Conference misery::feline_v1

    I think the best policy is to have a good vet that you trust in
    private practice, so you can build a long term relationship with someone
    who knows your cats.  My vet also knows the specialists in the area
    and doesn't hesitate to refer my cats to them when they have had
    unusual problems.  Tufts, or any university vet school, I would view as
    good for very difficult cases as they are presumably the state of the
    art places (sometimes private vets are also, however).  As you have
    noted, vets at university schools tend to disappear.  Sounds like you
    got a lemon.  Hope someone near you can recommend a good local vet.
    

    I agree with Karen.  Tufts is good for difficult cases and in
    situations where a specialist is needed.  I would not use them for
    routine visits.
    
    It sounds as though the vet you dealt with had a very unpleasant
    bedside manner, and tried to intimidate you into believing that only
    she has the abilities to detect the afflications cats often get.  It
    almost sounds as though she eluded your questions for financial
    reasons; the more you know, the less ($$) she receives.
    
    I used to bring my cats to a place where there are two Dr.'s on staff,
    but didn't feel like I was building a client/Dr. relationship with
    either of them.  The new vet I bring my cats to is in his own private
    practice, and really seems to take a genuine interest in my kitties. 
    He even calls me at home if we are dealing with an ongoing problem to
    see how they are doing and if the mediation is helping.  I appreciate
    the fact that he really cares, and wants to do right by his "patients."
    
    I live in Grafton, so that is probably too far for you to travel.
    
    -Roberta
    

    
    	To answer your question - ear mites must be seen under a
    	microsope, that's why `she can and you can't'. You must 
    	have the patience of Job, I wouldv'e bopped her one...
    
    	The ear canal goes straight down, then straight in, so you
    	can go down about 1/2 inch witha q-tip, or take a piece of
    	cotton, stuff it down with your finger, and wipe out the
    	grunge. Aubrey will not like it very much, but ear mites
    	itch and she;ll be happier in the end. 
    
    	When you put the drops in, put them straight down into her
    	ear, then massage firmly where the base of her ear meets her
    	head, that gets it down into the canal...
    
    	Good luck finding a vet, I'm in Millbury, so I tend to look
    	in the Auburn./Worcester area. I know a lot of the vets (from
    	working for one of them) in the area, so if you want to ask
    	about a particular one, you can write me off-line...
    
    	Sherry
    

    I have had similar experiences with the vets Roberta mentioned (.2).
    I will be bringing Nippa to the vet in Grafton from now on.  I would 
    suspect it would take 40 minutes to get there from Marlboro, maybe
    longer!
    
    In anycase, the vet I saw at Tufts was very good, nice and honest!
    He told me that Tufts is really a place for serious problems, becasue
    they have the latest and greatest equipment and technology.
    
    Good luck finding a vet.
    
    Michele & Nippa
    

    I have been bringing my kids to the vet in Grafton for 7 years now.
    
    He is wonderful. My sister started to bring her kids there also.
    
    

    Here's my two cents worth of experience with vets:  I have take my
    Holly to the Norhtboro Veterninary Clinic on West Main St Northboro
    since kittenhood.  They are extremely caring and concerned.  They also
    have state of the art type lab equipment for testing.  I was impressed. 
    Recently added to the same building was a grooming business and the
    hospital will also do routing boarding.  Have left her there several
    times, she came home well nourished and happy.
    
    A coworker of mine in MRO had a long time experience with the Animal
    Hospital on Route 20 in Marlboro. (near Horsefeathers).  His cat
    developed an massive infection after a cat bite.  I recall the vet
    there calling several times with progress reports and always being
    there for advice.  They also arranged time-payments for what had to be
    a huge bill.  He and I both believe they saved the cat's (9) lives!
    
    Here's my question, now that I've moved from Northboro to Oxford, does
    anyone have vet suggestions for my area?  It's nice to come to Northboro
    for routine  or scheuled stuff, but what happens if my luck runs out
    and I need a vet in a hurry?  Would even consider going into the Putnam
    or Thompson CT area.
    
    Good luck in your search!
    Lyn Tripp
    (Holly-kitty's mom)
    

    RE:  .5
    
    Which vet in Grafton are you referring to?  The vet I use is Dr.
    Verbridge and from what I understand, he's only been practicing for the
    past 2 years.  But, I could be mistaken, and that is the length of time
    he's been at the new location on Williams Street.
    
    Please clarify.
    
    Thanks,
    Roberta
    

    Yes Dr. Verbridge has only been there for 2 years.
    
    But I was seeing the other Doctor that was at the same location
    before he retired. And that's when Dr Verbridge came in. 
    

Thanks, everybody!

More questions:

If they can only tell earmites from earwax under a microscope, how is it 
that she just looked at Aubrey and knew?  Not even a close look, at that.
Makes me mad to thinkk she may have just been "shooting from the hip"
with my baby!  Come to think of it, that's what the entire exam was like.
Since Aubrey is 17, I wanted a full workup.  She is doing a blood test,
but she didn't do a urinalysis or fecal.  Anybody have any thoughts on
what a really complete workup for an old ('scuse me, Aubrey) cat should
consist of?  I know there are different kinds of blood tests - what should
I make sure she gets?

Any info on whole eggs vs. just the yolk?  (She said whole egg.)

re Grafton:  Isn't that where Tufts is?  Took me 20 minutes from Marlboro...
but then I'm infamous for my driving.  If this vet really is spectacular,
then I'm more than willing to go there.  Is there only one vet in Grafton?
Are all the yeah votes for Verbridge?  Are there any nayes in the crowd?

re vet in Marlboro on Rt. 20 - anybody else have any experience with him?  
Good or bad?  

