Greetings:

My 11 year old male tabby, "Clucky", who's been diabetic for about a
year and a half, starting having breathing difficulty about three weeks
ago.  His respirations were increased, and he was having coughing fits
several times a day.  Our wonderful country vet, who makes house calls,
thought that perhaps he had either a fur ball, or was developing asthma.  
She gave him the once over, said to keep an eye on him, and went on her
way.

Over the next few weeks, the coughing waxed and waned, and his
respirations remained increased.  Last week, it was apparent that he was  
in ever increasing respiratory distress; his respirations were anywhere
from 50-70, and he was really using his abdomen to push out the lungs.  
Because our house call vet was out of town, I took him to a local
veterinary hospital on an emergency basis. The Doctor did some X-Rays,
determined that he had fluid on the lungs, and treated him as though he
was in heart failure.  He gave him 80mg of Lasix the first day and put
him on an Ace inhibitor to make the action of the heart more efficient.
I tried to tell him that I had a strong suspicion that he had pneumonia,
but he said that it is very rare in cats, that his WBC was only slightly
elevated, and that his temperature was normal.  He seemed to think he
had heart disease.
 
He called me to pick him up the next day, and when I got him home, it
was clear that something was terribly wrong.  He was very lethargic,
barely recognized me, and slept constantly.  I gave him his nightly dose
of insulin and did the same the next morning, which was a terrible
mistake, as he hadn't been eating.  The Vet never said otherwise,
(though he should have).  I, on the other hand should have known better
too!

By noon the following day, it was clear that he was going into
hypoglycemic shock, and I called the Vet that had just treated him.  It
was the weekend, and I got the Vet on call instead (his partner), who
told me to get some syrup into him to get his sugar up.  I got several
tablespoons full down his throat, which he swallowed, but it was too
late.  He started to act drunk, his muscles stiffened, and he stared
blankly off into space.  He could no longer swallow the syrup that I
attempted to give him.  At one point, his chest just fibrilated
extremely fast, and I thought for sure he was going to die. Quite a
horrifying sight.  

I called the Vet again, who did not return my call, so I made a call to
a *different* veterinary hospital, and the doctor had me bring him right
in.  He got an IV of glucose and potassium into him right away, as he
was extremely dehydrated from the Lasix.  His sugar came up alright, the
vet got him hydrated, and kept him for a few nights.  He told me that he
immediately suspected pneumonia, and treated him with a course of
antibiotics.  He says he is quite certain that he has no heart disease,
and that pneumonia was the culprit all along.  His WBC was twice the
value that it should have been, clearly indicating an infection.  

I have him back home today, and while he's a bit weak from all of the
excitement, he is back to his old ornery self again!  His breathing is
back to normal, and I no longer have to give him Lasix and the Ace
inhibitor, bur rather a course of antibiotics.  

We really came close to losing him this weekend.  The doctor joked that
he's sure that Clucky could see the brilliant white light at the end of
the tunnel.  If I hadn't seen this vet quite by accident, I fear that we
would still be erroneously treating him for heart disease, and he very
well might have been dead by now.

NOW TO MY QUESTION:

Would it be out of line for me to ask the doctor who's ill advice and
treatment  nearly cost my pet his life, to make an according adjustment
or refund a portion of my bill?   I am so very grateful that Clucky is
still with me, and money really wasn't an object.  However, the bill was
$330.00, for a course of treatment that was totally unwarranted and
unnecessary. I also paid for numerous prescription drugs that I now have
no use for.  The bill to the second vet in question was $330.00 as well,
and I am only too happy to pay it!!!  After all, he saved my cat, and
alleviated the fear that Cluck had heart disease.  

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any opinions you may offer.

Best Regards,

Cary F.