My cat Martin has Cancer. He was officially diagnosed last Thursday after an ultrasound at the vets found cancer in his bowel and liver. I haven’t been Blogging since he became sick. He became obviously ill about 2 month ago and drastically detereated before my eyes. I’ve never seen anything like it. He dropped from about 12 pounds to 3 in 4 weeks. Initially my vet and I thought it was a clear case of hyperthyroid until the tests came back negative. He wasn’t diabetic, his x-rays seemed normal so she suggested an ultrasound. There it was.
Unfortunately, Marty has always been a very shy cat –the kind that disappears when company comes over. He becomes much traumatized at the vets normally and he was not in great condition going into this ultrasound to begin with. I was asked to bring him in to the vets at 8am and assumed the person they bring in to administer the test would be arriving shortly there after. I was told later that the appointment was scheduled for between noon and 4 pm. I was quite upset that Marty had to endure the wait at the vet clinic instead of at home.
In the end he spent over 10 hours at the vets. When he was returned to me he was near death and no one seemed to notice his condition. When he was placed in his kennel carrier to go home his face and lip was caught pressed against the door –with no reaction from him, eyes fixed and dilated –body limp. I was mortified and called the technician over saying there was something wrong. She was busy and said she would check on him later. I waited awhile and decided that I just wanted to get him out of there, and I took him home.
That night I believe he was close to death. I am convinced the whole procedure was too much for him and that it could have been made HUGELY more humane if he were not there for 10 hours for a 20 minute procedure.
On top of all this –he was sent home with a horrible mess of damp matted fur all along his underside. This was from the gel they applied all over his fur and then just sent him home with the mess. Considering that he is very thin, dehydrated and sweating due to the stress of the vet stay; this added damp matted mess they created, fostered a prime breeding ground for bacterial infection.
In the following days the skin under the matted fur became infected and has been actually peeling off –the skin with the fur. Actually I have to cut it away as it peels away from his flesh in an oozing stench. There is an overwhelming stench of bacteria and caring for this mess is an awful experience for him –and me. It is utterly pitiful.
My vet has suggested methods of care for this skin situation; antibiotic cream and internal antibiotics, which I am following.
I am angry, sad and disappointed. I am sad that his last days may come battling this awful skin infection. Angry at what I see as some basic humane considerations that were not taken at the hands of the veterinary system. I would never have fathomed he be smeared with gel into his long fur only to be sent home with no consideration of the consequences. It was an unreal mated damp mess and an inhumane 10 hours which I know were conceived as torture to my sensitive shy and ill cat.
My vet is alllopathic and I have used her since I moved to Toronto from Montreal. I like her and find her bedside mannor very comforting. She is open to my holistic bent and we can work together. However i am still dissapointed with how Marty’s receint stay unfolded. As it turns out, my vet was unaware of much of what happend and appolgised for the 10 hour stay -saying it certainly was not her intention that he be there any longer than absolutly necessary (1 hour tops). It would seem some communication was crossed between her and her assistant. As for the ultrasound gel -she did not have much to say, but I beleive she has food for thought in the future -for this practice.
sorry about what they put martin through. that’s an awfully long wait. i guess the even with good vets around, it’s not right when the management system is crappy. i hope martin will not have to endure more unnecessary pain. let the last days of his life be sweet and comfortable.