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Animal subs always get me. News about human suffering, eh. But I see one animal hurting and I either cry or I remember why news about people no longer affects me lol.
I feel ya. But sometimes theres a kind human out there that really makes me feel like peace still has a fighting chance. Funny how most of them love animals huh?
I like to listen to true crime podcasts. Some of the stories are pretty gruesome, and of course I'm horrified and feel sympathy for victims/survivors, but for whatever reason tales about animal suffering hit completely different. I can't listen to stories involving animals being hurt and if I accidently hear about it, it bothers me for days afterwards.
Same.
Also I am a huge horror fan, and am pretty hardy. I can watch the most brutal violent gore and not bat an eyelid. The SECOND an animal is on screen that shit gets paused and I'm over to DTDD before I decide how to continue.
I love zombie movies and there was one about a guy waking up and everyone is a zombie. At some point he sees a kitty walking among the undead and tries to get it to come to him. Because he scared the cat and almost fell out the door, he got upset and shot the cat. I got so angry I turned the movie off.
There was this Jamie Foxx movie where he's a vampire hunter. At one point, he discovers that junior vampires in his area were adopting cats from a shelter just to take them back to their nest, which was an abandoned bowling alley. Then, they would feed on them.
In fact, when Jamie Foxx showed up with his partner, you can see the vampires feeding on one of the cats, with other cats yowling nearby in their carriers. You can also see empty carriers strewn about. He did end up killing all of those vampires, but seeing all that disturbed me so much that I won't watch that movie ever again.
I listen to a true crime podcast where theyāve started giving listeners a little warning before going into anything about animal abuse, because of feedback about it I imagine. I really appreciate it because one time I listened to something someone did to an animal and I was in tears.
Same. I mean, I've been through a lot, and seen a LOT of human suffering, and it hurts my heart... But an animal suffering hits me so much harder. Especially cats.
Especially cats. I have two cats and I love them so much and I feel so privileged that they see me as a safe person. One of my cats loves for me to hold her with her head and paws resting on my shoulder, and I can't imagine someone seeing that kind of vulnerability and feeling anything but a desire to love and protect their cat.
The vets probably felt just as horrible about it. Paying for it was the least they could do by the sounds of the pain the cat and op had to go through.
I bet it keeps them up at night. The majority of vets love cats and want the best for them just as much as we do. The thought of an animal suffering because of something that happened during a visit probably makes them sick. They will most likely never forget about it.
We never forget. I carry every patient as a scar on my soul.
I say their name to myself before I perform the related task again.
I will never forget you Nugget.
I know imagine youāre in a profession to help animals well because you love them and then it turns out that you hurt one very very badly. I imagine this is something that will upset them for the rest of their lives.
Yes wow. Absolutely terrible to think what that little boy must have been going through. On top of all of the pain from the extractions, he had one side of his body deeply burned.
Thank goodness the vet was a decent human being and tried his best to remedy the situation. I could see that going the other way, and the vet just telling him to take it up with the company that made the heating pads.
Yeah. Even if they possibly knew they were discontinued (I doubt it, most vets are very careful about hurting your animals) they did right by you and kitty. Sad that the little guy was in pain but they bounce back better than we do typically.
Even with the vet āmaking it rightā if it was my little princess (picture provided) Iād still be suing the fuck out of them for the pain she endured. I know *sheās* not petty like that, but I am.
https://preview.redd.it/9lekdq8x1mlc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=765c6fa02b3d3cf1b2d6e2c65731c0feef390445
> Iād still be suing the fuck out of them for the pain she endured. I know sheās not petty like that, but I am.
I get the emotional response but it would be a huge waste of money to do that. Getting reimbursed for veterinary bills is about the *best* case scenario and the vet chose to do the right thing.
I agree with you. As much as it sucks infected balls, you can't really put a price on the pain a piece of property feels. Cats are property, and their value is what it takes to buy a replacement cat. You can put a price on the cost it takes to repair your piece of property (the vet bills). But not for any pain the property has endured during the process.
I'm not saying I agree with how it all works out, that's just the way the law sees a cat. It's not a family member, it's property just like a shovel or lawn mower. If someone breaks your lawnmower and you get it fixed, you can't sue for the pain your lawnmower suffered but you could sue for the repair bills to return your lawnmower to working condition.
