I am so mad I just need to vent!

caliopi

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Ok so this is a bit of a long story but you need the facts to undertand why I am so angry.

Aside from our birds we also have 3 cats (we did have 4 but sadly Dash died suddenly last year). In January this year we noticed Macgregor (my son named him!) was throwing up quite a lot. At first I thought it was furballs so changed his diet and kept an eye on him but he continued so we took him to the vet. The vet checked him over and said he had "a bit of a sore throat" and gave him antibiotics. He really did not improve so two weeks later we are back at the vet who decided this time he may have developed an allergy to his dry food and told us to stop giving it to him which we did much to his upset as he has always preferred dry food. It is important to know Greggie is only 7 yrs old.

We can't help but notice that despite eating well Greggie is losing weight so in March we are back at the vet, this time we requested a blood test as we are getting really worried, the vet however is not and thinks he is a good size cat. By this time after doing a lot of internet research ourselves we are really concerned he has kidney problems but the vet states "NO" on the grounds "he looks too well and his coat is so good". The vet thinks it is more likely Giardia and changes the medication and says it will take upto a month to get rid if it.

Now it is April and we are back at the vet,really alarmed because of the weight he is losing. Now Greggie was a BIG cat, not fat just BIG. He looks smaller than his mother Whinnie now and she is our smallest cat who the vet also knows and when we say how this is worrying us we are told "he is a good,healthy weight. When we mention our concern re the kidneys the vet says he is fine.
Now it is May and we are back at the vet this time we demand a blood test as Greggie has lost half of his bodyweight. Again the vet insists he is a healthy weight and reluctantly does the test just to appease us.

We get a call the next day. Greg has kidney disease please come to the vet. We are told to use new meds and a new dry food ($75 a pack) which we do. I cannot help but notice that despite the meds and the new diet Greggie is throwing up even more and I ring the vet and am told the illness can make them vomit. We research everything we can online re kidney disease and even order this special oil that is supposed to help but nothing is working. The vet tells us we are doing all we can and some cats just don't respond.

Now I can see every bone on his body. My husband is talking to a client who cancelled her appt with him as her cat just died so they get talking and he tells her about Greggie. She tells us to go see her vet who only sees cats. I email them to see if they can help. That was 2 days ago.

Friday night we notice Greggie has just peed on the floor and there is blood in his urine. I fear the worst and prepare my kids we may not have him much longer and ring the cat vet first thing yesterday morning to see if they can see us. They are fully booked but agree to see us after their last appt.

We arrive at the cat vet who asks us what the problem is. I give him the rundown and the vet is immediately alarmed at the weight loss and says it is a serious sign. We put Greggie on the table and the vet has a good feel and says........... " He does not have kidney disease" he then tells us he is 99% sure he has intestinal tract disease and it is serious. He did an ultrasound in front of us and showed us how swollen his intestines were, 2 1/2 times larger than normal and that he needs a biopsy and blood tests and urine which he does there but the biopsy needs to be done once the blood work comes back. He changes his meds,changes his diet and gives him shots for b12 and something else and says had we not bought him in we would not have him come next week.

I AM SO MAD!!!!!!!!! When I think of all those wasted months with a vet who refused to listen to us, who put Greggie through months of pain and suffering because they would not listen to us and nearly cost him his life. I am livid that Greggie nearly died and still might because this illness went untreated for so long that it has now caused damage to his kidneys,lungs and bowel that will shorten his life and that he has spent 5 months throwing up and wasting away so he now has less reserve to fight his battle. But most of all I am mad at myself for not trusting my instincts and going to another vet sooner but believing the vet knows better than me. I will never make that mistake again.
 

bogo1

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What a frustrating infuriating experience and my heart goes out to you and your family and especially your poor cat. It also sounds like at the very end of your rant you were feeling guilty that you didn't realize this guy was off base. It sounds like you did absolutely everything you could think of and people like your vet can be very intimidating with their unapproachable attitude. Know that "strangers" around the world will be thinking about what you have been/are going through and hoping for a turnaround. Your understandable rant will help other people as a cautionary tale too. Good wishes from the middle of the USA.
 
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caliopi

caliopi

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Thanks Bogo1. You are right I do feel partly responsible because we are all he has to make sure he is well taken care of and looking back my instincts were screaming but I just could not make the vet understand how serious the weight loss was when to him he looked a healthy weight.

The only reason we did not go to another vet sooner was we saw two vets at the regular practice who both insisted they were right. I have learnt now that I will only ever use a spe******t vet as the difference in their approach was unbelievable. Where the vet did all the same examinations of Greg they came up with nothing yet this new vet took seconds to know exactly what was wrong.

I urge everyone to listen to your instincts and don't just assume the vet knows best because sometimes they don't and in this case Greggie suffered dreadfully because of it. On a positive note hopefully the biopsy will bring better news but we are not out of the woods yet.
 

Aussie Ben

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:eek: What an awful experience! I do hope Macgregor (love the name;)) recovers. Don't feel guilty, it is evident that you were doing everything you could.

