Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: fluffybunny on September 27, 2012, 21:18:57 PM
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My poor little girl has been attacked, not sure whether it's another cat or a dog or even a fox maybe? There is a naughty bengal nearby who fights with Geoffrey, but my vet thinks her injuries are more dog-like, although I can't think of where or how that would have happened so I am still inclined to think she was just pretty viciously set upon by the bengal.
She was fine Tuesday morning and I got home from work Tuesday night to find her curled up in a corner and she protested violently every time I went near her. Decided I should take her up the emergency vet as I didn't know what was wrong with her, unfortunately I arrived at the same time as a dog that had been hit by a train :Crazy: and another more seriously injured cat, so I had a very long wait and the vet was a bit rushed when he saw Milly. He looked her over and found one wound on her hip, so we concluded that she had been in some kind of fight. He said it wasn't even that deep, not breaking fully through the skin, so it shouldn't be a problem. She was standing up and walking around then so even though she looked sore, I decided to bring her home again instead of leave her there - especially as there were more critical patients so I don't think she would have got much attention anyway. She had antibiotic and opiate painkiller and came home.
Wed she was still poorly, not wanting to move at all, so I took her back to my own vet, who fairly quickly found that she was absolutely covered in wounds on her underside. She'd also got an enormous bruise and swollen bit by her sternum which my vet thought was very concerning. She had an x-ray while I was there and it didn't show any air getting in, but she thought there might be a muscle tear there, although there was too much swelling to tell properly. I also saw a copy of the faxed notes from the emergency vet, which basically said that I had brought in a bright and active cat who had one wound on her. The notes actually say "no other wounds located". I'll post a photo in a mo which show what was missed!
Milly went back this morning as my vet couldn't decide whether there was a definite tear/risk of hernia or not, I basically had the choice of sending her in for surgery, or waiting and seeing if the swelling goes down and if they can then tell for certain. As she had perked up this morning I decided to wait and see...fortunately my vet is open 7 days a week and the vet I always see is working this weekend so I feel reassured that she will be seen quickly and competently if needed then. She is also going back tomorrow morning for another check and to see if they can decide if she needs surgery.
Finally, a couple of pics, the more I think about it, the more upset I am that the emergency vet only found one wound and wrote the notes that I feel make me look like a crazy woman bringing in a virtually healthy cat. I know he was incredibly busy with far more critically ill patients, the treatment would no doubt have been the same and she did get the pain relief and antibiotic cover she needed, but even so, I don't exactly feel like I got the most robust treatment for my £160 and worry that had I not taken her to my own vet the next day, she might have ended up really suffering.
Here's the wound that the emergency vet found
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/7EBC3FD9-968E-4A64-AEF2-810B1C499324-10321-000010D833579B53.jpg)
And here's what my own vet found the following day - you can see the bruising around her sternum
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/485B8FF5-5836-4D3D-B65A-CC10E705A346-10321-000010D820BC7068.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/1D5B4D98-B7CC-4A04-AF4C-C918A826F158-10321-000010D811E2A794.jpg)
Back to the vets in the morning, when we will decide whether or not to go ahead with surgery tomorrow :(
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I honestly think you need to approach emergency vet and ask for consulting fee back and an apology as he missed such a large number of wounds. Explain you are happy to pay for the treatment itself but that you felt the consultation was not up to scratch.
If Millie is insured I can see you may not want to rock the boat but I would still speak to your own vet and say how unhappy you are with the emergency consultation and ask what she thinks you should do.
I assume you kept Milly in overnight so there is no possibility the other wounds occurred between vet visits? I can see she is fluffy but really do not believe there is any excuse for such an oversight.
Do hope poor Milly recovers quickly :care: :care: :care:
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OMG poor Milly .... I totally agree with Rosella ... I would be asking for money back and a full apology.
Sending lots of get well soon vibes to her xxxx
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Poor Milly. Agree with everything from Rosella. Sending some famous Purrs vibes for a quick recovery. :hug:
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Thanks all - yes I did say to my vet this morning that if anyone looked at the notes between the emergency vet and my own vet, they'd think that they had seen two different animals! I think I will get over whatever needs to be done for Milly in the short term and then talk to her about the emergency vet - Milly is insured so that is an added complication, plus one of the VNs at my normal practice (an extremely good one, I should add!) also does some shifts at the emergency vets too, although she wasn't there that night. Maybe she might even have some insight into a good way to approach it.
