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#1
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
I took my cat in today because he seemed to be having trouble breathing. He is a 15 year old domestic shorthair who has only been sick one other time, and only been to the vet once for neutering as a kitten. He of course was very scared by them and stopped breathing hardly at all, they drained his lungs almost emergency style and then delivered what seemed like a fear based sales pitch: "He most likely has feline aids or feline leukimia, his lungs are filling with fluid and he cannot be helped unless we keep him for 6-7 weeks and drain and rinse his lungs with solution and keep him on atinobiotics. This only has an 15% chanc eof working. If you choose to do the human thing he wont suffer at all. If you don't he will most likely die a horrible death gasping and panicing for air and crying out at home" I declined as when I seen him again he was breathing normally and was "him" and got antibiotics instead and hope by some chance they will work. All I could think is if I went in with pnemonia and was told I have 3-4 days to live because I have aids, simply from the doctor listening to my lungs with a stethescope I would think the doctor had went insane. Then if he hit me over the head with a dead chicken (about as weird the cat getting his temp taken rectally I suppose) and I had trouble breathing and he drained my lungs to help me, I would not think all is lost and would wanna try some antibiotics. Or at LEAST die at home with my last experience not being some strange place and weird people. I have NO guilt for this, even if his last minutes are terrible, he will get a few more days I suppose, and have memories of us loving him and playing with him. PLUS he seems fine now, the vet assured us his lungs would refill with fluid and he would die, but I have trouble believing it with his curent condition. I DO however have a couple questions, is it possible the vet is wrong? Is there anything I should know here? Not to comfort me, but maybe to save him? (I need no comfort in the fact that he will not be crying out for help in his last seconds unable to breath, as if something cannot breath it cannot force air out of its lungs to cry out, I am almost sure he will drown in his sleep at the worst, and this "horrible death" was a sales pitch of some sort). Anything I am not being told, should I take him to another vet? |
#2
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
bobsacemano wrote:
I took my cat in today because he seemed to be having trouble breathing. He is a 15 year old domestic shorthair who has only been sick one other time, and only been to the vet once for neutering as a kitten. He of course was very scared by them and stopped breathing hardly at all, they drained his lungs almost emergency style and then delivered what seemed like a fear based sales pitch: "He most likely has feline aids or feline leukimia, his lungs are filling with fluid and he cannot be helped unless we keep him for 6-7 weeks and drain and rinse his lungs with solution and keep him on atinobiotics. This only has an 15% chanc eof working. If you choose to do the human thing he wont suffer at all. If you don't he will most likely die a horrible death gasping and panicing for air and crying out at home" I declined as when I seen him again he was breathing normally and was "him" and got antibiotics instead and hope by some chance they will work. All I could think is if I went in with pnemonia and was told I have 3-4 days to live because I have aids, simply from the doctor listening to my lungs with a stethescope I would think the doctor had went insane. Then if he hit me over the head with a dead chicken (about as weird the cat getting his temp taken rectally I suppose) and I had trouble breathing and he drained my lungs to help me, I would not think all is lost and would wanna try some antibiotics. Or at LEAST die at home with my last experience not being some strange place and weird people. I have NO guilt for this, even if his last minutes are terrible, he will get a few more days I suppose, and have memories of us loving him and playing with him. PLUS he seems fine now, the vet assured us his lungs would refill with fluid and he would die, but I have trouble believing it with his curent condition. I DO however have a couple questions, is it possible the vet is wrong? Is there anything I should know here? Not to comfort me, but maybe to save him? (I need no comfort in the fact that he will not be crying out for help in his last seconds unable to breath, as if something cannot breath it cannot force air out of its lungs to cry out, I am almost sure he will drown in his sleep at the worst, and this "horrible death" was a sales pitch of some sort). Anything I am not being told, should I take him to another vet? Seeking a 2nd opinion is a always a good idea. |
#3
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
Margarita Salt wrote:
