Is this standard for the end of life appointment?

[emeraldcity]

@Simkie

A conversation? Fine. An exam? Sure. Pushback when asking to end the life of a 20 year old cat? Are you kidding me? The cat is 20. The cat is ill. The owner knows it’s time. The answer here is clear, and it’s not “let’s discuss your options, and run some tests, then maybe we’ll consider euthanasia.”

I actually think we agree here- maybe I missed something, but in the OP nothing says anyone was requiring tests. I would honestly be surprised if anyone ever requested that- even if there is something someone could do, I’ve never seen a vet “require” diagnostics for a pet that isn’t well. I would be expecting likely just a conversation or maybe at most a quick exam in a case like this.

As far as not being able to book it immediately for a non-client, well, that’s an issue that’s been discussed at length on these forums. They simply can’t. It’s a matter of protecting quality of life for staff, as well as protecting time so that they can see their own sick patients when needed, which many vets are already unable to do, to the legitimate disappointment of their existing clients. Again, that’s why it’s important to have that existing relationship, which it sounds like OP has- she just doesn’t want to drive that far. I completely understand that, but my guess/hope is that vet would be able to fit them in, whereas a new vet just can’t.

I think a home euthanasia service probably could do it sooner, as their business model is different- I hope that’s an option available to you, OP. I have not used one myself but have heard good things.

Edited because we posted at the same time- sorry for your loss and I’m glad it went smoothly.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@emeraldcity

maybe I missed something, but in the OP nothing says anyone was requiring tests.

I did say that some testing was required.

@CrazyGuineaPigLady

He’s got a little bit of everything that goes wrong with old cats but one office straight up told me they would decline the euth if he had a bad tooth. Another wanted blood work more recent than October to see if his kidneys were declining further. Of course they are and not eating isn’t helping that one bit.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@emeraldcity

she just doesn’t want to drive that far.

You are so very wrong and off point. I didn’t want the cat to travel that far if it could be done closer to home.

[shiloh]

Where I live we had three vet offices and each one couldn’t be more different. The older vet refused to charge for euthanasia and would only charge for the cremation/burial service they used. He thought that was wrong and didn’t want people to abandon their animals or let them continue to suffer. Sadly, he passed away and a new practice has taken over so not sure what they do. My other vet charges full price for everything. My last euth with them cost me nearly $300. But they did not ask questions. The other vet wants to ask a million questions and prolong everything so he annoys me. I try to stick with the other vet in his office who knows that I know when it is time, does not argue with me and is very good and kind to the animals.

Annoying vet nearly got an earful when I took my beloved Bonnie in. Of course, she loves the vet office and was sitting up and being her charming little self so he started arguing with me and insisting on more tests ($$$) and a ultrasound ($$$). He turned his back to her and she kind of collapsed and was laying there looking wretched at him (I guess she used up the last of her energy) and when he turned he actually double-taked her and then looked harder at her and went “Oh, uh…yeah, er. I guess you’re right.” No duh…He was a little too businesslike after that. (I get it - some people have lousy bedside manner.) but his techs were super sweet and hugged her and were very careful with her.

No-one needs to have this visit made even more of a misery than it already is.

@CrazyGuineaPigLady - I’m sorry about poor Mr Kitty. He will be missed. And I’m glad you fought for him and didn’t accept what were some pretty crazy answers from those vet offices.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@shiloh

Of course, she loves the vet office and was sitting up and being her charming little self

Yes! I’ve only had one cat that hated the vet and all he did was grumble and make halfhearted attempts to swat anyone who tried to move him, including me.

I am 99% sure that if I’d taken this easy going, love everyone, always happy and eager to please cat to one of the vets mentioned above that he would have been denied today. And then the choices would have been $$/invasive testing to understand why he won’t eat or to let him starve to death.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

Because I’m drowning my sorrows tonight and I know this will hit me like a Mack truck tomorrow, there was something that made us laugh over and over again. One of the many add-ons you could get was a hair clipping for $15. Because he liked to be brushed, I threw one in the carrier in case he needed to be calmed. After reading about that option, we collected and pocketed every hair we could to save money.

