Do vets really care?

My special friend is Yogi, 17 years old.
He has had 6 vets in his lifetime and each has been different in their
approach to diagnosing and treating any illness he has had.
I would just like to say that in his last days I have done a lot of soul
searching and net searching...latterly, hopelessly, thinking I would find a
wonder cure for him. He had a lot of abcesses in his earlier years as he was
a 'defender' (not a scrapper), was often sick although it usually turned out
to be furballs. When he was 12 he was hit by a car and I nursed him at home,
as no treatment was given by the vet as she said he had fractured his hipand
not to let him jump up or down. So spent the week on a mattress/floor all
day and night with him.
When he was 11 I was told not to bother with leakemia vaccine for him as if
he hasnt contracted it by now he never will.
When he was 14 he had started being sick and having diarrohea and lost
weight. Took him to the vet,(after a lot of searching in Manchester trying
to find one that seemed to have time,let alone care, large practices seem to
be in it for the turn over! ..some with vets that cannot speak english well
enough) to whom we said money is no object!! what a cheque to write eh?...
but this was my friend whom I love deeply. He did all the tests and showed
us X rays that showed Yogi had thickening of the bowel walls and that he has
hypothyroidism. So three times aday Yogi was to have 5mg of
Neomercazol....this vetr was adamant this dosage could never be reduced
(although I have read since that it could be) and never explained further or
treated further the bowel wall thickening.(Having since read that this could
lead to lyphoma I wonder why he didn't) All I ever hear from Vets oh! he's a
good age...after all he's such and such an age....age is in my opinion only
relative when they get to around 19-20.
Yogi had in the last year had bouts of sickness once again and diarrohea,
this last spring was pretty bad his faces being yellow and very smelly. The
vet we currently have(and we live on an island so its not easy to say change
your vet) didnt respond until i pushed him for blood tests and faces test.
The latter he didnt want to do, so I found a specimen bottle at our doctors
and gave him that...nothin forthcoming for up to ten days and then
eventually I was told oh there was nothing. Blood tests all ok, only what
you would expect in a 'cat of his age'...what does this b...well mean for G
sake! Anyhow some probiotic mix later his tum settles a bit although it
continues to give problems from time to time...then....he is losing weight
and his appetite is slowing. You might think this is an older cat and so his
appetite will lessen and I would normally agree but I know my cat and I know
when his appetite is lessening due to 'age'...this wasn't. The same vet
examine him and said ,due he says to him being an FELv cat...as I confirmed
he had not been vaccinated against leukimia as the previous but one vet had
said not to bother,....he has alimentary lymphosarcoma. No tests no nothing
this is by feel of his abdomen alone. Nothing can be done he says. No
referral to Glasgow nothing.To top it all he told us to take Yogi off his
neomercazol. SO I find another vet who treats with Homeopathy, having read
in magazines etc about these vets thinking they can help him even if its
palliative...this one seemed pretty vague about what to do...nothing like
you see on the TV or read in the mags etc...(is it my fault for believing
these things...why is it all these other animals seem to be treated well
....am I just angry am I a bad judge of 'vet'..) when I asked of a nosode of
lymphosarcoma she treats him with phosphorus...which doesnt seem to be about
his immune system as she said but since finding out that this is more about
helping his symptoms of digestion/diarrohea/vomiting...he hate sthis one I
can tell you. However, she did dispense a muchroom based tablet which is
being used for HIV in humans and is apparently helpful in cancer in cats.
This does seem to have helped Yogi in palliative treatment. She at least
was willing to refer us to Glasgow.When we finally get to Glasgow...there is
such a waiting list!...after an examination we are told that Yogi should
nopt have come off his neomercazol and that either form of treatment
....chemo or surgery would be difficult in Yogi's case, his kidneys have
seeds on them and are small....due to previous kidney traumas. His weight
loss hasbn't helped...due in part ot weight loss after being taken off the
thyroid drug...she told us to put him back on his thyroid drug, which we
have done and he seems ok for it. Basically nothing can be done as she said
he has either adenocarcinoma or alimentary lymphosarcoma. The former would
require surgery adn the latter would need chem.
So here we are at home and I am desolate and devastated....all I wanted was
a vet to treat Yogi properly at each and every occasion...not to consider
the cost....but to consider all the possibilities each time adn follwoing
examinations to treat properly...not be lackadaisical or take short
cuts...some of these vets never did an initial exam...such as listening to
heart/lungs, atking temperature or smelling this breath.....
The worst part is I know that I will have to argue with this vet to get him
to do a home visit when the time comes for Yogi to pass on.
If any vets ever read this...please remember these aniamls are not 'Just
cats' as one vet said to me....they hold a special place in their human
friends hearts, mean a great deal to them, ...all we ask is you treat them
with respect, care and pay attention to each animal being uniquely different
so look at their symptoms and pay attention to detail....if need be ask
whether money is an issue...you may be surprised that there are some of us
out here for whom we would spend whatever it takes to make our friends feel
well again and whole....or at least help them to feel good as we would our
human friends and relatives. For me Yogi has been my friend, confidante,
surrogate child and soul mate and I know that in the next life I will see
him again....that will make up for the pain I am going through now feeling
that I didnt fight enough for him or find the right vets to take proper care
of him.
Please if you are going to be a Vet ....you must like animals and continue
to like them throughut your career as one...never for a moment forget these
ar sentient beings.
Apologies for those of you who think I am nuts but I care passionately about
animals...who cannot speak up for themselves..so someone has to.