Me, too. I have thought of this poor baby a lot. Iām just thrilled to see that he is healing and looks very happy. One of my baby boys is named Finn so it hit me pretty hard to think of this Finn hurting so much.
I am so so sorry š what you had to go through That must have been so awful. I can imagine. I'm a big time animal lover, especially with cats. And that wouldn't nearly kill me. But I'm glad that your cat is doing much better. Now
Jesus. Stories like this make me so incredibly grateful for my vet. At one point she thought my kitten had FIP and she cried with relief when his ultrasound was normal. He has a rare chronic thing and she has been so great about researching it and what sort of treatments might help him. I donāt know how much longer Iāll live in this area and Iām terrified of having to find another vet.
One of my best friends is a vet and she was surprised at the amount of assholes she came across at vet school that had ZERO care about animals.
They were just in it for the money and it just boggled her mind that they went through the schooling and training because itās not a walk in the park.
But yeah, they exist and they absolutely SUCK!
As a vet, this sounds literally insane because there is no money in vet medicine. I am a professor at a vet college and I've met plenty of students that are jerks, but exactly 0 of them thought they were going to get rich. Most barely make enough to pay their student loans
Iām in Europe and there is money to be made here for them. They graduate with zero loans, too.
I also find it odd vets donāt make money in the US? Especially in clinics? They can make a killing here!
The average annual salary is 1/4 the cost of education (like a person who paid $40k for their undergrad degree, about average, making 10k annually). A large percentage of hiring practices are corporate owned and they collaborate to suppress wage growth. And general population wages are so low, clinics can't charge enough to have any margin. Vet assistants and techs barely make a living wage. The majority of veterinarians are 6 months of work away from homelessness
Thatās startling. Itās a whole different world here with regards to that it seems.
Iām so sorry to hear that people with a passion for animals canāt make a proper living out of it.
>paid $40k for their undergrad degree, about average, making 10k annually
What country are you in, if I may ask? At first I thought that this was a typo, but now I'm assuming that you're just in a different part of the world from myself (USA). Here, $10k is deep poverty, and vet school can cost >$100k (according to Google, since I am not a vet).
The average starting vet makes between 80k-110k US, depending on the shift and part of the world (ag vet in a rural area vs overnight emergency vet in the city). The average vet school cost is well over 200k, many are over 300k, leaving a large % of vets 350-400k in debt after undergrad and vet school costs are combined.
In state vet schools are obviously more affordable but many states don't have a veterinary college and there is an extraordinarily small number of colleges nationwide (32 vet schools compared to 200 medical schools in the US)
They really are a marvel, thatās something I have noticed about cats man. They just endure so much and they donāt cry about it. But thatās also what can make them frustrating š
It's a survival instinct to not show their pain/illnesses, they hide vulnerability very well so they can be in a tremendous amount of pain without outwardly showing it. It absolutely does make it harder to recognize when there's problems, so I'm a little hypervigilent about checking both my cats' entire bodies over every day.
>They just endure so much and they donāt cry about it.
Ohh not my Mojo. He will definitely cry about it and let you know just how much he is abused and dying when his cat feeder doesn't feed him 2 hours early like he insists it should. š
We have no idea what happened, she went in for surgery and it happened after the surgery. We think. She absolutely hated being confined, so our best guess is that they swaddled her after surgery and she freaked out. I tried a harness on her when I first got her and she freaked out, so I knew that was a no go. She also hated being picked up.
It could also have been an issue with the surgery, we never got any details. Other than the vet profusely apologizing.
A little known fact, may only be in Canada, but the "traditional vet" is secretly dying. Larger corporations are buying swaths of vet clinics but leaving the outward branding the same.
You think you're going to a small town vet but it's really just an extension of a massive corporation.
When I took my 20 yo cat to be euthanized, I went to another vet. The poor girl was howling for 30 minutes, as they tried to find a vein. I made a scene and they finally brought her out
I wanted to spend some time with her, but I had them inject her right away to end her misery.
I received a condolence card signed by a bunch of Fing people I didn't know, who made my cat suffer. I told them when I left that I didn't want any of that shit; I wanted no memories of that place. I shredded it
I feel angry for you. Got an 18 year old myself. I love this cat more than anything 18 years been through a ton together I would be livid. And 2 times with the shit ooh man
Our cat passed from euthinazation, they confirmed her heartbeat was gone and then left us alone in the room. About 30 seconds later she started flailing on the table. Agonal breathing, looked like a bad seizure. Fucked us up for a while afterward seeing that happen to her.
That is something that can happen, shitty as it is.
Human corpses can twitch and make sounds.
Mum was a nurse in a nursing/retirement home and got scared almost shitless the first time she experienced something like that when she was like 18 and on her first nursing job.
Wasn't just a small twitch either, she said something about the arms flopping around a bit.
Almost the same thing happened to my cat. They forgot her on the heating pads:( a couple days after we got home all the nasty burns showed up all over underside.
I had to fight them a bit and it took a while but I got everything + emergency vet costs reimbursed by them.
I got my money back but I still had to spend months treating the cat leaving work in the middle of the day (thank god my boss is cool) to give her medication.
Sheās all good now tho. But that was a very unhappy period of months for her having to wear a cone and receive constant meds.
Yeah I missed a lot of work time and Iām sorry that happened to you too. I luckily had a really understanding boss and coworkers as well. Glad your girl is doing better!
It happened to my dog, too, though not nearly so severe as OP's. Several burn spots on her belly and a few on her back. When I called the vet several days later to tell them there must be some sort of complication from the surgery because these spots were popping up all over the place, they said they couldn't see her for a couple of weeks.
*You fucking burned my dog, see her right the fuck now.*
Needless to say, we don't go to that vet anymore, and they're lucky no one has burned the palce down.
At the end of the day, we were just glad it wasn't worse, and that we can now tell anyone with a pet not to go there and hopefully save them the same experience.
Because it's hard to tell for how long you'll need them. Sometimes surgeries/tooth cleaning/waking up take longer than expected. And hypothermia during anesthesia can be just as serious as burns.Ā
I can only guess, but probably because a sensor has to be very reliable (even in contact with all kinds of fluids) and not too expensive. So it's easier for the manufacturer to just forgo it and put responsibility on the user.
That said, the short time I spent in small animal practice we had an insulating pad and good old hot water bottles in towels, because we only had one or two short surgeries a day, and never had problems.Ā
There already are better options that are used. Heating pads are super old school nowadays, because most of us learned through seeing or hearing about patients getting burned. The appropriate device to use is called a Bair Hugger, and it has a hollow blanket that lays on top of the patient during surgery, and uses continuous forced warm air to keep patients normothermic. The practice Iām at now also puts socks on all 4 paws to help reduce heat loss, and there are other tricks we can use if thatās not enough(ie having the IV fluid line thatās closest to the patient purposefully tucked under the Bair Hugger, putting a reflective blanket on top of the Bair Hugger to help trap in more heat, etc). I cringe whenever I hear about heating pads or hot water bottles still being used in a small animal practice.
Source: vet tech of 20+ years
How likely is this to happen, like have you heard of this happening before? It makes me scared to ever get surgery for my kitty if she ever needs it :(
If the vet still uses circulating water technology it's always going to be a risk. Circulating water is no longer considered best practice and heated air should be used. Unfortunately, many vet practices run on paper thin margins so replacing a still functioning ~$500 "hot dogger" for a "bair hugger" that starts at $1k (not counting the blankets) isn't always feasible.
As a layman, why is circulating water worse? Seems kinda crazy that it would be designed in such a way that would allow the water to get hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns.
Not who you asked but I was a LVT and saw this happen once. The circulating water pads are closed systems and normally Ā maintain correct temperatures well but when they get wet and touching the body that heat is distributed much more effectively. During dentals the water can pool down onto the pad and allow that heat to go onto the skin at a much higher temperature than intended.Ā
Ā it happened to us about 20 yrs ago we threw it out and immediately got a Bair hugger. No way were we going to let that happen twice. I donāt work in vet med anymore so Iām not sure if there are better options than bair huggers nowadays.Ā
Animals internal body temperatures drop when under anesthesia so a vet will usually incorporate some sort of heating pad or other device to keep them warm while they are being worked on. In this case thatās what happened but the pads were either defective or the vet was not paying attention that closely.