Yes Rosella, she had not been outside since the first vet visit, we blocked up the cat flap as soon as I got home as we don't want her going anywhere at the moment especially while we are not sure how serious the bruised part is! She has perhaps unsurprisingly not shown any interest in going out anyway.
I wasn't that unhappy to start with as I do understand that he had other priorities that night and she did at least get pain relief and antibiotic, but the more I think about it the more unhappy I am...and it makes me lack confidence about the service if I needed to use it again. On the flip side, I have complete confidence in my normal vet and am very happy with the way that they have dealt with Milly (and my other furries all the time).
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................ it makes me lack confidence about the service if I needed to use it again.
Yes of course that is exactly the problem that needs to be addressed .......... with someone :hug: :hug: :hug:
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oh myyy! poor Millie :'( :'(
sending hugs to you and millie :hug: :hug:
you must be horrified to know that this had been missed and can agree with why you feel the consultation wasnt up to scratch :-[ I agree with Rosella about addressing it.
I know Mille is longhaired but I also have a longhair and he was ran over. He was found in a garden in severe pain. The Emergency Vets examined him and a small injury was found, he then went on to fully examine his entire body for more wounds & more critical wounds - purely because the whole event was a mystery.
They should know above all that both cats and dogs are the masters of not showing illness or injury until they cant hide it much more :-[ and you're hardly going to take her just on a whim :-[
Good luck and the main thing is that Millie gets back to full health Bless Her xx
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I agree with Rosella but think you should make the insurance claim and then if you have the inclination and manage to get some money back. you can always reimburse the insurance company.
I think at present all your thoughts are better served by caring for Milly and ensuring she gets the best care from your own lovely vet.
Sending lots of good vibes for Milly :hug: :hug: :hug:
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:omg: poor Milly :care: I would be absolutely furious, to me that's negligence >:( It's not like the wounds are small enough to have been missed. Regardless of what other cases were in at the time, you waited until they had dealt with the more serious emergencies so the vet should have given her a much more thorough examination.
Fingers crossed she won't need surgery, poor little thing :care: Please let us know how she gets on :hug:
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Thanks - yes I paid my £134 consultation fee just like everyone else so I should get the same level of thorough examination, surely.
Milly seems fine this morning, currently sat on the end of the bed having a wash. I am a bit concerned though that there haven't been any poos yet. When I found her tues eve she had one stuck round her back end, but nothing since...unless she's been popping them somewhere as yet undiscovered in the house instead of the litter tray, I guess! So maybe that does mean it needs further investigation this morn. I'm seeing my vet at 9.15 so will have to decide then :-:
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omg poor girl, agree that you should address your lack of confidence with the surgery but obviously getting her better is first
I have a bengal myself and I have to say the wounds do look large to have come from one :hug:
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Looks more like a fox or dog attack to me. :scared:
Make the insurance claim. Is she chipped? Her chip number should have been read and recorded by the Emergency vet so don't worry about any identity issues. I'm appalled at the way this has been handled, and you should make representations. Quality of care should not faulter just because they've been busy. Is it VetsNow by any chance?
Have a look on-line, google the name of the emergency vet and the word complaint and see what pops up? You might find some telling information.
Hoping Milly gets better soon and this episode doesn't affect her confidence too badly. :hug:
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Yes she is chipped, I don't recall him checking it though and he just had a notepad and pen with him so I doubt he would have written it down if he had scanned her...and yes, quite right about the practice name...
We do have foxes round here but not during the day and I just don't see how she could have been grabbed by a dog either really. She's not a wanderer at all, she only goes one house either side (admittedly one side has a spaniel) and to one house over the road. I guess we will probably never know.
Fortunately we are about to put our house in the market, so no neighbours is a special criterion for the new pad!
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Milly is staying in for surgery :( my vet can feel a tear in the muscle and is concerned that even if it hasn't gone all the way through now, it will be a weak spot that she could easily damage further as she jumps and stretches. Hopefully it will be a case of a couple of stitches and nothing more. Now the dreaded wait for news...
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Poor Milly. :care:
I agree, missing wounds like that is terrible and you should not be charged the full amount of an emergency appointment. Sending gentle hugs to you and Milly.
