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So yesterday started out with taking my kitty Pookie to the vet, for a routine visit to check on a limp she had for awhile, and a slight sniffle. At the vet's office she started breathing heavily, so badly the vet couldn't hear her heart. He said he wanted to keep her for tests and x-rays, so I left her to be picked up later. I got a call about 2 hours later that she was having an "asthma" attack.... they gave her some medicine and were treating her as if it were asthma. When I picked her up at 2pm, she seemed okay. They sent her home with a steroid and antibiotics, the vet assumed it was asthma, except he told me her heart was enlarged.

I got her home and she was fine, gave her the first dose of antibiotics and steroid, and took a nap (had a tooth pulled). About 10pm, I noticed she was sleeping an awful lot, so I got her up to have her take her second dose of antibiotics....she wouldn't eat at all, and started breathing heavy again. She laid down under the coffee table, laid on her side with her mouth open and was huffing and puffing. I called the vet's emergency number and he told me he couldn't do anything because he didn't have an oxygen cage, I would have to call the college if she got any worse, and gave me their number...he said to watch her and keep her quiet. So in the next five minutes she went downhill. She was gasping for air and her little tongue started turning blue. I tried giving her pet CPR (compressions at least) and then put her in her carrier as I called the college and sped out of the driveway with her in the front seat. I was panicking at this point.

As they were giving me directions I was driving, and got about 2 miles down the road.....I hung up with them and pulled over to grab my GPS, when I noticed there was no movement from the carrier. My Pookie was gone.... I am so devastated. I opened up the cage and started to pull her out, and was screaming. I kept trying compressions on her but she was already gone. She had suffocated to death....I had to call a friend in the middle of the night to come take us to the college to have her cremated. I haven't been able to stop crying. She was a part of my family for 12 years, she was my baby. The house feels so empty without her.

I'm so angry with the vet because it was congestive heart failure and he let her go home....saying it was "asthma" instead of keeping her and treating her with diuretics... I know maybe this is my reaction to grief...the "7 stages of grieving" or whatever.... but I am just upset, and angry.... My best friend is gone. She was fine a few days ago, all things considered. I'm sure she was sick for awhile, she had been wheezing, and obviously her heart was englarged....but she was FINE, and then she was GONE. I had to tell my poor husband (who if you recall is in Iraq) who just kept saying "Oh my god I'm so sorry"....My other cat Cobalt seems kind of confused, when I didn't come back with Pookie this morning.

This has just been the worst couple days......

In memory of my baby >>>>

I am so sorry. Losing a pet is heartbreaking.

I am so sorry for your loss. Sharing life with a pet for 12 years makes them a huge part of the family. {pookiekitty}

I'm sorry for your loss. That`s just awful.

What a heart breaking story.. I am so very very sorry for your loss PK. And I don't blame you one bit for being angry with the Vet.
If that that same scenerio had happend with a "rugrat" you would have ample grounds for suing the Doctor.
But, you might still have grounds, if your the state you live in allows for that.
Some states think animals are nothing more then that, just animals.
But we at WKYN all know that is NOT True. Our animals are our furbabies!!
So, My heart goes out to you. And
If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, feel free to PM me.
I lost my dog 5 years ago due to her central nervous system shutting down.
And she only lived to the ripe young age of 10
So I have been in your shoes.
And so have others here on this board. So your in good company.
We feel your pain.
Pookie She was one beautiful pussy cat

I miss your baby for you. I am so sorry. She looked like such a love. Look forward to the Rainbow Bridge. She'll be there.

Thank you everyone for your awesome support. ((hugs back)) It has been a tough day. I'm finally starting to dry my eyes, and getting to talk to my hubby again helped too. My Mom bought a kitty cat urn for her ashes for when they arrive from the university. My Mom is awesome....Pookie was really special to my Mom too.

