Vets need to be consulted

On 12 Nov 2007 06:52:19 GMT, wrote:


Why make a big moral issue out of something that could simply be an
innocent, or perhaps ignorant, but not "cheap" or "neglectful" question.
I know that assuming someone means well isn't as much fun as getting
on a moral high horse, I sure as hell get sick of the halo displays.


I usually do just tell them to go to the vet. It is when these idiots
start arguing back that we didn't give them any good advice, as if we
failed them. Then I get irritated with them. What did they expect?
This is not a group of vets.

And even real vets cannot diagnose very well long distance. Most
symptoms can point to various problems. A cat losing weight can have a
multitide of causes, many of them serious illnesses. If the owner of
the cat really doesn't have a good idea what the problem might be,
then bloodwork is the best way to see what is going on.

I also tend to read posts on craigslist in the pet category, and there
are posts every day asking for free vet advice and/or donations to
cover vet expenses.

I had a lady approach me at the store where I wrok and ask my advice
about her cat (she knew I was a cat lady). What she described sounded
like a prolapsed uterus (stuff sticking out still a couple days after
having kittens). I told her she really needs to take the cat to the
vet. She insisted she couldn't afford to do so. She had fancy nails
and colored hair, but she couldn't afford a trip to the vet.

On Nov 12, 12:52 am, wrote:
Meghan Noecker wrote:

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

Of course. And I have done that, many times -- and so have many others.
The point is, that really shouldn't be necessary, at least not in many
cases. It should be common sense to consult a vet under the types of
conditions that I have seen posted -- again, numerous times. This is not
directed at one person in particular. People need to *think.*

Not everyone who reads and posts to these newsgroups has been
reading them a long time, so not everyone is going to know that this
is the standard answer, or that it's the best advice.

Also, there is nothing common about so-called common sense. If you
were taught to think sensibly, be grateful rather than judgemental of
those who weren't so lucky.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't feel the same way. They won't go
to the vet if they think it can be solved by a free online question.
Or they won't go to the overnight vet because it costs too much. Or
worse, they won't even call the vet because they think it takes too
long to look up phone numbers. Gee, if they had a regular vet, they
wouldn't need to look up the phone number, and the vet wold be happy
to assist a regular customer.

But hey, according to them, we are the true bad guys because all we do
is suggest they go to the vet, the one thing they don't want to hear.

Why make a big moral issue out of something that could simply be an
innocent, or perhaps ignorant, but not "cheap" or "neglectful" question.
I know that assuming someone means well isn't as much fun as getting
on a moral high horse, I sure as hell get sick of the halo displays.

Yeah, that person should take their cat to a vet. Maybe they didn't
realize this. Now, hopefully, they do. (If not, then that's the time
to yell at them...)

I don't think Mary really so much directed her post to rpca, as this
group really doesn't discuss health issues that much anyway. Regulars
here (obviously) don't hesitate to seek a vet.
I get what she's saying. Boy, do I get it, and it makes me really
angry.
I see people *constantly* drive up in $40,000 vehicles, with the hair,/
nails
like Meghan said, and say, "I can't afford.....(fill in)". It's the
people who
don't WANT to afford. It's the people who want shelters, or vets, to
take
responsibility for their animals that burns me up.

Using a newsgroup to compare notes with others, or to arm yourself
with questions for your vet, is a good idea. Using it as a substitute
for vet care isn't. We all know that already.

Whose halo display are you referring to, specifically? IMO, Mary
was venting as much as anything else. Is she not allowed that?

Sherry

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
. ..



Unfortunately, I think you are correct. There are some occasions when I
think it is a newbie who really doesn't know what to do, but that is a
rarity. Like you, I went through periods when I borrowed money to take
care of my cats (actually, one cat at a time). I got my first cat when I
was in graduate school, and my cat needed emergency surgery. I slowly
paid the bill off, and it was paid in full after about three years -- but
I made arrangements for it, and it was done. And it was well worth it!
He was less than a year old at that time, but he lived to be just a little
less than 20 years old. He was wonderful!

MaryL



I suppose it's a good idea to be a little patient until the OP shows
themselves to be one of the a**holes who are too cheap or stupid to have a
cat. There might be people who really don't know if their cat's problem
could wait until morning for the regular vet or if it's necessary to do the
emergency vet trip. There are other people who might not have access to 24/7
vet care and post to see if there is something they could/should be doing
until they can get the cat to the vet. Sometimes they get jumped on because
we have all come to expect the jerks. Cats barf from time to time when there
really isn't anything wrong. How do you know the difference between eating
too quickly or trying to kutz up a hair ball and some life threatening
illness?

I've fostered a couple of hundred cats and don't always know what I'm
dealing with and if it really requires a vet visit. Making the call to take
the cat to the emergency vet can be even trickier.

Wendy

In rec.pets.cats.anecdotes Meghan Noecker wrote:
On 12 Nov 2007 06:52:19 GMT, wrote:


Why make a big moral issue out of something that could simply be an
innocent, or perhaps ignorant, but not "cheap" or "neglectful" question.
I know that assuming someone means well isn't as much fun as getting
on a moral high horse, I sure as hell get sick of the halo displays.


I usually do just tell them to go to the vet. It is when these idiots
start arguing back that we didn't give them any good advice, as if we
failed them. Then I get irritated with them. What did they expect?
This is not a group of vets.

Well, like I said, if they don't take good advice after being politely
told what they need to do (as well as what will *not* work), that's the
time to yell at them.