In article , Linda.Hartley0H2
@btinternet.com enlightened us with...
My special friend is Yogi, 17 years old.
snip

I am very sorry to hear of Yogi's decline. Purrs from my furkids and I
to yours.

So here we are at home and I am desolate and devastated....all I wanted was
a vet to treat Yogi properly at each and every occasion...not to consider
the cost....but to consider all the possibilities each time adn follwoing
examinations to treat properly...not be lackadaisical or take short
cuts...some of these vets never did an initial exam...such as listening to
heart/lungs, atking temperature or smelling this breath.....

Unfortunately, many vets, and many doctors, too, just don't seem to care
as much as we'd expect. If you lived somewhere with more choices, it
would have been easier for you to "vote with your feet".
I should add my sentiments that vets should actually give a damn about
animals.

If any vets ever read this...please remember these aniamls are not 'Just
cats' as one vet said to me

Makes me wonder why this person became a vet...

....they hold a special place in their human
friends hearts, mean a great deal to them,

Yes, they do.
I love my cats. If anyone told me it's just a cat, I'd likely give them
a good smack. Well, at least I'd WANT to.

Losing a beloved pet is never easy for those of us who see them as more
than "just pets". I wish you and Yogi all the best and know you'll see
Yogi at the Rainbow Bridge.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

In ,
Linda Hartley composed with style:

[...]
Apologies for those of you who think I am nuts but I care
passionately about animals...who cannot speak up for themselves..so
someone has to.

You're not nuts. I'm sorry you've gone through this and a lot of us
are right here with you. I think this is part of why forums like this
have evolved, because vets don't know everything nor will they
probably ever. Just like human doctors. We have to arm ourselves
with information to help them help our friends. Sounds so unfair, I
know. I think more of them need to defer to specialists faster;
before money runs out, before they have exhausted all of their own
knowledge. Defer to the ones who've seen more.

Take care,
Cheryl

"Cheryl" wrote in message ...
In ,
Linda Hartley composed with style:

[...]
Apologies for those of you who think I am nuts but I care
passionately about animals...who cannot speak up for themselves..so
someone has to.

You're not nuts. I'm sorry you've gone through this and a lot of us
are right here with you. I think this is part of why forums like this
have evolved, because vets don't know everything nor will they
probably ever. Just like human doctors. We have to arm ourselves
with information to help them help our friends. Sounds so unfair, I
know. I think more of them need to defer to specialists faster;
before money runs out, before they have exhausted all of their own
knowledge. Defer to the ones who've seen more.

I totally agree. I personally prefer feline specialists because
they've seen more cases, have seen the rare cases, and IME, will cut
to the chase. I just had a vet recommend $800 worth of diagnostics,
whereas the feline vet said "Why? If you want to know what's up, go
to surgery". I appreciated that.

OTOH, vets don't have all the answers, and that's probably the most
frustrating thing for them to deal with - to have a case which just
doesn't respond as expected.

Another thing is people expect vets to be able to work miracles.
Sometimes there isn't anything more you can do for an animal. A good
vet will tell you this outright. A not-so-good vet will keep taking
your money. It's hard to tell the difference, sometimes.

-L.

Another thing is people expect vets to be able to work miracles.
Sometimes there isn't anything more you can do for an animal. A good
vet will tell you this outright. A not-so-good vet will keep taking
your money. It's hard to tell the difference, sometimes.

-L.

