RIP Sam xx - Corneal Ulcer and vet problems.....Sad News

[clarenmax]

I'm glad the other vet was better 

I think doing bloods is a good idea, at least you know what you are dealing with, then you can see if the surgery is an option.

As Gill has already said though, aneasthetics are much better these days, and as long as Sam is on a drip then this will help.  When Max was due for his dental (which we couldn't do in the end as he was too poorly), they wanted to keep him in overnight on a drip as an extra precaution, so that could well be an option to suggest to your vet too if they don't?

[Janeyk]

Good to hear you saw a better vet and good luck for the results 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So pleased that you saw a better vet yesterday. 

Have read what you have posted and assume he told you the eye would not recover?

How old is Sam, I cant see if you merntioned it?

I hope the bloods come up with good results and remember that any cat over 10 years should go on a drip for sugery cos this helps to alieve kidney problems and also make sure they can give Sam sufficient pain relief for after the op. Tghere are also very safe anesthetics they can use on older cats 

[Hippykitty]

I saw the good vet yesterday. He gave Sam a thorough examination: of her eyes and general well-being, including putting a thermometer up bum! He also asked LOTS of questions about her health. After this, he went through the options in a logical and sympathetic way. One was to go ahead and remove the eye, risking the g.a. Another was to run blood tests before the op to see what sort of state her health is in and what kind of risk it would involve. He thought she might have hyperthyroidism because of fast heartbeat, even though she was very nervous; he thought he could feel a node on her thyroid. If she was hyper, it would be best for her to take some pills for a week or so before the op.
He also put forward the chance that the eye would naturally atrophy; but said even if this happened she'd be at risk of infection and would be better without the eye.
He then mentioned pts; at which I said NO! He asked me to consider that she has failing kidneys and a painful eye, but he felt that it would be inappropriate without trying to do something to help her first, as she isn't a hopeless case.

I decided to have the initial bloods done, and see what the results are. I took her to have the blood taken this morning. I'm hoping she'll be okay for an op.

The two vets are so different. The first, bad, vet looked her over in about a minute, and the whole consultation lasted only about five minutes, for which he charged a small fortune. The second vet gave her eye and her general health a full exam (shining lights in her eyes etc) and the consult lasted around half an hour. He charged LESS even though it's the same surgery! 

If surgery is possible, I'll make sure the bad vet - Mr Sloan - doesn't do it. There is another vet there who's okay. When he started working there about 20 years ago he was awful, but he's improved with age and experience. I'd prefer him to do the surgery if Mr Bate can't.

Thanks for the support. Will keep you posted.

[Leanne]

Thats terrible behaviour from the vet, I hope you have a better time this time round.

[Gillian (Ambercat)]

Stitching the third eyelid across to help the ulcer heal worked really well for my Cassie the first time she had it done years ago, although she was a bit younger than your Sam when she had it done, maybe 14/15 yrs old. However the second time, when the ulcer returned, the op wasnt so successful, so I opted for removal and she was so much happier, because ulcers are incredibly painful and drops just don't work for long enough. 

[JackSpratt]

Oh HK, what a horribly abrupt vet. The crazy thing is, he probably didn't even realise how upsetting he was behaving. The old chap who owns our vet still likes to "keep his hand in" but I do wish he wouldn't. His views on companion animal care are very outdated and he is obviously more geared towards caring for livestock, much like the vet you saw.

Although I don't dislike him, I always ask for a young Australian guy at our practice because I know he'll be honest, sympathetic and think of any possible options rather than the easiest and cheapest.

Good luck with the appointment and sorry you're still feeling so sad.

[Hippykitty]

I have a feeling that he would rather work with livestock than pets and doesn't understand the relationship people have with cats etc. So far, I haven't had a phone call cancelling the appt for this afternoon, so hopefully she'll see the good vet.

Thanks for the link Mark, I read it but much of the treatment seems to involve surgery, which I want to avoid because she's 18 and her kidneys are a bit wonky. Her urea levels are high; not sure of the exact count.

