What a great vet...

[icarus]

The most unhelpful vet, ever.

These guys are not flexible, would not advise me "if we're wrong we could be held liable" (I'm just feeling the animal welfare love…). I could tell the guy on the other line didn't feel it was urgent yet at the same time he said, as predictable as Ann Landers, "Well... you should make an appointment" (clickity-click goes the computer in the background as he brings up the appointment screen).

And it's pretty clear that if I need to be billed, they're not gonna go for it.

I'm going to keep an eye on fuzzhead then talk to WG if he hasn't used the cat box this afternoon.

Comments

[luminousmarble.livejournal.com]

...

Are there any other vets in the area that might be more helpful? I know they probably do have to be cautious, especially about something they can't see, but if they're not willing to bill or accept installments or anything, then. Hmph.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I understand not giving out advice over the phone. The "but we could get sued" does not leave with with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Based on the vet assistant's tone, and his comment about "catching it early" I think I can read between the lines that it's not a serious problem at this point. On the other hand, he was thinking parasite, and I seriously doubt. Parasites are long-term. This is sudden.

It's been less than 24 hours since he used the litter box. If we go anyplace else, I have to wait for WG (and the car) anyway, so I'm just going to wait.

Icarus

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

Oh. Great.

I really really hope your cat recovers quickly from whatever the problem is.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Me, too. He's acting normally, so that's good. I'm going to keep an eye on it. If we go elsewhere I need to wait for WG and the car at any rate.

I can understand my vet not wanting to take the risk of giving advice over the phone. But I don't want to hear "we're liable if something happens." To me that translates to "we don't care what happens to your cat, we're only interested in our business." Which makes me think that he didn't really feel it was serious, but hey, $$$$$. If I hadn't had good experinces with them in the past, man, I'd be getting another vet. As vets go they are kind of expensive.

Icarus

Um, this is sneaky but...

[aphephobia.livejournal.com]

Do either of you have a credit card?

You could always go in, get kitty seen to, and then "pay" with the credit card, and pull the, "I don't know why it's not working" routine. It's dodgy and dishonest, but you've gotta wonder about the ethics of someone who doesn't sound like they give two shits about a sick animal and an upset owner.

If anything, it buys you some time- you can always grumble about having to talk to the bank or something and pay them off gradually. (I haven't tried that one with a vet, but I have with various medical types. Hey... you do what you gotta do.)

Re: Um, this is sneaky but...

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

"Oh my goodness, I left my checkbook in my other wallet"?

you've gotta wonder about the ethics of someone who doesn't sound like they give two shits about a sick animal and an upset owner.

I tell you, I am not impressed with "we're liable if something happens." Jesus. If I hadn't had good experiences with them in the past, I'd be looking for a different vet.

Actually, they're kind of expensive (everything's expensive in this neighborhood). I'm considering going where they might bill and not charge an arm and a leg. They're just very conveniently located.

Icarus

[souliesoul.livejournal.com]

:( I'm sorry to hear that the vet was unhelpful. I hope that your cat recovers quickly ♥

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

He's acting pretty normally at the moment. Only the empty kitty box has me worried. It's been less than 24 hours so far. Hmmm.

Icarus

[florahart]

I haven't read comments on the previous post, so maybe someone suggested this. Maybe call up the humane society or similar, explain that your goal is to take good care of your cat, and ask if they 1. have any idea what it might be, and 2. if they know of any vets likely to help/work with you? I'm thinking maybe they'd be likelyish to feel interested in assisting folks who are in fact trying to be good pet owners, you know?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I can call the Progressive Animal Welfare Society, I think. I just need something I can do, since Monte can't go into the vet right away either way.

Icarus

[piplover.livejournal.com]

From the sounds if it, you would be better off just going to another vet the next time something happens, and telling this one they can stick it where the sun don't shine. If a business doesn't care about their clients, no matter what business it is, then they aren't worth repeating business. It may be a little further to the next vet, but you'll probably make up for it with a lower vet bill and a person who actually gives a damn.
Sorry, it just makes me mad when someone goes into a proffession of help, and the only thing they're interested in helping is their wallets grow. That's just wrong.
Good luck, and I hope the kitty feels better.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I would say that I was singularly unimpressed. Though I was talking to one of the assistants and not to the vet herself, with whom I've had only good experiences.

WG's comment when I told him about this jerk, "What? Fuck that guy."

Pithy, and quite clear.

Icarus

[enname.livejournal.com]

Argh, stupid fucks. Way to be callous and self centered.

Everyone has already given decent advice so I'll just cross my fingers and hope that he feels better and/or uses the litter.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I never thought I'd be practically turning cartwheels over a cat peeing in his litter box. Yay! Now all we need are the lincoln logs and I can throw a party.

Icarus

[enname.livejournal.com]

I'll just go and prepare some balloons ...

Hell, I'd never thought I'd be laughing in relief from a cat in another country peeing in his litter box. Pet ownership does that to you I feel. Corrupts from below.

Phew :)

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

Hi, cheshyre suggested I take a look at your kitty woes. My qualifications are basically that I've had a number of long-lived cats, among whom a wide range of health issues arose over the years. I also have a clinical background in human health. Most importantly, my vets have loved to teach.

