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Prayers for Omar are going out to you, Megan. I'm also very, very
grateful that you ranted about VCA because in-between your rant, I read a very valuable word ... "Chylothorax". My 11.5 yo Siamese was just diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy on 4-23. In the few web pages that I've read tonight about Chylothorax, I learned that the Siamese breed is especially prone to this disorder. Now I'm armed with additional information/questions for the Critical Care Hospital where Maxx is being stabilized and also for his Cardiologist Specialist when I see him next Tuesday. Thank you very much. Once again, my very best wishes for Omar. Linda wrote in message ... : First, thanks to all for the replies. snipped : Omar's fluid analysis came back definitively as being caused by : Chylothorax. I had an appointment for an ultrasound today and he has now : been diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The specialist that did the : ultrasound is a wonderful man who I have dealt with several times in the : past and he is raring to go to get this under control and give Omar a : good quality of life for however long that might be. I'm ecstatic about : this and as messed up as it is that Omar has DCM, out of all the : possibilities that were given this is the lesser of the evils so I'm : oddly happy. : : He's been put on 4 medications and supplemental Taurine so we'll see : what happens. I may have to bring him in again to pull fluid out of his : lung area until we get this under control, but what I really hope is : that he doesn't throw a clot. I'm going to stay with the specialist for : all of Omar's treatment and bypass my regular clinic if at all possible. snipped : Megan : : "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do : nothing." : : -Edmund Burke : : Learn The TRUTH About Declawing : http://www.stopdeclaw.com : : Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: : http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 wrote in message ... : First, thanks to all for the replies. I'm sorry for not having responded : earlier but I am seriously STRESSED OUT due to not only the situation : with Omar but also many other things I'm having to deal with as well. : Sometimes I just need to shut down for awhile. : : Before I give details, as a reminder Omar actually was the recipient : (along with Murphy) of some help from several on this newsgroup who were : kind enough to buy cat beds from me to help with the vet bills I : incurred doing this particlar rescue. The urls to the pics in the : original post have been changed, but the pics are available in the : "friends and rescues" section of my photo album, and there's a couple of : cute pics of Omar in the Zuzuscats section too. The original thread is : he : http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...1f9ccce&rnum=1 : : After the rescue Omar was in a foster home for awhile and the woman that : had him loved him and wanted to adopt him. Unfortunately one of her cats : hated him and they could not be together AT ALL, so a new home had to be : found for him. : : She had decided without my consent that it would be ok to adopt him to a : woman she knew that had a young child. Not only did Omar have biting : issues at the time and should not have been around children until that : was resolved, but it turned out that the lady couldn't even afford good : food or vet care. The fosterer had the idea that she would just : contribute regularly, but that can't realisitically go on forever and : then what would happen to him when the help stopped??? As any of you : that even know me a little know, this was absolutely not an option and : she and I got into a pretty heated argument, which ended with me going : over there (I had a key) and literally packing him up and taking him out : of her home right then and there before she had a chance to follow : through and bring him to this woman's home. I decided that he had had : enough with being confined (because of the other cat) and having an : uncertain future and at that moment he was mine forever. I knew it was : the right decision at the time and especially now considering the : serious medical issues that have now surfaced. : : Omar's fluid analysis came back definitively as being caused by : Chylothorax. I had an appointment for an ultrasound today and he has now : been diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The specialist that did the : ultrasound is a wonderful man who I have dealt with several times in the : past and he is raring to go to get this under control and give Omar a : good quality of life for however long that might be. I'm ecstatic about : this and as messed up as it is that Omar has DCM, out of all the : possibilities that were given this is the lesser of the evils so I'm : oddly happy. : : He's been put on 4 medications and supplemental Taurine so we'll see : what happens. I may have to bring him in again to pull fluid out of his : lung area until we get this under control, but what I really hope is : that he doesn't throw a clot. I'm going to stay with the specialist for : all of Omar's treatment and bypass my regular clinic if at all possible. : : Why, you may ask? : : begin rant : One of my big issues right now (and this is a heads up to you all) is : that the vet clinic I have been a client of for 14 years was recently : bought out by VCA which is, in my view, basically a big corporation that : runs around the country buying up already established practices and : destroying any semblence of compassion and consideration for the animals : and instead focusing on how much cash they can make in the shortest : amount of time. : : One example of this was when I brought Omar in for a Thoracentesis. I : had this done before with another cat that required it several time. At : that time the cost averaged about $40 and I was fit in to the schedule : when it was convenient and never charged an office visit. This time, : thanks to VCA, I am being charged $115 plus an exam fee *every time* : which has already been twice in 9 days. It doesn't matter that between : my rescue and pet accounts I have spent well over $80,000 or that I have : brought them literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of new : business because of my recommendations. Nope, now the only thing they : see is $ and the welfare of my cat is only important if I can pay the : exhorbitant fees. : : A dark cloud is now hanging over the clinic and, even though I like one : vet there, her hands are tied now and she has to tow the company line. : It's sickening and I have already heard from some of the staff that they : hate it and want to leave, and that clients are walking away and doing : things such as not following up for needed booster shots because of the : dramatically increased expense. : : When I first heard this was happening I did a google search to see what : VCA is all about and I found mostly negative comments. Having now : experienced them for myself I can see why. I am certain that animals are : going to die unnecessarily because of these *******s and their policies : and it makes me ill. This is also going to limit my ability to help or : rescue any cats that might cross my path and that has me particularly : incensed. IMO VCA is like a malignant cancer and I urge anyone that is : considering using a VCA clinic to think twice. I'm really ****ed because : now is *not* the time that I need to start finding a new vet, but I : don't see as I have a choice. Plus I don't want to give those ****ers : another dime of my hard earned money if I can avoid it. /rant : : Megan : : : : "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do : nothing." : : -Edmund Burke : : Learn The TRUTH About Declawing : http://www.stopdeclaw.com : : Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: : http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 : : "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one : elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and : splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then : providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, : raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and : material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his : way." : : - W.H. Murray : : --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.663 / Virus Database: 426 - Release Date: 4/20/2004 |
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