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The fatal choice of a vet

 

 Saturday 21st June 2014 

Was the same as any other morning Lilly walked all over us and washed us to say good morning while our other cat and Lilly’s friend (Zanshin) a much older and wiser cat sat patiently waiting for his breakfast. They were both asked as always if they wanted to go outside and they both came down the stairs and went to the back door, showing that they did.

Both cats were indoor cats but they did have outside exercise and play as we have a cattery for them with different shrubs and grasses in it for them to play and hide in. Platforms to walk on and a house to go in to if it rains.

 We choose to keep our cats in this way after Zanshin ,many many years ago had his face ripped apart by a car and a truly fantastic vet rebuilt him. He is very affectionate but has never been quite the same. He has many problems eating as his jaw was completely smashed and although pinned back together, many teeth are missing. He finds it difficult at times to eat and often gags and hacks before vomiting as he gets food /grass something caught in his mouth or throat from not being able to chew properly. After 13 years of it We are used to it, and so is he and he loves nothing more than eating kitten sized food from your hand. The reason for telling you this will become apparent later on.

At around 8 am both Lilly and Zanshin were carried out to the cattery, as always with a hand under their chest area and them lying on the length of your arm.

They were given their breakfast and left to play. Around 9 am Lilly was seen hacking/gagging the way they do if they have eaten to much grass or have a fur ball. But nothing of concern as she soon stopped and carried on playing. About 2 hours later she was seen playing and hiding in the grasses then hacking again. She was checked and offered fresh water nothing but a small amount of normal froffy spit was brought up just as when they have eaten grass and are about to bring it all up. Over the next couple of hours she was seen running and playing. Just after 12 PM as I had been in the garden putting flowers in I went past them again and again Lilly was hacking and gagging so she was checked again. Nothing was in her mouth, she did not struggle, but looked very unhappy as she appeared to have something annoying her and was unable to shift it.

 I called our local vet who I had used before for advice. Unfortunately they were closing and said I would now need to wait for an emergency vet to come on duty and give me a call. While waiting Lilly started to hack again and this time vomited blood I picked her straight up and brought her in doors when I picked her up and put my hand under her chest she seemed to sound /feel raspy. With blood over my hand and having never had a cat do this before I called Companion Care in Chippenham Wiltshire as I knew they were open on a Saturday. They had also seen Lilly weeks earlier when she hurt her paw jumping. (she did not walk on it properly for a few hours took her to the vet and all of a sudden like a child she could put the foot down. The vet still injected her with pain relief and anti-inflammatory)

When they answered I explained to the receptionist what had happened that morning how she had hacked and gaged a few times the way they do if they eat too much grass or have a fur ball but that I was worried and wanted her checked as although sitting quietly now I had never had a cat vomit up blood before and was concerned about her sounding like a crisp packet. I  was given an appointment for a couple of hours’ time. As it would take 45 mins to an hour to get to them and Lilly seemed not to be in pain I accepted. A slow drive over would simply mean I was early. While getting Lilly’s crate ready companion care called me back and said the nurse and vet had seen Lilly’s appointment note and said, if she has vomited blood I should bring her in as soon as possible. Great on way will take about 45 min’s was my answer and of we went. Lilly still sounded raspy and now when you looked at her body, her breathing seemed a little different.

After arrival I booked Lilly in and waited in the reception area to be seen. When brought into the treatment room the vet I saw was the same one that had seen Lilly weeks earlier I explained to the vet and her work experience assistant that Lilly was a house cat but that we do have a cat enclosure/cattery in the garden along with a second cat and that the enclosure was full of many different types of grasses for them to play in.

I explained that initially I thought she had gagged on some grass or got some caught in her throat/under the tongue and maybe that had made her gag earlier in the day when I had first seen her do such. But having seen her vomit  blood mixed with fluid ,and that as she sounded  raspy and had also  now gasped for air a couple of times and when you put your hand under her chest she was like a rattly crisp packet I was worried about her. I told her I was very concerned about where the blood had come from as I had never known or had a cat that vomited blood before and that I had checked in her mouth but I could see nothing. In there or any cuts.

She explained that cat’s often get grass caught under the palette and that can cause them to reach and gag and bring up some blood from straining to get it out.

The vet took the top of Lilly’s box and with Lilly still in the bottom half of her crate listened to her chest/ looked in her mouth , and felt around her abdomen and took a rectal temperature reading.. I showed her Lilly still had blood around her mouth and chin and on her paws.

Following this examination she said Lilly appeared to be fine now and believed anything that may have entered her mouth that could have caused her to choke/ gag had either been vomited up as nothing was present or causing her an obstruction now. Or she had simply swallowed it .When I asked about her sounding like a crisp packet and why she physically felt rattly around her chest when you put your hand under her I was told if she had eaten something it was likely to have irritated her airways. The blood was explained away the same way and having possibly been caused by her reaching and gagging.

At this point the vet said she could see nothing and that Lilly appeared fine and wasn't gagging now and had not done so during the examination .She said she would give her some pain relief just to make her a little more comfortable and I should take Lilly home and keep her somewhere quiet for a day or two. If  I was still concerned I could bring her in on the following day ( Sunday ) if she was still in discomfort  and they would look down her throat to see if there was anything there but there was no need to do it now as she was not gaging anymore and had not done so during the examination. The Vet left the room at this point and I even joked with the assistant that maybe they were right and nothing was wrong. I was just panicking as I had never had a cat bring up blood before or sound like a crisp packet ,Lilly probably just liked the attention and going in the car. A day out for her, was the reply.

