.

Bandit had lost the hair on her belly and there was a *HUGE* area
(about 2
1/2 inches in diameter) that looked like a big, weeping blister.
The
stench (*horrible* smell) was coming from that. I had just taken
my
Ambien, Alluna, Melatonin, and 2 muscle relaxers (Zanaflex), so I
screamed
for DH to come down and drive us to the emergency vet.

We got there at 9:30PM, but I was so out of it from the meds I
didn't even
realize it wasn't until about 11:45PM before the doctor even saw
us. They
had to give Bandit 2 shots of sedative in order to calm her down
enough to
handle her. The would *NOT* let me handle her (hospital pollicy
bullsh*t), no matter how much I begged. I was *SO* worried about
them
giving her so much sedative when she was in an obviously weakened
state.
Finally they let us back in to see her so I would hold her down on
her
back while the vet looked at the sore.

The vet said it looked like a burn, possibly a chemical burn but
more
likely a heat burn (she kept asking us if there was something
Bandit could
have been burned on at home). There is *NOTHING* in my house,
either
chemical or heat, that could have burned Bandit. Our heating vents
are on
the ceiling and Bandit doesn't even come upstairs much less go into
the
kitchen by the stove. Then I thought about the report I posted
hear from
when she had her teeth cleaned and they had something on there
about a
heated recovery.

I know Bandit is a *VERY* bad cat at the vets and it's possible
that the
techs didn't check on her as often as they might have another cat.
But do
you think that she could have been burned by the heating pad they
used???!!

I am *SICK* with worry, self-recriminations, and just plain outrage
that
my baby could have been in such horrible pain for *10 DAYS* without
my
even knowing it. Imagine having a burn over your entire stomach,
from
groin to sternum, and having it go untreated for that long -
ohmygawd!!!

The emergency vet gave us some Clavamix, some pain pills, and some
Sulfadine (SP??) cream to put on the wound and I'm supposed to call
my
regular vet this morning. I just don't know if I can *TRUST* my
regular
vet - OK, it may have been a mistake, they happen, or neglect by a
vet
tech and the vet may have had no idea anything happened, but it
makes me
wonder.

What should I do??? Any advice????? Please send lots of purrs
that my
baby gets better soon!!

DH is staying home with her today and I'm going to try to get off
the rest
of the week. I'll keep you all posted on how she is. Thanks for
listening, guys.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Actually, I just got off the phone with my vet and I feel *SO* much
better
about her. *SHE* brought up the probability that it was the heating
element
that caused the burn - no denial, no excuses - she said that no other

injection nor the anesthesia would cause something like that. They
immediately pulled the heating blanket out of use as soon as the
emergency
vet called them this morning and are going to have it thoroughly
checked out
before using it again.

I know that mistakes happen and can forgive that, and the fact that
she is
willing to, up front, take responsibility makes me trust her even
more. I
really do like this vet, so Bandit is going to see her today at
12:30. I'll
keep you posted.

Hugs,

CatNipped

OH MY GOD! This is so awful! As the "mom" of an almost 19 yo kitty and
one 11 yo kitty, I know how you must feel. I am sending healing vibes
to Bandit and hope that your baby feels better soon. Keep us posted!
Beth

"CatNipped" wrote :

I am *SICK* with worry, self-recriminations, and just plain outrage that
my
baby could have been in such horrible pain for *10 DAYS* without my even
knowing it. Imagine having a burn over your entire stomach, from groin to
sternum, and having it go untreated for that long - ohmygawd!!!

Oh God, Lori, I am just in tears for you. Please try not to beat yourself
up any more about it--we all make mistakes.


The emergency vet gave us some Clavamix, some pain pills, and some
Sulfadine
(SP??) cream to put on the wound and I'm supposed to call my regular vet
this morning. I just don't know if I can *TRUST* my regular vet - OK, it
may have been a mistake, they happen, or neglect by a vet tech and the vet
may have had no idea anything happened, but it makes me wonder.

I certainly would ask about this "heated recovery." I know all the evidence
is
not in but it sure sounds at this point like they may have burned her.


What should I do??? Any advice????? Please send lots of purrs that my
baby
gets better soon!!

If I were in your place I think I would go to another vet, just for my own
peace of mind.

DH is staying home with her today and I'm going to try to get off the rest
of the week. I'll keep you all posted on how she is. Thanks for
listening,
guys.


I really hope she will heal quickly, and that you figure out how it
happened.
Hugs!

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"CatNipped" wrote in message
...

Actually, I just got off the phone with my vet and I feel *SO* much better
about her. *SHE* brought up the probability that it was the heating
element
that caused the burn - no denial, no excuses - she said that no other
injection nor the anesthesia would cause something like that. They
immediately pulled the heating blanket out of use as soon as the emergency
vet called them this morning and are going to have it thoroughly checked
out
before using it again.

I know that mistakes happen and can forgive that, and the fact that she
is
willing to, up front, take responsibility makes me trust her even more. I
really do like this vet, so Bandit is going to see her today at 12:30.
I'll
keep you posted.


