Painful decision tomorrow: Need advice please.

I am so sorry Snicky and you are going through this tough time. I am sure you will do what is best for him, no matter how difficult it is. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Love those pictures!!! What a very handsome boy Snicky is!!! The dandruff you see is from stress - it happens to my kids every time they have a vet visit.

I am SO GLAD you're going to another vet! You've been getting the runaround. I'm with you - if there were "other options", why the heck weren't you told about them days ago??? The vet was already talking about putting Snicky to sleep!!! What is she thinking? And as far as not doing "that surgery anymore", removal of the penis was discussed with me as an option for one of my feral boys just last year. I had taken him to one of the best veterinary hospitals in the region (it's known as the "Little AMC", a reference to the Animal Medical Center in NYC, one of the finest vet hospitals in the US). Frankly, I'd trust the judgment of the feline internal medicine vet who told me this rather than that of a vet who was already discussing putting your cat to sleep before informing you of "other options". This surgery has worked for one of Pat & Alix's cats, as she told you about in her post. Sorry for the rant, but this is outrageous!

Mikenealis recommended a vet hospital in Cincinnati a couple of posts back. Any chance that could work for you? I'm hoping you can find a really competent specialist so that you can get Snicky the help he needs ASAP.

Please post as soon as you can and let us know how Snicky's doing. All the best to you and your gorgeous boy.

Originally Posted by KTLynn

Mikenealis recommended a vet hospital in Cincinnati a couple of posts back. Any chance that could work for you? I'm hoping you can find a really competent specialist so that you can get Snicky the help he needs ASAP.

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It's not a hospital with specialists, just general practitioners, but they're great. They all love my kids to death, and some of the vet techs sneak Bast toys when no one's looking. If I remember right, though, Dr. McCarty is off on Thursdays. The other doctor I've seen there is Dr. Joseph A. Smith. He's a nice man, and he's HUGE! I'm 6'4, and he had a few inches on me. Looks like he might have played footbal when he was younger. Intimidating at first (because he's big), but a nice guy. He looked at a "stray" I had brought in before introducing it to Jameson, and I'm glad he did, because it was Lukemia positive. We decided to put it down because I didn't want it straying anymore and maybe getting other people's cats sick, and he wasn't going to get better. There's more to the story, but don't wanna thread-hijack. PM if you want to know.

I guess your vet raised my red flag in your first post. Just don't make a scene when you leave, just leave and don't look back. Snicks deserves better than he is getting.

I'm glad too that you are taking Snickers elsewhere for another opinion. I will keep my feelings which are to myself re some of what you've been told.

Snickers is gorgeous!

He's a beautiful cat who deserves every chance. I do hope you manage to find a sympathetic vet and get him everything he needs.

The new doctor (change of guards), her name is Bridget Wilson. The 'old' Doctor, Dr. Hungler, went off the guard last night. I know Dr Wilson, she worked on Zorro for his acne & Hammie for his bloody bum. I TRUST Dr. Wilson. Dr. HUngler on the other hand, she's gone til Monday, so Dr. WIlson it is.

I FINALLY heard from her. Talk about a long morning for me. She said she was sorry that Dr. Hungler didn't keep the cath in longer; Dr. Wilson is re-cathing Snickers 'right now' and will keep it in until Saturday PM.

She said that his bladder is 'severely distended' still, and he really has not peed; she thinks he's swollen. I am supposed to get a phone call any moment regarding SNicky's Xrays. They did an "air" test on him yesterday, where they shot air into his bladder. They also did some other tests which will tell them/us if Snick has bladder stones, which could be causing the crystals.

Snicky is also going back on the IV; she said Dr. Hungler should not have removed it; the IV & the cath should have stayed in much longer the FIRST TIME!! I didn't even have to b!tch about it or say anything --- she just spilled out all the stuff I was going to yell about.

I called 2 other area vets for second opinions via tele; they said, he needs to be re-cathed and the cath needs to stay in. They said that is what they would do first off.

Dr. Wilson did not even breathe a word about Snickers being "old" and she certainly did NOT say anything about how I "should consider putting him down". I know they are 2 very different doctors (like I said Dr. Wilson is the only one I've seen... not this Hungler chic) and she has said everything i thought from Day One. I'm rather ticked because of the stress Snicky has been through, I hate to think he went through the suturing of the cath three dang times when it should have only been one!!! My poor guy in pain because Dr. Hungler doesn't know what she's doing????

But Dr. WIlson does... she gave me a play by play. She is going to call me within the hour with the Xray & bladder air-thingy test results. She said if he has bladder stones -- they will simply perform surgery and remove them.

