advice on vet bill?

ben500

In short my cat broke its leg, three months, two operations and over £1,000 worth of bills later I know have a corpse!
I could do with some advice as to whether I should pay what is left of the bill.
My cat had a heart attack under its third anaeshetic and the vet says it had an enlarged heart, no mention of any problem earlier despite xrays being taken to deal with the leg, I am obviously not happy with their explanation and am considering whether it might be worth an autopsy and the further costs involved as I am suspicious of the care my pet may have been given.

Edinburghlass_2

First of all Ben I am very sorry for your loss. I had the same thing happen to me with a little kitten that was found in a neighbour's garage. In hindsight it had obviously been dumped due to the fact that it wasn't a well kitten but I kept persevering and ended in taking it to the Vet's School in Glasgow for neurology problems and she died under the anaestetic. I felt particularly bad as I had to leave her in Glasgow over night for tests the next day and never saw her again.

A couple of days later I spoke to my own vet and he told me that they would not have put the cat under had they had any inkling that she would not survive as, like doctors, they certainly don't like loosing a patient. Like you I had spent around £1,000 with nothing at the end of it but the hope that the little kitten enjoyed the short time she had with us. It was particularly harsh to pay a bill of £600 odd after the event but decided that some things you just have to thole.

ksh123

Oh Ben, how sad! It is very hard to have to cope with loss AND care concerns at the same time.
If your cat was insured I suggest you take advice from the insurers re. autopsy etc. If not then, by phoning your nearest veterinary college you may get some impartial advice.
I suggest you try talking to your vet in the first place. do this face to face if possible, make an appointment so he/she has time for you. Make a list of questions and concerns in advance and see if the answers you receive put your mind at rest regarding the care your pet received. You can ask whether an autopsy would give you further infromation or not.
Clearly x-rays of fractured limbs would not show any heart trouble and, if the cat was otherwise healthy, there would have been no reason to suspect heart problems. During anaesthesia careful checks are kept of heart rhythms, blood pressure etc and, as this was the cat's 3rd operation I don't think it would have gone ahead if the heart had shown any signs of distress in the earlier two operations. But these are all questions you can ask.
Best wishes and once again, I am sorry for your loss.