I had a similar experience when Buddy got sick. I had always taken her to the general vet down the road. The vet there was great with cats and dogs and he still sees our dog today. Even though he spe******ed more with cats/dogs, he would see Buddy. One day I found Buddy lying on the bottom of her cage and she was unable to walk. I took her to this vet and he seemed to think she just had a saw foot and may have got it caught in a toy or something. He gave Buddy some medication and sent her home. Over the next 24hrs, she began to get worse, with complete paralysis from the neck down. It was late at night and there was only one vet open and they didn't have a s p e c i a l i s t, but I took her there anyway. They could not help, but recommended an avian vet that I should see first thing next morning (about 40mins away). After a sickening night of worry, I took Buddy to this vet and he immediately knew it was something more, He took dropping samples and did some tests and diagnosed her with Hepatitis. She stayed under his care for a week and recovered, something that would not have happened if we had not seen the s p e c i a l i s t.

You did the right thing taking Greg to a different vet. It is easy to fall into that trap of thinking the vet knows best and to be fair, in most cases they do. HOWEVER, we are the ones that spend every moment with these creatures and we know them better than anyone. Sometimes you just have to go with that instinct and not be satisfied with such a simple diagnosis. After going to a specia list it is clear they know what they are doing, they just seem to have a way with the animal they are treating. I hope everything works out.
 
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_Cass_

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Oh wow, and to think! The vet is supposed to be the PROFFESIONAL. I am so glad that greggie is okay :). My kitten Anika was was 5 months old when she died of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). I had her since she was born, (She was so tiny!) and it devastated me. She was in so much pain, you couldn't even pick her up. She was on all sorts of medication-none of which for FIP. She had a 24-hour IV, and we spent thousands of dollars in veterinarian bills. And my vet refused to believe she had FIP, until we went to a different vet, who did the tests. But by then it was too late :(
Let me tell you-I changed vets after that experience.
Again-so glad he is okay.
 
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caliopi

caliopi

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Thanks Ben. Macgregor is not out of the woods yet he is still very unwell and the prognosis could be very serious however we have been able to eliminate the worst scenario.

The other thing that infuriated me was the initial blood test results that the first vet used to diagnose kidney failure. The cat vet told us they don't use that pathology firm because their reading scale is not accurate and gives false positives and negatives (very well known human pathology group!) The result was our cat being given the wrong diagnosis and we lost very valuable months treating the wrong condition.

Now from my perspective, the vet was adamant for months that he did not have kidney disease yet he took those results and ran with them, where was his gut instincts?

The part of this story that really upsets me is that I was preparing my family that Greggie was going to be put down yesterday as we had all agreed when diagnosed with kidney failure that we would not allow him to suffer and when it looked like the battle was lost and he was in pain and no longer the happy cat we all loved that we would do the right thing by him. You can't imagine how hard it is to watch your pet literally starving to death yet wasting away in front of you and knowing the food he is so desperate to eat is causing him to be distressed and vomit. So when the blood showed up with clots and he did not even have the energy to eat, we made the decision that if the vet said there was nothing more he could do, we would let him go. Had we gone to the first vet yesterday Greggie would not be here today. Thank God we didn't.
 

parrotqueen

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What a horrific experience that you and poor Greggie have gone through. Gosh, I'm amazed you kept your sanity through all of this; I'd be livid!

I'm so glad you decided to switch vets, it'd be so wonderful if you didn't have to put Greggie down. Crossing my fingers that he wins this battle!

Please, let us all know how it goes. I'll be glued to the computer waiting to know.
 

SharonC

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I hope that all works out for Greggie...Poor little guy.:mad:I'd be rather upset as well with the first vet. I suppose a spe******t would have more training in one specific animal, but you'd think a large weight loss would be alarming for any medical professional.
 

madparrotwoman

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A causionary tale indeed! If your vet was wasn't so adamant I'm sure you would have gotton that 2nd opinion earlier. I hope Poor Greggy is now on the way to better health at last. I'm not surprised you are mad, I would be hopping mad too! How are there people allowed to practice?!
 

antoinette

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Poor Greggie, such a traumatic experience to go through, and the family as well. Thank God you followed your gut instinct and Greggie is hopefully on the road to recovery.

Changing topics, its not only the veterinary profession we can not trust.

Three years ago I was told I had internal and external hemorrhoids (YUCK) I had an op, and had them removed. 6 Weeks later, I suspected they were "back". Went back to the surgeon, to be told it's common after an op, that swelling takes place.
4 Months later the "swelling" had not gone down. I went to see another surgeon, he was unaware that I had been operated on previously. I was given the same prognosis, internal and external piles. I mentioned to him I had been operated on almost 5 months ago for "piles". "no comment" was his reply.
I was then operated on 6 months later, by the second surgeon. 7 weeks later the swelling had not "gone down" I went back to the surgeon.
He examined me, and told me I have an ulcer.
So, can you honestly trust someone even after a second opinion

I was livid, I thought I was the only one with a "bird brain"
vahidrk.gif


Listen to this one,
when Sean, was 7 years old, he was admitted to hospital, with suspected appendicitis. He was taken into the operating theater, they were going to check whether is was the appendix or not. Said it would take about 20 minutes. I sat outside waiting and waiting, for over an hour and a half. When the doctor came out, he said don't worry all went well with Craig. I said I am happy for Craig, what about my son Sean? They got the two patients mixed up, took out Sean's appendix by mistake and checked out Craig's.
Need I say more
 