It's great that she was honest about it, but I would still be very upset.
The whole heating blanket thing sounds unecessary to me--and now
that they have discovered that it can be harmful, maybe they will
discontinue it. You and Bandit have probably saved other kitties
the same hurt.

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
Mary expressed precisely :
"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"CatNipped" wrote in message
...

Actually, I just got off the phone with my vet and I feel *SO* much
better
about her. *SHE* brought up the probability that it was the heating
element
that caused the burn - no denial, no excuses - she said that no other
injection nor the anesthesia would cause something like that. They
immediately pulled the heating blanket out of use as soon as the
emergency
vet called them this morning and are going to have it thoroughly
checked out
before using it again.

I know that mistakes happen and can forgive that, and the fact that
she is
willing to, up front, take responsibility makes me trust her even more.
I
really do like this vet, so Bandit is going to see her today at 12:30.
I'll
keep you posted.


It's great that she was honest about it, but I would still be very
upset.
The whole heating blanket thing sounds unecessary to me--and now
that they have discovered that it can be harmful, maybe they will
discontinue it. You and Bandit have probably saved other kitties
the same hurt.

I've actually read where heating pads can be very helpful for cats
recovering from surgery. However, I would think they'd use one that is
definitely pet safe. Maybe instead of electric heating pads, they
could use a hot water bottle or pad. Catnipped, I'm sorry to hear
about Bandit and hope she feels better soon. I don't like to bring up
the money aspect, but I do think your vet should pay your emergency vet
fees as well as her own fees at the least.


I had never heard of this, thanks for letting me know. They are
probably doing what is easiest--and hopefully have learned from
it.

in article 1110306247.44609e400f84c56877c75bcc78560e88@terane ws,
Brandy*Alexandre at wrote on 3/8/05 12:24
PM:

Mary wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

I really hope she will heal quickly, and that you figure out how it
happened.
Hugs!

It makes me worry about Kami's heating pad, but it's under her teepee
with about an inch of foam between. She loves it so much.

you might consider this instead:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...=1&pCatId=3487

We have one and it puts out good heat, long and safely.

On 2005-03-08, PawsForThought penned:

I've actually read where heating pads can be very helpful for cats
recovering from surgery. However, I would think they'd use one that is
definitely pet safe. Maybe instead of electric heating pads, they could use
a hot water bottle or pad. Catnipped, I'm sorry to hear about Bandit and
hope she feels better soon. I don't like to bring up the money aspect, but
I do think your vet should pay your emergency vet fees as well as her own
fees at the least.

Oscar has a pad like this:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...2&N=2002+22732

According to the description, "A core layer of thermo-reflective material uses
your cat's own body heat to warm the entire cushion." I'd imagine something
like this couldn't malfunction the way a true heater can ...

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

On 2005-03-08, CatNipped penned:
Oh gawd, I am *SO* freakin' *STUPID*. How could I have been so d*mn
*BLIND*!

You made a mistake. It happens. Bandit is being treated, and now you know to
pay more attention if one of your kitties is being grumpy. Don't beat up my
friend Lori! She's a good meowmie and does everything she can for her babies.

What should I do??? Any advice????? Please send lots of purrs that my baby
gets better soon!!

I think you're doing everything you can do. You have gotten her treatment and
you're following up with the vet. Now just take a few deep breaths. Bandit
is hurting, but she's going to be okay. It sounds to me like you may be
caught in the same cycle I do when things go horribly wrong: you keep trying
to go back in time and say, "If I'd just done this," "If I'd only done that."
Past is past. You can't change it. You're doing everything you need to do
right now to take care of Bandit, and getting too freaked out isn't going to
help any of your kitties.

Relax. Bandit is going to be okay. She's getting the medical treatment she
needs. You've already done what you need to do to get her help.

And of course, purrs for Bandit.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

On 2005-03-08, Brandy*Alexandre penned:
Monique Y. Mudama wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

Oscar has a pad like this:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=8982&
N=2002+22732

According to the description, "A core layer of thermo-reflective material
uses your cat's own body heat to warm the entire cushion." I'd imagine
something like this couldn't malfunction the way a true heater can ...


That looks interesting, too. I can just replace the teepee pad with that
one ((won't match, though.)


Yeah, Oscar's has a leopard pattern, and it wouldn't be my first choice, but
*shrug*

I actually bought it when we were travelling cross-country and she would be in
her crate for a long time. She never liked it, probably because she
associated it with torture (I was a dumb owner and didn't introduce her to the
pad until we started the trip). Several years later, I retrieved it from
storage, washed it, and put it in her favorite sunbeam spot, where she can
watch the whole house from a balcony. It's now a big hit, and I find her
lolling on it just about every morning.

Actually, I just remembered (and you can see from the little insets) that
there are two colors on the pads. The underside is a dark single-tone. I
think it's a less "fuzzy" material, though, so I leave the print side up.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca