Sick cat Jasper

Here is my dilemma, my elderly cat Jasper, who is 17 years old, is suffering from a swollen stomach and clearly needs medical attention.  Apart from vaccinations boosters and some rotten teeth needing to be removed he has not needed vet attention previously.  I have him insured, for all his 17 years, as are all my pets.  My trip to the vets with him has proved to be a frustration and I am none the wiser as to the cause of his swelling, treatment options or prognosis.

Don’t get me wrong vets are highly skilled professionals and I respect the fact that training is a long process, longer in fact that training as a Doctor.  But why do you feel costs escalate for treatment when you declare the pet is insured?

Jasper underwent sedation and x-rays on his swollen stomach late in the afternoon.  No-one from the vets updated me on his condition or recovery so I called to check on his progress about 30 mins from close of surgery.  I was advised to come to the vets to collect him and discuss his treatment with the vet, after of course paying out £300 in costs.

Now this is where I am asking my blog readers what they would do.  The vet had no update for me but offered me 5 possible causes of his swelling but no bloods had been run for results and therefore no treatment options could be discussed and no further information was given.

Doing the typical British thing of not complaining, I left with a very wobbly, unhappy and uncomfortable cat.  Should I have challenged the treatment or lack of it more with the vet?  Did I have a right as a paying customer to expect a better service from the vet?

I did make a call to the vet practice the next morning to speak with them but no-one returned my call.  Is this a good service, is this a service that serves the best interest of the pets and their health, not in my eyes.  My option is to start the consultation process with another veterinarian practice to find out what is wrong with my poor elderly cat.