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what a dreadful experience for you both, hope all goes well for Millie today :hug: x
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Milly is staying in for surgery :( my vet can feel a tear in the muscle and is concerned that even if it hasn't gone all the way through now, it will be a weak spot that she could easily damage further as she jumps and stretches. Hopefully it will be a case of a couple of stitches and nothing more. Now the dreaded wait for news...
Hope everything goes OK for her :hug: This would make me even more resolute to kick up a big stink, to me it's not about what you paid for the sub-standard examination - this vet has missed wounds and a muscle tear which requires an operation - to the layperson that's negligence and once Milly is better I would be pursuing this with the RCVS if I were in your shoes
http://www.rcvs.org.uk/complaints/
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Poor you and Millie :hug: :hug: Hope everything goes well.
I agree I would ask your vet what they think, they do sound very good.
A friend recently had a bad experience with a vet having her poor cat PTS at a vet she had been with a long time. She got a refund which she wasn't even bothered about, but the way a new vet had treated the cat and themselves. A letter from the principal (dont know if that is the correct term?!) went a long way to making her feel better :hug:
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................ it makes me lack confidence about the service if I needed to use it again.
Yes of course that is exactly the problem that needs to be addressed .......... with someone :hug: :hug: :hug:
Yes do ask YOUR VET, why their emergency sevice managed to miss such a lot. At the end of the dat, I think the vet practice is responsible for who they farm out their after hours to.
Hope Milly recovers well.
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I so agree with Angie.
Sending loads of good vibes for Milly and hope she recovers well :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Vet just rung, Milly is just coming round now. She had two major tears all the way through the muscle, so it's a good thing we did decide to go ahead! She thinks the injuries are too severe for a cat fight and thinks that dog, fox or badger are more likely - although I wouldn't have thought the latter would be very likely during the day? Anyway, she said they had a good look while she was under ga and couldn't find anything else wrong so is optimistic that this will solve it. Now I have to work out how to keep her confined somewhere she can't jump onto anything to damage the wound as it heals. My vet also said they took some photos while the surgery was being done so she can show me later. Picking her up at 6!
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Ahhh bless her ... so pleased you took her to your vet rather than just relying on the emergency vet's report!
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good news, interesting they have photos as well seeing as it was all missed!
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So pleased you have a great vet and that they took pics, I hope that you manage to contain Milly so she heals properly :hug: :hug: :hug:
How about a few days in a dog cage?
Did your vet say how long before the healing is good enough?
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Sorry to hear about Milly and hoping she gets well very soon :hug:
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What a divvy vet! I'd definitely be complaining if i were you. How's Milly now? Hope she'll be feeling better soon x
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Hoping Miss Milly is back home and recovering with you now xx
We have foxes and a badger sett in our woods and none of the Clan cats have been bothered by them in anyway, however the birds of prey have picked up Baby Gorgeous and dropped her 20 foot up a tree!!!
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How is she doing? :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Milly is safely back home :wow: need to keep her from jumping on things for at least 10 days so we have taken all the furniture out of one of our bedrooms (the one she chose to retreat to when feeling poorly the past few days) and taken the legs off the bed so it is on the floor, and she is currently sat on the bed trying to get comfy with her buster collar. She has had a little bite to eat and drink and is calm for now.
Vet showed me photos of the internal injuries :Crazy: they were enormous, she said it was a good thing we decided to do the op today. She has a drain in it still too and it looks incredibly sore, but Milly is so dosed up at the moment that it doesn't seem to be bothering her. She has to go back tomorrow for a check and for more injected pain relief, but hopefully we are over the worst now. Thanks for asking :shy:
She obligingly rolled over so I could take a pic too...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/A957B847-39B1-40AD-9EAB-4B325D520CB2-10321-0000120A4535960B.jpg)
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Just want to send the very best of possible good vibes for a very speedy recovery for your beautiful, darling, girl Milly :care: :care: :care:
Aren't you just the most fabulous of cat parents to got to so much trouble to make her safe during her recovery. Bless you for that :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Poor Milly, lucky she has you xx
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She is a lucky girl to have you and send loads of get well vibes :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Poor girl sending lots of good wishes :hug:
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Sending lots of love, huggles and healing vibes for Milly xxx
Big :hug: for you at this stressful time xxx
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Thanks everyone. I'm pleased that Milly seems quite settled at the moment, daddy is sleeping with her in the spare room while I sleep with Geoffrey in our normal bed. Geoffrey is just a bit too boisterous to be left with her at the moment and he will go crazy if shut in a room, so it's better this way! Hubby has settled down on the mattress on the floor with a bottle of Rioja and his laptop and Milly is cuddled up next to him :Luv2:
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
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Hoping Milly's check up goes well and she gets lots more pain relief.