If you'd rather, write me off-line.  SOKO::ZICKEFOOSE

    Yes, Grafton is where Tufts is.  Dr. Verbridge is about another 5 to 10
    minutes from Tufts.
    
    I don't think a lot of Feliners live in Grafton, so not sure how many
    folks will respond.  I like him and feel he is a very compassionate
    person and a good vet.
    

    re: eggs
    
    Are we talking raw or cooked?  If raw, only give the yolks.  If
    cooked, I believe that you can give the whites too, but I never
    do.  There is something about whites that cats cannot digest.
    
    re: exam of older cat
    
    I wouldn't put your cat through a urinalysis unless she was good
    enough to provide you with a sample on her own.  If the vet has
    to express the bladder for one, it will cause discomfort to the
    cat.  Same with fecal.  If you want a fecal test, you have to bring
    the sample with you.
    
    On the bloodwork, a complete blood panel should show you her white
    count, blood protein, globulin, red count, and liver and kidney function.
    It comes back with all kinds of tests, most of which I can't remember,
    but basically, it will give you a good overall veiw of where she
    stands healthwise.  
    
    high white count = possible infection
    low red count    = possible anemia
    high or low kidney or liver will tell if those organs are still
    operating properly.             
    
    On the ear mite issue, I don't know but it seems that if there were
    mites present, there may be some signs of infection in the ear too.
    Possibly red inflamed canals, pus or exudate.  It is possible that
    she was able to diagnose them without the help of a microscope,
    especially if the investation was severe.  She has probably seen
    tons of cat ears.  I would probably be inclined to give her the
    benefit of the doubt on that one, although I agree that she is
    definitely lacking in the bedside manner category.  :^)
    
    Jo

Thanks for all the info, Jo.

Re earmites again: (sorry if we are flailing this topic to death)

No pus, no inflamation, it doesn't even look particularly dirty, and 
definitely no dirtier than the other one.  I'm more observant with Aubrey
than most people are with their cats - I know every inch of her, better than
I know my own body.  I told the vet
that Aubrey seems to have gotten deaf in her old age, and she does rub at that
ear a lot, and sometimes holds it funny.  Something is funny with her ear,
but without goopey or inflammed ears, or a sample under a microscope to tell,
how do we know its ear mites and not something else?

z

    Did the vet look into her ears with a scope?  If not, you may want
    to consider a second opinion on the ear thing.
    
    My mom had an elderly cat that had ear trouble in her later years.
    This was often misdiagnosed as ear mites.  It turned out to be
    something much more serious.  
    
    After hearing your descriptions of the symptoms, I would have to
    advise that you seek a second opinion.
    
    Jo

re -.1, Jo

The vet didn't look in her ears wtih a scope - like I said, 
she hardly looked at her ears at all.  That's why I'm concerned,
and not convinced it's ear mites.  Aubrey has become noticably
deaf in just the last few weeks.  

What was wrong wtih your mother's cat?

    I second the idea of getting a second opinion.  Infections in
    the ear can be painful due to the tight skin, and also dangerous,
    since they are near the brain.
    

    I would continue to use the tresederm even tho you go for a
    second opinion - and continue unless a vet tells you not to.
    Tresederm is not going to hurt her ears (that I know of) and
    contains alot of anti-inflamatory "stuff" that would be good
    for any type of inflamation.
    
    Ear mites can do SERIOUS damage if allowed to continue for any
    length of time.  If she's had the mites long enough she may
    now have infection because of the damage done by the mites.
    
    In any case, I would also find another vet.  I wouldn't have
    lasted 2 minutes with that vet!  
    
    TO give you an idea of the other side of the coin.  The three vets
    with which I have worked closely over the last several years have
    all treated me as an intelligent, knowledgeable and observant 
    person where my cat's health is concerned.  I have been allowed 
    to take cats home a bit early after procedures where someone else
    wouldn't have been allowed.  An example was when Bumpy and Mao had
    their teeth cleaned.  i was warned that they were still quite groggy
    and that the vet would keep them overnight at no cost.  However, I
    wouldn't have been able to pick them up in the morning so they let
    me take them with a warning.  I ended up confining them to cages
    for the night because they would have hurt themselves.  
      These vets have also OCCASIONALLY given me medication - ie. anti-
    biotics - based on my verbal reports on the cats.  It was always
    done with the understanding that if the cat wasn't better in a 
    predetermined # of days I would bring it to the vet.  And they have
    always been very willing to answer questions and explain things.
    
    That's my idea of what the vet-cat-owner relationship should be.
      nancy DC

    
    Nancy and I concur on the Vet-cat owner relationship.  I am in the
    process of changing vets myself because of deteriorating levels of care
    at my current Vets.  My cats have just turned 5 years and I feel that
    my vet should be paying MORE attention to the annual physical exam, not
    less.  Mind you my two are very healthy, but I'm not going to take a chance
    on something minor, or in the early stages, being overlooked because the
    vet was not careful enough.
    
    Just my two cents.  Also, I would consider calling Tufts and asking for
    the Veterinary supervisor and having a chat about your experience. 
    This young Vet needs to learn a lesson NOW, not after she seriously
    injures someones animal due to neglegiance.  (And who knows she may
    have already, ear problems can be serious, and I KNOW (as a trained and
    certified Veterinary assistant, that you can not definately diagnose
    ear mites with out a microscope.)
    
    Feline angry at negligent Vets,
    
    Sue & Panther & Spots
     
                                                                        z

Thanks, everybody.  I was just thinking on my way in that I would 
call a supervisry type at Tufts, and definitely take her to someone else for
a more thorough checkup.  Your notes have given me confidence that
I'm not just being silly about this.

The really irritating part is, she's *not* a student - she was in
private practice, and then joined their staff as a full time vet.  I think
we all know why she left private practice.  ;-)

z