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Original poster

More news on Samson

21 replies

EnlightenedOwl · 29/04/2014 13:19

The vet rang me yesterday.
They sent his x ray to an orthopaedic vet.

He looked more at the whole picture than just the hip and is convinced the issue is with his back or more specifically the discs in his back. He thinks that one of the discs is damaged and pressing on the spine. That explains why his back is hunched and he has some weakness in his hind legs.
He also thinks the degeneration is large and progressive.

It is something you see commonly in dogs but less so in cats.
We are due to speak with my vet on Saturday but I have advised insurance or no insurance I am not putting him through spinal decompression surgery which comes with no guarantees.

I will update after our appt on Saturday and see what we think then.

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thecatneuterer · 29/04/2014 13:23

Oh no. Poor Samson. Sending best wishes to you both.

Fluffycloudland77 · 29/04/2014 20:13

Poor Samson, I thought he was on the home straight.

You must be so upset. How is he generally?

cozietoesie · 29/04/2014 20:23

Poor Samson. Did they gve any suggestion of how it had been caused? (eg an RTA.)

timtam23 · 29/04/2014 21:40

Oh your poor gorgeous boy. I hope your vet can give you some options for treatment. Even if it is just symptom relief. How is he doing?

cozietoesie · 29/04/2014 21:47

Yes. I think, in all the circumstances, I'd be looking at palliative care.

Can you imagine what life would have been like for him next winter (which will be a harsh one) if you hadn't found each other?

Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 30/04/2014 13:06

Possibly caused by RTA/fall, some trauma. Very disappointing as he had settled so well.

he is relatively okay at the moment but his back is quite curved which and he was lying on my knee last last night and he had some muscle tremors in his back legs. Things I might not have heeded before but make some sense in light of this new info.
I can't blame my vet for missing this - we were focusing on the hip and this is such an unusual thing to see in a cat. That's why the x rays went for second opinion.
I will look at that vet's report on Saturday and we can discuss options. At least he is not on the streets struggling with this - don't regret taking him in for a minute
He is reasonably comfortable insisted on stayiing out all night last night little horror!

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cozietoesie · 30/04/2014 14:57

I sometimes feel muscle tremors with Seniorboy - to be expected with him given his age and history.

I'd get Samson a heated cushion I think. He may not have a huge amount of time left to him but it would be good if it was pleasant, eh?

Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 30/04/2014 22:33

Bad back or not he is still having a high old time. He demanded to go out last night and against my better judgment left him out all night. He rocked up this morning with a bad scratch on his nose clearly another cat has swiped him. (Not mine as my other cat was in bed with me all night and Sam didn't have that scratch when he went out)
It is a real scratch and he is curled up asleep at the moment with wound powder on his nose. That's going to look really good at the vets on Saturday!

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Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 02/05/2014 09:46

Nightmare yesterday. Brother went home at lunch and found Sam hissing, spitting and unable to walk. After a moment or two he managed to get going but was very weak behind. He was concerned enough to consider taking him to vet there and then. However on basis he seemed to have got himself going a little he left it until he went home after work. Rang me at work again to say cat could not walk and he was taking him to vet.
Vet gave him a painkiller and stuck another £60 on the bill (we don't know yet if insurance is going to pay)
I came home to no improvement. He was very weak behind. We rang vet again this time on an emergency call out basis and I said I thought the best thing was to put him to sleep.Vet said she was shocked by our decision. So we had him put to sleep and I am sat here feeling guilty and devastated - vet clearly does not agree with what we have done but we have no insurance decision until next week we are racking up costs and clearly there was something at issue which realistically only surgery - and it would have been radical surgery at that - would have a hope of putting right.

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timtam23 · 02/05/2014 19:13

Oh Enlightened I am really so sorry to hear this. How sad for you all. Please don't dwell on what the vet said, there may well be "what-if's" but I don't think it was particularly helpful for her to say she was shocked by your decision (and it was YOUR decision to make) - his back/legs do sound very worrying and you have allowed him to have a dignified end, personally I would have to think long & hard before putting an animal through radical surgery - even if insured. You took him in for his last few weeks and we have all seen the photos of how happy & content he was. Imagine if he had still been stray, what an awful situation he would have been in now with no one to love him and help him. You did the best for him right to the end.

Lots of {thanks] to you

timtam23 · 02/05/2014 19:13

Whoops that should be Thanks

thecatneuterer · 04/05/2014 19:22

Exactly what timtam said. This is very sad news though and it's really quite upset me. So sorry.

Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 04/05/2014 20:00

Thank you we are very upset and gutted but clearly whatever had happened was very serious and it would have put him through a great deal to even begin to try to get him right.

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cozietoesie · 04/05/2014 20:15

I'm very sorry, Enlightened. I think you did the best and kindest thing.

Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 04/05/2014 20:20

But I have had a bad taste left in my mouth after this. When he went for x rays I told the vet although I'd put insurance in place I didn't think for a minute they would meet the claim as it must be pre-existing. Well she said put a claim in anyway. So we did - or at least the vets have. (At the moment still waiting to hear if claim will be met). The minute insurance was mentioned it was like chasing the golden egg. We'll send him for MRI, it will probably mean discetomy. Etc. When he first went to the vets on Thursday he should have been pts then but no, medication and another £60 on the bill. I really will be amazed if insurance meet this but even if they do I wouldn't have put the cat through all that. I just feel that somehow in all this all sense of proportionality has been lost i..e what is best for this cat? And if you don't go down the try every avenue route you are just made to feel horrendously guilty.

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cozietoesie · 04/05/2014 20:25

Yes you will - but remember .......He also thinks the degeneration is large and progressive.........

It was a bad condition - possibly from an RTA they thought? There are times when - with all the heroic surgery in the world - the time comes to say goodbye.

Just remember his grin. I will.

Toughasoldboots · 04/05/2014 20:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 04/05/2014 20:35

Thank you all.

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timtam23 · 04/05/2014 20:59

Enlightened I have been thinking about Samson on & off over the weekend as his rescue & story really stayed with me - You absolutely did the right thing

The ortho vet opinion was a good thing in the long run I think, as for me at least it made the gravity of his spine condition very clear. It was almost certain that something serious would eventually happen & a matter of not if but when - I'm so sorry you didn't have long with him and I'm sorry you are feeling guilty due to what the vet said to you.

I know there is no way my vet surgery would have responded in that way (I really trust them to discuss with me what is best for my cats and I have always been ok with the decisions reached even when they were sad ones - one of the vets in particular is very pro-low intervention especially in elderly/infirm cats) - do you need to have a think about using a different vet in future?

More Thanks and a big piece of Cake

Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 04/05/2014 21:17

Yes I definitely need to change vets. My other cat is quite old now so will probably stay with them for the duration but for the future will be looking at using a different vets there are one or two in the area I would be keen to try. I am quite low intervention - of course the things I think are treatable and within reasonable boundaries will be done - but I am not an "Lets try anything" person so if that is the approach my current vets take then I am afraid we will not be compatible! I could also do without the guilt tripping exercise. Bad enough as it is.
Thanks for all your thoughts x

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Original poster
EnlightenedOwl · 04/05/2014 21:18

(Actually we are back there next week (!) for Jasper's vaccinations so it will be interesting to see what if anything is said)

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