She has touched a chord here :Luv2: and am willing her to get well as quickly as possible :care: :care: :care:
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Thanks :wow: yes Milly is well, the vet is very pleased with her progress and with how bright she is. She had more vetergesic anyway, so hopefully we a well on the mend now. For three days in a row now she has weed in the carrier on the way to the vet, and this morning she excelled herself by pooing as well :naughty:
Thanks for all the good wishes, back tues for another check.
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So pleased her innards are working well, even if it is in the wrong place.
Chubby soils his crate when he has to go to the vet too, he's terrified of the box.
I wonder if Milly's scared of being taken outdoors since her attack and this is causing her to panic. :scared:
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I'm stuck :evillaugh: vet said I could take her lampshade off while supervising her, she has climbed into her electric heated basket and fallen sound asleep. So now I am stuck here sitting very quietly and unable to move as I don't want to disturb her. She probably needs some decent sleep, bless her.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/C172F294-731A-44FA-8DFB-F872138C29F8-11650-00001322675551BF.jpg)
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bless her she does look very comfy :Luv2:
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Bless her :Luv2: You're a good cat Mum, no doubt about it :) :hug:
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How sweet, she looks so comfy. Hope you're comfy too x
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big hugs to you and Milly :grouphug:
Milly couldnt ask for a better nurse and mammy :hug:
I am so glad surgery went well and that operating that day was the best choice ever, judging by what they found :'(
I wonder if could have been a passing dog? :'( as from what I can gather foxes and badgers arent normally aggressive with cats and like you said not out during the day. Who knows? Either the main thing is she's bouncing back and on the road to recovery x
AND she's poo-ing...!! even if it is in her basket as a vet pressie :evillaugh: :evillaugh:
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So pleases Milly is on the mend with her super Mum and Dad :hug:
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She looks so peaceful and the rest will do her good after such an ordeal, Get well soon Milly cos your meowmy is gonna be so stiff sitting there watching you ;D ;D :hug: :hug:
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Managed to get away for some dinner and am now back up, she is zonked out half in and half out the basket now :Luv2: I just text my oh downstairs to ask him to bring me more wine. I wonder if that will work :rofl:
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Oh it will work. You might get it all over your head though :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Sending good Sunday recovery vibes to our beautiful gal :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Vibes from us as well. Did your vet say anything else about the emergency vet?
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Hope Milly (and your OH!) had a restful night :hug: How does she seem today?
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She seems well, thanks :wow: she is mostly sleeping in her heated basket, but to be honest even without the injury that's probably broadly what she would have done anyway :evillaugh: she has eaten, drunk and used the litter tray and the wound is looking good. She is most distressed about the Elizabethan collar though so I have ordered one of those inflatable 'comfy collars' to try...no idea if its any good or if it's going to work but as I've already spent about £800 this week I figured another tenner wouldn't make a lot of difference :rofl: I am spending as much time with her as possible so she can have time without it, but it seems to make her even more upset when I put it back on again. Hopefully the new one will arrive tues so I can give that a go...
Skiddaw - yes my vet was pretty unimpressed too. She said that it shouldn't be my problem as a client if the vet has other cases to juggle, that's their job but as a client I deserve the same amount of thoroughness as everyone else. My vet isn't the owner of the practice though so I will have to have more of a think about what I want to do next about that. For now though I'm more worried about making sure that Milly is healing well.
