Cat blinded by Baytril

[kittens mom]

kitten after baytril 009.JPG

• kittens mom
• Sep 23, 2015

A box a lovely lovely box where I lay in wait for unguarded toes.  Notice her wild tribal tablecloth. Hubs got it out and she's been on it constantly. Ok mostly under it.

kitten after baytril 005.JPG

• kittens mom
• Sep 23, 2015

Here she is a few days ago. The birds took off when I walked over. They crawl all over the hardware cloth. They are also immune to downright sassy about the indoor pillow fluffies. There's also a family of cottontail back there. While we'll never know exactly what or how much she sees it's just good to see her at her favorite window taking in the great outdoors.

 

[kittens mom]

Sometimes Kitten just sits in the middle of the room and looks around. You can almost see the ? mark above her head. She is so well adapted I forget. And when she does this I remember that she lives with it now , forever. And so I cry some more. For us emotionally it is getting better.

I am an atheist. I don't believe things happen for a reason. And I don't believe in forgiving someone unless they ask. I don't need anyone telling me we need to talk to a lawyer. I have a pretty fair understanding of our rights. Ever sue anyone. It's not fun even when you win.

I made eggrolls today. I had to laugh as I was washing the dishes. Kitten seen the long handled scrub brush I was using and ran to one of her target spots for a treat. I use a new one as a target when we are clicker training. I stuffed her full of pitter pats.

 

[stephenq]

 
Sometimes Kitten just sits in the middle of the room and looks around. You can almost see the ? mark above her head. She is so well adapted I forget. And when she does this I remember that she lives with it now , forever. And so I cry some more. For us emotionally it is getting better.

I am an atheist. I don't believe things happen for a reason. And I don't believe in forgiving someone unless they ask. I don't need anyone telling me we need to talk to a lawyer. I have a pretty fair understanding of our rights. Ever sue anyone. It's not fun even when you win.

I made eggrolls today. I had to laugh as I was washing the dishes. Kitten seen the long handled scrub brush I was using and ran to one of her target spots for a treat. I use a new one as a target when we are clicker training. I stuffed her full of pitter pats.

Here is a thought.  If you walked into a pitch black room you might be cautious but you wouldn't loose your mind in a way in which you might if you suddenly went blind.  From Kitten's perspective, i bet he "thinks" he just walked into a pitch black room.  The concept of blindness simply doesn't exist.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I haven't read this whole thread, only the original post, but I wanted to clarify something for anyone still reading.  You can indeed sue for veterinary malpractice; however, you cannot sue for emotional distress or the loss of companionship.  In all of our states, pets are seen as property so the best any court would do is award fair market value for the animal in question.

 

[kittens mom]

 
Here is a thought.  If you walked into a pitch black room you might be cautious but you wouldn't loose your mind in a way in which you might if you suddenly went blind.  From Kitten's perspective, i bet he "thinks" he just walked into a pitch black room.  The concept of blindness simply doesn't exit.

I reserve the right to occasional bouts of childishness and a good vent. Hugs to Jenny.

 

[kittens mom]

 
I haven't read this whole thread, only the original post, but I wanted to clarify something for anyone still reading.  You can indeed sue for veterinary malpractice; however, you cannot sue for emotional distress or the loss of companionship.  In all of our states, pets are seen as property so the best any court would do is award fair market value for the animal in question.

I'm not the least bit interested in suing anyone.  In this case it would be a total waste of everyone's time. The only real ' punishment' we can extract is through the wallet and that isn't going to enrich us in any way. We'll see how willing this vet is to just own her screw up and all of us move on. I don't want blood money. I couldn't put a value on her true worth or the loss of most of her vision. We do have a pile of vet bills incurred as a direct result of her mistake. Which is well documented. I actually like this woman , she needs to pay for the mess she made.

If I was a vindictive nut there would be a FB page and other social media slamming her around and we'd be looking for a way to sue for the larger than most states small claim limit. I'm not into spinning my wheels. I use this thread to vent , it's my emotional pounding board. One theme over and over is we don't want this to happen to someone else.

 

[lavishsqualor]

My partner is a Circuit Civil Judge and I was reading a few highlights from your original post to him and his responses are what fostered mine. 

If you have incurred additional vet bills due to her error he says that you could sue her in small claims court and possibly prevail.  If you are convinced that you want her to "pay"--and I personally would think long and hard before doing this--you could file a formal grievance against her through whatever regulatory agency governs veterinarians in your state.

Personally, before I did anything, I would write her a non-threatening letter in which I requested her to cover the exact amount of my bills.  I would enclose copies of the bills, send it by certified return receipt mail and see what happens.

From one cat lover to another, I wish you much luck and much peace.

I'm so sorry for what happened to your kitten.  However, even the most capable of us make mistakes.

