#1 reason I shouldn't be working at a Vet's office

shorty14788

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I am going to wind up completely broke one of these days....

SOOOOO... today a man brought in his cat because it was lethargic, urinating on itself and was covered in fleas. As the story unfolds, the cat is lethargic because it has flea anemia. It's urinating on itself because of the man put hartz flea product on it and it became neurologic. The man only had 80 dollars, so he could not afford to hospitalize the cat let alone afford the blood transfusion he DESPERATELY needed. The only other option was to put him down since our clinic has stopped taking in surrendered cats due how much it was costing the clinic.

This is where I become the big bleeding heart that I am... I tell the owner of the clinic that I will pay for everything if the man surrenders the cat to us. He agrees to it. Of course I had to make sure it was OK with the owner of the cat as well. I walked in and told him that instead of putting the cat down, he could surrender the cat to us and we would care for him. The man started crying. He said "thank you SO much. I didn't want to have to put him down but I just can't afford to do anything else. Thank you! You have answered my prayers!"

We took the cat and started working on him right away. When we brought him in the back to work on him, all he could do was lay there. The only other thing he could do was purr. Through out EVERYTHING he never stopped purring! We did a FeLV/FIV test which was Negative. We then ran bloodwork on him. His PCV was 7.6 (Below 7 is normally fatal) He needed a transfusion RIGHT THEN. I raced home to grab my cat so she could donate blood for him. (My cat Jennifer is the PERFECT blood donor! She just freezes in place) Within 15 minutes of the transfusion he was trying to walk, eat and drink. The Hartz flea product seems to have lost its effect but we are keeping him on fluids over night to make sure it is flushed out of his system. Its looking good for him though!

I know this is going to be another couple HUNDRED dollars... But how could I let them put him to sleep? He's only 8 years old and in otherwise good health. Not to mention, the sweetest cat you ever did want to meet!

THIS IS WHY I SHOULDN'T BE WORKING AT A VET'S OFFICE!!! I am going to wind up in the poor house... I just can't help but feel bad for the poor babies... Maybe it's just my fate.... Maybe I was meant to be there to help all these sad little animals...

I may never be wealthy but at least I'll have peace of mind, knowing that I made a differance....

Too bad I cant have both. I guess that's life.
 

stormy

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What a great thing to do!
I think I'd be the same way if I were in that situation.

Thank you and Jennifer so much for helping that poor kitty!
 

white cat lover

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People like you not only make the world a better place, but you make up for the rotten people on this planet!

Yay for you!!!
 

abymummy

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Bless you for being such a kind and caring soul!


May I suggest you get the clinic to start some sort of fund for cases like these?
 
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shorty14788

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We do have a fund.. its called the "angel" fund. Unfortunately with the LARGE amount of surrendered animals we have had in the past year, It has dried up. Thats why we haven't been accepting any surrendered animals...
 

strange_wings

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Maybe you could print out some small posters/fliers and put them on the doors? With a couple of sentimental sentences in first person, like the animal is speaking and a picture. Fliers with snippets of stories and pictures in the waiting area too. Sometimes if people see the flier directly they'll donate.

It's really great that you go above and beyond your job help these animals, there are so many people that wouldn't even consider it.
 

sweatereyes

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Thats really great what you did, i wish i had the money to help like that but i just don't (not that i'm saying you have money to throw around like that either..). But if i worked in a vet, man, i would probably be in debt too! Hopefully he has a great life, are you going to keep him now?
 

jean44

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You did a wonderful thing for that kitty. Not many people would do that. I hope the kitty recovers completely and has a happy life from now on.
 

lsulover

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Originally Posted by Shorty14788

I am going to wind up completely broke one of these days....

SOOOOO... today a man brought in his cat because it was lethargic, urinating on itself and was covered in fleas. As the story unfolds, the cat is lethargic because it has flea anemia. It's urinating on itself because of the man put hartz flea product on it and it became neurologic. The man only had 80 dollars, so he could not afford to hospitalize the cat let alone afford the blood transfusion he DESPERATELY needed. The only other option was to put him down since our clinic has stopped taking in surrendered cats due how much it was costing the clinic.