I think a lot of what vets do is guesswork...well, human docs also, but vets
have the distinct disadvantage of not being able to talk to their patients, ask
them how they feel, where it hurts, etc. I think it would be very frustrating.

When I was in my early 20s and had just moved to Phoenix (almost 30 years ago
now) and was looking for a job, I applied with a vet. I don't even remember if
it was as a tech or office help or what but I went to his house and he and his
wife interviewed me. I told him how much I loved animals, in an effort to get
the job, and he told me that wasn't really a good thing in this case...that
it's better to remain detached and impersonal when dealing with the animals so
you don't get upset by what you deal with. I didn't get the job and it has
always made me wonder, with every vet I have ever gone to, if they care about
animals at all or if it's just a job. I suppose it's some of each but that
comment has stuck with me all this time...sometimes I look at my vet and wonder
if he gives a crap at all and if he cares about his own pets the way I care
about mine.

Candace
(take the litter out before replying by e-mail)

See my cats:
http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace

"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other
than human." (Loren Eisely)

I think a lot of what vets do is guesswork...well, human docs also, but vets
have the distinct disadvantage of not being able to talk to their patients, ask
them how they feel, where it hurts, etc. I think it would be very frustrating.


I think a good vet knows typical behavior and has a good idea of what
to ask. And also knows enough to trust the owners.

When my 11 year old cat was just a kitten, she got sick. To me, she
was quite lethargic, but this was because she was overly active,
troublesome kitten. At the vet's office, she didn't show any problems
except being dehydrated. But I was really worried - I knew something
was very wrong. He went with his gut and prescribed antibiotics even
though he didn't see anything wrong. He figured she might have a
virus, and this would prevent secondary infection. She was feeling
much better after that, and the next day, I discovered the problem.
Two extremely infected ears. You see, this kitten had the fluffiest
ears on earth, and you could not see the infected wounds on them. I
mentioned them to my sister, and she couldn't find them until I
pointed them out. The larger one was the size of a dime and you could
see a ring of pus. The antibiotics were exactly what she needed, so
his gut instinct had been correct. A week later, I saw herharrassing
my older cat, who then bit her on the ear. So, I'm pretty sure that
that notch on my cat's ear is a reminder of my first cat.

I have also had other times where the vet was really good and listened
to me. I have a sheltie who yelped when I was just barely squeezed
her. She was on the couch facing me, and I had my hands on her sides
and pulled her to me. I did not squeeze hard, and no healthy dog would
have yelped. Knowing she had been abused and kicked by her previous
owner, I figured she had an old injury, maybe a broken rib or
something. So, I took her to the vet to be x-rayed. I just wanted to
know so I didn't hurt her again. The vet listened, asked questions,
but found nothing. He did the x-ray anyway and discovered an enlarged
heart.


I think a good vet has to be able to read the animals as best they can
as well as get an idea of whether they can trust what the human says.
Some people may really be tuned into their animal and can honestly
give an accurate statement of the health and behavior, while some
people may have no clue.

For example, I have been very tuned to my cats and dogs, and the vets
have been surprised at how early I have caught the problems. I just
know when something is wrong.

I always knew I knew them well, but I didn't realize how much until I
got a stray who had been hit by a car. I paid the vet bill so that I
could keep him. He had a broken jaw, an eye that was blinded and had
to be sewn shut til the tear ducts worked again, and some othe
problems. He was very underweight, and was approximately 8 months old.
At the time, he seemed to be improving and did gain weight for a
little while. He then went through several days of getting sick, went
back to the vet a couple times, and seemed to be on the mend. Then he
took a turn for the worse and died in the middle of the night. I was
hoping to get him to the vet before it opened, but he didn't make it.
I only had him for 2 weeks. I know I did the best I could, but I am
sure I would have done things differently if I had known him prior to
bieng hit by a car. I have no idea what he was like on a good day, so
while he seemed happy and doing well, he could have been very stoic.
In this case, I was just like a vet, guessing how he felt, and not
really knowing him as an individual. And sometimes, we guess wrong.



always made me wonder, with every vet I have ever gone to, if they care about
animals at all or if it's just a job. I suppose it's some of each but that
comment has stuck with me all this time...sometimes I look at my vet and wonder
if he gives a crap at all and if he cares about his own pets the way I care
about mine.

I do think that most of them care very much. And I admire for them
being able to do such a tough job. But I suspect that they go through
a lot of assistants, because many thin it is ideal to help animals and
just aren't tough enough.