Joyce

"Sherry" wrote in message
ups.com...

I don't think Mary really so much directed her post to rpca, as this
group really doesn't discuss health issues that much anyway. Regulars
here (obviously) don't hesitate to seek a vet.

Oh, man, you can say that again! I've spent over $4,000 in vet bills since
June of this year!! I don't regret a penny of it (well maybe a bit for the
time I brought Archer in thinking he had gangrene when in actuality is was
dirty tape from the cast just removed). ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

On Nov 12, 1:05 pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

ups.com...

I don't think Mary really so much directed her post to rpca, as this
group really doesn't discuss health issues that much anyway. Regulars
here (obviously) don't hesitate to seek a vet.

Oh, man, you can say that again! I've spent over $4,000 in vet bills since
June of this year!! I don't regret a penny of it (well maybe a bit for the
time I brought Archer in thinking he had gangrene when in actuality is was
dirty tape from the cast just removed). ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

I knew you'd spent a bundle. You took on a lot of health issues with
your new babies,
*besides* Archer's accident. It can really add up. What I just thought
about reading
your post -- I don't think I spent that much having bypass surgery!
Veterinary
medicine has come SO far. So much hightech equipment, complicated
procedures
that can now save a life that we didn't even have 20 years ago. We
expect to
pay big bucks for good care, but like with *our* medical stuff, we
really need
good pet care insurance now.

Sherry

"Sherry" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Nov 12, 1:05 pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

ups.com...

I don't think Mary really so much directed her post to rpca, as this
group really doesn't discuss health issues that much anyway. Regulars
here (obviously) don't hesitate to seek a vet.

Oh, man, you can say that again! I've spent over $4,000 in vet bills
since
June of this year!! I don't regret a penny of it (well maybe a bit for
the
time I brought Archer in thinking he had gangrene when in actuality is
was
dirty tape from the cast just removed). ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

I knew you'd spent a bundle. You took on a lot of health issues with
your new babies,
*besides* Archer's accident. It can really add up. What I just thought
about reading
your post -- I don't think I spent that much having bypass surgery!
Veterinary
medicine has come SO far. So much hightech equipment, complicated
procedures
that can now save a life that we didn't even have 20 years ago. We
expect to
pay big bucks for good care, but like with *our* medical stuff, we
really need
good pet care insurance now.

Sherry


I hear you! I don't get it because most I've seen don't cover regular
check-ups or vaccinations - and, knock wood, my clowder has never had any
health issues until now. I'd probably have ended up paying *WAY* more in
pet insurance over the years than I spent this year for all the problems.

Hugs,

CatNipped

In rec.pets.cats.anecdotes Sherry wrote:

On Nov 12, 1:05 pm, "CatNipped" wrote:

Oh, man, you can say that again! I've spent over $4,000 in vet
bills since June of this year!! I don't regret a penny of it
(well maybe a bit for the time I brought Archer in thinking he
had gangrene when in actuality is was dirty tape from the cast
just removed). ;

I knew you'd spent a bundle. You took on a lot of health issues with
your new babies, *besides* Archer's accident. It can really add up.

How *is* Archer, by the way?

Joyce

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"Sherry" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Nov 12, 1:05 pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

ups.com...

I don't think Mary really so much directed her post to rpca, as this
group really doesn't discuss health issues that much anyway. Regulars
here (obviously) don't hesitate to seek a vet.

Oh, man, you can say that again! I've spent over $4,000 in vet bills
since
June of this year!! I don't regret a penny of it (well maybe a bit for
the
time I brought Archer in thinking he had gangrene when in actuality is
was
dirty tape from the cast just removed). ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

I knew you'd spent a bundle. You took on a lot of health issues with
your new babies,
*besides* Archer's accident. It can really add up. What I just thought
about reading
your post -- I don't think I spent that much having bypass surgery!
Veterinary
medicine has come SO far. So much hightech equipment, complicated
procedures
that can now save a life that we didn't even have 20 years ago. We
expect to
pay big bucks for good care, but like with *our* medical stuff, we
really need
good pet care insurance now.

Sherry


I hear you! I don't get it because most I've seen don't cover regular
check-ups or vaccinations - and, knock wood, my clowder has never had any
health issues until now. I'd probably have ended up paying *WAY* more in
pet insurance over the years than I spent this year for all the problems.

Hugs,

CatNipped


I'll take this opportunity to mentione what I have done to provide for my
furbabies (and many others have done the same thing). Like you said, pet
insurance can cost more than treatment. Moreover, the "fine print" in pet
insurance policies often places an unreasonably low maximum figure for
certain ailments (and it is often a *lifetime* maximum), costs go up and
coverage goes down as our pets age (which is just when they are more likely
to need medical care), and many policies cover only certain specified
problems. So, I opted to "self insure." Several years ago, I started to
put a small amount into a savings account (actually, a money market fund
because the interest is better). That account is reserved just for Holly
and Duffy, and I have never touched it because it is only for emergencies
and large expenses, not for routine care. Of course, this works best if you
start when your furbabies are relatively young and healthy. That give you
time for the account to grow before you are likely to need it. Even that is
not guaranteed, though, because we can never be sure about when our cats may
become sick or have an accident.

MaryL

MaryL wrote:

So, I opted to "self insure." Several
years ago, I started to put a small
amount into a savings account
(actually, a money market fund
because the interest is better). That
account is reserved just for Holly and
Duffy, and I have never touched it

I have done the same thing. I put $300 a year into a savings account
reserved for cat emergencies.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')