This is where I become the big bleeding heart that I am... I tell the owner of the clinic that I will pay for everything if the man surrenders the cat to us. He agrees to it. Of course I had to make sure it was OK with the owner of the cat as well. I walked in and told him that instead of putting the cat down, he could surrender the cat to us and we would care for him. The man started crying. He said "thank you SO much. I didn't want to have to put him down but I just can't afford to do anything else. Thank you! You have answered my prayers!"

We took the cat and started working on him right away. When we brought him in the back to work on him, all he could do was lay there. The only other thing he could do was purr. Through out EVERYTHING he never stopped purring! We did a FeLV/FIV test which was Negative. We then ran bloodwork on him. His PCV was 7.6 (Below 7 is normally fatal) He needed a transfusion RIGHT THEN. I raced home to grab my cat so she could donate blood for him. (My cat Jennifer is the PERFECT blood donor! She just freezes in place) Within 15 minutes of the transfusion he was trying to walk, eat and drink. The Hartz flea product seems to have lost its effect but we are keeping him on fluids over night to make sure it is flushed out of his system. Its looking good for him though!

I know this is going to be another couple HUNDRED dollars... But how could I let them put him to sleep? He's only 8 years old and in otherwise good health. Not to mention, the sweetest cat you ever did want to meet!

THIS IS WHY I SHOULDN'T BE WORKING AT A VET'S OFFICE!!! I am going to wind up in the poor house... I just can't help but feel bad for the poor babies... Maybe it's just my fate.... Maybe I was meant to be there to help all these sad little animals...

I may never be wealthy but at least I'll have peace of mind, knowing that I made a differance....

Too bad I cant have both. I guess that's life.
What a wonderful touching story, God Bless You for what you are doing and for doing something that you truley believe in.

At least in your heart you will know that you are helping. This cat will always be grateful to you.

I am sending you some hugs from Mississippi for you. You deserve them.

:hugs

Please keep us updated on the cat too.
 
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shorty14788

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I'm going to get a picture of him today. I will post it later on.

I dont know yet if my husband and I are going to keep him. We already have 7 cats, 2 dogs, 2 turtles and a snake. Most of my animals are special needs so its quite... uh... interesting at my house as it is. (My Siberian Husky has seperation anxeity, Neville has Osteogenesis imperfecta, Weeble has cerabelluar hypoplasia, Jennifer has hyperthyroidism and Pheelicks and Spaz are prone to uti's) If I dont find a home for him quickly, I will probally get too attached to him to give him up. I guess we'll have to see....

I'll post more later and let you all know how he's doing...
 

lsulover

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Originally Posted by Shorty14788

I'm going to get a picture of him today. I will post it later on.

I dont know yet if my husband and I are going to keep him. We already have 7 cats, 2 dogs, 2 turtles and a snake. Most of my animals are special needs so its quite... uh... interesting at my house as it is. (My Siberian Husky has seperation anxeity, Neville has Osteogenesis imperfecta, Weeble has cerabelluar hypoplasia, Jennifer has hyperthyroidism and Pheelicks and Spaz are prone to uti's) If I dont find a home for him quickly, I will probally get too attached to him to give him up. I guess we'll have to see....

I'll post more later and let you all know how he's doing...
I betcha you are going to keep him. It sounds like to me that you already have a place in your heart for him.
 

maxy24

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That's so good of you. I hope to be a vet once I'm out of college and that is my major concern, I will not let them put down any healthy animal who I know I could save even though the owner can't afford it. I know if something really bad were to happen to one of our pets I know we would have a really hard time affording it. My parents say if they would let you pay over a year then there would be no problem, but nope they want all the money at the same time right away. So I'm gonna end up doing the same thing. It really is a great thing you did for that cat and his owner.
 

calico76

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What a wonderful person you are! I wish everyone had the heart you do! Great work for that little furry. I am sure that they appreciate and feel your love.
 

catsarebetter

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Shorty,

I can help with the bill some, anyway. Where does one send donations to help out with this little guy? And... I do realize that you're not asking for help, but I can actually afford to help right now, so I want to. Please let me know!

And bless your heart for taking care of that poor kitten. I've been in that gentleman's situation, where I couldn't afford the care, and I know he's got to be grateful. The world needs more people like you.

~Heather
 
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