Post surgery

[Carpediem]

Hello all. I haven’t posted in a long time. My furbaby Lola had a dental cleaning in the summer and 4 teeth extractions due to gingivitis. She’s been doing great. All of a sudden yesterday she stopped eating her wet and dry food. I see her yelping and pawing at her mouth on the right side. I’m livid because the experience was traumatic enough for her as it was for me, and now it seems likely that they missed something. I don’t care about the balance I owe. But what I care about is the clinic trying to charge me anything besides the visit to take care of something they missed the first time around. I’m taking her in again to get seen anyway she’s up for her shot. Has anyone experienced anything like this? If so did you go back to the same vet or go to another vet? Lola used to hate going to the vet but I started bringing her to this one and she doesn’t protest when I take her here to be seen. She even likes the vet and techs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Antonio65]

If they missed something at the first surgery, they shouldn't charge you again for the same thing, provided they recognize their mistake.
If you are going somewhere else because you don't like how they handled the issue with your Lola, the other clinic will charge you again.

Keep in mind that if Lola still has something that is bothering her, the vets very likely won't give her annual shots.

(P.S.: Lola was my cat also, the one in the profile photo)

 

[Carpediem]

If they missed something at the first surgery, they shouldn't charge you again for the same thing, provided they recognize their mistake.
If you are going somewhere else because you don't like how they handled the issue with your Lola, the other clinic will charge you again.

Keep in mind that if Lola still has something that is bothering her, the vets very likely won't give her annual shots.

(P.S.: Lola was my cat also, the one in the profile photo)

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply. I’m sorry to hear your sweet Lola passed away. You said was right past tense? I am like a momma bear with her cubs except mine is a feline and I only have one cat I just called them and left a very detailed message. I figure I should take her back to her vet before I make any rash decisions. I still have a balance but I have paid off most of it and that shouldn’t be an issue. If it is there’s going to be a problem. That shouldn’t stop your pet from being seen and treated with compassionate care. They have done a few things in the past to piss me off but they did the tooth extractions without me having to pay on the spot considering the costs were not feasible. That and I have always been responsible with her care and vet visits. Not a lot of vet clinics will do that. If I have any issues with them I will be making a formal complaint. And if needs be I’ll take her to another clinic. I hope you have a great day! Enjoy your weekend. By the way Lola is beautiful

 

[Antonio65]

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply. I’m sorry to hear your sweet Lola passed away. You said was right past tense? I am like a momma bear with her cubs except mine is a feline and I only have one cat I just called them and left a very detailed message. I figure I should take her back to her vet before I make any rash decisions. I still have a balance but I have paid off most of it and that shouldn’t be an issue. If it is there’s going to be a problem. That shouldn’t stop your pet from being seen and treated with compassionate care. They have done a few things in the past to piss me off but they did the tooth extractions without me having to pay on the spot considering the costs were not feasible. That and I have always been responsible with her care and vet visits. Not a lot of vet clinics will do that. If I have any issues with them I will be making a formal complaint. And if needs be I’ll take her to another clinic. I hope you have a great day! Enjoy your weekend. By the way Lola is beautiful

As long as you have always paid off your balance in the past, they should trust you, and should treat your Lola in best possible way.

I have a feral cat (one of the three feral cats I have) in my yard. She had a full tooth extraction two years ago, due to a lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis, but they left a few roots behind and a few months later the cat was unwell again. The vets re-did the extraction of these roots for free.

One of my two current indoor only cats was spayed in August 2021, but the surgery was incomplete, it seems, and every now and then my cat shows a weird behavior that we traced back to heat cycles. The clinic offered to redo the surgery at their own cost, though, for a series of circumstances, we haven't done it yet.

My Lola was 2 months away from her 17th birthday when she left me, she died to an oral squamous cells carcinoma, but she had gone through so much before that. She was a tortie cat, I had her since she was 10 or 12 days old. The grey spot on her nose/face was the result of a radiotherapy to destroy a carcinoma into her nostril in 2011. She went through a lot, she was a warrior!

 

[Carpediem]

As long as you have always paid off your balance in the past, they should trust you, and should treat your Lola in best possible way.

I have a feral cat (one of the three feral cats I have) in my yard. She had a full tooth extraction two years ago, due to a lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis, but they left a few roots behind and a few months later the cat was unwell again. The vets re-did the extraction of these roots for free.

One of my two current indoor only cats was spayed in August 2021, but the surgery was incomplete, it seems, and every now and then my cat shows a weird behavior that we traced back to heat cycles. The clinic offered to redo the surgery at their own cost, though, for a series of circumstances, we haven't done it yet.

My Lola was 2 months away from her 17th birthday when she left me, she died to an oral squamous cells carcinoma, but she had gone through so much before that. She was a tortie cat, I had her since she was 10 or 12 days old. The grey spot on her nose/face was the result of a radiotherapy to destroy a carcinoma into her nostril in 2011. She went through a lot, she was a warrior!

Hey! Good morning. I wanted to give you an update. I took Lola in to see the vet on Friday. The vet said she may have issues with gum disease due to the gingivitis. I don’t understand why after a dental cleaning and an extraction of 4 teeth this could be happening. Couldn’t they see this was an issue when they did the procedure?

