Cut paw, £1000 for tests?

[MyShinyThing]

I've taken shiny cat to the vets twice this week because he came home at the weekend with a bleeding paw. I wasn't too concerned at first, there was blood & he'd damaged 2 of the claws but he was cleaning it & walking fine so I left it until Monday to take him.

Vet prescribed antibiotics & a painkiller & told me to bring him back today to check it was healing and see whether a suture was needed.

Today we saw a different vet who prescribed an extended course of the antibiotics but then started talking about further tests because I couldn't tell her how he had caused the damage. She made me book another appointment for next Wednesday & said she send me over a quote.

£1000 of tests!!! She wants to check lymph nodes, do a biopsy, check his white cells etc etc etc!

I asked her if there was any thing to suggest it was something other than a cut paw & she said no, but because I can't explain how he did it she'd like to investigate.

I really feel like she's just taking the piss a bit! Shall I just cancel the appointment now & carry on with the antibiotics? It's all scabbed over now & the claws are growing back but she seemed to think that because he didn't want it touched & there was a red/raw bit that it needs to be investigated under anaesthetic!

Is it madness or am I being cruel if I don't have the tests?

Cancel the appointment and change your vet.

That’s ridiculous. I’d change vets.

Drop the vet like a hot brick.

Speaking as a qualified Veterinary Nurse, please just cancel the appointment.
As long as you’re happy the wound is healing, no further tests should be necessary 🐈

Can gel the appt
Carry on with antibiotics
If she becomes unwell at it doesn't heal you can make another appt.
At a different surgery perhaps

OMG, I paid less than £500 for a cat to have a leg and toe amputated.

Unless Shiny has an ongoing problem or seems unwell, I'd say there's no reason to take him back. If you need to go back, ask to see the original vet.

Thank you. I think you've confirmed exactly what I was thinking. Unfortunately they're the only vet in the area as they're a small local chain but I'll definitely look into another one!

I'm already annoyed that I paid out for heart tests & a diabetes test when he had a dental (£800!) when it turned out that his raised sugar levels & heart rate were down to the stress of being at the vets!

I now feel a bit like they're trying to make money out of me! But surely a vet wouldn't put a middle aged cat through an unnecessary anaesthetic just to increase the bill!?

I paid £1400 about 3 years ago for loads of tests and treatment for my cat when she had an aggressive tumour.

Your vet is ridiculous.

This is the quote she's sent me, I really think I'm just going to cancel. Of course if his foot then drops off I'm going to feel horribly guilty!

If his foot drops off then the problem is solved!

If and only if any tests were required, would he sit still enough if held by you to have them done without sedation? Fatty would have heart scans, bloods and x rats without anything. My pair ran up bills of £14,000!

Well she has offered the option of just the biopsy under sedation but that still comes in at £600!

DH did say he'd get the big saw out .

I don't think he'd sit still for it. He never bites (no teeth) or scratches but I think he'd just wriggle too much. Plus I really feel that there's just no need for any of the tests anyway.

I agree that it seems a bit OTT.

Well there are conditions that cause random wounds and sores but I'd say you don't need to do anything further at this point if your cat is fine. I would say such tests would only be necessary if it kept happening.

I would just chuck the estimate in the bin and forget about it if your cat is ok now.

Looks like they are assuming you have insurance that will cover the bill, so feel they can go for everything on the menu.

I don't know the inner workings of a Vet practice, but I would have thought dressings etc would come under either an "incidentals" general category, or would be included in the cost of the procedure as they are absolutely required. And waste disposal, chargeable by the amount of time the cat is in?

The vet my dm took her cat to convinced her he needed tests - at 18!! Cost her £998, realised it was old age associated things (no shit?) and decided pts would be kinder.
Then billed her another £100!!