This morning, when I put her drops in, her eye looked very weepy, white and jellyish. I'm hoping she'll heal it herself. I'll discuss the options with the vet and will definitely NOT be pts! Will let you know how it goes.

Must find new vets! Mr Bate is the only reason I've stayed with that surgery but it looks as though he'll be retiring soon. A great loss.

I'm feeling very upset and stressed by Sam's problems, would hate to lose her so soon after Polly. She's not been quite the same since Polly died: depressed. They were good friends for years. Poor Samantha. She's being great at taking her antibio's and having drops put in her eye.
 

[Millys Mum]

How he can decide that after a few days is  ulcers take time to heal and i would think stitching the third eyelid up for a few weeks would be worth trying before even considering removing the eye 
I understand your dislike of this man, i hope your normal vet gives you some proper advice!

[Mark]

Poor Samantha - lets hope the other vet is better. This site http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/corneal.html is quite reliable for info but nowhere do they mention eye removal and certainly not PTS  - even for the worst kind of ulcer where fluid is leaking from the eye, there are treatments which may include removing dead cells or having the eye closed up during healing.

[clarenmax]

Good luck tomorrow hun, and lets hope your usual vet can give you some better idea of what's required.

That other vet sounds horrible, if you have no compassion, how can you do a job like that?  If it were me I would complain, but I know its hard in these situations 

[Janeyk]

Poor Sam  good luck at the vets tomorrow  x

[bunglycat]

Please get a second and third opinion if necessary -thats just not on -put to sleep for an ulcer !
Change vets if need be .
I had a vet or receptionist  tell me the  other day on the phone -did i want to let FiFi go as the bill was going to be big and they knew i was worried as didn''t have much money !!
I said no way ( was pretty upset at the time otherwise would have lost my temper ) said i would get the money somehow no matter what - she is absolutely fine now -think it was a blocked bladder !) and the bill has almost been paid -got the final one today and am taking it later this week .

Hope Sam is okay and continues to be for a long while yet 

[Hippykitty]

Sorry I haven't  been here for a long time, but since Polly died Purrs reminds me of her too painfully.

I've popped in to rant and because I'm worried about Sam. Last week, I noticed she wasn't opening her left eye, so I had a look at it. At first I thought she'd quickly developed a cataract, but thought this weird cos it developed almost overnight. So I booked a vet appt. Unfortunately, my favourite vet is ill (I think this is something chronic, because he's been working part time for a while), so I had to see another, less competent, vet.

He took one look at her eye, proclaimed that "this has been there for a while" as though I'd neglected her, and gave me a dirty look. I was mad at the implication. I had a friend with me, who sees my cats often, and mentioned that she hadn't noticed anything. It was obvious he didn't believe us.

He said she has a corneal ulcer, and put drops in her eyes. He prescribed antibiotics and told me to return in a few days. I tried to make an appointment with the other vet, but he was still off ill, so I had to return to see the same guy.

On my second visit, he quickly looked in her eye, told me she'd have to have it removed, then said she was unlikely to come through the op because of her age! I asked if there was any alternative treatment. He said she could be euthanised. He said this as though it was nothing. I was shocked. I'd gone in there expecting more antibiotics or something, and he was telling me she's terminal. I had to ask if I could sit down, and struggled to fight back tears. I made an appointment for an op to have her eye removed.

When I returned home, I got on the net and found loads of other ways to deal with corneal ulcers which are less radical than eye removal. I chatted to friends on the phone and decided to cancel the op and try to see the other vet. I have an appointment with him tomorrow.

Samantha's still alive, eating, taking her meds (synulox and fucithalmic vet). The synulox have given her tummy runs! She doesn't appear to be in pain, isn't rubbing her eye. Though the ulcer isn't much changed, it doesn't seem worse.

I'm hoping the vet she sees tomorrow will be more positive.