First: if your cat is behaving normally, eating and drinking normally, isn't hiding, and isn't straining in the litter box, then it's unlikely that you have an emergency on your hands. Whatever caused the initial problem may be on its way to resolving itself. You probably can reasonably wait and watch. Watching the cat while he's in the litter box is important because straining is a key indicator of problems.

If a cat is straining in the litter box, particularly if he's passing blood, I wouldn't give anything like mineral oil or furball medicine unless the cat has been physically examined by a vet who recommended it. These items not only lubricate the colon, they also stimulate it. Should there be an obstruction, this would not be a good thing.

A tiny amount of bright red blood, as in a drop or two, could easily be from broken blood vessels as a result of the straining. More than that needs immediate attention. The difference between bright red blood and dark blood is that red is fresher while darker has been around longer and may be clotted. Either way, it's blood; the quantity is more important than the color.

Palpating the belly is helpful but not definitive. Even experienced vets can sometimes miss a mass. Many won't give enemas without x-rays because of the risk of perforation if they've missed some impacted stool or other mass.

It sounds like the situation is resolving itself, so unless your cat takes a turn for the worse, you can take some time to consider your vet situation. In a situation like this, I wouldn't rely on speaking with a vet tech or nurse. I'd insist on speaking with the vet, even if that meant waiting for a call-back. In fairness, however, making a differential diagnosis of a possible intestinal obstruction over the telephone not only isn't possible, it wouldn't be responsible. What the vet could have offered over the phone would have been a professional opinion regarding whether or not it was relatively safe to wait and watch or to try some of the remedies suggested in the comments you received.

If you've been with this vet for some years, and have been satisfied with the medical care your pet has received, then it would be worth talking with him/her now about possible financial arrangements in an emergency. Again, I'd talk directly with the vet, not with the office staff or clinical assistants. The vet is the one who can make exceptions to normal policy.

Usual financial arrangements may vary depending on your location. In Massachusetts, most vets require payment on the day of service for new clients. However, many will take credit cards for subsequent visits. Some will allow established clients to give them post-dated checks for emergency or critical care, or to arrange a schedule of payments over a few weeks or months, depending on the size of the bill. If you've been a regular client over time, and have shown yourself to be a responsible pet owner, yet your vet isn't open to any of these arrangements for emergency care during a financial crunch, it might be time to start a search for a different veterinarian. If you do decide to look elsewhere, I'd ask the front desk staff about their payment policies in general, but wouldn't get into special situations with them. You're more likely to get a helpful response from the vet, and only after you've met and spent some time discussing your pet's overall health.

Good luck; I hope the kitty's on the mend. If anything comes up, please let us know. There clearly are a lot of us who are concerned!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

if your cat is behaving normally, eating and drinking normally, isn't hiding, and isn't straining in the litter box, then it's unlikely that you have an emergency on your hands.

After the spate of diarrhea and hairballs he was eating and drinking a little more than normal, clearly hungry. He's also frisky and playful, racing around the house. He peed (yay!) yesterday, and this morning (hooray!) we had (copious) bowel movements.

The boyfriend heard him in the catbox and he says "no, there wasn't any straining. He squirted and then got out." Fuzz still has diarrhea and I'm watching for signs of that, um, passing. I'll continue making sure he gets extra water.

I have a suspect for the cause of the sudden diarrhea. We give him an all-natural wet food with no preservatives, but he'll only eat a tablespoonful of wet food at a time. Usually we put it right back in the fridge and he goes through a container in the space of two days. But the boyfriend has had a rough week, had to be up at 4:30am for work. Wednesday a.m. he forgot to feed fuzzhead and left the wet food out.

I didn't discover it for hours, fed fuzzhead, and put it back in the fridge.

It had probably gone off but after waiting several hours for breakfest kitty ate it anyway.

Worse yet: it was fish.

In fairness, however, making a differential diagnosis of a possible intestinal obstruction over the telephone not only isn't possible, it wouldn't be responsible.

Agreed. What annoyed me was not the lack of answers but being told "we might be sued." Even the most unschooled should know better than to say that. What I needed to know was how serious this was, if it was something that I should bring commander fuzzhead in for immediately, or if it's just something to keep an eye on over the next couple of days.

He knew enough to tell me to watch for straining, but then started artibrarily suggesting things that didn't fit the evidence without even asking questions first to back up his assumptions: "Sometimes a cat won't go to the bathroom in a covered box." Correct, but my cat's seven years old and has been using a covered box since kittenhood. "It could be a parasite." Possibly, but he's an indoor apartment cat with no change in his conditions. A sudden onset suggests something else, say, something the owners have done.

He should have said he didn't know and referred me up the food chain, and that "sued" statement rubs me the wrong way. He was obviously inexperienced. (I get the impression he's worked in other fields where that's an appropriate statement.)

On the other hand, shit rolls downhill. If I just heard the unfiltered attitude of this vet, I should look elsewhere. The truth is, I've liked the vets I've met there but they seem to have a high turnover: I haven't had the same vet twice. There seems to be one senior vet who stays surrounded by younger vets who seem a little... intimidated? They hunch.

I should find out where the vets I like are going.

Icarus