 

[kittens mom]

 
My partner is a Circuit Civil Judge and I was reading a few highlights from your original post to him and his responses are what fostered mine. 

If you have incurred additional vet bills due to her error he says that you could sue her in small claims court and possibly prevail.  If you are convinced that you want her to "pay"--and I personally would think long and hard before doing this--you could file a formal grievance against her through whatever regulatory agency governs veterinarians in your state.

Personally, before I did anything, I would write her a non-threatening letter in which I requested her to cover the exact amount of my bills.  I would enclose copies of the bills, send it by certified return receipt mail and see what happens.

From one cat lover to another, I wish you much luck and much peace.

I'm so sorry for what happened to your kitten.  However, even the most capable of us make mistakes.

This is by far not the worst thing that has happened to me personally. I like to rant. I had a lot of anger to work through. This was such a stupid mistake. I raised, bred and rescued horses. I know about bad outcomes. Should haves and things that just don't work out.

Of course the first step is to send a letter and ask for reimbursement. Or at least a reasonable settlement. We're not nuts. And we intend to file a grievance with the state veterinary board. We have the papers ready to go. I seriously doubt they'll yank her license. What I want is for a review of her practices. This dose should have set off a warning bell.

And something I haven't really touched on. There were two interns there and I let her use my cat as a training aid because this vet really knows her stuff. I can smell the intuition wafting off her. She let one calculate the dose. I watched her check it. And now that young man owns this mess. She didn't just jack my cat up. She's supposed to be supervising them. Not only that she failed to give an Rx for some ointment for her eyes. We weren't in there telling her to keep the bill down. My cat got sick with this URI fast. I made sure that the dose she prescribed got into Kitten. I crapped when I seen the size of the pill. Again it didn't register with her. She just told me to break it up on the score lines and give it to her one piece at a time. And that was going so badly I decide that while in town I better get a few extra so that we had them at home for the weekend and she got the full course. And the receptionist said wow that's a high dose for that drug. And I just repeated what the vet said about her lungs getting a bit of a rattle. I figured it was to hit that hard. And you know what I think she knew. can't prove it. But had she went whoa let me call the vet that sounds high. That last dose of 68 mg would have never went in and we might not be dealing with any of this.

So either this vet has a sick vendetta against me for some unknown reason and tried to kill my cat.

She was high on horse tranquilizers ( We had a vet here who used more than the horses he failed to treat )

Drunk

Or my best guess. complacent.

She's an older woman. I don't want her to retire. Every time an older veterinarian retires they take stuff with them that can't be taught. I'd like to think we could stay more than civil to each other. There aren't many vets close to us that are good with cats.

 

[kittens mom]

So After yesterdays bout of childish behavior back to reality.

I'm sitting here with a pile of paid vet bills.

And the sticking point is , do I ask her to refund the initial vet visit ?

Do I ask for the future vet bill coming in January? The ophthalmologist  suggested it as the final check up to see if her eyes would show any signs of further deterioration.

Is it wise to just ask for the actual out of pocket rather than trying to tally up the miles to city, My husbands lost time at work that night. I'm night blind. There is no way I could make that drive into the city at night. Should the bill be itemized or would it be better to simply ask for the total of the vet bills. It works out so close. We paid the CC off so there is no interest attached.

I would much rather a one and done that spend more money to try and recover with filing fees. It's just an added burden to everyone.

Is this a dickering process. Do you add everything involved by the kitchen sink and then wait for a counter offer?

I want to present the best most moral case and settle this quickly.

Most of all, and my dirtiest little secret. I want to forgive her. I want us to hug and cry and express our pain , I want to know if when she heard the voicemail left in the middle of the night. Did her heart fall to the bottom of her chest.

You know one of the real evils of this world. When things go sideways every one is so busy trying to protect their legal rights No one can just talk anymore

 

[stephenq]

 

I really like @LavishSqualor's quote, "Personally, before I did anything, I would write her a non-threatening letter in which I requested her to cover the exact amount of my bills.  I would enclose copies of the bills, send it by certified return receipt mail and see what happens."

You might even end with a personal note about wanting to hug and forgive, and while  those don't pay the bills, you still want to have a good relationship with her.  This may be an added positive motivation for her.  I would not ask for future bills, nor incidental expenses like transportation - save those for the lawsuit (hopefully not).  What you're very reasonably asking her to do is forgive all of her  bills and possibly the ophthalmologist's.  Include copies of everything, total everything on an invoice like letter, and as lavishsqualor said, send it certified mail.

If she agrees to most of it, especially all the bills from her practice, then i would probably accept, although if push came to shove in small claims court you might prevail on the optho's bills, but that will also end your relationship with her.