When I was young, I wanted to be a vet. Then I learned that you have
to put down animals. I understand the need, and I have made the choice
myself twice. But there is no way that I could physcially do it myself
without crying, and you can't have the vet crying on the clients.

When I took my dog into be put down, the vet came out and sadly said
this was his 5th dog that day. As much as I was upset over losing my
dog, I felt so bad for him. What a crappy day. They must have some
great highs when they save lives, but they must have a lot of bad lows
too. Especially, when you think of all the people who don't recognize
problems until they are too late, or they put off care for one reason
or another. Or the people who want the animal put down for
convenience. It must be very hard for them to deal with that on a
daily basis.


Meghan & the Zoo Crew
Equine and Pet Photography
http://www.zoocrewphoto.com

I suppose it's some of each but that
comment has stuck with me all this time...sometimes I look at my vet and
wonder
if he gives a crap at all and if he cares about his own pets the way I care
about mine.

Over the last four years I've been able to tell which vets really give a crap
by the way they treat us when we bring in shelter cats. Some would charge us
full price. Some would treat the cat llike a throwaway. One jewel this month
re-broke and re-set a Border Collie's leg, put a pin in it, and treated the dog
like a $5,000 patient. He charged us nothing. What goes around comes around,
and we have been able to send many, many new clients to the vets who help and
show compassion to our animals. The others we don't criticize to the public, of
course, but we never recommend them either.
Sherry

Sherry wrote:
I suppose it's some of each but that
comment has stuck with me all this time...sometimes I look at my vet and
wonder
if he gives a crap at all and if he cares about his own pets the way I care
about mine.


Over the last four years I've been able to tell which vets really give a crap
by the way they treat us when we bring in shelter cats. Some would charge us
full price. Some would treat the cat llike a throwaway. One jewel this month
re-broke and re-set a Border Collie's leg, put a pin in it, and treated the dog
like a $5,000 patient. He charged us nothing. What goes around comes around,
and we have been able to send many, many new clients to the vets who help and
show compassion to our animals. The others we don't criticize to the public, of
course, but we never recommend them either.
Sherry

Which is a great way to show vets that reduced-fee services for shelters
can pay off in a big way! A lot of the groups around here do the
same, any many list on their website or newsletter which vets help them
out.

Sherry wrote:
I suppose it's some of each but that
comment has stuck with me all this time...sometimes I look at my vet and
wonder
if he gives a crap at all and if he cares about his own pets the way I care
about mine.


Over the last four years I've been able to tell which vets really give a crap
by the way they treat us when we bring in shelter cats. Some would charge us
full price. Some would treat the cat llike a throwaway. One jewel this month
re-broke and re-set a Border Collie's leg, put a pin in it, and treated the dog
like a $5,000 patient. He charged us nothing. What goes around comes around,
and we have been able to send many, many new clients to the vets who help and
show compassion to our animals. The others we don't criticize to the public, of
course, but we never recommend them either.
Sherry

Which is a great way to show vets that reduced-fee services for shelters
can pay off in a big way! A lot of the groups around here do the
same, any many list on their website or newsletter which vets help them
out.

From: itter (MacCandace)

Another thing is people expect vets to be able to work miracles.
Sometimes there isn't anything more you can do for an animal. A good
vet will tell you this outright. A not-so-good vet will keep taking
your money. It's hard to tell the difference, sometimes.

-L.

I think a lot of what vets do is guesswork...well, human docs also, but vets
have the distinct disadvantage of not being able to talk to their patients,
ask
them how they feel, where it hurts, etc. I think it would be very
frustrating.

When I was in my early 20s and had just moved to Phoenix (almost 30 years ago
now) and was looking for a job, I applied with a vet. I don't even remember
if
it was as a tech or office help or what but I went to his house and he and
his
wife interviewed me. I told him how much I loved animals, in an effort to
get
the job, and he told me that wasn't really a good thing in this case...that
it's better to remain detached and impersonal when dealing with the animals
so
you don't get upset by what you deal with. I didn't get the job and it has
always made me wonder, with every vet I have ever gone to, if they care about
animals at all or if it's just a job. I suppose it's some of each but that
comment has stuck with me all this time...sometimes I look at my vet and
wonder
if he gives a crap at all and if he cares about his own pets the way I care
about mine.

Candace

Yeah, good question. What I will never understand is how vets can declaw cats.
If they truly cared about the health and well-being of the cat, they could
never declaw it, you know?

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm