I Like My Vet, but. . .

. . .everytime I walk into her office I walk out about $600 lighter in the pocket.  No disrespect intended as I understand the study and work that goes into the professon.  But I think she overdoes it.

Latest example:  I called yesterday because my cat is constipated.  I've been mixing in some pumpkin in his wet food and he has passed  few small, dry stools. I don't think this has reached emergency levels yet, but she wants me to bring him in ASAP, telling me he may require anesthesia while she fixes the problem.  Anesthesia for constipation? Has anyone had this done on their cat?

We also provided a stool sample a few months back and he tested negative for parasites.  But now she wants to do a deworming.  She told me that the cat may still have worms because stool samples aren't foolproof.  Then why one in the first place?  And what does a deworming consist of?  I'm guessing some oral medication?

Thank you. 

We have four dogs and a cat that visit all the same vet. We get discounts on our vet because of how often we go and how we get all of our pets 'same pet discount fee' whatever. One time I even took my hamster to the vet - they only requested to see her immdieately because 'hamsters are small, fraigle creatures and shouldn't be waited on'. When I got there they took a while to see me but when I noticed her status was deteriating by the second I kept hammering the vet to see 'Pudge' (Hamster) - eventually he took her in his back office to examine her alongside the other patient, and he then came to me ASAP.

My vet is an exotic and dog/cat vet. I'm lucky to have him, the only thing that irks me is that how he recommended a specific brand of food over the other, but hey, vet's arent typically educated in nutrtion for dogs now are they... ?  

He did a pretty good job with my hamster, as well. He gave her medicine, cleaned her up - she had a sore spot on her bum and he picked that off, and he KNEW what he was doing. So that discount I was talking about also applied to Pudge because we had other animals that were his patients. 

Anyway, the deworming sounds resonable, but I dont ever hear anything about anestetics for constipation. That's ridiculous and I'm not a vet - I'm just a seventeen year old whose been through a lot. Maybe it is time you get a second opinion. I could even ask my vet for you out of pure curiosity? Or you can email someone online if you are unsure. It's not that hard. >_<

A deworming is for kittens and puppies who have possible parasites, but if he has been tested for parasites and they come back negative then you have the right to object to the deworming? But if it's just protocal/the law (some countries/states may just have it as a protocal alongside rabies and other medication/shots) - then you have to get the deworming depending how old your cat is. 

Some cats do get to the point of requiring anesthesia for manual extraction of stool.  Some kitties need it for an enema.  Constipation in kitties can cause them to quit eating which then leads to a serious liver condition.  They can also get a condition called megacolon which can be very serious.

A stool sample can show clean when a kitty does have parasites.  It has to do with the lifecycle of the parasites.  Some people with outdoor kitties do routinely deworm their kitties without getting the fecal test done.  Most vets want to do the fecal exam rather than blindly giving medication without knowing that it is necessary.  Deworming is done with an oral medication.

To further clarify, my cat was adopted from a shelter about 10 months ago.  Age unknown but estimate is around 10.  Great guy, by the way!  We love him.

He is mostly indoors and when he does venture out it might be for 20 minutes or so.  Even then, he usually just sits on the patio or walks into the garden.

Is deworming medicine available over the counter at a pet store, or by prescription only from a vet?  What med does the vet usually prescribe?