bobsacemano wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav: should I take him to another vet? Bingo! And I'm sure you know this, but he should have had regular vet visits all along for two solid reason: (1) To hopefully keep him from being fearful of all the trip entails, and (2) so that at the very least you have a vet who is familiar with your cat and his ailments and habits so that diagnoses aren't as much of a crapshoot There are also some "solid" reasons for some folks that this doesn't happen, particulary for those who move around a lot. Military people come to mind. Take him to another vet, since you have no relationship with anyone in partcular, and get another opinion. I hope you and your kitty will be fine. |
#4
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
"bobsacemano" Take him to another vet specially with this news a blood test would have shown feline aids I won't state medical advice but it could be lung infection or anything never trust just one vet Some vets are just not that good. In the morning take him to another vet tell him why you brought him to the other vet but let this vet do a diagnose instead of already having a mental picture done for him And when it is time for him to go you will know it is time to take him to get what needs to be done. I am sorry you are in this situation. I would PING PHIL P in this newsgroup and give the medical information that was given to you |
#5
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
bobsacemano wrote: I took my cat in today because he seemed to be having trouble breathing. He is a 15 year old domestic shorthair who has only been sick one other time, and only been to the vet once for neutering as a kitten. What were his symptoms - wheezing? coughing? gasping? pawing at mouth? He of course was very scared by them and stopped breathing hardly at all, they drained his lungs almost emergency style and then delivered what seemed like a fear based sales pitch: "He most likely has feline aids or feline leukimia, First, this is a crock of ****. They should have asked you if it was ok to test for both - the test takes 15 minutes, tops. his lungs are filling with fluid and he cannot be helped unless we keep him for 6-7 weeks and drain and rinse his lungs with solution and keep him on atinobiotics. This only has an 15% chanc eof working. If you choose to do the human thing he wont suffer at all. If you don't he will most likely die a horrible death gasping and panicing for air and crying out at home" I declined as when I seen him again he was breathing normally and was "him" and got antibiotics instead and hope by some chance they will work. All I could think is if I went in with pnemonia and was told I have 3-4 days to live because I have aids, simply from the doctor listening to my lungs with a stethescope I would think the doctor had went insane. And that would the the correct assumption. Then if he hit me over the head with a dead chicken (about as weird the cat getting his temp taken rectally I suppose) and I had trouble breathing and he drained my lungs to help me, I would not think all is lost and would wanna try some antibiotics. Or at LEAST die at home with my last experience not being some strange place and weird people. I have NO guilt for this, even if his last minutes are terrible, he will get a few more days I suppose, and have memories of us loving him and playing with him. PLUS he seems fine now, the vet assured us his lungs would refill with fluid and he would die, but I have trouble believing it with his curent condition. This whole scenario sounds weird. Did they take an x-ray and show it to you to prove to you the cat had pneumonia? Did you see them drain the lungs? generally, pneumonia is not treated by drining the lungs unless it is extremely severe, and if that was the case, they should have taken an x-ray to see how severe it was. I DO however have a couple questions, is it possible the vet is wrong? Very possible. Is there anything I should know here? The above. Not to comfort me, but maybe to save him? (I need no comfort in the fact that he will not be crying out for help in his last seconds unable to breath, as if something cannot breath it cannot force air out of its lungs to cry out, I am almost sure he will drown in his sleep at the worst, and this "horrible death" was a sales pitch of some sort). Anything I am not being told, should I take him to another vet? If he continues to have trouble breathing, absolutely take him to another vet. This entire fiasco sounds fishy. Was this an emergency vet? Without any more detail it sounds more likely that the cat was having an asthma attack, they gave him some meds to resolve it and some oxygen, and he was fine. A cat with pneumonia will act *very* sick. Please supply a little more detail about what the symptoms were and what treatment actually occurred - what did you see, if anything? -L. |
#6
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