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Hope the new collar works and she continues to do well :hug: :hug:
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I love our comfy collar. They can eat and drink with it on and sleep pretty well too. Just make sure you fit her own collar first and set the length, as you can't tell - when you've threaded it inside the cushion - how tight it is. :-:
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Glad Millie is recouperating well ;D ;D
My friend has also used one of the comfy collars and she raves about them. I think the cats prefer them because they dont lose their sense of awarness and space perception like they do with the lampshade - as well as what Sheila said about eating and drinking. Hope it goes well and its going to be far more comfortable for the times she does need the collar on :hug:
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Sending many more good healing vibes and :catlove2: snoozles to Milly babe.. Hope you're doing OK kid :hug: :hug: :hug:
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We are all doing ok, ta! I am looking forward to the comfy collar arriving with postie tomorrow, as she is definitely extremely miffed by the collar and I think it's that making her more depressed than anything else. Thanks for the tip on getting it adjusted first, Sheilarose. Hubby stayed at home with her today and he said that whenever he took the collar off for her to have a rest, she was going straight for the wound, so although she still has pain relief I wonder if it is starting to irritate her a bit now it's starting to heal a bit - I think they can get itchy after a few days? I'm at home with her tomorrow and she is back at the vets tomorrow afternoon for a check up and hopefully to have the drain taken out. But the wound still looks lovely and clean and Milly is still eating and toileting so I think we are heading the right way. Thanks for all the good wishes :Luv:
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She'll be able to smell the chemical disinfecting agents used on her body, so will be desperate to clean the area to her own satisfaction. The stitches will be itching as she heals, and it's good to know she looks like she's healing cleanly.
Supervise her closely when you first fit the comfycollar, if it's too loose it may slip round and allow her to access the wound (I like to keep the e-collar handy in case she's extra flexible and manages to reach her wound anyway) so may need adjusting to make sure she can't stretch around it.
As Funkie said, the sounds that she would usually twist her ears to locate are currently all being distorted and funnelled into her ears from the front, and she can't hear anything behind her, this makes them paranoid and as you say, very scared and subdued. It's also unnatural for her not to be able to eat or drink when she wants to.
I made my first version of the comfy collar for Theo from a roll of faux sheepskin with a shoelace threaded through the middle. He actually seemed to enjoy it.
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I like that Sheila ;D it certainly doesnt like its a DIY one!! ;D
I know when both Nuggie and Tazi have had the lampshade, Nuggie especially was traumatised by it and wouldnt lift his head up and just kept walking into walls :-[ Tazi just couldnt get his food and i had to hook it over his bowl lol
Aww, poor Millie, I agree with Sheila and she'll just want to give it a good clean to her own high standards as its their natural antiseptic :)
When Tazi had a terrible leg injury (ripped open from thigh to ankle - another mystery) he was close to losing his leg altogether :-[ it wasnt healing properly or 'knitting' together, kept getting infected and after 6wks of trying and multiple operations he was given his last week before the decision to amputate was going to be made - rightly or wrongly I did take his shade off and let him lick it (just made sure he didnt nibble at his stiches) thinking that in a week the poor lad was going to lose it anyway. Coincidence maybe, but it got pink again and the vet was pleased enough to keep the leg and it started healing lovely :)
Its obviously not wise to let Mollie have a good lick - but I often wonder if thats why their urge to clean it is so strong? As dogs are very much the same....
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You can lift the food bowl up onto a bean tin to help access whilst they're wearing an e-collar. They almost always knock the bowl off, so a bit of blue tack helps.
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Comfy collar has arrived, and I think it's fair to say that Milly is significantly happier already ;D. She has got out of her bed and is pottering around the room, has had a drink and done a big stinky poo :sick: she's moved around more in the past half hour than she has all weekend!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/0AA45AE7-3952-487A-B5F1-8D9B7F84B079-13250-00001554A5A05242.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/AA32B5AC-1FD9-4E4D-A894-7972D0A7CE02-13250-00001554BAE9BC0D.jpg)
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glad she is doing better, those collars are so upsetting for them I don't know why they bother
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She looks so much happier and think I may get one for emergencies, where did you get it from?
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It was from eBay, but there seem to be plenty of places sell them, amazon had some too. I only went with the eBay one because I could specify next day delivery.
Been back to the vets, she is extremely happy with progress, says it all looks like it is healing well and feels normal now (apart from the sutures). The drain was taken out and she will be back for another check and stitches out next Monday. All very happy, considering :wow:
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I think I might get a Comfy Collar on an if and when basis - but am I right in thinking they have to be attached to an ordinary collar? mine don't have collars, and I wonder if putting one on plus a comfy collar would be nearly as bad as the dreaded cone?
and why, for a leg or main body wound, is a collar necessary at all? surely it's possible to bandage with gauze and then put some sort of stretchy covering over it that can't be removed by the cat?
