Hi,
I've come here as I'm at my wits end with my vet and could use some more advice on anyone who may have been in a similar situation or is a vet!
My 10/11 month old, 3.3.kg female rescue cat got neutered 2 weeks ago. Her routine checks prior were all fine, advised she was in excellent health especially considering she was a rescue.
Was told surgery went well, she had about a day and a half of being quiet and lethargic then for 2-3 days was back to her usual self. Went to the vet for a post-op check up and all was fine and gave her monthly 3 in 1 flea/tick/worm treatment that same day. However on day 5 (day after first check up) her behaviour drastically changed:
- She became very clingy, will not do anything on her own and will usher you to bed with her if you are not in bed already.
- She has been sleeping constantly, only waking up to eat and use the toilet.
- Extremely vocal
- Breathes loudly if she is not lying on her side/flat on her back with her belly up
- NOTE: she is eating as usual, drinking slightly more, going to the toilet as usual
I thought this was all down to her recovering as I know surgery can take a lot out of anyone! Went for the second post-op check up at the vet and vet said she heard a heart murmur. Vet suggested blood work and proBNP done ASAP, obviously I panicked and said yes as she suggested it was quite urgent to do and I trust what she is telling me.
Still waiting for the proBNP results, however spoke to a friend who qualified as a vet and she said it sounds like the cat has a bacterial infection or parasite or is allergic to something. I requested the full results from the vet (included a photo) and I am no qualified veterinarian but 10 minutes on Google also heavily indicated what my friend said. Her eosinophil (EOS) and basophil (BAS) levels are very high. Any thoughts on this?
It's now been 2 weeks since the initial surgery and I noticed the cat licking and pulling near her tummy - a string from her stitches is out and it looks a bit red/pink in that areas. Again, I have attached photos (sorry in advance as it's not a beautiful sight to see) - does this look normal? I called the vet to ask if I should trim the string and she advised me to come in instead as there is no visible knot on the stitch (understandable). The string doesn't look very long but it's about 1.5inches!
I'm considering changing vets at this point as I feel she has panicked us unnecessarily and not provided well-rounded advice. Personally, I would have suggested doing standard blood work and taken it from there and given that the blood work suggests an infection or parasite, tested the cat's stool for worms?
Is it worth requesting the vet do this or shall I wait for the proBNP results and then move vets? (btw paying all out of pocket for this, obviously happy to do for my pet but I want to make sure she is getting the right treatment and tests!). My qualified vet friend thinks I'm being scammed here, but I don't know if I am just overthinking. My main thing is making sure the cat is okay, I feel like I need to be her advocate, something is clearly wrong and she needs treatment asap.
I would really appreciate some advice on this!!
Thanks
-aconfusedperson