Am I allowed to say this on this board?

[slvrwhispr]

Holy cow... I'm so sorry to hear about this. If any vet ever... ooo. I'd go in to the other vet and give them a solid piece of my mind. It won't bring your kitty back, but it might save someone else from having this same problem in the future.

I'm so sorry, hon. *hugs*

[Cleo]

OMG MA, I am so, so very sorry! I was reading the posts in this thread from the top and NEVER expected to see that news from you! You did everything right, please don't think otherwise. If this were television, my message would have allot of bleeps in it because I'm cursing in between sobs here for what you went through with Bartee and that first vet.

I will pray for him and his crossing to the Rainbow Bridge and keep a good thought for you in my heart.

(((hugs)))
Cleo

[Jodi]

MA, I am sooooo sorry over your loss of Bartee. I know this is a hard time for you, but please remember how kind you were to him and how you tried to help him. He is at the Bridge now, and he knows how much you cared about him. Take care, and God bless....

[Tina B and crew]

Oh MA..no!! I am so sorry

[kk]

Oh, all i can do is cry. I'm so sorry. My heart is breaking for you. (((hugs))), kk

[LisaLisa]

MA,

I'm sooo sorry for your unfortunate loss of Bartee. You are a special person and please never forget that Bartee knew how much you loved him... Thank you for makng this place better for him and all your furbabies.

I will say a prayer for you both.

[MA]

Does he look sick?

[MA]

Traci et al- I talked to the vet here is what I was told. They had planned to scope him, and x-ray him and draw more blood. He was in such a "state" that they were afraid of him (he is feral after all) so instead of giving him a local they opted for diazepam? and sodium thyminacol? I am probably slaughtering the spellings of these. They went to entubate him and he stopped breathing, his lips turned blue and they fought to save him, but they said it was to quick.

The vet believes that Bartee was in the beginnings of CRF and the anesthesia that they used interfered with his internal organs and caused him to shut down. You know what I belive wholeheartedly? I believe I am going to find another vet!

[Susan and the girls]

Oh, MA - I am so very sorry about Bartee. I can't believe this has happened. Don't ever darken the doors of the other vet's office again.

((((Hugs)))) ***tears***

[Traci]

MA........I'm not sure about the diazepam-combination injectable....Normally, we would do a pre-surg of course, but if your vet felt this was an emergency situation, there is not always time to allow for a pre-surg screen. I don't know what your vet was thinking at the time, as in, was she thinking, we need to get to this problem immediately (as in was he dyspnic or lethargic or any other symptom that necessitated immediate intubation)?

Diazepam alone is not an acceptable anesthetic for induction, it does not give a complete anesthesia, but it can be used in combination with other injectable agents (i.e., ketamine/valium).....and it's evident she was going to maintain him on ISO, depending on how long she felt the procedure was going to take.

Ideally, a pre-surg could have been done, maybe even an ECG, considering the stress factor prior to intubation. I'm sure your vet wanted to use the diazepam to lightly sedate before other procedures. It is nearly impossible to know if Bartee had a cardiac arrest due to an underlying problem or due to reaction of the injectable....the only way to hope for a confirmation would be through necropsy, but I completely understand if you were hesitant to have that performed.

CRF is a strong possibility, but without prior symptoms, impossible to say. Your first vet, by all accounts, should have performed general blood profiling, regardless, and I can't imagine why she never opted that to you. Only based on your posts, can I assume that her approach was nothing short of lacking. The second vet seemed to be more in tune with the problem, and I'm not sure that Bartee being a feral and being stressed or fractious was a true concern, other than a reactive state to the induction.

A local wouldn't have been the appropriate approach. You were needing an esophageal scope exam, so it is general anesthesia that is the correct approach. You said that he arrested "at intubation" , so I don't know if they succeeded after the first intubation approach or if they didn't get the tube in at all. Most often, arrests occur after intubation, and we can then attempt CPR through manual or machine approach, or even through injectable stimulants. I'm sure the vet and staff did everything appropriately, best they could.

I know that you need closure. Technically, the only way to determine the cause would be through a necropsy. If you can't opt for that, I would understand....but the possibilities include too many variables, and it would be wrong of me to say your vet was negligent.

I hope that you can find comfort in knowing that you indeed did everything you could for Bartee, you were there for him, you recognized a problem, and you acted promptly. We don't always have control of what is to be, but we know that you did everything possible, please don't second guess yourself.

My heart aches for you so much....(((HUGS)))