Joe Canuck wrote: There are also some "solid" reasons for some folks that this doesn't happen, particulary for those who move around a lot. Military people come to mind. The owner would still know what is normal for his cat. Some cats freak out at the vet's office, so it would be helpful to know if breathing changes are a normal reaction or something unusual. When I take my cat to the vet with a problem, even though it is my regular vet, he still relies on *my* opinion of what is normal for my cat. So, when I took Kira in as a kitten, and said she was lethargic, he believed me even though she was walking around and not just laying there. She was lethargic compared to her normal self. The vet will ask about appetite, energy, etc. It helps to know what is normal. And behavior at a vet visit is also part of that normal behavior. Several years ago, my mom found a cat on the side of the road. He had been hit, and had some bad injuries including a broken jaw. We paid for thevet care and brought him home. He seemed to be improving, but 2 1/2 weeks after bringing him home, he died. He seemed fine that morning, but I knew it was serious when I got home from work. We didn't have a 24 hour vet then, so we were going to be there at the office when it opened. He didn't make it that long. There was nothing I could do, since I got him after he was hit by the car. But I really wish that I would have known what was normal for him. He seemed so mellow and easy going, but he could have been sick and in pain, and we just didn't know. He was at the vet's office 3 times the week he died, and everybody, including the vet, thought he was improving. We just didn't have anything to compare his behavior to. Vets are not telepathic or psychic. They rely on tehir experiences with all the cats and dogs they have seen over the years. But that doesn't mean that your cat is typical or normal. They still have to rely on the owner to be the judge of behavior changes, which are clues to the problem. And this includes knowing how the cat reacts to strangers and vet exams. |
#7
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
"bobsacemano" wrote in message oups.com... I took my cat in today because he seemed to be having trouble breathing. He is a 15 year old domestic shorthair who has only been sick one other time, and only been to the vet once for neutering as a kitten. He of course was very scared by them and stopped breathing hardly at all, they drained his lungs almost emergency style and then delivered what seemed like a fear based sales pitch: "He most likely has feline aids or feline leukimia, his lungs are filling with fluid and he cannot be helped unless we keep him for 6-7 weeks and drain and rinse his lungs with solution and keep him on atinobiotics. This only has an 15% chanc eof working. If you choose to do the human thing he wont suffer at all. If you don't he will most likely die a horrible death gasping and panicing for air and crying out at home" This is absolute erroneous nonsense. First of all, neither FIV (feline 'aids') nor Feline Leukemia produce pleural effusions. At your cat's age FeLV and FIV are *very* highly unlikely- if not actually *impossible*- unless your cat was bitten by a FeLV/FIV infected cat. If your cat had either disease, you would have noticed a steady deterioration in his overall physical condition over the last few months to years. The test to rule out FeLV/FIV takes less than 10 minutes and can be performed by a simple blood test in your vet's office. Its called FeLV/FIV Combo Snap test and costs about $25. I declined as when I seen him again he was breathing normally and was "him" and got antibiotics instead and hope by some chance they will work. All I could think is if I went in with pnemonia and was told I have 3-4 days to live because I have aids, simply from the doctor listening to my lungs with a stethescope I would think the doctor had went insane. You would probably be correct. Then if he hit me over the head with a dead chicken (about as weird the cat getting his temp taken rectally I suppose) and I had trouble breathing and he drained my lungs to help me, I would not think all is lost and would wanna try some antibiotics. Or at LEAST die at home with my last experience not being some strange place and weird people. I have NO guilt for this, even if his last minutes are terrible, he will get a few more days I suppose, and have memories of us loving him and playing with him. PLUS he seems fine now, the vet assured us his lungs would refill with fluid and he would die, but I have trouble believing it with his curent condition. His lungs may refill with fluid again, but another thoracocentesis would relieve respiratory distress immediately. I DO however have a couple questions, is it possible the vet is wrong? Absolutely! The vet is not not only possibly wrong- he's *probably* wrong. Is there anything I should know here? Not to comfort me, but maybe to save him? Yes. (I need no comfort in the fact that he will not be crying out for help in his last seconds unable to breath, as if something cannot breath it cannot force air out of its lungs to cry out, I am almost sure he will drown in his sleep at the worst, and this "horrible death" was a sales pitch of some sort). Anything I am not being told, should I take him to another vet? The first order of business is find another vet ASAP and get the fluid analyzed to determine the *type* of fluid. Several diseases can produce fluids- non of which are FIV/FeLV. There are several types of fluid ( e.g., transudates, modified transudates, septic exudates, nonseptic exudates, neoplastic, chylous, hemorrhagic). The type of fluid depends on the disease process that's producing the fluid. At your cat's age, my first guess would be heart disease, CHF secondary to hyperthrophic cardiomyopathy- *both* of which can be treated with medications. In many, if not most cases pleural effusions can be controlled with