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I think it's probably possible to do it differently, but it may not help it to heal the best way, plus there's always the risk that they will find a way of wiggling out of the dressing or picking it off and then pulling at the wound! Milly also had a drain in her wound so that needs somewhere to drain away to rather than stick to a dressing and potentially get infected. I know of someone who used a babygrow with a strategically cut bum hole to stop a bunny from attacking a wound once!
The comfy collar I've got doesn't require a collar underneath it and I haven't put one on under it in the end. There are loops to attach it if you want and the instructions say you can if you want to - and they do recommend it for bigger dogs, but it doesn't seem to be a necessity for cats.
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;D ;D Well done Millie! healing lovely and looking so much brighter with your new collar ;D ;D
and why, for a leg or main body wound, is a collar necessary at all? surely it's possible to bandage with gauze and then put some sort of stretchy covering over it that can't be removed by the cat?
it took my lad less than 20minutes to get off full leg padding, then gauze and that stretchy waterproof strapping (looks like a bright plaster cast) - the vet gave up after number 3 :evillaugh:
I think its better with wounds getting air - but when my kitten was neutered in august, rather than a lampshade the vet said that if she does keep licking or picking to just put her in a baby vest :-: :-: unfortunately Evie gave me no excuse what so ever to dress her up :-[ haha :rofl:
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Am well impressed with comfy collar :wow: and the lovely Milly model :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
So glad all continues to go well after her horrid ordeal :)
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Lupin managed to get a full leg dressing off that was trying to keep his drip in, the small one had been abandoned the day before and Gareth said .........well he obviously doesnt need it then!
Cats are clever and they hate any dressing with passion.
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AW Milly! She looks a bit happier now bless her. Glad it's all healing well. Roll on Monday x
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Milly has recovered extremely well ;D Vet wanted to be just a little cautious and has taken every other stitch out for now so she is not quite free again yet, the remainder of the stitches should come out on Friday. She is absolutely desperate to go outside though so whatever it was that got hold of her certainly hasn't put her off the great outdoors!
Here's a couple of little vids of my 13-year old kitten showing that she is feeling better and that comfy collars are much nicer than lampshades! I had been doing some clearing out and this was a rubbish bag until Milly decided she wanted to rummage through it :rofl:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/?action=view¤t=961C234E-2B0E-43E1-A0A9-56F7EA32C7AE-16956-00001C3087EECBA8.mp4
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/?action=view¤t=52B7F89C-ABA5-4E64-8EA8-415622AE0708-16956-00001C2E68E88CE4.mp4
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So glad she is doing well ;D are you taking your issues up with the emergency vet or not???
Love the way Geoffrey is just sitting on the bed thinking 'what is that mad kitty doing?'!!! :Crazy: :rofl:
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I hadn't even noticed Geoffrey in the foreground :rofl:
I am definitely going to take it up with the emergency vets - so far I have been concentrating more on making sure Milly is ok so as soon as she has her final stitches out I will get writing to them. I will also have to think about exactly how to couch it as I have put in my insurance claim and I don't want it to look like I am planning to get the insurance to pay out and then get some money back from the vets...but on the other hand if I am up front about that, while it shows them that I'm not doing it just to grumble about the fees in general (which I'm sure they get a lot) they will presumably have less incentive to agree to a refund as they know it's only going back into the pocket of the insurance company.
Thinking cap on for the weekend I reckon...
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She certainly looks very perky :Luv2:
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She is looking great and a big cheer for the comfy collar ;D ;D ;D
Must get one for emegencies!
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Delighted she is so full of mischief :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: She is a lovely girl.
Does the comfy collar restrict her totally from accessing her tummy area where the stitches are? I see in one of the videos that she is perfectly able to access her side.
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Yep! It's close but she can't quite reach, she could alllllmost get to the tip of the drain with her tongue if she propped herself against an upright surface, but not quite! If the wound was any lower down or on her legs she would need the next size up, but we got away with it just because she can't quite bend straight forward and get her chin flat down.
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I just have to get one for emergencies :wow:
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I just have to get one for emergencies :wow:
Yep, me too. That's the sort of thing that you will end up needing NOW but isn't available on the high street. A crazy cat ladies cupboard must have! :naughty:
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Yes I ended up paying £6 over the odds for next day delivery but I thought that (a) it was worth it and (b) there comes a point when you've already spent several hundred pounds that an extra fiver is hardly worth worrying about :rofl: At least I've got one now for if I ever need it again, my vet said she's going to get herself one too. They're definitely a significant improvement!