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_Cass_

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I was livid, I thought I was the only one with a "bird brain"
vahidrk.gif


Listen to this one, when Sean, was 7 years old, he was admitted to hospital, with suspected appendicitis. He was taken into the operating theater, they were going to check whether is was the appendix or not. Said it would take about 20 minutes. I sat outside waiting and waiting, for over an hour and a half. When the doctor came out, he said don't worry all went well with Craig. I said I am happy for Craig, what about my son Sean? They got the two patients mixed up, took out Sean's appendix by mistake and checked out Craig's.
Need I say more

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:!!!!!!!!!
 

Mel

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Callopi & Ant I can't believe what I'm reading.

Callopi don't feel guilty, you went back soooo many times and requested more testing. I hope and pray everything works out. It's disgusting the vet wouldn't do the BTs or at least investigate further when your poor kitty was still vomiting and losing weight. When I was vet nursing even if we didn't think things were warranted the vets would still carry out clients wishes. There was one occation where a client wanted the tiniest spot removed from her cats ear (it was so small we had a hard time finding it in Surgery), she also wanted the tissue sent for testing. We all thought she was being silly putting her cat through and anaesthetic but it ended out being a malignant melanoma :eek:

Ant the apendix story is unbelieveable!!
 

Colorguarder08

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My first reaction if a vet tells me they can't have a diease because they "look" healthy would be to look for a different vet. But if I feel something is wrong with my pets and the vet tells me no I make sure they run the test for it anyways.
 
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caliopi

caliopi

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Thanks everyone. Hopefully we get the blood results back today and will know when he will have the biopsy. I have written a letter of complaint to the original vet but I am not optimistic they will respond but I had to do it as it just may make them check a little more thoroughly in future and save another pet from the same lack of carel.

Ant both your stories are appalling! It doesn't suprise me though my own daughter lost a kidney when she was 4 due to misdiagnosis but that's way to long a story to go into!

I will keep you all updated on Greggie's results. Thanks again for caring.
 

Bobby34231

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(((caliopi)))...Don't get down on yourself, if it is a intestinal problem, chances are that a blood test might not have detected that anyway, that being said the first vet instead of just asuming it was Giardia, which is tested via a stool sample not blood, should have taken a blood sample as well as a stool sample to cover all bases, you didn't state whether he even tested for giardia, though he *prescribed meds for it, I sometimes wonder how some vets acually get a license....I wish you and Greggie the best and will keep you both in thought and prayer, keep us up to date :)
 
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caliopi

caliopi

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Update.

Macgregor has had all his tests which include 2 ultrasounds ( the first one was done using a basic machine as it was an urgent after hours appt. and the second was done today using the high tech one) a chest xray,blood tests for everything,urine and faecal tests.

The vet has concluded that we have pretty much eliminated most of the obvious and really nasty causes for his illness however he still needs an operation which he had hoped to do tomorrow however the xray showed a shadowy patch on his lungs which looks like a nasty infection ( caused by his overall poor health) and he wants to treat this for at least a week before putting him under.

He says there is still a slim chance he has a cancer but more likely than not it is a psyeudo cancer ( like a pretend cancer but if left untreated could become the real deal I think) and a grade 4 or 5 which is pretty serious but treatable. He has put him on a new high calorie diet to try and get some weight on him and given him meds for nausea and hopefully this will help.

All his organs have been affected by this disease and while they will recover he will never have full healthy organs again. I cannot even begin to say how angry and upset I am at the wasted time and the damage that was done to poor Greggie by this so called vet. No to mention that the new vet pretty much confirmed today that had Greggie been treated properly at first it would be a much simpler remedy,no need for surgery and less meds long term and no other related organ damage as well as a much cheaper cure,as it is now we have spent well over $1000 and this will triple in the next week or so as well as all the wasted money spent with the first vet and all the food that has made him even sicker!

We are just lucky we can afford to spend this money, had we not the only option would have been a heartbreaking one. I shudder to think how horrific it would be for someone who could not afford to pay for a cure especially when it could have been avoided and a relatively cheap solution and a far less traumatic one for all concerned.

Thanks again everyone for all your kindness. I will keep you posted.
 
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caliopi

caliopi

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Amazing the difference the right treatment can make,Greggie ate a proper meal for the first time last night and did not throw up once! Hopefully things are already looking up!
 

Bobby34231

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Amazing the difference the right treatment can make,Greggie ate a proper meal for the first time last night and did not throw up once! Hopefully things are already looking up!

Glad to hear that things are at least going in a possitive direction Caliopi, we'll keep you all in our thoughts and prayers, keep the faith :)
 

antoinette

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Amazing the difference the right treatment can make,Greggie ate a proper meal for the first time last night and did not throw up once! Hopefully things are already looking up!

So happy to hear the Greggie is starting to eat a proper meal again and kept it down.
Praying he has a speedy recovery. ;)
Take care
 

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