Disappointed with Vet after spaying

daones

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I took in a pregnant mother awhile back and she ended up giving her litter her, ive been taking care of all the kittens and the mom, we already got the mom spayed awhile back.

Yesterday was the day we took the first female of the litter to get spayed as she was just over 6 months old, they did the surgery in the early afternoon and told them we would be back tomorrow evening (today) to give her some time to recover there.

We went to pick her up and i have spayed at least 3 cats before, none of them seemed to be like this the others would drink water or eat as soon as home but this one she sounded in pain and at home she was full of urine on her fur and i think it was like this at the vet already... They gave us an oversized cone luckily we had a smaller one... We prepared a room for her to stay alone and gave her food and water and used lava sand for her litter.

I checked on her often, she seemed in a lot of discomfort but even slept some, after i had dinner i checked on her and would lay down but moved around slightly... Later i heard a sound and went into the room she was going into convulsions maybe 5-6 convulsions and she shook and eventually she died right there in my arms i even tried to revive her but no luck... What even worse is the vet who did this closed early... we rushed her there and doors were closed already.. They have working hours till 9pm and we got there 8:20pm... and cant even bother to answer the phone.

Im curious what could have caused this for her to die, was it maybe she was in a lot of pain and went into shock or cardiac arrest or an infection of some sort... anyway im really sad and i look for things i could of done to prevent this, I feel bad as she was healthy and playful before we took and it seems like we did this just to put her to her death.
 

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Oh gosh I'm so sorry!! There's no way to know for sure, it's possible that she had an illness that was already impacting her health and it all was just coincidental timing-wise to the surgery.

However, there are some serious red flags with this veterinary clinic. Do you have access to a different one!
 
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daones

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Oh gosh I'm so sorry!! There's no way to know for sure, it's possible that she had an illness that was already impacting her health and it all was just coincidental timing-wise to the surgery.

However, there are some serious red flags with this veterinary clinic. Do you have access to a different one!
Yes, believe me we wont be going back to this one again... There is another one close by, but i feel like i have some blame to myself because she was in heat recently maybe we did not wait long enough after being in heat to do the surgery? We know she wasnt in heat for at least 4-5 days from the surgery.
 

Furballsmom

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i have some blame to myself because she was in heat recently maybe we did not wait long enough after being in heat to do the surgery?
I don't know for certain, but I wouldn't think that would cause convulsions leading to death. When you have a chance, have a chat with your new vet about that but I believe you-all are not to blame.
 

Dario the GreyCat

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Yes, believe me we wont be going back to this one again... There is another one close by, but i feel like i have some blame to myself because she was in heat recently maybe we did not wait long enough after being in heat to do the surgery? We know she wasnt in heat for at least 4-5 days from the surgery.
My mom’s dog was in heat when she was spayed, a vet tech friend said because the organs are swollen it actually makes the spay easier.
I’m so sorry what happened to you and the kitty, hopefully the new vet can give you some closure.
 
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daones

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I took in a pregnant mother awhile back and she ended up giving her litter her, ive been taking care of all the kittens and the mom, we already got the mom spayed awhile back.

Yesterday was the day we took the first female of the litter to get spayed as she was just over 6 months old, they did the surgery in the early afternoon and told them we would be back tomorrow evening (today) to give her some time to recover there.

We went to pick her up and i have spayed at least 3 cats before, none of them seemed to be like this the others would drink water or eat as soon as home but this one she sounded in pain and at home she was full of urine on her fur and i think it was like this at the vet already... They gave us an oversized cone luckily we had a smaller one... We prepared a room for her to stay alone and gave her food and water and used lava sand for her litter.

I checked on her often, she seemed in a lot of discomfort but even slept some, after i had dinner i checked on her and would lay down but moved around slightly... Later i heard a sound and went into the room she was going into convulsions maybe 5-6 convulsions and she shook and eventually she died right there in my arms i even tried to revive her but no luck... What even worse is the vet who did this closed early... we rushed her there and doors were closed already.. They have working hours till 9pm and we got there 8:20pm... and cant even bother to answer the phone.

Im curious what could have caused this for her to die, was it maybe she was in a lot of pain and went into shock or cardiac arrest or an infection of some sort... anyway im really sad and i look for things i could of done to prevent this, I feel bad as she was healthy and playful before we took and it seems like we did this just to put her to her death.
here are some pics of her, shes the odd one of the family black and orange notice all the others about the same color.

