Thursday 31 May 2012

Angry

I was hoping that looking at these beautiful purple flowers would have a soporific effect on me.  They are helping to calm me down - slightly.  People who have been reading this blog for some time will know that around June last year Gizmo was taken to the vets because of persistent vomiting.  He was hospitalised at the vets for two nights and put on a cocktail of drugs including anti-vomiting.  The day he came home he was sick everywhere once again. I left it a day and then took him back to vets.  The veterinarian nearly went ballistic that I hadn't bought him back sooner and said he would probably have to have an X-ray and be cut open and it would cost in excess of £1000.00.  At that point I started to break down and said I didn't have that kind of money and she then gave me the address of an emergency RSPCA place that offered treatment to animals of people who were on a low income.  He stayed at that surgery for 4 nights.  They never did find out what was wrong with him and he has been fine - up until now.

Saturday morning was like a repeat of last year.  He continued to vomit all weekend so I took him to a new local vets.  The vet decided to keep him in and get him hydrated which I agreed too.  I also agreed to blood tests to rule out anything serious.  I was told that the bill would be around £194.00.  He said that if he needed further treatment or X-rays he would notify me of the additional costs.  When my husband picked him up Wednesday evening the bill had reached £279.77.  Within two hours Gizmo was vomiting again. 

I phoned the vets this morning and the receptionist said to bring him in.  'No' I replied.  I then went on and had a bit of a rant and she was really standing her ground in defence of the Vet.  I explained that I cannot just keep paying out money that I don't have.  I won't bore you with the ins and outs of the conversation here but I did say I would like a refund for the medication he has been sent home with as I wont be using it.

I have read my cat book.  I have been to the chemists and bought some liquid paraffin.  Gizmo will have a teaspoon a day for 3 days.  I suspect he has a fur ball that has become stuck in his stomach.

The vets bill looked something like this:
Consultation  £19.40
IV Set Up 45.60
Hospitalization Cat £18.00
NWL Feline Senior Health Check£55.08
Blood Collection Fee£7.66
Aquapharm 500ml No 1 Saline £16.08
Cerenia inj. 10mg/ml Dog £14.32
Synulox injection £9.53
Zantac injection 2ml £9.29
Hospitilization Cat £18.00
Synulox injection £9.53
Metacam 0.5% injection £8.83
Metacam 0.5% injection £8.83
Clavaseptin 50mg £13.42
Metacam oral 15ml cat £20.54
Mirtazapine 15mg £5.66

Total of £279.77

................and the cat is still sick.

17 comments:

  1. Poor Gizmo! Poor you too - it's a bit of a nightmare isn't it? My Thomas was at the vet's last year with severe sickness and diarrhoea and the bill was in the region of £300 which luckily we did have. Nobody ever found out what was the matter with him though some sort of poison might have been the cause having ruled out cancer, diabetes and various other things. He came home bald in various places from all the tests he had had done and looking like a little skeleton but luckily made a good recovery. Now I hear that a neighbour has rats in his garden and has been told to put down poison!

    Do hope Gizmo will make a good recovery and all will be well.

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  2. Poor Gizmo and poor you with enough worry about his health without worrying about vets bills. As you say Gizmo had the same thing almost this time last year I just wonder if there is anything growing in your garden or any gardens nearby that may be affecting him? My neighbour's cat had a few days vomiting and then produced a huge furball so you could be right. I do hope all will be well:)

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  3. Oh you poor love! I hope that you manage to calm down soon. In France, a lot of their animals are treated homeopathically perhaps it would be worth reading about using that kind of remedy? At least there would be no side-effects even if the remedy didn't work and it would be so much cheaper.

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  4. Oh dear Simone. I really hope that Gizmo will be ok. What a nasty shock to find the bill had increased by so much again.
    I hope the flowers and the sunshine help to calm you.
    Lisa x

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  5. Oh I've been there Simone, I do think they like to play on our heart strings sometimes.
    Is there some plant that she could be eating thats making her sick?
    Some cats just are sicky :(
    xx

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  6. What a nightmare...poor you and poor Gizmo. I can quite see why you feel so angry and frustrated, Simone. I hope your new regime will bring a cure and help you both over this difficult time.
    Helen x

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  7. Wow, that's quite a bill, especially if they haven't actually found or fixed the problem. Our old cat used to be sick quite a lot and it was always furballs, they came up fairly often but she did seem to shed hairs all the time too.
    I reckon your diagnosis could be right, our current cat has just suddenly started shedding lots of hair, to do with the time of year I guess. So it's likely they're taking in a lot more when they're grooming and that would perhaps explain why it's happening at this time of year. I did notice her being sick for the first time too (it was out in the garden at the back of a flowerbed, fortunately nothing to clean up!)
    I hope Gizmo make a full recovery soon. Good luck with the treatment.

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  8. Poor Gizmo - hope he gets better soon.
    Julie xxxxx

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  9. Goodness Simone, no wonder you're angry and poor Gizmo having to go through all this again.
    There seems to be a lot of Metacam on the bill which I believe is a painkiller, was Gizmo actually in pain or was he just sick?
    It is strange that he had this at the same time last year maybe something in your garden that he reacts too or perhaps he moults at this time and a furball could well be the result of this.
    Anyway what I really hope for is that he will be better very soon.
    Vivienne x

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  10. Simone,
    Just back on my computer after a few days with my husband here and found your posts about Gizmo. Grrrr! I'm keeping you both in my thoughts and sending my love and good wishes.

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  11. i really feel for you simone, having experienced all sorts of nightmares, financial and otherwise (even having a dog given the wrong surgery!) with various vets until i found the wonderful one i use now.
    it sounds like it could well be a hairball (he is after all a very fluffy cat) and i will keep my fingers crossed that the treatment you are now administering works. hope he is better soon xxx
    the campanulas are beautiful!

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  12. Having a sick pet is the worst. I've been through that sort of thing again and again. The vets never seem to know what is wrong with the animal and the tests and treatments pile up (as does the bill). It's frustrating and maddening and really makes you feel helpless.

    You and gizmo are in my thoughts! Sending hugs and healing vibes your way!!

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  13. Sorry to hear about Gizmo - the resemblance to my cat Tiger is uncanny! Tiger suffered quite a lot with a build up of hair balls due to his long hair. Or perhaps the vomitting might be due to something in your garden or a neighbours such as slug pellets or drinking from pools of dirty water outside which they often do as some cats don't like the chlorinated tap water. I think the Castor Oil is a good idea I always used Homeopathic remedies for minor illnesses rather than go to the vets, maybe that is why he lived to the ripe old age of twenty-four! Hope he gets well soon.

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  14. I'm so sorry for you and for Gizmo. I really hope you manage to cure him soon. It's such a worry for you.

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  15. Oh Simone!

    First off, I am so sorry to hear Gizmo is sick again :(

    I just can't believe they would promise to call you about any extra costs and then just went ahead without talking to you about it. That is appalling care. I'm so sorry you've got that stress on top of the worry over Gizmo himself.

    xx

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  16. Eeeeek!!!
    So sorry what you and Gizmo are going through :(

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  17. That is ridiculous, Simone. I hope Gizmo is feeling better and that you have been refunded some of the money you paid out. It is crazy how expensive vets are today and how you have been treated. Since it happened twice in June, could Gizmo possibly be shedding quite a bit and getting more fur balls? You may be the best doctor of all! I have been brushing my cats daily and coming out with big masses of cat hair, after Angus nearly choked on a huge fur ball! Hope to hear good news about Gizmo's recovery soon!

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