As the vet came back in Lilly opened her bowels perhaps as a reaction to the insertion of the thermometer or due to stress. It was a full non restricted or difficult, normal bowel movement not accompanied by any loose or dark stools indicating blood or any watery stools. The assistant was sent out with the bottom of Lilly’s crate and cushion to dispose of the Poo and the vet gave Lilly an injection to make her more comfortable and that was it.

As I lifted her to place her back in her crate,I placed my hand under her chest to lift her up and she cried in pain and gagged and gasped for air. That’s exactly what I was telling you about I told the vet. I explained  again that was what she had been doing on and off since vomiting and coughing up the blood earlier on and how this was what I was trying to explain to them was happening and why I was worried she may have a problem with her lungs or chest because she was rattly and gasping for air.

The vet said she wasn't going to wait and wanted to put the tube down her airway straight away and took Lilly straight in to the theater room .The nurse/ vet in the theater room even said are you doing it now? Yes was the reply.

This was in one way a great relief as I was now expecting to find out what the problem was and for Lilly to have the treatment given to help her .But also a worry, as she was to be sedated for it. The vet went off and brought in a consent form and explained that the cost to check her over and x ray her and remove any thing that may be in her air ways  would be up to about £230 worried about Lilly I just signed. And emphasized that I just needed her helped and the cause of the bleeding and the odd breathing identified and treated..

I was told to come back just before five as they would have examined her by then and monitored her breathing and if she needed further operative treatment or monitoring she would need to go to Swindon overnight. I left and received a call about an half hour to forty five minutes later saying the bill currently stands at £330 her airways were clear and showed no blockage or foreign body they could see no problems with her chest. They had done a number of x rays and wanted to know if I wanted to have, at further cost extra x rays of her intestines done as there looked like a little gas /air in her tummy. Adding that may be sign of a blockage in her bowel. I said I did not believe there was a blockage and if they had seen her tummy on the x-rays they would surely see her bowel as well and that she had already opened her bowel in front of us during the examination and had not had any problems with her bowel movements prior to coming in .The air in her tummy was likely due to her gasping and gulping for air was it not so such test were unnecessary extra  and extra stress to her, The nurse agreed gulping for air was the likely cause of the air in her tummy

.I said I wanted the reason for the rasping sound and the blood she brought up concentrated on. She said they would monitor her for the next hour or so but nothing was seen in her air way on the X rays or during the examination and all was normal. I was to collect her just before they closed at five.

I sat in the car park outside for over an hour waiting for her to be monitored. During that time I received a call at around 4.20pm telling me Lilly was ready to be collected and there was no problems.

When I went in to be told the results of the examination and monitoring by the vet I was told by her that Lilly's breathing was fine there was no obstruction there. The tube went down really easy. When I asked if they had found the cause of her gagging and vomiting blood she said all though nothing showed on the tests or during the exam it was probably caused a small cut after getting something caught in throat or from gagging so much but it would be nothing to worry about as there was nothing there now and she was fine.

She said they had monitored Lilly’s breathing and she was fine there was nothing wrong with her and she was ready to come home. I was to keep her somewhere quiet for the next day or so. When I asked why she was raspy and breathing shallow. She said cats often swallow little things like insects that don’t show up on x rays these can cause a reaction such as the gagging and being sick that Lilly had. This makes their throats sore so cats do change how they breathe because they are uncomfortable. She said she would give me some pain relief to take home and give to her. But she was happy there was no cause for concern and everything was normal.. She said she did think Lilly may develop a blockage from swallowing something and that we should keep an eye on her for that and needed to look out for vomiting or diarrhea as that would show a blockage and she would need an operation..

I said I did not believe there was or would be a blockage as her toilet habits were normal and she had even gone shortly after they used the thermometer and any object that would cause a blockage would have shown on the x rays would it not?. She gave me the pain relief for Lilly and the out of hours phone number and said to watch her for vomiting  and diarrhea if she did I would need to take her to the emergency vets in Swindon where they could then monitor her better.

She said before I left. If she was still in discomfort on Monday then to bring her back in to be re seen and that they were also open on Sunday if she had and vomiting or diarrhea during the day to bring her straight in. She then said she would get Lilly while I paid.

 The receptionist asked how I wanted to pay I said I would pay of my Debit card she said it’s going to be £330 It was more than I had initially been told but I paid in full  and the receptionist said she wished everyone would pay so quickly without a fuss. I told her as long as Lilly was sorted although more than I had expected it was worth it. She replied she wished everyone felt that.

The vet then brought Lilly out to me in her basket I stroked Lilly who was still sounding raspy and still had blood on her face and mouth just as she did when I brought her in. The vet then gave me a pouch of intestinal cat food and said you can have that. Adding her air ways and breathing were fine it was just a reaction to some little insect being in her throat it happens all the time, and to keep her quiet and look out for any vomiting or diarrhea and bring her in if there was any.

 

Lilly was brought home and kept indoors she had a couple of small drinks and small amount of wet food that night .She spent some time on the sofa in the dining room. She was given her pain relief and spent the night in the bedroom with us and our other cat .She was sleepy as to be expected following the anesthetic and pain relief not to mention the stress of it all.


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