It's the humane thing to do

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Mike S. - 05 Feb 2006 11:42 GMT

I've been reading through some recent posts/messages and I now I'm
puzzled by something.

If you take your cat to the vet and it's diagnosed with some sort of
potentially fatal illness, shouldn't the vet tell you that the cat
might die? I guess I could understand them not wanting to give an
estimate of how long the cat might live (a wrong guess could equal a
lawsuit). But it seems like the vet should at least say that the cat
will most likely die from the disease.

It seems like they should give you some information as to what's really
going on. The vet knows what's going on but for some reason they just
don't share it with you (and not because they're a bad doctor). If my
cat is going to die within the next few months to a year, I want to
know. If the disease will make the cat's remaining months misearable, I
want to know. If the disease will cause the cat a painful death, I want
to know. So that I can make the right choices such as euthanasia.

Is there a reason vets aren't totally forthcoming about this info? I'm
starting to think maybe it's just me. I'm 24 but I look like I'm maybe
15 or so. I also blush very easily and my cheeks are always bright red
when I go to the vet. I'm wondering it the vet is thinking that I can't
handle the truth and so instead, tries to spare me any pain.

Has anyone else been in a similar type situation? I've had this problem
happen twice, with the same vet. Other people I spoke to said they
never had this problem with this vet. It makes me wonder. I no longer
use that particular vet, but I do go to the other one in the same
office.

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Mr Tibbs - 05 Feb 2006 13:08 GMT

> I've been reading through some recent posts/messages and I now I'm
> puzzled by something.

.....vet. It makes me wonder. I no longer

> use that particular vet, but I do go to the other one in the same
> office.

you know, you dance all around it but I believe you're saying some vets
are not to be trusted!

is this what you're saying, you wandering if other people ever get the
feeling they are being ripped off?

Well sure there are crooks in the world.

I think you have to couple the vet visit with a little horse sense.

Depending on what the vet says, one might have a second opinion.

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treeline12345@yahoo.com - 05 Feb 2006 15:16 GMT

I've known doctors like that. They decided their patients should not
know they had cancer. And one in particular was a board certified
internist. A jerk who like to play god and was a terrible doctor,
although he thought he was great.

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Rhonda - 05 Feb 2006 15:26 GMT

I don't think that's right. Did you talk to the vet about why he or she
didn't tell you the whole story? Our vet is very forthcoming. I wouldn't
want our animals to go to one who didn't tell us what was going on.

Rhonda

> Has anyone else been in a similar type situation? I've had this problem
> happen twice, with the same vet.

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MaryL - 05 Feb 2006 15:37 GMT

> I've been reading through some recent posts/messages and I now I'm
> puzzled by something.
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> use that particular vet, but I do go to the other one in the same
> office.

If this has happened to you twice, I think it's time to get a new vet.
YASAP. Your vet should be forthcoming and should share *all* information
with you so you can make the best decisions for your cat. I have been
through the process, and my vet never held anything back (including
possibilities of referrals to specialists; don't stick with a very -- or
human physician -- who has a demi-god complex).

MaryL

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Ryan Robbins - 06 Feb 2006 12:37 GMT

> If you take your cat to the vet and it's diagnosed with some sort of
> potentially fatal illness, shouldn't the vet tell you that the cat
> might die?

There is always the possibility that a cat might die. A responsible cat
owner should be able to ask the vet questions that will provide an answer to
the one you pose.

For example, when my vet called me back a half hour after drawing blood from
my cat, she said the results showed that might cat had two problems:
hyper-thyroidism and renal failure. My vet then said my cat could take pills
for the thyroid and that she wanted to take my cat in for the weekend for IV
treatment to treat the kidneys. Naturally, I was devastated. But I had to
ask questions: Had my vet ever seen a creatinine level as high as my cat's?
If so, what happened? How much of a dent could hospitalization make in my
cat's creatinine level? And then there was the obvious: What if my cat did
not get treatment; how would the two illnesses progress?

The answer to the last question, of course, was my cat would continue losing
weight and become severely dehydrated.

I didn't need the vet to tell me what would happen after that.

I did ask for an estimate on how much longer my cat could live, with and
without certain treatment. But my vet told me as much as she could: There's
no way of knowing.

Some cats react differently to treatment, and some cats can tolerate more of
an illness than others.

> It seems like they should give you some information as to what's really
> going on. The vet knows what's going on but for some reason they just
> don't share it with you (and not because they're a bad doctor).

This is why you need to ask questions and communicate with the vet, and why
you need to do some research of your own.

>If the disease will make the cat's remaining months misearable, I
> want to know. If the disease will cause the cat a painful death, I want
> to know. So that I can make the right choices such as euthanasia.

Again, talk with your vet.

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guynoir - 07 Feb 2006 06:07 GMT

> There is always the possibility that a cat might die. A responsible cat
> owner should be able to ask the vet questions that will provide an answer to
> the one you pose.

Sometimes it's hard to ask the right questions at 2am when love, life,
death and financial ruin are at stake.

Signature

John Kimmel
guynoir@spireSPAMtech.com

Sometimes Pascal seemed to have had a bandage over his eyes.

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Ryan Robbins - 07 Feb 2006 07:56 GMT

>> There is always the possibility that a cat might die. A responsible cat
>> owner should be able to ask the vet questions that will provide an answer
>> to the one you pose.
>>
> Sometimes it's hard to ask the right questions at 2am when love, life,
> death and financial ruin are at stake.

I understand that. This is why it's important to do your own research and
not hesitate to call the vet with any questions you might have later.

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-L. - 07 Feb 2006 01:33 GMT

> I've been reading through some recent posts/messages and I now I'm
> puzzled by something.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> lawsuit). But it seems like the vet should at least say that the cat
> will most likely die from the disease.

Most that I have ever encountered, either as a patient or
professionally, do.

> It seems like they should give you some information as to what's really
> going on. The vet knows what's going on but for some reason they just
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> when I go to the vet. I'm wondering it the vet is thinking that I can't
> handle the truth and so instead, tries to spare me any pain.

Hummmm...I can't think of a vet who isn't forthright in a terminal
situation. Is it possible your cat wasn't terminal?

> Has anyone else been in a similar type situation? I've had this problem
> happen twice, with the same vet. Other people I spoke to said they
> never had this problem with this vet. It makes me wonder. I no longer
> use that particular vet, but I do go to the other one in the same
> office.

Maybe just a fluke between you and that vet.

-L.

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