So I guess at this point I still don't know much except I won't get to pick him up until Saturday PM. They're closed on Sunday so the cath has to come out Saturday. I'm aggravated because we've wasted time.

Re: the past few days being wasted (IMHO), should I refuse to pay certain fees? Once I get the final bill? CAN I refuse to pay for Dr. Hungler's damage? She didn't help him, she hindered the whole dang thing!

What would you do? I know I said I'd take him from there tonight, but like I said, Dr. Wilson is a whole nuther doctor; she is in the same building but she said all the right things (the same things the other 2 vets said, when I called with urgency). Also she did not have the same attitude Hungler did, re: just "let him go cuz he's old".

Flaming, I am!!!

Oh and i will be stopping by of course tonight, tomorrow night, & Saturday to see my Snicky. Maybe I should write a little note to Hungler. Or just wait til this is all over with.

Originally Posted by darkeyedgirl

Good news, and questions.

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Good to hear that things have taken a turn for the better for Snickers!

Re: The bill. I'd have a sit down with Dr. Wilson and have a frank discussion about everything that was done before she came on. Find out what she thinks was necessary and unnecessary, and get her opinion on the whole thing. Talk to whoever is in charge of the billing department at your vets office too. If they require full payment before they release your animal, ask them to split the bill into two different parts, Dr. Wilson's and Dr. Hungler's. Pay Dr. Wilson's, and let the person who is in charge of billing know how you feel about Dr. Hungler's treatment of Snickers. I don't know if you'll get anything taken off, but it can't hurt - especially if they know you were thinking about going to a different clinic for treatment.

I'm glad to hear that you're at ease with Snickers' care now. Hope everything turns out for the best.

Even though you feel you might of reached the end of the line, it isn't the end of the line to successfully correct this. Dry cat food will do it every time. Some say it's because the cat doesn't drink enough. Some say it's because of the magnesium, etc content in the food. For whatever reason, those cases where the caregiver stopped giving dry cat food, the problem also stopped. Even when the diet- was a dry cat food prescribed by the vet. It didn't seem to make any difference. The cat would eventually block. There is a way around this. I've seen it. I've proved it for myself. Once your cat gets over this, if you want to see the end to the problem. Canned cat food only. Low ash, low magnesium. A good quality cat food- preferably with no by -products. Then once a day- a capsule of cranberry extract( some are cranberry juice extracts, some say one capsule is the equivalent of x-quantity of fresh cranberries,etc). This has proven to be very effective but you have to be consistent. Cranberry juice dissolves the crystals and sloughs off the bacteria off the bladder walls that manufacture the crystals. If you do this, you should have no more problems. People have had pets with a history of blockages and have had no further problem after following this.

I wouldn't do anything right now, you are not in the right state of mind and it could backfire. Regardless of another vet being in the clinic, the same vet who was so sloppy still has access to Snick, so you need to bear that in mind.

I would sit down at a later date with a clearer head and just make a list of all the problems you saw in the one vet's care. Then I would present this list to the other vet and ask her to read it and advise you.

Thanks guys for your advice re: my rant about poor service and me not wanting to pay the BAD DOCTOR. I will pay the GOOD DOCTOR and bake her a freaking cake, I swear it.

She just called!!!! She said, GOOD NEWS MOMMY:
1. Snickers does NOT have bladder stones! Which means, no surgery.
2. The cath (3rd time) went in fine, they expressed his bladder; she said, it expressed just fine and his urine is clear & flowing.
3. She says, his bladder is just kinda 'loose' from being distended; his penis is a tad inflamed & swollen . BUT, it is a muscle, and by keeping the cath in until Saturday (LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT IN IN THE FIRST PLACE), his muscle will contract since his bladder will be empty due to the cath; the bladder will shrink to normal size, his inflamed wee-wee will heal due to being pumped full of anti-inflammatories & meds via IV.

She said he's still really out of it so I'm not gonna see my boy tonight. I figure he needs the rest and well when I'm next to the guy I wanna pet him & talk to him.

Dr. Wilson is so much more upbeat... it's almost scary to think what almost could have happened. Well I would have pulled out of there if Hungler stayed in charge, honestly.

And I will follow that advice... about the list. My head is messed right now. Maybe after 2 good nights sleep I'll sit Saturday AM at my laptop & get a list / letter out, before I go to get Snicky & pay the bill.

I just feel so badly for the lil guy. He's been through a lot this week. We all miss him, too. It's uncanny how cats get used to each other. Hammie is getting bored, because although he sticks to Zorro like glue -- Snickers is the only cat in my family who can keep up with Hammie's energy bursts & weirdness!