T.W. losing our pets is devastating, I'm sorry you had to go through that...my Pookie was only about 11/12 (12 at the oldest, we think she was 6 months when I found her at the end of my driveway). I am pretty sure I am in one of those states that unfortunately I have no grounds Welcome to Kansas...Believe it or not this was the FIRST TIME I went to this vet...never met him before this visit. Needless to say I will never go back, I will be taking my Little Man to the Fort Riley Vet Clinic (at least they are more strictly regulated).

Thank you though everyone....it's comforting to know I have good friends here

I'm so sorry to hear. I'm going away for a while, and tonight I dropped off my cat at a friend's place. I know she'll take good care of him (she cared for him last time I was away) and I know that I'll see him again in a few months, but even with both of those I am quite sad to leave him.

I'm very sorry you had to go through this, what a terrible thing to happen. You're right, this vet sounds like he missed some very obvious signs and symptoms and you have every right to be angry. Not all vets are great, unfortunately, and we find these things out when it's too late.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I am so very sorry for your loss.

I am so sorry for your loss, and sorry for how it happened.

Pookie was a beautiful cat and she was lucky to have had someone like you in her life.

(04-18-2010 03:30 AM)anastasia Wrote: [ -> ]I'm very sorry you had to go through this, what a terrible thing to happen. You're right, this vet sounds like he missed some very obvious signs and symptoms and you have every right to be angry. Not all vets are great, unfortunately, and we find these things out when it's too late.

I agree .
My cat Dolly died last June and it was hard. However, I knew she had end-stage hyperthyroidism and there wasn't any more I could do for her. Her last morning she was breathing heavily like your kitty. At least she was at home without the stress of being at the vet's.
It's good you have another kitty with you to help you during this time.

My sympathies to you.

PK Just FYI In case you might be interested in checking this site out
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/plhl/stories/

It helped me a lot when we lost our Misty
If you click on this link you will see there are thousands of pets who are waiting for their loved ones at The Rainbow Bridge
But this site also offers first hand counciling too.
So, feel free to check it out, if & when your ready to.
And I am so glad your able to talk to your DH too.
It always helps to talk and let your grief take its natural course.
And by all means don't let anyone tell you how to grieve either.
That is the LAST thing you need to hear right now.
So, take your sweet time. And love up your other kitty real good too.
I am sure he is totally confused about it all.
So he will need loads of TLC

I am so sorry!

I'm so sorry. That is just awful! What a sweet faced kitty....

Thank you everyone. yeah P.G. she had the most expressive face too... She also had this meow, that wasn't quite a meow, it was almost like a "HEY!". I chuckled today when I had the cream cheese out and gave my other kitty some off the knife I was using; Pookie would always "growl" while she licked it off the knife, warning my other kitty to back off....haha, ahhh, I have such good memories of her. I miss her but it is getting a little better now.

((PK)) I'm so sorry for your loss. And that you had to go through such a traumatic way of losing her. This is a safe place to grieve - we understand the loss of a pet is like a family member. Hugs to you.

Sadly, most states are very lax when it comes to vets who screw up. There are vets that have done HORRID, HORRID things and have gotten away with a slap on the wrist. At most, you might have a suspended (for a short time) license.

Google "The Toonces Project."

Jen M.

(04-18-2010 01:16 AM)Truckerswife Wrote: [ -> ]What a heart breaking story.. I am so very very sorry for your loss PK. And I don't blame you one bit for being angry with the Vet.
If that that same scenerio had happend with a "rugrat" you would have ample grounds for suing the Doctor.
But, you might still have grounds, if your the state you live in allows for that.
Some states think animals

are nothing more then that, just animals.
But we at WKYN all know that is NOT True. Our animals are our furbabies!!
So, My heart goes out to you. And
If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, feel free to PM me.
I lost my dog 5 years ago due to her central nervous system shutting down.
And she only lived to the ripe young age of 10
So I have been in your shoes.
And so have others here on this board. So your in good company.
We feel your pain.
Pookie She was one beautiful pussy cat

---

PK, I'm really, really sorry. I just now saw this, and I'm tearing up. Her little face--she was so cute! She reminds me of my Juli.

I'm just really sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is HORRIBLE.

Jen M.