Vet Vent........ARRRRRRRRRGH!!!

Hi everyone, sorry but I just HAVE to vent somewhere, I am so angry and frustrated I don't know what to do . My kitten Jasper has been sneezing off and on ever since I got him, he also tends to pant when he has been playing for a little while and I have had him to the vet TWICE before about this, I was told he had a very slight calicie (sp) virus(but has been vaccanated agaist it!!) and that he would "throw it off and grow out of it". Well he is now 8 months old, still sneezing, still panting after playing sometimes and yesterday he sounded slightly wheezy. I was reading about panting cats on another cat forum I belong to and read an article about Bartonella virus (cat scratch fever) and its effects on cats/kittens....it seemed to fit Jaspers symptoms perfectly, especially the "dark red line along gums, panting after play sessions...etc. So I again take Jasper to the vet, explaining on the phone when making the appt. EXACTLY what I wanted him tested for when I brought him in, oh, no problem.... , till I get there, get the vet I DON'T like instead of the one I wanted, she examines him and says, yes, he is congested, yes he DOES have the dark red line along his gums...etc etc, but after taking blood, tells me, NO I AM NOT TESTING for bartonella, I am going to run a general viral panel which BTW will NOT show Bartonella if he has it, and if it comes back negative, then she wants to do MORE tests and X-rays before she will test him for that , she also tells me that she has to take a gum tissue sample, when the vets site I check said it is a blood serum test, but she is too ignorant to go to the site to check it out.......ARRRRGH, so my little jaspie was put through pokeing, prodding and being stuck, plus me having to remove the tape they put on his leg so now one of his back legs looks like it was attacked by a lawnmower and costing me $153.00 and it won't even show if he has what I brought him in to be tested for . And if the tests don't show anything, then she wants to do more PLUS an X-ray, BEFORE she will CONSIDER doing the test I wanted her to do this time..... , and I have already tried 4 vets in this city, and this was the best one , I don't know what to do now........ARRRGH!!!!!

Oh no... I'm sorry! That's harsh... I would be so frustrating! Poor sweet Jasper...

By the way, Baylee tends to pant after she's played with her Cat Dancer a while... and she sneezes a bit (though not lately). No dark red gums though... Let me know what happens, I'd be interested in finding out what's up.

That's bad - sounds to me like this vet has $$$ signs before her eyes. I'd have been tempted to say that as I specifically asked for the Bartonella test, she can do it free next time if these tests come back negative - I bet she'd have changed her tune then!

BTW - I hope that Jasper's ok and it's nothing nasty.

Originally Posted by flisssweetpea

That's bad - sounds to me like this vet has $$$ signs before her eyes. I'd \\.

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What Vet doesn't!!!!! My new rescue (whom I am keeping has stomatitis. First Vet causually said well some call it that! UPon asking ONINE Vets who have been wonderful and then going to a more expensive !!!!!!! VEt I found out she does have stomatitis and needs a dental desperately BUT it will cost about $400.00 and being I am unemployed I do not have the money.

Now Missy did not have a test for this but the Vet looked and said she had it. If I understand correctly they get bartonella THEN they get stomatitis. You need a dental for your cat and then meds to keep this disease at bay and some vets will pull all the teeth as in some cases that is the only cure!

I'm sorry, but a vet who doesn't have a compelling reason for denying a request for a blood test, such as it can't be that because....is not a vet whose recommendations I'd follow, or ever see again. Can't you request when you make your apt. as to which of the two vets you are going to see?

If it were me, and my cat, I'd not be seeing this vet again, not based on what you've just described.

They should be able to place a flag in your file that you will not see the other vet. I would also write a letter, very polite to the owner of the vet's office as to why you were disappointed in the service you have recieved and why. You never know you may get the test done at no or redused cost. The owner cannot fix what he or she doesn't know about. If I owned the office and found out one of my vets wasn't giving outstanding service they may find themselves with fewer hours or even out of a job.

This is ridiculous. I am so sorry to hear that you had such an experience. No wonder you are fuming! I would definitely suggest you find another vet. And to put in my 2 cents worth, you might consider finding a naturopathic/homeopathic vet. When Beau was only 6 months old he was ill all the time, and I took him to 3 different vets, all of whom treated him symptomatically (they were regular allopathic vets) and did no good but cost me a lot. His symptoms were a runny eye, and peeing and pooping out of the box all the time and general lethargy. I finally took him to a homeopathic vet, which at the time I did only out of desperation, because I thought that homeopathy was woo-woo and not real. But the vet gave Beau a remedy that cleared up the problem within 24 hours and it never returned! I am now and have been for years a proponent very strongly of homeopathic medicine, both for myself and for Beau, who has always responded very well to it. Just a thought....if you can find a homeopathic vet in your area it is worth checking out.

If I were you, I would drive an hour or two just so I could see a better vet. This one sounds awful! Poor little Jasper having to go through all that awful prodding and poking to no avail! Poor you for having to deal with all this frustration!

Originally Posted by carolcat

.... I don't know what to do now........ARRRGH!!!!!

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Find another vet in a different city....one who will have bloodwork sent out to an independant lab, and one who at the very least can give you a good reason for not testing the blood sample for more than just the standard stuff at your request.

Spotz

Poor Jasper and poor you for having to put up with that kind of service! I can't believe she would deny you a test, even when you asked for it. Reading all these horrible vet stories, makes me wonder how qualified they are to treat animals. If I were you, I would find another veterinarian. One that is not overpowerd by $$$$$, but overpowerd by the best animal care they can provide. The best way is through word of mouth. I hope everything works out for you and Jasper.