medications called "diuretics" (furosemide a/k/a Lasix). Although the fluid may need be to be drained again (thoracocentesis) to provide immediate relief until the diuretic takes affect. Once the effusion is under control, the dose should be reduced to the lowest possible dose because cats are sensitive to diuretics and prone to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. I strongly suggest you seek a secon opinion *ASAP* and order x-rays and an ultrasound. The ultrasound should be performed *before* the fluid is drained because the fluid actually enhances the ultrasound image- unless your cat is in severe respiratory distress. However, the most important step is having the fluid analyzed ASAP- this will help identify the process that's producing the fluid and greatly help the vet proper a treatment plan. Please seek a second opinion *ASAP*. Keep the faith. Best of luck, Phil. |
#8
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
"-L." wrote in message oups.com... bobsacemano wrote: I took my cat in today because he seemed to be having trouble breathing. He is a 15 year old domestic shorthair who has only been sick one other time, and only been to the vet once for neutering as a kitten. What were his symptoms - wheezing? coughing? gasping? pawing at mouth? He of course was very scared by them and stopped breathing hardly at all, they drained his lungs almost emergency style and then delivered what seemed like a fear based sales pitch: "He most likely has feline aids or feline leukimia, First, this is a crock of ****. They should have asked you if it was ok to test for both - the test takes 15 minutes, tops. Wow! We actually agree on something! his lungs are filling with fluid and he cannot be helped unless we keep him for 6-7 weeks and drain and rinse his lungs with solution and keep him on atinobiotics. This only has an 15% chanc eof working. If you choose to do the human thing he wont suffer at all. If you don't he will most likely die a horrible death gasping and panicing for air and crying out at home" I declined as when I seen him again he was breathing normally and was "him" and got antibiotics instead and hope by some chance they will work. All I could think is if I went in with pnemonia and was told I have 3-4 days to live because I have aids, simply from the doctor listening to my lungs with a stethescope I would think the doctor had went insane. And that would the the correct assumption. Then if he hit me over the head with a dead chicken (about as weird the cat getting his temp taken rectally I suppose) and I had trouble breathing and he drained my lungs to help me, I would not think all is lost and would wanna try some antibiotics. Or at LEAST die at home with my last experience not being some strange place and weird people. I have NO guilt for this, even if his last minutes are terrible, he will get a few more days I suppose, and have memories of us loving him and playing with him. PLUS he seems fine now, the vet assured us his lungs would refill with fluid and he would die, but I have trouble believing it with his curent condition. This whole scenario sounds weird. Did they take an x-ray and show it to you to prove to you the cat had pneumonia? Did you see them drain the lungs? generally, pneumonia is not treated by drining the lungs unless it is extremely severe, and if that was the case, they should have taken an x-ray to see how severe it was. I DO however have a couple questions, is it possible the vet is wrong? Very possible. Is there anything I should know here? The above. Not to comfort me, but maybe to save him? (I need no comfort in the fact that he will not be crying out for help in his last seconds unable to breath, as if something cannot breath it cannot force air out of its lungs to cry out, I am almost sure he will drown in his sleep at the worst, and this "horrible death" was a sales pitch of some sort). Anything I am not being told, should I take him to another vet? If he continues to have trouble breathing, absolutely take him to another vet. This entire fiasco sounds fishy. "Fishy"? Have you ever heard of such a BS story? This is probably one of the worst BS stories I've ever heard of a vet giving a client. I'd say it borders on gross incompetence. My guess is the vet is clueless and wants to kill the cat before the client gets a second opinion and finds out the vet is clueless and incompetent. |
#9
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
bobsacemano wrote: Anything I am not being told, should I take him to another vet? I find it highly suspect that all of the sudden a 15 year old cat is going to have FIV or FelV, and even worse that this vet didn't do the proper testing for these diseases. I would absolutely take him to a different vet at a different clinic. Good luck and please keep us posted. Lauren see my cats: http://tinyurl.com/8glfv |
#10
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BAD BAD experience today with my cat at the vet.
What do you think the vet is trying to "sell" you?
Taking your cat home to die in pain is not humane. If he is in pain, euthanasia is the most humane option. Better he die painlessly in a strange place (hopefully with you with him) than horribly in a familiar place. M. |
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