Vet Gets It So Wrong

[buffymad]

About 2 months ago or so my cat had growth like things on one eye & then a hard lump appeared next to his nose. He was still fine but took him to the vets in any case for a check up. Vet mystified as to what it might be but gave him a long lasting antibiotic injection & eye drops. Some time later and nothing has changed. Back to the vets where a different one says oh it's nearly 100% rodent ulcers although lump by nose not consistent with that. Decides to take biopsies that day and gives us another antibiotics injection along with steroid tablets. 5 days later we get a phone call with the results. Definitely not cancer and it's "some kind of severe allergy". Keep taking the tablets. Still nothing working & now no faith in vet as they're so vague so move to another one. He takes one look & says he's 99% sure it's cancer. Takes some bloods to check & he was correct. He can't understand why biopsies taken didn't show this as the def would have - unless they were taken incorrectly.

So now we have to put our cat down as there's nothing can be done & he could end up in pain v quickly.

I'm not happy about the previous vets who said it definitely wasn't cancer. This means Sox might have been suffering when he needn't have been & I've been lulled into a false sense of security thinking he's ok. Not to mention the money spent.

It's not about the money to be honest, I'm totally devastated, but do you think I should write to the vets to get some explanation from them? I want them to admit they're in the wrong and at least an apology. What would you do?

[Tiger-lily]

I'm terribly sorry about your cat. I'm sure Sox will be happier where he is now. It is very strange they missed the cancer, it's not something you miss easily. I would find out the name of the vet you took Sox to and complain. At least Sox still isn't suffering.
Maybe if you ring the vets and explain how devastated you are about your cat, they might let you speak to the vet you took Sox to. If nothing else, that will make you feel better.
Good luck :)

[brenda]

I am so sorry to read about your cat and I understand how you must feel.You must be devastated.

I have no medical training whatso ever , so am unable to comment on the treatments your cat has had. But from my own experience of having animals , I think that a vet starts from the simplest , most basic condition as a possibility, and then moves onwards on a scale of more serious possiblities , prescribing whatever may be appropriate to the conditions at the time.As a treatment fails to bring an improvement in the animal , a vet must then look for really serious conditions and prescribe accordingly.

How could a biopsy not reveal the facts , quite easily I would think , because they must depend on the state of the underlying tissue at the time of taking .A tissue analysis may reveal something on one occassion and something more serious later.as things develop.
I can understand that you feel very angry that an accurate diagnosis was not made first off, but perhaps this was not clear cut in the initial stages.
Has your pet suffered in the interim , I don't know but would think not due to the medications prescribed, which could have contained an element of pain relief.

Suggest that you discuss how you feel with the practice ,and they should be able to explain their methodology of treatments, which may help you in this difficult time.
Sorry to be so long winded in his post but was trying to help.

Sincerely Brenda.

[buffymad]

It's so annoying because his face looks the same now as it did when we originally took him. So first vets saw exactly what second vets saw - and just by looking he thought it was cancer as it was the same as what he'd seen on other cats. I know vets can't know everything (a bit like doctors) but the fact that they said it wasn't cancer - the one thing I was dreading & was so relieved to hear it wasn't - and then it turns out that's exactly what it was. Almost like giving false hope. They've been useless with a previous cat, he obviously had problems but they couldn't "find anything", gave him his usual injections and then he died (in pain) 2 days later. Sox hasn't been put to sleep yet - absolutely dreading it. Never ever wanted to have to make this decision.

[brenda]

Am so very very sorry, will think of you both..brenda.

[NoMercy]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. My dog had a massive swelling in his neck recently. I took him to a Spanish vet, who, like the vets you saw, was completely mystified. She looked like she was barely out of school too. However, she was spot on with her diagnosis and thankfully, my little troublemaker is now back to normal.

You must be quite angry at the prolonged suffering of your cat. xx

[veritymoon]

what blood test did they do to confirm cancer??? im a veterinary nurse and would love to know as i never come across this.

[buffymad]

Veritymoon - not sure what blood tests he did. He did say what he was going to check, but I was in such a state by then I didn't take it all in. Have written a letter to original vets in the meantime ...