Don't make any threats in the letter, people don't respond well to that.  Just treat it as a business deal/purchase that went bad.  And give her an assurance that if she pays, the matter is closed and you won't pursue more actions.  And if you say that you want to stay in a relationship with her, don't say anything in writing that could be construed in court as saying she wasn't at fault.  Don't discuss fault at all. You both know what happened, this letter is a request, not a legal action.

Example letter:

Dear Dr. X,

I'm writing to request a refund for all expenses incurred in regards to my cat "kitten's" care at your practice that recently lead to her blindness, including the necessary and emergency care provided by the opthomologist Dr. Y.  I have itemized and totaled all the bills below, and have enclosed copies of same.  If you agree to enter into this private agreement with me i give you my word in writing that the matter will be forever closed, there will be no more bills forthcoming and i will neither pursue legal nor disciplinary action against you.  This affirmation with my signature below should be considered legally binding.

On a more positive note, i know you care about animals, and i know you care about mine and i want to remain your client, and I want a moment with you where we can hug and cry and start all over.  Let's put this behind us and start again, please.  I await your response.

Yours,

Kittens Mom

 

[kittens mom]

 
I really like @LavishSqualor's quote, "Personally, before I did anything, I would write her a non-threatening letter in which I requested her to cover the exact amount of my bills.  I would enclose copies of the bills, send it by certified return receipt mail and see what happens."

You might even end with a personal note about wanting to hug and forgive, and while  those don't pay the bills, you still want to have a good relationship with her.  This may be an added positive motivation for her.  I would not ask for future bills, nor incidental expenses like transportation - save those for the lawsuit (hopefully not).  What you're very reasonably asking her to do is forgive all of her  bills and possibly the ophthalmologist's.  Include copies of everything, total everything on an invoice like letter, and as lavishsqualor said, send it certified mail.

If she agrees to most of it, especially all the bills from her practice, then i would probably accept, although if push came to shove in small claims court you might prevail on the optho's bills, but that will also end your relationship with her.

Don't make any threats in the letter, people don't respond well to that.  Just treat it as a business deal/purchase that went bad.  And give her an assurance that if she pays, the matter is closed and you won't pursue more actions.  And if you say that you want to stay in a relationship with her, don't say anything in writing that could be construed in court as saying she wasn't at fault.  Don't discuss fault at all. You both know what happened, this letter is a request, not a legal action.

Example letter:

Dear Dr. X,

I'm writing to request a refund for all expenses incurred in regards to my cat "kitten's" care at your practice that recently lead to her blindness, including the necessary and emergency care provided by the opthomologist Dr. Y.  I have itemized and totaled all the bills below, and have enclosed copies of same.  If you agree to enter into this private agreement with me i give you my word in writing that the matter will be forever closed, there will be no more bills forthcoming and i will neither pursue legal nor disciplinary action against you.  This affirmation with my signature below should be considered legally binding.

On a more positive note, i know you care about animals, and i know you care about mine and i want to remain your client, and I want a moment with you where we can hug and cry and start all over.  Let's put this behind us and start again, please.  I await your response.

Yours,

Kittens Mom

Thank you. I'll have to rework the bottom part . I don't want to come across as overly familiar or even creepy.

It becomes very difficult to separate the emotions when something like this happens involving a living creature that resides in your home. Add to that her being hand raised I have quite a maternal mama grizzly going on.

 

[kittens mom]

Kitten refuses to watch any more cotton balls fall. She stood up and turned her back. Hmmmph. She also played hide and seek. She hid and I ran around in a panic for 15 minutes looking for her. Laundry Hamper. Bad Cat. Have I ever mentioned this cat can grin. It's a poo eating smirk. She will also only allow herself to be groomed with my hairbrush. No substitutes. The Kitten knows.

My husband was playing with her once and pretended to be pulling a string out of her. She tried to pull his fingers off. If you don't dispose of her hair after grooming outside she will dumpster dive and eat it out of the trash. When you clip her nails. She gets down and examines the little sharp hooks with disdain. When I pet her as she's eating she does a monkey tail around my arm. Her favorite toy is a rubber octopus named PreyBaby. She alternately grooms it and snaps it's neck while it squeaks in horror. We spent weeks looking for a back up and finally found one on ebay.

She seems to know when it's Sunday because that's when they share a can of white albacore in water as a treat. Her favorite hobby is seeing how many cans of food she can con me into opening before settling on the first one. She loves Billy Idol and Nathanial Johnstone. She does the kitty death dance around my ankles for either. She hoards ink pens. She'll take a run on the kitchen table , hit a tablecloth and surf. All Christmas ornaments are hers and belong under the refrigerator. There is a reason some light switches had to have covers put on them.  Her idea of a day at the gym is the thumpata thumpata thumpata of the TP being unrolled. Kitty Treadmill. She regularly pillages my antique marble collection and with scary ability gets them center foot and slingshots them across the room. The best time to strike up a tune is the minute mom hits a warm soak.  She sings a lovely funeral dirge. She can sense me getting out needlework or sewing. Pins and needles what lovely things. OHHHHHH thread. Her idea of home defense was to sit in the middle of the room with each hair on her body sticking strait out the first time we had yotes howling nearby. She is so much a part of each and every thing we do. I am so thankful to have her.