1579890715682.png

1579890751643.png
 

Jemima Lucca

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Oh, I’m so sorry the loss of your precious little kitten. How sad for you. Something went very wrong. First off, what vet with any integrity would send home a kitten dirty with its own urine? What about the unsanitary condition that causes a kitten that just had surgery? I had my kitten spayed a couple of months ago and she had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia they used. She was throwing herself around in her crate and she looked desperatethis lasted all day and into the night.. We took her to the emergency vet and he said it was a bad reaction to anesthesia. Ask the new vet if that’s a possibility. I’m just so sorry because we had a negative experience, but with less dire consequences 😟😔
 
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daones

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Oh, I’m so sorry the loss of your precious little kitten. How sad for you. Something went very wrong. First off, what vet with any integrity would send home a kitten dirty with its own urine? What about the unsanitary condition that causes a kitten that just had surgery? I had my kitten spayed a couple of months ago and she had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia they used. She was throwing herself around in her crate and she looked desperatethis lasted all day and into the night.. We took her to the emergency vet and he said it was a bad reaction to anesthesia. Ask the new vet if that’s a possibility. I’m just so sorry because we had a negative experience, but with less dire consequences 😟😔
I would not be surprised if something similar had happened as keep in mind she was at the vet post surgery and stayed the night there so we were seeing her already after the anesthesia mostly wore off... Seeing her the first time she sounded pretty bad and sluggish and seeing how the vet didnt even care about her being covered in urine she could of tossed in her cage and had bleeding or something internally without them knowing. I am glad your cat is okay now, i have to look at the bright side of things at least i still have 3 of her siblings and the mother.
 

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Oh that's awful, poor you and poor little kitty. She looked very sweet :(

One of my female cats went into heat in Sept and was re-spayed on 1st Oct (long story). However having surgery that close to being in season really didn't make any difference so I just can't think it's that?

You didn't have her spayed to put her to death, we mostly have it done because as far as I am aware, it helps guard against health risks in the future and it's better for the cat. Please please don't blame yourself :(

RIP Little girl xx
 
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sivyaleah

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My mom’s dog was in heat when she was spayed, a vet tech friend said because the organs are swollen it actually makes the spay easier.
I’m so sorry what happened to you and the kitty, hopefully the new vet can give you some closure.
I don't know about dogs, but with cats this is not the case. It's not recommended to spay when they are in heat if one can avoid it due to the possibility of excessive bleeding.

However that's neither here nor there and to the OP, daones daones I'm so very sorry for your loss. I do hope you come to some peace and know that you did your best under these circumstances. There could be many reasons why she passed from the surgery, none of which have anything to do with you. Anesthesia comes with risk even if a patient is healthy but certainly is compounded if there are underlying issues which haven't been tested for. Let alone if after care isn't properly administered.

I agree that this vet doesn't sound particularly caring and finding a new one for future use will certainly ease your mind.
 

jefferd18

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I am so sorry, sounds like something went wrong during the surgery and the vet is trying to cover his/her ass. Have you talked to them, demanded some answers? I can't believe they didn't even clean her up before giving her back to you.

Please report them to the Veterinarian Association and also on FB. Bad vets need to be stopped.
 

Cindyozzy

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I feel its the fault of the vet. You left her there overnight they should have seen she wasnt doing well. They also closed earlier then their posted times? What kind of vet does this, patients are counting on them. I think all the blame is with the vet, please dont blame yourself you did nothing wrong. Im so sorry this happened to you and your kitty. I personally would leave them a yelp review to warn others.
 
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daones

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I am so sorry, sounds like something went wrong during the surgery and the vet is trying to cover his/her ass. Have you talked to them, demanded some answers? I can't believe they didn't even clean her up before giving her back to you.

Please report them to the Veterinarian Association and also on FB. Bad vets need to be stopped.
This is along the lines of what I am thinking, we havent talked to the vet yet im actually on the other side of the world so its just 5am here, we are going to the vet soon as they open at 9am to talk with them.

Something I found out doing research on this vet apparently they used to be in another city and then moved here that already is a bad sign, i should of did my due diligence before and not afterwards though. But we did take the mother cat here and didnt really have any issues could of been bad luck and mistakes on their part for this kitten.
 

jefferd18

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This is along the lines of what I am thinking, we havent talked to the vet yet im actually on the other side of the world so its just 5am here, we are going to the vet soon as they open at 9am to talk with them.