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Well if these are collars arent something for the Purrs Shop I dont know what is :evillaugh: We'll be like mad woman at the january sales :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: I also like how you've also got the vet buying one too!! you should be on commission :rofl: :rofl:
Glad Milly is on the road to a great recovery :hug: and is also alot happier now she hasnt got the lampshade ;D ;D
:Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
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I told my vet about this today!
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What did your vet have to say, Gill?
Milly has had the last of her stitches out today, so she is finally free of the collar and my vet is very happy with how she has recovered. Another wee in the carrier on the way to the vets - I'm sure it's because she hates using a litter tray so she saves it up until she's bursting, and a ride in the car means that it alllll comes flooding out! Anyhoo, now that's all over and done with I have drafted a little letter to the out of hours vet - how does this sound, anyone got any suggestions for tweaks before I send it? <edited to remove once sent>
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He just said , oh the inflatable ones................I was then stumped cos didnt think they were!
I think your letter very good but find the last paragragh not very clear. I had to read it three times before understanding. Maybe it could be split in two or some of the detail taken out so that says clearly what you are claiming for and secondly that if the insurance pays out, they will be refunded by the money received from the emergency vet.
Leave out about you acceptance of a fee etc?
Hope that helps?
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:rofl: Yes it's inflatable, the bit you can see is a cover to protect the inflatable bit, as presumably kitty claws would puncture it fairly easily otherwise!
Thanks - that's helpful to know that the bottom bit of the letter is hard to make sense of - I will give it a bit of a reshuffle :wow:
Do you think I should add photos, or leave that for them to discuss with my vet - as presumably they will contact my vet to verify what I've said!
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhh thank you, still must get one for emergencies ;D
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Have changed the end bit...<edited to remove once sent>
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Yes I think that is much clearer ;D ;D
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Very good, the only thing I would add at the beginning of the last para is that you are asking for an investigation - not just an apology.
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I think its very good, and the re-written last paragraph is much more succinct (?!)
Its always good to put what you want to achieve from your complaint.
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Firstly....I'm so pleased that Millie is well on the way to being her usual self and that her wounds have healed so quickly and without any of the potential problems from such a large wound ;D ;D ;D shes done so well and well done to her vet and of course her top star Meowmi & Daddi :Luv2: :Luv2:
Secondly....You're letter is really good and I think it tells them what you wish to acheive and also fully explains why you werent happy with the service!
I do think that including the photos you have showing the number of punture wounds & size/depth of them and the one after surgery, will reiterate the seriousness of the misdiagnosis and for them to treat it with a matter of urgency - and not just for Millie, but for the other animals that may have received a similar service and not been so lucky. In all essence, had you not already had a booked vets appointment the next day, it could have been a different tale, where Millie may well have become life threateningly ill :shy: :shy:
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An excellent letter FB :) Am so glad you are not letting this drop. It is truly shocking that so many injuries were missed.
Did you get a copy of their report on Milly? If so it might be helpful to include a copy? Perhaps send recorded delivery or hand deliver and indicate on the letter method of delivery ... adds gravitas :innocent: .... May be helpful to authorise them to contact your vet to discuss and copy letter to your vet? Just a few thoughts but letter is very clear :)
What a star Milly is :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: Am so pleased she has recovered so quickly :)
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I agree- you couldn't have phrased it better.
Do post the response when you recieve it.
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Thanks guys, will let you know when I hear back! Until then, here's a little pic of the collar-free beauty having found the best sunny spot and not wanting to share it!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/AlisonA/0532315C-0694-4807-A69B-9160F72E880F-3384-000005D8D2FAEECB.jpg)
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Milly is indeed a beauty and so pleased she has recovered so well ;D ;D
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We let her out for a bit today. She had been going crazy to go out, and the vet said that now her stitches are out we can start slowly reintroducing her to the big wild world. We have discovered though that she doesn't actually want to go out, she just wants to be able to :rofl:
In other news, the emergency vet have acknowledged my correspondence and say they will investigate and get back to me within 28 days, so might be some time before I hear any more now!
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We have discovered though that she doesn't actually want to go out, she just wants to be able to :rofl:
That's cats for you :evillaugh:
Pleased you got an acknowledgement at least, will be interested to hear what they have to say for themselves!
