Veterinarians And Your Cats

[posiepurrs]

My favorite vet left the practice I go to to move 100 miles away. Some of the remaining vets in the practice I don't like some I do. My feelings of dislike are not based on the care my cats received other than failure to give me antibiotic when she said she would, requiring a second trip to the office to pick it up. It is more the manner the vet talked to me. More like "I am the vet so what I say is always correct". NOT SO! I have more than once disagreed with my former vet and after talking to him, we arrived at a mutual agreed upon treatment. I know my animals better than they do - what is normal and what is not so we need to work together.

 

[maggiedemi]

I love my vet. They are willing to talk to me by email, since I get anxiety talking on the phone, they answer all my questions. They are a low-cost clinic and they try to make things affordable. They saved Demi's life for only $100 when he had a UTI. They knew what to do just by me describing the symptoms, no expensive tests. There were only 2 vets in my area that would treat ferals. So I guess my requirements are kindness, intelligence, affordability, and a working email address.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I know my animals better than they do - what is normal and what is not so we need to work together.

posiepurrs - This might be the most important point made here, and it's cautionary for everyone reading this: know your cats. From their initial veterinarian's visit, know as many of their baselines as you can, and keep records. A cat's normal body temperature can vary from just over 100º F to just shy of 103º F, and it's up to us to know their baselines for respiration, heartbeat and as many blood protein levels as possible.

Knowing your kitty's blood urea nitrogen and blood creatinine levels could give you advanced warning later in Life regarding possible impending kidney problems. Knowing your cat's T4 baseline might later help with diagnoses (or misdiagnoses) of thyroid problems. A full panel (including a chem panel, CBC and thyroid levels) will cost less than half what today's average cell phone does, and knowing your cat's or cats' baselines could save her or his Life down the road.

Cats aren't much different that we are (except for being fuzzier and more imperturbable as a general rule), but they're much more difficult to diagnose when medical conditions arise. When a physician asks you if you feel feverish, you can tell her; if a physician asks you how you feel ill, you can make it clear to him - but when a veterinarian asks a cat, "what's wrong," they always get the same answer - "meow" - and thus it behooves us to know what's "normal" with every aspect of our cats' health, so that when something is abnormal, we can better pin down the irregularity by knowing already what our feline Friends' baselines look like.

If you're ever uncertain about the day-to-day care that your veterinarian is providing, simply ask to see your cat's medical chart - it should look very much like your own chart, kept by your General Practitioner. If baseline levels aren't noted, if annotations haven't been made any time your cat has been examined, and if anomalies turned up by any past blood work haven't been cited, or medication dosages haven't been entered in the chart, you then have cause to revisit this thread, and to ask yourself if you feel that your veterinarian is doing everything possible for your companion.
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[Daisy6]

It is great that you love your current vet Boris. I had a vet in Ohio who suggested www.radiocat.com for information and got a lower price for I-131 treatment when my first cat had hyperthyroidism, which he diagnosed with his stephoscope. When she crossed the bridge, another vet in the practice was treating her, but he put his name on a condolence card.

 

[Daisy6]

As for switching vets without moving, a husband and wife practice lost me when it became clear they had no interest in fixing mouths with bleeding gums or missing teeth. They would see a cat's teeth are missing and say it was okay, or do nothing about another cat's bleeding gums. I did not need that crap.

 

[Azazel]

A good vet in my eyes needs to:

Care about my cats and really want to understand them.

Understand feline nutrition (they don’t have to specialize in it, but should at least know as much as I do).

Not be quick to prescribe medications; be thoughtful.

Take their time with me.

Stay up to date and educated on research.

Be a critical thinker.

Get back to me with lab results in a timely manner.

Listen to me and not brush off my concerns.

My cats don’t hate them.


My current vet ticks off all but one of those boxes (I always have to hound them for lab results).

 

[Daisy6]

LOL @ the last one. What vet don't cats hate?

 

[lalagimp]

LOL @ the last one. What vet don't cats hate?

Three of my four are fine with the vet's office and going through the doctor thing, even needles. Stewart - huh uh no way. He growls a bunch, threatens to bite, and then when they bring out the needles he starts thrashing and screaming and going full feral. We'd found him outdoors when he was 10 months old and hadn't been neutered yet. When I took him for his first vaccines before his neuter, he bit me three times in the face. He's a real sweetheart.

 

[Stinky15]

I like my current Vet just fine except maybe the prices. He is a little farther away than I would like. I chose his practice because they are open 7 days a week and have 24 hour emergency care they do. My original Vet. didn't have very good manners and when I took my cat to him for Urine crystals they kept the cat for a 12/2 day to unstop him. When I got the cat back he smelled like urine and whatever they used to sedate him made him loopy for a few days. Even worse they told me to use Hill's C/D which was okay but when I went back to get more they were out and the lady said they would have more in a few days. When I went back she said they didn't leave any and acted like it was no big deal. That's when I found my current Vet. I happened to be near them and stopped in and explained my Vet. was out of the C/D and could I buy some? She said sure! Fortunately I know more about Male Cat's and Urinary crstyals now.

 

[Azazel]

LOL @ the last one. What vet don't cats hate?

I used the word hate intentionally. They don’t have to like them, but “hate” is a little different.

 

[cheeser]

Our primary criteria has pretty much boiled down to whether or not a vet recommends euthanizing a cat just because he tests positive for FIV -- let alone one who was already symptomatic when we took him in. If a vet doesn't want to kill our cat right away, that's definitely a step in the right direction.

Once we clear that hurdle, I just want someone who won't brush off any of our concerns, answers our questions, treats us and our kitties with respect, and is amenable to us using holistic remedies and whatnot alongside traditional medicine for our cat with FIV.

I also appreciate a vet who understands that our little community off the beaten path includes a lot of blue collar workers and retired folk like us, and is mindful of our modest financial circumstances. Doggone it, IHMO, it just shouldn't cost thousands of dollars for every routine check up!

 

[silkenpaw]

1CatOverTheLine You are so right about knowing your animals! I keep records of my cats’ weights. Years ago, I pointed out to my vet that every time we went, Rufus weighed a little less. He got worked up and turned out to have IBD. We wouldn’t have picked it up until much later if we waited for other symptoms. Now I keep the weights, labs, medication records and a narrative of anything that’s happening.

 

[Daisy6]

1CatOverTheLine You are so right about knowing your animals! I keep records of my cats’ weights. Years ago, I pointed out to my vet that every time we went, Rufus weighed a little less. He got worked up and turned out to have IBD. We wouldn’t have picked it up until much later if we waited for other symptoms. Now I keep the weights, labs, medication records and a narrative of anything that’s happening.

The invoice has my cat's updated weight in the top right corner. I keep all vet bills to have that information and records of what tests, treatments, etc. were done when. But I always forget to look at them after getting an appointment reminder card.