My geriatric cat Scooter and I have a serious dilemma, and it mostly involves her teeth. Sweet little Scoots has been my best friend for almost 15 years now. About August of last year I finally moved into a pet-friendly apartment, so I was able to have her come live with me. My mom has been taking care of her since I moved out, and she’s the kind of individual that doesn't really believe in veterinary care. I don’t blame her because Scooter, although her back legs are misshapen, has always been healthy.
A couple days after moving her in, I took her to the vet for a check-up since her face looked swollen and found out she has a heart murmur and a serious mouth infection, the latter being common in older cats. The vet mentioned surgery, but made it sound like some antibiotics would fix the problem. Once the prescription was used up she seemed fine: friendlier, healthier, eating fine, swelling gone and all that.
I moved again, and took her to a different vet for a follow-up. This time the doctor seemed incredibly concerned and mentioned that at this point her mouth would only get worse, antibiotics alone can’t solve the problem, and since Scooter has a heart murmur she’s at serious risk of dying during surgery. I’m sure the doc had to stress this for liability reasons, but it scared the bejeezus out of me. I just noticed today that a different part of her face is swollen and I’m seriously panicking.
So right now I’m stuck between paying over $1000 for a surgery that might kill my cat, letting her suffer and die, or putting her down. No vet insurance covers pre-existing conditions, but my mom has offered to help me pay for medical care. I was considering asking the vet to give me a painkiller and antibiotic prescription so at least Scooter won't be in pain and can function. I have no idea what to do.
tl,dr: Has anyone else’s cat gotten oral surgery with a heart murmur? What can I do to make the remainder of Scooter’s life most comfortable? I really need some advice. Thank you!
A couple days after moving her in, I took her to the vet for a check-up since her face looked swollen and found out she has a heart murmur and a serious mouth infection, the latter being common in older cats. The vet mentioned surgery, but made it sound like some antibiotics would fix the problem. Once the prescription was used up she seemed fine: friendlier, healthier, eating fine, swelling gone and all that.
I moved again, and took her to a different vet for a follow-up. This time the doctor seemed incredibly concerned and mentioned that at this point her mouth would only get worse, antibiotics alone can’t solve the problem, and since Scooter has a heart murmur she’s at serious risk of dying during surgery. I’m sure the doc had to stress this for liability reasons, but it scared the bejeezus out of me. I just noticed today that a different part of her face is swollen and I’m seriously panicking.
So right now I’m stuck between paying over $1000 for a surgery that might kill my cat, letting her suffer and die, or putting her down. No vet insurance covers pre-existing conditions, but my mom has offered to help me pay for medical care. I was considering asking the vet to give me a painkiller and antibiotic prescription so at least Scooter won't be in pain and can function. I have no idea what to do.
tl,dr: Has anyone else’s cat gotten oral surgery with a heart murmur? What can I do to make the remainder of Scooter’s life most comfortable? I really need some advice. Thank you!