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Just a quick update - insurance claim has been settled quickly and without fuss (pets at home!), the senior area vet from the ooh company has been in contact with my vet to request the notes/discuss, so it does look as if it is being investigated fully.
Milly continues to do well and is enjoying being allowed back outside again, but only during daylight. Mind you, with this weather, she only really goes out to do her business and come back in again, not caught any mice yet!
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All seems to be going well. so pleased ;D
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Good news on all fronts then :)
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Thats great news for Millie ;D ;D shes done so very well!! its amazing! ;D ;D ....i'm sure the mice will not be able to relax just yet :evillaugh:
and i'm pleased that they are fully investigating your complaint x you both deserve answers as to how poor Millie was allowed to be failed so badly that day :-[ and to ensure it never happens to another a pet again in the future x well done you for not letting this lie :hug:
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Good news, will be interested to know what the outcome of your letter is tho :shify:
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Well good news I guess - I've had a letter back from the senior area vet, obviously as with all these things it's very carefully worded to avoid directly admitting any liability, but they have acknowledged that it seems as if the injury was missed, have apologised, says that he will be keeping a track of that vet's clinical cases and holding a further review soon, and has highlighted it on their open forum so they can discuss what everyone can learn from it. They have also offered to refund the full fees from that visit as a goodwill gesture.
Even better, I spoke to my insurance company asking them how I go about giving them the money back because obviously they paid out for that money as part of the claim, and after asking his manager, they said that as it was a goodwill gesture, I'm not under any obligation to do so :Crazy: He said I can if I want, and they will deduct it from the amount left within my claim limit, or I can just keep it and be nearer to my claim limit for the year. Seems a bit crazy, but I have been honest and up front with them about it and they've said it's fine for me to keep it.
I'm pretty happy actually, I really was expecting to have been fobbed off long before now; the letter was clearly personalised to the points I had raised so it wasn't as if it was an off the shelf cut and paste response, and it does seem as if he has looked into it pretty carefully. If it prevents one other animal from being sent home with missed injuries then that's got to be a good thing, hasn't it.
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what a result! well done.
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I think that's a pretty positive result all round and sounds like they have taken it seriously. I would keep the 'goodwill gesture' and treat them to turkey crown between them for Xmas! :naughty:
Edit: 'Them' being the cats, not the vets :evillaugh:
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well done you - too often we let things go when we should complain, and then nothing gets changed
and glad to hear you have some extra funds to spend on the Auction ;)
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Yes good result, maybe you can buy Millie and yourself a treat for the stress!
I'm sure I wouldn't be giving it back to the insurers :briggin:
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Fab news for all concerned. Hope that vet got a proper talking to!
As for comfy collars, I've had one for around 5 years, bought for Theo when he was recovering from his cruciate ligament op. and I must say I wouldn't be without it.
They can eat, sleep, drink and play (Mars co. should have invented these) without getting freaked out or having to have the collar removed. They can hear and see what's going on in all directions, unlike the e-collar that funnels out sounds from behind so making the cat nervous. Millie is doing a wonderful job of demonstrating in her video.
Yes, if they try hard enough they can just reach around it, especially if the collar twizzes around so the fastener is under their chin, but certainly not comfortably. They can't get into the habit of picking and chewing at areas if it's troublesome to do so.
The other unspoken benefit? Can't get through the cat flap with it on, so it acts as a curfew too!
Well done Fluff! Hats off to you for campaigning and winning! :win bid:
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Well done you and I too would not give the money to insurance but get something mice for Milly ;D ;D
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something mice
Freudian slip, Gill? :rofl: :rofl:
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Yes LOL
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Excellent news so pleased you got a positive result and the senior vet obviously has taken your complaint seriously. And just in time for the auction ;)
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the senior vet obviously has taken your complaint seriously.
I suspect he found it hard not to once he'd seen the OOH vets 2 lines of notes which said that one minor puncture wound was located on the left hip and no other wounds were detected, compared to war and peace from my own vet accompanied with x-rays and photos! He probably got a bit of a shock himself which is presumably one of the reasons he has said that he will be keeping track of his case notes.
Given that they've said I don't have to give the money back, I think I'm going to use it towards Milly's (hopefully) forthcoming physio/acupuncture, my vet is in the process of doing me a referral to a veterinary physiotherapist who has been recommended by a well respected vet in the area. That won't be covered by her insurance because her arthritis/spondylosis was pre-existing.