What Would You Put in Your Manifesto?

With the UK general elections looming I got to thinking about what I would put in my manifesto if I was standing for election. One of the things on my list would be: 

Affordable Veterinary Care

So far this year over £800 has been spent at the vets surgery regarding Gizmo.  The latest saga was him getting bitten through a haematoma on his ear.  The vet administered antibiotics and after about a ten minute consultation we were handed a bill of £91.98.  The vet said that the antibiotic may not work and the only way to get rid of the haematoma would be to operate at a cost of £500.00.  There is a chance that the haematoma will reoccur after an operation.   Well, that's not happening then so it seems that Gizmo will spend the rest of his life with a cauliflower ear.

I get so fed up with T.V programmes encouraging people to take on a pet without stressing how much they could potentially cost to keep.   Gizmo was born in the wild and taken in with his Mum and siblings by Cats Protection.  When we went to view him he was in the foster carers garden in a cage.  The foster carer said that he needed to be handled a lot to get used to humans.  She used to lay him on his back and stick her fingers in his mouth.  Today Gizmo will want to attack a person if they put their hands anywhere near his face.  When we brought Gizmo home he would hide behind the sofa for weeks and only come out when forced.  Even as a tiny kitten he would leap up at me and bite me at every opportunity.  I even phoned Cats Protection up for advice and they said to give it time.  I don't think he has ever really been suitable as a house cat. I wouldn't buy an animal from a rescue centre again.  I know these centres have the animals best interests at heart but they don't always judge things right.  Gizmo is a fighter.  I don't think he should have ever been offered up as an indoor cat.

Anyway, to get back to the main title of this post, if you was standing for election what one thing would you put in your manifesto?

Today and Yesterday

Advanced warning!  Readers may find the second photo distressing as it is a close up of Gizmo's neck after the session with the vet yesterday.

I keep telling myself  'think nice thoughts'.  Doing so I can transport myself back to a beach in St Lucia 27 years ago.  The palms were swaying and I was sipping a Pina Colada from a coconut shell.   Carefree days looking out to the ocean, the pitons in the distance.........

Back to more recent events. Yesterday was another stressful day and my anxiety level was through the roof.  We took Gizmo back to the vet for our scheduled appointment.  Just before I put him in the carry basket I noticed that some of his stitches were missing, once again leaving a gaping hole.  Back at the vets he stapled the hole together and wrapped up Gizmo's back leg with a bandage to prevent him from scratching the stitches/staples out.  We were told that if it opened up after this time they would have to operate again.

This 're-consultation' and treatment cost an additional £91.57.  The bandage application excluding materials alone was £24.00.  Am I going mad?  We were with the vet for a maximum of 10 minutes and 5 minutes of that was spent with him taking Gizmo to another room to staple his neck.  It is not so much about the money (although we can't really afford these costs to go on much longer) it is more about the greed and lack of empathy that infuriates me most of all and the misdiagnosis in the first place (sprained leg) which has allowed the situation to escalate. 

The photo above is Gizmo today lying on my bed this morning.  He can't walk properly with his tightly bandaged leg and keeps trying to shake it off.  He was snoring when I took this photo and he must have been dreaming too as his whiskers were twitching.

This photo shows how he looked after seeing the vet yesterday.  How the hell did the vet expect all the stitches to stay in when they were so sparse in the first place?  I wonder how much it costs 'per stitch'!  Anyway I hope the staples hold out until out next vet visit on Wednesday evening.  I am scared that Gizmo will catch the staples on something and am paranoid if I can't see him for a few minutes in case he is scratching behind the furniture where I can't get access to him.

This recent experience has put me off having a pet ever again. 

Gizmo Post Op - Graphic Photo Warning!

This is how Gizmo looked when I brought him back from the vet's yesterday evening.  I was shocked to see that a lot of his fur had been shaved off and concerned that he didn't have any type of dressing over the wounds.  I think that people say it is best to get the air circulating around a cut but I am worried if he knocks himself and starts to bleed.

He is due to return to the vets on Monday and then at a later date to have the stitches removed. In the meantime he refuses to have his antibiotics and medicine no matter how hard I try to disguise them in his food. Oh well, lets hope that things improve as the day goes by. 

A big thank you for all your good wishes.  It really does help to know that people care. x

It Never Rains But it Pours

Isn't it strange how luck, good or bad, seems to come in a run of events.  Despite trying to remain upbeat this year (and I am really trying) things have not really been that great.

To update you with Gizmo, he has two nasty infected abscess's caused by a cat bite in the fight he had two weeks ago.  These bites were not discovered by the vet when he was initially checked over.  During the last couple of days I noticed that Gizmo was giving off a really nasty smell and looked unkempt around his lower neck area and on the back of his neck.  This morning I attempted to put him in the bath and gently wash those areas that had become matted.  He did not let me do this willingly and I was shocked when I discovered why.  As his fur parted under his neck I noticed a gaping wound. 

To cut a long and laborious story short, he has to go under general anaesthetic and the operation is tricky because the wound is near a jugular vein.

I had to sit down when the vet estimated that the bill will be around £700.  It is at times like this that I wish I'd had him insured.

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.