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#1
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sick kitty followup
Hello, everyone.
Some of you may remember a posts I made over the last few months about my sick kitty. He started out with rather vague symptoms: lethargy, fever, and limping. After seeing three vets, a feline specialist, and doing multiple tests and procedures, my dear companion has died. We are awaiting results of a biopsy performed two days before he died, but we suspect cancer. His lymph nodes in his legs and mammary glands were extremely swollen. It was a terrible, long, depressing illness. He actually died at the vet while I was signing euthanasia papers. Looking back on it, I knew all along that he wasn't getting better. I wish now I had not bothered with the biopsy, which I believe made his last few days miserable. It's so hard being a pet owner with so many resources available. It's almost paralyzing. For example, my wife was posting to another message board during the last two weeks of his life. Up until the last day, someone with "credentials" was telling not to give up, to get more tests, to see another specialist IMMEDIATELY, etc. My poor wife was so stressed out -- she really thought our cat had a chance and was in tears because she felt we were not doing enough. I know that vets cannot be 100% certain about anything without many, many tests, but I think there must be a point at which it can be said that there is no reasonable probability of recovery. I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Thanks for reading my little rant. Joseph |
#2
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sick kitty followup
"Joseph O'Brien" wrote in message ps.com... Hello, everyone. Some of you may remember a posts I made over the last few months about my sick kitty. He started out with rather vague symptoms: lethargy, fever, and limping. After seeing three vets, a feline specialist, and doing multiple tests and procedures, my dear companion has died. I am so sorry, Joseph. I read the rest of your comments with interest and empathy. You raise very good points. I think no matter what, all you can do is be as well-informed as you can, have the best vet you can have, and struggle like hell with the painful reality of having a sick animal and not knowing where to draw the line. You are a good egg and a fine person for taking such good care of your kitty friend. I know you will miss him, and I have no doubt that you and your wife did the very best you could for him. |
#3
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sick kitty followup
On 22 Aug 2006 15:03:59 -0700, "Joseph O'Brien"
wrote: Hello, everyone. Some of you may remember a posts I made over the last few months about my sick kitty. He started out with rather vague symptoms: lethargy, fever, and limping. After seeing three vets, a feline specialist, and doing multiple tests and procedures, my dear companion has died. We are awaiting results of a biopsy performed two days before he died, but we suspect cancer. His lymph nodes in his legs and mammary glands were extremely swollen. It was a terrible, long, depressing illness. He actually died at the vet while I was signing euthanasia papers. Looking back on it, I knew all along that he wasn't getting better. I wish now I had not bothered with the biopsy, which I believe made his last few days miserable. It's so hard being a pet owner with so many resources available. It's almost paralyzing. For example, my wife was posting to another message board during the last two weeks of his life. Up until the last day, someone with "credentials" was telling not to give up, to get more tests, to see another specialist IMMEDIATELY, etc. My poor wife was so stressed out -- she really thought our cat had a chance and was in tears because she felt we were not doing enough. I know that vets cannot be 100% certain about anything without many, many tests, but I think there must be a point at which it can be said that there is no reasonable probability of recovery. I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Thanks for reading my little rant. Joseph Joseph, I'm so sorry for your loss. Most of the people here try to be as helpful as possible and present all possible alternatives. The most difficult thing for the owner is to take all these suggestions and decide what's best for his / her kitty. We all look for hope and reassurance that we are doing the right thing. In the end, there's no sure way to know what the "right" course of action is, but I'm sure decisions are made with love and the kitty's best interests at heart. Your kitty knew how much you loved him...and that's the important thing. My condolences, Rob |
#4
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sick kitty followup
Hi Joseph,
I'm sorry you lost your cat. It's horrible to watch them decline, and even more horrible if you don't know the reason. We have gone through that too and have waited too long to realize that it couldn't be fixed. I think the hard thing to do is give up hope. There was always hope in my mind we could find out what was wrong and fix it magically. I think it's natural to hold on for that and to do everything possible. Don't second-guess yourself now, you did what you though was right at the time. You made your decisions out of love for your cat. You will get tons of opinions on what to do, but no one knows your cat like you do. None of us can pick what will happen at the end, and I wish we could chose a pain-free departure for our pets. Take care, tell your wife that you both did right by your kitty, Rhonda Joseph O'Brien wrote: Hello, everyone. Some of you may remember a posts I made over the last few months about my sick kitty. He started out with rather vague symptoms: lethargy, fever, and limping. After seeing three vets, a feline specialist, and doing multiple tests and procedures, my dear companion has died. We are awaiting results of a biopsy performed two days before he died, but we suspect cancer. His lymph nodes in his legs and mammary glands were extremely swollen. It was a terrible, long, depressing illness. He actually died at the vet while I was