Something I found out doing research on this vet apparently they used to be in another city and then moved here that already is a bad sign, i should of did my due diligence before and not afterwards though. But we did take the mother cat here and didnt really have any issues could of been bad luck and mistakes on their part for this kitten.

To me, its not how she died, because unfortunately bad things happen, but it is the way they tried to cover it up and the fact that she had such sloppy post- op care.

If they can't even do a simple task like cleaning her up properly-- what else did they fail to do ? If they felt that the surgery had not gone as plan then they should have immediately informed you and asked if you wanted her transferred to an Emergency Animal Hospital. But they didn't do either of those things, in fact, they closed shop early.

The best way to handle this is to go after them on social media, FB, twitter, Yelp, Pissedoff.com, and on their own web-page. By going public, you just might be saving another cat's life.
 
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daones

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To me, its not how she died, because unfortunately bad things happen, but it is the way they tried to cover it up and the fact that she had such sloppy post- op care.

If they can't even do a simple task like cleaning her up properly-- what else did they fail to do ? If they felt that the surgery had not gone as plan then they should have immediately informed you and asked if you wanted her transferred to an Emergency Animal Hospital. But they didn't do either of those things, in fact, they closed shop early.

The best way to handle this is to go after them on social media, FB, twitter, Yelp, Pissedoff.com, and on their own web-page. By going public, you just might be saving another cat's life.
Yes your absolutely right and thats something i will talk to them about in the morning, i also want to ask them if the surgery itself went without okay without any complications. I will also let people know socially on the web what happened once I talk with them today.
 

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Rest you gentle, Sweet Baby, dream you deep. Your pawprints are on someone's heart forever.

I am just so DANGED sorry that you lost this precious girl! YOU ARE NOT AT FAULT! I cannot say that the vet actually caused this, but I can say that the fact that she was obviously in discomfort and covered in urine while at the clinic leads me to think that they should have seen something wrong.

Go to the clinic, and request...demand, if necessary...her records. Tell them that you will wait while they are copied. Don't take "no" for an answer. IF they are covering something, you might find it that way. DO NOT CALL AHEAD! At this point, IF they are covering anything at all, they think you are not coming back at them. Once the records are in your hands, IF you think there is evidence of wrong-doing, PM me, and I can put you in touch with an organization who helps people through the process of reporting. There are several lawyers associated with the group who specialize in veterinary malpractice. This may not be the case, but it's good to have the information available.

Next, I'm going to give you links to a couple of articles here that can help you determine which vet is the best for you.

How To Choose The Best Veterinarian For My Cat? – Cat Articles
Cat Vet Checkup – What To Expect – Cat Articles
How To Talk To Your Vet – Cat Articles

The better we are at evaluating a vet, the better off our cats will be! And it is very hard, sometimes!
 

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Did they do full bloodwork before the surgery? If not, there may have been an underlying health issue and anesthesia was just not safe for her. I am so sorry for your loss :(
 
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daones

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Did they do full bloodwork before the surgery? If not, there may have been an underlying health issue and anesthesia was just not safe for her. I am so sorry for your loss :(
They didnt maybe thats partially my fault, when we called they just told us not to give her food 9 hours before you bring her in and didnt mention anything about a timeline regarding bloodwork at that time... So we cut off her food and water at 2am and brought her in around 10am (8 hours). But when we were there they then talked about the bloodwork, said if we do bloodwork that they would do bloodwork then do surgery at 7pm which is what about another 9 hours... so it would be 18 hours without food or water... If i knew it would be an issue i would of rescheduled the next day knowing this :(... again something they could of told me on the phone the day before.

The thing though about the bloodwork is if its a precaution for anesthesia we had her home already more then 24 hours after she was under so i dont think that was an issue but it could of been something else related to the medicine or weakened her body... But im not vet so im just speculating.
 

jen

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I mean, if it was a weird reaction to the medicine that would be a freak occurrence and no way the vet could have known other then tell you if she isn't back to her normal self in a day to bring her back in. But if she had organ issues, that stuff isn't always immediate and the whole procedure could have weakened her to the point of not being able to pull through as a normal, healthy cat could. Again, no way anyone could know without bloodwork done. (and even then, stuff happens, same with people)

There are clinics all over the world that do "low cost" spays and neuters with no pre bloodwork or anything. These are the cheaper cost ones that come with a risk. Typically they have you sign a waiver that its a major surgery and everything can be a risk. If this was your normal priced, regular vet clinic and they didn't even mention, let alone require bloodwork, I would really question their practices.
 
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