Yes, the kids have inherited my warped sense of humor to get through difficult situations.

[emeraldcity]

@CrazyGuineaPigLady

You are so very wrong and off point. I didn’t want the cat to travel that far if it could be done closer to home.

I apologize, I didn’t mean that to come off the way it did. I did understand that it wasn’t about the distance, it was about the travel for the cat.

This topic struck a nerve, since I’ve had some experience of the incredible difficulty of careers in vet med, and just wanted to share another perspective for anyone who might be reading. I can see that it seemed directed at you, and that was definitely not my intent. I’m sorry.

[swmorse]

@CrazyGuineaPigLady I’m glad it went so well. Hard enough having to make the decision but any problems after it’s been made just make everything worse.

you got some very cute pictures and I hope you and the kids are doing as well as can be expected this morning

[Simkie]

@emeraldcity

I can see that it seemed directed at you, and that was definitely not my intent.

Let me make sure I have this straight…

You drop in with a diatribe about owners who expect free euthanasia. Which is certainly valid, but not particularly applicable to the conversation at hand. No one has asked for or is expecting a free euthanasia. (That’s very kind of you to extend to your regular patients, though.)

When pointed out that the problem was the requirement for bloodwork/further testing to even consider euthanasia, you said that the op didn’t say that, even though it was clearly stated.

And then you doubled down, saying that the issue was the OP didn’t want to trouble herself with the drive to the treating veterinarian.

When called on that incredibly callous remark you say (checks notes) that it “wasn’t directed” at the OP.

Do I have all that right?

Forgive me, I’m just kind of agog at the progression here. Especially toward someone working through an incredible loss of their kitty. There’s no doubt that some owners have a misplaced sense of entitlement regarding veterinary services, including euthanasia, but that’s certainly not our OP here.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@Simkie

There’s no doubt that some owners have a misplaced sense of entitlement regarding veterinary services, including euthanasia, but that’s certainly not our OP here.

Thank you. I don’t believe any of the responses on this thread warranted a lecture about owners demanding free, immediate care from vets who’ve never seen their pet.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’m so sorry, @CrazyGuineaPigLady. You and your family had enough to deal with by losing a best friend.

I don’t know why there are so many issues with vet medicine now, but I suspect the same type of villains that corrupted human medicine are creeping onto the scene. Pet health insurance. Vet practices bought out by gigantic corporations. These are going to degrade practicing veterinarians, who spend a significant amount of time and resources gaining their degrees, into nothing more than corporate employees. They’ll have the same set salaries, same time limits with clients, same excessive push for specialist referrals that human family doctors have now. It’s going to suck to be a vet very soon, if not already. And it’s going to suck more for those of us with pets. At the prices my mom pays for her dog at her vet in California, we couldn’t afford to keep the pets we have now if we lived there! We have two dogs, three indoor cats, two outdoor cats, and a bunny. Not even counting large animals. That would be crazy expensive if we lived in California.

As far as euthanasia goes, obviously the OP wanted to find the best situation for her beloved family member. I think we’re all happy it worked out for her.

Personally, I don’t know anyone that had a vet put their pet to sleep for free. In fact, I’m willing to bet many of us here have paid to put down an injured stray that wasn’t our pet. I know we have. Three times actually. 1 dog, 1 cat, and 1 baby donkey.

[jvanrens]

I hope it was a small Mack truck. Hugs to you.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@moonlitoaksranch

I don’t know why there are so many issues with vet medicine now, but I suspect the same type of villains that corrupted human medicine are creeping onto the scene.

That’s the part I was trying to leave unsaid. My regular vet (who is actually more for second opinions and emergencies) has a long reputation of high prices and pushing tests, but I’ve never had them argue with me or ask for tests that aren’t relevant. It certainly does feel like a money grab to “fix” a bad tooth or check kidney function in a cat that age when he has records documenting renal failure and previous dental work. It also turned me off to using them in the future so that doesn’t seem like a very good business model.