 

[stephenq]

 

Wow what an amazing cat with an incredible repertoire!  Thanks for sharing!

A few of Jenny's antics:

She likes to steal raw green beans off the kitchen table and eat them.

She will wake up from a nap at the smell of peanut butter and ask for her share.

She hunts flies on our roof deck and kills them.

On vacation she hunts and eats beach crickets.

And she's a climber so at our rental cottage she climbs the vertical ladder to get to the loft bed.

Oh and she will often sit by the litter box and meow until we come clean it, so her highness may then use it herself.

 

[evamilly]

Peanut butter- that's unusual for a cat to like lol! My little one also meows after she has used the litter so that I tend to it straight away- tho if I were a cat I would expect that service too[emoji]128570[/emoji]

 

[evamilly]

kittens mom- your little one sounds very sensible - always best to taste every can of food on offer before deciding which one to have lol[emoji]128572[/emoji]

 

[stephenq]

Peanut butter- that's unusual for a cat to like lol! My little one also meows after she has used the litter so that I tend to it straight away- tho if I were a cat I would expect that service too[emoji]128570[/emoji]

Its funny all my cats have liked peanut butter

 

[kittens mom]

Today I visited Amazon and purchased several feeding syringes, a couple of different types of pill poppers for cats, 2 cans of liquid meal supplement. I had to force feed Kitten for a day and ended up using a salvaged wormer tube from the horses , well cleaned of course. We don't live close to big stores that might carry these items and they are not available local. Half of my frustration was spent in trying to do the simplest thing like get some food into her. I will also be purchasing a pet thermometer and a small assortment of other cat patch up supplies. We cruised on lucky for 10 years. We also purchased a couple bottles of the dollar store sterile saline. The eyecups included were so tiny they worked perfect for cleaning up Kittens eyes. It was actually less stressful than trying to rinse them out.

I also found that using my robe with worked better than a towel to make kitty burritos. By placing it on the counter and wrapping the neck part around her neck it made a more secure bundle and the filling had a hard time getting a foot out. The natural curve of the neck gives you one hand up on a cat that is looking for a chance to turn inside out.

The easiest way to get the L lysine gel in was not a frontal approach but a sneaky run my finger down the side of her mouth and let it almost automatically slide into the back of her cheeks. The gel liquefies instantly and there is not spit out.

We were medicating 6 times a day and made it a point to just get it done. No wasted time on trying to sooth. The only circus we had was the one time we decided to NOT wrap her. She hated  the ointment and a lot ended up everywhere but her eyes at first. But we got it done. And our Kitten still loves us.

We found that once securely wrapped having my second half gently hold her down on her shoulders was enough. We never applied an ounce of force we didn't have to.

She's hiding on the boot rack and I'm pretending not to see her so she doesn't go hide in a really hard place to find her.

 

[kittens mom]

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306297/need-help-asap-eye-infection-bulging-eyes/120#post_3842360   

Little Bash didn't make it. Show the wonderful girl who tried so hard some support today.

 

[kittens mom]

 
Wow what an amazing cat with an incredible repertoire!  Thanks for sharing!

A few of Jenny's antics:

She likes to steal raw green beans off the kitchen table and eat them.

She will wake up from a nap at the smell of peanut butter and ask for her share.

She hunts flies on our roof deck and kills them.

On vacation she hunts and eats beach crickets.

And she's a climber so at our rental cottage she climbs the vertical ladder to get to the loft bed.

Oh and she will often sit by the litter box and meow until we come clean it, so her highness may then use it herself.

Sometimes our troubles get smaller when we take inventory of the good stuff.  One of my biggest fears was her becoming  a motionless lump. Again Jenny was a reminder that cats will be cats. I forget sometimes for a whole day she has any vision issues. And somehow I doubt you think of Jenny as blind all the time. Instead she is Jenny and I have Kitten.

 

[stephenq]

 
Sometimes our troubles get smaller when we take inventory of the good stuff.  One of my biggest fears was her becoming  a motionless lump. Again Jenny was a reminder that cats will be cats. I forget sometimes for a whole day she has any vision issues. And somehow I doubt you think of Jenny as blind all the time. Instead she is Jenny and I have Kitten.

Agreed!  Jenny is by me now wanting me to print something for her, she loves paper coming out of the printer and its a continuous game. Normally i just print blank pages, she loves it.  You're learning so much about kitten and her abilities, and over time you will learn much more.  Be well!