Hello, I'm new here, and I need a bit of advice, not only concerning my cat, but the attitude of my veterinarian.
My family was adopted by our cat, Skinny, about two years ago--she was a stray who started turning up on our porch. We fed her now and then, but ended up taking her in when the weather got too bad to think about leaving her out. After asking around the neighborhood, we found out she was abandoned by a family who moved away. She's the most laid back, gentlest cat I've ever met. We've kept her as indoor/outdoor; she spends the majority of her time inside, but will meow at the door when she needs to go out to do her business.
A few days ago, Skinny stopped eating and has progressively gotten unsteady on her legs. She became very standoffish and drank a lot. We brought her to the vet today. Before the doctor even began the exam, he asked what we would 'want to do with the kitty cat'. I was a bit confused and put off by that--we didn't even know what was wrong with her. He then looked in her eyes and ears and felt her abdomen and said that he felt a large mass there. He again asked what we would like to do, almost as if asking if we would like to put her to sleep right then and there. We asked for further tests to see WHAT was actually wrong with her--he ran some bloodwork and said her toxicity level was way up, as well as her blood sugar. He suggested that it was her gallbladder, that she had a blockage there. He suggested putting her down. When we asked if there was a way to know for sure that that was what was wrong, he said he could do an ultrasound. We agreed and he found that she actually had an enlarged liver, and possible tumor inside the liver.
He suggested point blank to put her down. I was very turned off by his attitude. I don't want her to suffer (which she clearly is, she cries whenever someone touches her), but I want to hear options on whether or not she's curable. When asked, the doctor went over the options of doing a biopsy or trying to do a series of medications. He stated outright that he was 'very pessimisstic' about her chances and that his choice would be to put her down.
Unfortunately, the biopsy itself could be $500 (not counting hospital fees and the like), plus the actual surgery itself is not something that my family can afford. We took her home with a series of medications (regalan, to help her stomach and hopefully get her appetite, and an antibiotic), an IV of nutrients, the suggestion to feed her baby food. The instruction sheet had at the bottom, "If not well by Saturday, call to make an appointment to be put down."
Is it normal that a vet be pushing so much for euthanasia? He said the surgery itself had only about a 20% chance of saving her--which I understand is awful chances and like I said, I wouldn't want to see her suffer anymore. But this all came on so quick; she was perfectly fine 3 days ago. I can't bare thinking about putting her down simply because we can't afford her surgery (if that would even help). This is my first vet-going pet (goldfish don't count in this instance), and she's never been to the vet sick before where I would experience such negativity.
I have no idea what to do in this situation--I live in a small town, there's not many vets around here. I know my Skinny's in bad shape, but I feel like I have no way of knowing how dire her situation is when the doctor basically asks if we're putting her down today before he even exams her. I don't know if there's a place to contact to help with the cost of a possible surgery or even how to go about perhaps getting a second opinion (will vets hand over test results for someone else to examine?) If anyone has advice, I would be forever grateful.
Thank you.
My family was adopted by our cat, Skinny, about two years ago--she was a stray who started turning up on our porch. We fed her now and then, but ended up taking her in when the weather got too bad to think about leaving her out. After asking around the neighborhood, we found out she was abandoned by a family who moved away. She's the most laid back, gentlest cat I've ever met. We've kept her as indoor/outdoor; she spends the majority of her time inside, but will meow at the door when she needs to go out to do her business.
A few days ago, Skinny stopped eating and has progressively gotten unsteady on her legs. She became very standoffish and drank a lot. We brought her to the vet today. Before the doctor even began the exam, he asked what we would 'want to do with the kitty cat'. I was a bit confused and put off by that--we didn't even know what was wrong with her. He then looked in her eyes and ears and felt her abdomen and said that he felt a large mass there. He again asked what we would like to do, almost as if asking if we would like to put her to sleep right then and there. We asked for further tests to see WHAT was actually wrong with her--he ran some bloodwork and said her toxicity level was way up, as well as her blood sugar. He suggested that it was her gallbladder, that she had a blockage there. He suggested putting her down. When we asked if there was a way to know for sure that that was what was wrong, he said he could do an ultrasound. We agreed and he found that she actually had an enlarged liver, and possible tumor inside the liver.
He suggested point blank to put her down. I was very turned off by his attitude. I don't want her to suffer (which she clearly is, she cries whenever someone touches her), but I want to hear options on whether or not she's curable. When asked, the doctor went over the options of doing a biopsy or trying to do a series of medications. He stated outright that he was 'very pessimisstic' about her chances and that his choice would be to put her down.
Unfortunately, the biopsy itself could be $500 (not counting hospital fees and the like), plus the actual surgery itself is not something that my family can afford. We took her home with a series of medications (regalan, to help her stomach and hopefully get her appetite, and an antibiotic), an IV of nutrients, the suggestion to feed her baby food. The instruction sheet had at the bottom, "If not well by Saturday, call to make an appointment to be put down."
Is it normal that a vet be pushing so much for euthanasia? He said the surgery itself had only about a 20% chance of saving her--which I understand is awful chances and like I said, I wouldn't want to see her suffer anymore. But this all came on so quick; she was perfectly fine 3 days ago. I can't bare thinking about putting her down simply because we can't afford her surgery (if that would even help). This is my first vet-going pet (goldfish don't count in this instance), and she's never been to the vet sick before where I would experience such negativity.
I have no idea what to do in this situation--I live in a small town, there's not many vets around here. I know my Skinny's in bad shape, but I feel like I have no way of knowing how dire her situation is when the doctor basically asks if we're putting her down today before he even exams her. I don't know if there's a place to contact to help with the cost of a possible surgery or even how to go about perhaps getting a second opinion (will vets hand over test results for someone else to examine?) If anyone has advice, I would be forever grateful.
Thank you.