Another thing I would recommend would be to get Pet Insurance. If you need specifics, please feel free to private message me.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

I'm sorry, but a vet who doesn't have a compelling reason for denying a request for a blood test, such as it can't be that because....is not a vet whose recommendations I'd follow, or ever see again. Can't you request when you make your apt. as to which of the two vets you are going to see?

If it were me, and my cat, I'd not be seeing this vet again, not based on what you've just described.

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I agree. Never heard of a vet refusing a client's request. And you have the right to request which vet you want. If they can't comply, you shouldn't pay.

I would drive out of town to a different vet. Poor kitty!!

i SO understand your venting!!! Mouse has seen 4 vets since Sunday, & by the 2nd one I was sure she had a bowel obstruction, but nobody would listen to me - they all have to do ALL the tests over again! anyway, she's finally in surgery, most likely to remove - guess what? - that's right, a bowel obstruction! i'm sure this is the problem, even tho i'm ready for bad news (cancer) - her symptoms are just too acute w/too rapid of an onset for me to believe that it's anything else. but i like this last vet the best - this is where we'll be going from now on. good luck w/Jasper!

Originally Posted by laureen227

i SO understand your venting!!! Mouse has seen 4 vets since Sunday, & by the 2nd one I was sure she had a bowel obstruction, but nobody would listen to me - they all have to do ALL the tests over again!

anyway, she's finally in surgery, most likely to remove - guess what? - that's right, a bowel obstruction!

i'm sure this is the problem, even tho i'm ready for bad news (cancer) - her symptoms are just too acute w/too rapid of an onset for me to believe that it's anything else. but i like this last vet the best - this is where we'll be going from now on. good luck w/Jasper!

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Dear Laureen, thanks, after I get "the call" from the vet today if the test didn't show anything and she refuses to put him on antibiotics I will be looking for a new vet. I am praying for Mouse and for you for a succesful surgery with no complications and a "cured" mouse. Hugs to you dear. I wish you and sweet mouse the best.

she's out of surgery! he seems to think she'll be okay if we can get food down her, etc. she's not out of the woods yet (his phrase) but at least he was able to fix her innards! thanks for your wishes!

HOOOORAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!! SO glad to hear this good news. I will continue to pray for her recovery. Thanks for updating me and best wishes and purs from jaspie too.

I know from other threads that Jasper and Mouse are getting better. I feel great sympathy for your frustration with the vets and the sense they won't listen to you!

The same thing happens to me with MY doctors!

Two years ago, Graycie got an eye problem following a Upper Respiratory Infection. She was treated for months by the same stupid vet who finally admitted he had no idea what was wrong and recommended "a specialist." No specific one, no name or number, just "a specialist."

Fortunately my daughter knew a vet clinic with a cat opthamalogist and he cured my Graycie with a combination of naturalistic and traditional medicine. She has a virus like a human cold sore virus. It stays in the blood and flares up sometimes. Crushing up L-Lysine pills and putting it on her food keeps it from flaring up. I give it to all my cats as soon as one starts sneezing because the virus is contagious.

I'm glad you were smart enough to take care of your sweet little cats.

Thanks, I have learned to research online when I feel I am not being listened to, or when I disagree with what a vet prescribes for my cat. In this case I got lucky because one of the vets that I like called me back with the results of Jaspers tests and I was able to explain to her what I thought he had and she agreed to research it herself. After checking online with a vet chat room, where it just so happened that a hot debate was going on about guess what?? Bartonella (cat scratch fever!) she agreed to perscribe the antibiotic for Jasper to see if it would help him seeing as how there isn't anywhere near by to send the blood test to for testing. From now on I will be sure NOT to bring Jasper to that one woman unless it is a total emergency!! And he is already improving, appetite is back along with more energy, and better mood. YAY!! :-)

There's two vets at the practice I go to, and I will not see the woman unless I think my cat is dying and I have no other choice but to get seen right then.

When our last cat passed on, she had stopped eating and drinking, and was acting nice towarsds us. (Which for her was really odd.) We took her to the vets, and they ran bloodtests, and this vet looked at us like we were crazy, because "the tests are perfect. Her electrolytes are fine, she's been eating. There's nothing wrong with her, she's healthy". I'm kicking myself now because we didn't get a second opinion. My gut tells me it was an obstruction, and I should have ordered the vet to do X-rays. We had taken her to the vet for all day observation and IV fluids, and two hours after we brought her home because "she was fine, nothing wrong with her", she was dead.

The other vet there I love, and so do my cats. I'm always careful to ask for him, and I think the girls who schedule are used to people asking it, because they've never argued, even if I tell them I'll wait until he has an opening.

Hi--i feel your frustration. here is one thing i know for sure, and i have learned it the hard way after experiencing the death of my Pumpkin thanks to bad vet care--MOMMY KNOWS BEST. I always remember that now. if my instincts tell me differently than what the vet says, i trust them. you are the one who spends the time with your friend and is in tune with your baby. i am extremely picky about my vets now, and to date still have not found what i am looking for exactly, but i do know that my vet now, though not really a cat expert which i would prefer, clearly puts the interests of my cat over and above my interests and his pocketbook, and that is was i like. a vet who listens is critical. and god forbid, not one who says in a deadpan, "oh she is just vocalizing" when i can hear my best friend dying in the next room. she was irreplaceable, and of course people think i am crazy if i say that. i have had 4 cats since then (one has died also) and as much as i like them, each catonality is different and pumpkin will never be found again. if anyone else llives in the south Washington state of U.S. area and would like to know what vet to avoid at all costs, please email me.