signing euthanasia papers. Looking back on it, I knew all along that he wasn't getting better. I wish now I had not bothered with the biopsy, which I believe made his last few days miserable. It's so hard being a pet owner with so many resources available. It's almost paralyzing. For example, my wife was posting to another message board during the last two weeks of his life. Up until the last day, someone with "credentials" was telling not to give up, to get more tests, to see another specialist IMMEDIATELY, etc. My poor wife was so stressed out -- she really thought our cat had a chance and was in tears because she felt we were not doing enough. I know that vets cannot be 100% certain about anything without many, many tests, but I think there must be a point at which it can be said that there is no reasonable probability of recovery. I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Thanks for reading my little rant. Joseph |
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sick kitty followup
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#6
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sick kitty followup
Joseph O'Brien schrieb:
I know that vets cannot be 100% certain about anything without many, many tests, but I think there must be a point at which it can be said that there is no reasonable probability of recovery. I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Joseph, sorry to hear about your loss. You are right, it is very hard with all the options we have to decide when the right point is to let a companion animal go. I find it hardest when there is no definitive diagnosis. Personally, my former vet (I just moved, so we'll have to see how my new vet is) was very good about giving an honest answer on reasonable probability of recovery when a diagnosis was definitive and honesty about possible degree of suffering. As our companion animals can't tell us how they feel, in the end it is unfortunately guess work on our part and out vet's part. But we all try to do our best, and that is nothing to blame yourself for. Petra |
#7
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sick kitty followup
Joseph O'Brien wrote: I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Sympathies and condolences Same thing happens with dying people when too much treatment spolis the time they have left Always a tough call but its over now and its better to remmeber the good times You did yr best and no one can do anything else whatever the outcome theres a what-if |
#8
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sick kitty followup
"Joseph O'Brien" wrote in message ps.com... Hello, everyone. Some of you may remember a posts I made over the last few months about my sick kitty. He started out with rather vague symptoms: lethargy, fever, and limping. After seeing three vets, a feline specialist, and doing multiple tests and procedures, my dear companion has died. We are awaiting results of a biopsy performed two days before he died, but we suspect cancer. His lymph nodes in his legs and mammary glands were extremely swollen. It was a terrible, long, depressing illness. He actually died at the vet while I was signing euthanasia papers. Looking back on it, I knew all along that he wasn't getting better. I wish now I had not bothered with the biopsy, which I believe made his last few days miserable. It's so hard being a pet owner with so many resources available. It's almost paralyzing. For example, my wife was posting to another message board during the last two weeks of his life. Up until the last day, someone with "credentials" was telling not to give up, to get more tests, to see another specialist IMMEDIATELY, etc. My poor wife was so stressed out -- she really thought our cat had a chance and was in tears because she felt we were not doing enough. I know that vets cannot be 100% certain about anything without many, many tests, but I think there must be a point at which it can be said that there is no reasonable probability of recovery. I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Thanks for reading my little rant. Joseph I'm so sorry. It can be very difficult to know what to do when a much loved pet is sick. Alison |
#9
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sick kitty followup
Thank you everyone for your support. I do realize now that I did all
that I thought was possible for our cat. I can't speculate about "next time," but I hope that I would proceed with as much compassion, and twice the wisdom. Thank you again, everyone. Sincerely, Joseph wrote: Joseph O'Brien wrote: I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Sympathies and condolences Same thing happens with dying people when too much treatment spolis the time they have left Always a tough call but its over now and its better to remmeber the good times You did yr best and no one can do anything else whatever the outcome theres a what-if |
#10
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sick kitty followup
One last note: we received the results of the biopsy today. He
apparently had highly malignant mammary cancer. I had never heard of such a thing in a male cat, but it makes sense now why he deteriorated so quickly. Thanks again for your support. Joseph O'Brien wrote: Thank you everyone for your support. I do realize now that I did all that I thought was possible for our cat. I can't speculate about "next time," but I hope that I would proceed with as much compassion, and twice the wisdom. Thank you again, everyone. Sincerely, Joseph wrote: Joseph O'Brien wrote: I only wish I were more confident in my own opinions at the time. Then, perhaps my cat might not have suffered so much during his last days. Hell, at this point I'm so mixed up that I just don't know anymore. What do you DVM's and those studying to be DVM's think about this? Sympathies and condolences Same thing happens with dying people when too much treatment spolis the time they have left Always a tough call but its over now and its better to remmeber the good times You did yr best and no one can do anything else whatever the outcome theres a what-if |
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