@jvanrens

I hope it was a small Mack truck.

Yesterday was great. It was a relief to know I wouldn’t have to scramble around if he crashed and I was glad to skip the pill popping and various recipes in the hopes some combination would work. Today is the day I forgot he is gone so every 30 minutes I wanted to check if he ate, check to see where he’s sleeping, check to see if he slipped out the door when I let the dog out. I’ve also realized that my 10 year old, food obsessed dog has never lived in a world where meals didn’t begin with cat food prep. Normally she’d be underfoot at the sound of a can opening or something coming out of the warmer but now she needs to be specifically called because dog food prep doesn’t trigger anything. They were BFFs so she’s out of sorts too.

I lost the cat he replaced and blubbered on a thread here 10 years ago but can’t find it. If anyone is better at searching, I would love see it again.

ETA: I’m not as dumb as I sound and I’ve been blessed with some pretty special cats!

What's your MO after the loss of a special pet?

We lost our old man kitty last weekend. It was a day (or a month) too soon but the timing worked out for it be the best experience it could be. I was fine with everything the day of. Went to bed thinking I’d wake up in the morning feeling a sense of relief not to be worrying about him anymore. Instead, I automatically reached for his spot on my pillow and lost it. Saving you all the drama, it was unbearable in the beginning. More so than I remember with any loss in the past but I knew thei…

[rubygirl1968]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Those days are so painful to get through.

Hugs and jingles for you and your family, furred or human.

[shiloh]

Every time i lose a pet I keep checking around for them and then I remember “oh yeah…they’re gone.” The cat that hit me the hardest was Ollie - he had to be fed and checked on and when I did not do his routine I would find myself panicking because I had “forgotten” only I hadn’t. The other cat was Maysie. She had to have her blood checked, be fed, stopped from eating her poop or the other cats’ poop, soiling inappropriately, etc etc. It was a constant cycle and when she died it took months to realize I did not have to do all that stuff and could live a normal life. Still found myself in the grocery aisles picking up cans of chicken and tuna or bags of precooked chicken and thinking that she would love that and the remembering…lots of tears in Walmart I can tell you. I loved them dearly but at the bottom I was relieved. I did not want to live that way and I’m sure they did not either.

I feel you @CrazyGuineaPigLady. Be glad he was in your life and you loved him so much you inconvenienced yourself and felt it was not. Now be glad you can have a normal life. It’ll take a minute or thousand.

[peedin]

Such a lump in my throat reading all these stories. I send you all {{{hugs}}}

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@shiloh

Still found myself in the grocery aisles picking up cans of chicken and tuna or bags of precooked chicken and thinking that she would love that and the remembering…

I’m placing a grocery order for tomorrow and automatically went to the cat food to see if Fancy Feast was on sale. I don’t need it but that was one of the few things he’d been eating for the last few months. He was fed on a little table with a shorter table and pet stairs to get up there. It took up a lot of room in a spot that was ideal for my kitchen gadget storage and the first thing I did the next morning was clear his things off and put some of mine there. Every time I walk by I think “Newman won’t get up there to eat with that in the way”.

The good news is memories of his better days are starting to creep back in so I don’t automatically think of him as frail now.

[Mara]

“Newman”, what a cute name for a cute kitty.

I’m sorry for your loss.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

Until a year ago, he was food obsessed and never was very athletic for a cat. Many of my animals get Seinfeld names so it really fit. LOL

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

Tomorrow will be two weeks. Everyone I know is forwarding pictures of senior cats that need a home and I have zero interest. Last time I couldn’t live without one and now I want to be catless for a while.

The dog is still confused but doesn’t seem to be mourning anything other than the food routine, and there’s a possibility I forgot to feed her breakfast one day. I guess it also confused her when I threw away the bubble wrap Amazon bag he claimed as a bed after I dropped it on the floor months ago.