I'm feeling better about this... still scared because of Snickers being away from me, but at least I'm feeling WAY more hopeful than I was when I started this thread. I was freaking.

My Thai Thai had crystal producing problems spent lotts of money to have him "flushed" about 3 times and was almost thinking of taking the bone out of him if it happened again then finally found the right SD food and it stopped I was so glad I had already taken so much of his "manhood" away I really didn't wat to got to that extreme! I lost my sweet boy to cancer 2 yrs ago at 10 RIP my beloved guy! Hugs and prayers that a solution is found!!


Just finished reading all the posts so glad he is better!!!!

Let us all hope he has turned the corner at last. I am glad you sound so much more optimistic.

You and Snickers have been through the wringer this week. I'm so glad things have turned the corner toward a more positive outlook.

What you've gone through is just a great reminder to all of us that WE are our cats' best advocates. And that regardless of a diploma on an office wall, if we have concerns about treatment options and how things are being handled we really have to take a deep breath and make some noise if we feel things are not right. V-E-T does not spell G-O-D in my dictionary.

I really hope and pray that everything goes well for Snickers and that he's back with his friends and up to full speed soon.

I am so glad that Snickers is looking better and that you were able to find such a great doctor. I hope he keeps improving. I want to bake this new doctor a cake, and I don't even know her, or you for that matter! Snickers is in my thoughts and prayers.

Gee it's a good thing you didn't put him down like the first vet said he needed to be! Ok I will stop now- but man some vets bite seriously!

*CLAPS* Im soooo happy to hear this!!! Get well soon snickers hope your wee wee doesnt hurt for long!

I'm in a similar situation, Stephanie, tomorrow we are taking Murphy back to the vet to get put down. He had a kidney failure, and is extremely malnurished. Like your situation, it is merely an effect of an aging cat. Murphy's 12 years old. I wish you the best of luck.

Hugs to you too and belly rubs for Murphy from Mischka & Linx! And Snickers!
And any other furry who needs it!

Originally Posted by cangus

I'm in a similar situation, Stephanie, tomorrow we are taking Murphy back to the vet to get put down. He had a kidney failure, and is extremely malnurished. Like your situation, it is merely an effect of an aging cat. Murphy's 12 years old. I wish you the best of luck.

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I am so sorry about Murphy. 12 does not seem old at all to me (for a cat). I know cats have serious issues with kidneys as they get older... and once the kidneys are gone, it's time. I'm so sorry. PM me if you need a 'shoulder', I've wetted several shoulders this week.

I got to spend 30 minutes with Snickers this morning. OH BOY does he look GOOD. Except for the catheter sticking out from his manhood and the IV taped to his arm and the rolling cart that dragged behind him... I LOVED seeing him!!! And Snickers came right to me on the table, I swear I received so many kisses & headbutts, I smell like him now! I love it.

Dr. Wilson said that when she flipped the light on, Snicky was rubbing on the cage, wanting to get to her and overnight, he'd tangled his cords together. Well she unwound him and said "he's like a new man this morning".

I felt like kissing Dr. Wilson!!!! Dr. Wilson is pregnant... I'm going to do something special for her and the baby, she's saved my Snicky and for that I owe her major gratitude.

She said that Snick is still free flowing and unblocked... she said for the next 30 hours or so the cath will stay in place, to give his bladder more time to shrink & relax. Stay empty. His little pee bag was so cute. Another thing I really like about Dr. Wilson? She calls me "Snickers Mom", NOT Miss O'koon. I prefer Snickers Mom.

Snickers also has to be started on Eukanuba... I am clueless about this stuff???? She said Eukanuba is a prescription food; low in PH; and given specifically to cats with this crystal problem??? My other babies are already started on IAMS canned; I gave away the huge bag of dry food I was feeding my babies to a friend who has cats on a farm. He said barncats get all the meat & nutrition they need from killing mice, rats & other varmints, and the dry food is just a treat. So the dry food didn't go to waste, and my other lovely monsters really love the canned IAMS.

But Doc says Snickers will have to be on Eukanuba for the rest of his life. Well count me in if it keeps him healthy.

Still not sure how I'll handle 'the bill' tomorrow... I do want to say something to Dr. Wilson about Hungler & her apparent apathy towards cats. I have tonight to think about it while I count my blessings that my household is still a 6-cat household.

Anyone know of Eukanuba? I'm getting ready to Google & research til I find out all the details. The way I see it, 4 of my 6 cats are over 12 yrs old, so I better get used to buying prescription cat food!

Keep your fingers crossed for Snickers. He was a drooling, happy purring bundle of love this morning. I get to bring him home TOMORROW!!!