This clinic is beginning to piss me off. I’ve noticed it’s like a revolving door with staff and this is the 3rd vet I’ve seen in the past year. Lola actually stays still when I take her here and she is comfortable with the staff and vets. But I can’t help but feel there’s a few things that are off. The vet said a full mouth extraction is suggested if this continues. Her gums are inflamed. I will not do this to her and am seeking a second opinion. I’m already up to my eyeballs in debt with this clinic and I’m not going to continue taking her there if they will not give me more options. Vet tells me what’s going on and that’s it I’m supposed to leave and figure it out for myself by using Google?

At this point, I feel horrible, like an irresponsible parent. Maybe this could’ve been avoided if I took her elsewhere? But she is so calm here, she isn’t aggressive, actually gets in her carrier without much of a fuss. I had to apply for care credit, use my credit card, cash, and a friend lent me the rest of the money for her appointments and procedure. I don’t care about the money, I’m not putting her through another traumatic experience.

Again I am so sorry for your loss, pets are like children. I get sick everytime she’s sick. I lost weight along with her when she had the gingivitis in the summer. It’s heart breaking and we feel helpless when they go through anything we can’t fix ourselves. I am feeling like such crap at this point. It took me a bit to put together all the money for her procedure but I’ve always been on top of her care.

Can you tell me more about your experience? If you don’t mind I mean. I’m scared to death of her having all of her teeth extracted. I would also like to add Lola is a chatty Kathy, she chirps constantly. To me it’s a conversation when she stops “chirping” and sleeps a lot that’s when I know she’s sick or something is wrong. She almost never gets sick though. I’m worried if it gets to that point she won’t be able to talk anymore. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with her, she’s vocal. I don’t even know if it’ll affect her in that way.

I hope you had a great weekend and that your furbabies are doing well

 

[Antonio65]

You're not an irresponsible parent, in fact you're doing a great job and trying to help Lola despite the vets not helping you and her much.
A bad parent wouldn't have even started this path, or wouldn't care much about the outcome. But you want her to feel better, and this means that Lola is in the best hands now, at least family wise.
It's not your fault if the clinic didn't do the procedure properly, you trusted them.

If Lola is so calm and cooperative at the clinic, it's because Lola is a sweetie, it isn't thanks to the vets. I'm sure that Lola would a good girl at another clinic as well, as long as the vets are kind and not rude.

So, why is Lola still having a sore mouth?
It is possible that the inflammation is due to the same issue that my yard cat had, a lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis, which could require a full extraction.
Or they left some root fragments in place after the extraction of the 4 teeth.
If you don't trust the clinic where Lola was operated on, you could try another clinic, provided you listen to someone who is using them as their trusted clinic, and read some reviews on the web. If you think they are reliable, you can have a chat with them and see how they can help you.

My experience with my yard cat was great. I wanted to avoid this step, since it was irreversible, I didn't like the idea of an outdoor cat without teeth. So we tried to soothe her inflammation with the cortisone for several months, but this was the definitive solution, and when I saw that the poor cat was feeling too bad, I accepted the full extraction.
Now, two years after the first surgery, and a year and a half after the second surgery to remove the root fragments, the cat is fine and happy, eats a lot, dry food as well, and has a great look and good coat.

It's a drastic step, but if it's the only thing that can be done, it is worth it.

 

[Carpediem]

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and sage advice. Ofcourse the clinic says it’s that her gums are inflamed not that there are roots left in her gums. I am taking her to another vet. She keeps yelping, growling and hiding when she makes attempts to eat. I am hand feeding her, heating up her wet food as to entice her with the smell of the food, and stopped the antibiotic (well I don’t give it to her when she can’t eat, not on an empty stomach) these idiots charged me for 2 weeks worth of antibiotics, gave me a 1 week supply. When I pointed out their mistake they had the nerve to tell me I needed to pay another $26!
It’s the principal I could care squat about the money. I am not in a good financial situation right now but I’ve made necessary arrangements and have gotten her the care that she needs. So yes $58 was paid upfront and I’m told I have to pay another $26!

I called my bank and blocked my card, had a new one issued and told them to block their billing company from billing me for any payments left on my account with them. I am doing this because I want to see what the new vet tells me. If it was something that could’ve been avoided, I am not paying them not one more cent and am fighting the charges. I know I have a financial responsibility and am fine with paying off the balance but not if they’re responsible for what’s going on now. And trust me I am going to make a big stink, make complaints, inform the public, etc… you don’t do this to a pet and their owner! And I am an advocate! Yes a Peer Advocate although not employed right now! So this is nothing new to me, dealing with incompetent, unprofessional ppl and helping others.

The new vet, well her old clinic which has been remodeled, renovated and isn’t always crowded anymore (verified this through my parents) their clinic gave me an appt for the 21st of November. The owner of the clinic is still there and also does the dental procedures. I’m calling tomorrow and making an emergency walk in appt for this week. She is still eating and drinking water but I refuse to keep seeing her suffer. And you know what yes you are absolutely right. I am a great parent! Lola is my surrogate, what I mean is to me she is my child. I can’t have children and this cat is my world, I move mountains for her. When she’s sick I go through all of it with her. I give her medication, sleep with her, play/bond with her, heck I even lost weight with her this summer I was so stressed and got depressed for a bit, understandably so. She’s all I got. The same things a loving, responsible parent would do with their child/children. Thank you for reminding me of that. I am definitely reading up on all I can not just on links and articles provided by the cat site, but online as well, for gingivitis, gum disease, and teeth extraction. I will keep you posted! Thanks again! Love and light