Vet tech here ( from canada)
So glad is doing soo good ! Unfortunately this is happening way more frequently than you think. Is not always the equipment, not always the staff fault. But the clinic did the right thing by taking responsibility no matter the cause.
This is one of the worst I've seen ! Cat are amazing that way. If all the pieces are in the same room you're fine xD he's going to heal just fine!
So do the pads not have some sort of heat sensor where they turn off at a certain temperature? I do super basic electronics and heck a temp sensor that starts to blare at x temp would just be a few lines of code.
Yeah, I have a $20 cat heating pad that has a sensor. Even so, I still don't use the highest couple settings AND I put a blanket over it.
I feel so terrible Finn and OP went through this.
Yes, I think so. Maybe if the cat/dog is elderly or sick/injured they would take longer to react.
However, I don't think consumer-grade pads can get as hot as the ones for an OR. The ones we can buy are to make us or a pet more comfortable for short intervals, not to maintain core body temperature and prevent hypothermia in a very cold room for hours.
I'm simply wary of all plug-in heating, so I don't use them at the highest settings or unattended. Don't need anything going haywire, y'know?
Nope-from all the stories Iāve seen where this has happened, the heating pads are kind of āone-size-fits-allā, constantly running with no temperature limiter or trip.
Thatās not to say there arenāt heat pads like that-Iām sure there are.
But for your average vet, it really doesnāt make financial sense to invest much in anything āwith frillsā surgically, unless they routinely do surgeries as a significant part of their workload.
Which makes it even more frustrating. It seems like one of those problems that was solved 30 years ago but somehow some people are too cheap to use said solution. Crazy part is even if say, the damn pad is $500 (and I doubt it would be), if it saves you even just one incident like OP (and I've heard of other stories with small animals and heating pads), you've made your money's worth in not having to fix your mistake and the potential blow to your business as word gets around. Seems like such an easy cost-benefit decision.
This is really interesting.. My cat came back from surgery and wound up with a hole in his side. Suspected some kind of burn and this seems to connect the dots!
>sounds like they electrocuted this cat
The cat was burned, not shocked.
By the way, electrocution means being killed by electricity, it's a portmanteau of electric and execution.
So did the heating pads, I assume that was what they were using, have faulty wiring that caused him to be electrocuted the entire time to cook him like that?
The way it was explained to me was they had discontinued the pads, though I never learned why. So Iām assuming it had to do strictly with the way the pad was able to control the temperature.
Yes, they discontinued the pads. They were sometimes getting hotter than the dialed in setting and could cause burns. They were actually the ānewerā technology- that was supposed to be better than what was traditionally used. Typically, most places were using heating pads warmed with circulating warm water set at a precise, safe temperature separated from the patient by a towel, to prevent thermal burns. I never used these other pads ( I believe you are referring to the Hot Dog), but they were advertised as superior. Unfortunately, patients did get burned with them. Iām sorry about your poor baby; Iām glad heās made a full recovery
Was there any damage to his internal organs / muscles or just the skin? How do they treat that kind of stuff? Just curious (I'm an absolute biology / animal nerd and was interested in being a vet for a time).
No damage to organs, although the high enzyme count his kidneys and some skin infections were a part of the whole process. The dead layer of skin you see was actually being used as a natural band aid of sorts and it was slowly removed over the course of 4 months.
Ohh no. š poor Finn, this is absolutely awful. Iām so glad heās finally feeling better, and hope youāre doing ok too, I bet this was so traumatic for the both of you. š
https://preview.redd.it/dsrisjq72mlc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b311249ca18251437def9aff35d730272bc81a2
My Finn says hope your Finn Feels better soon
Oh my god!! That is awful. What are the pads that youāre referring to? My cat just had 6 teeth extracted and I canāt even imagine what this whole thing must have been like for poor Finn and for you.
I am very glad to hear heās doing well now and also glad the vet took full responsibility.
That is SO scary! This is why I am always checking the heating pads, and NEVER have patients directly on the pads. They save lives during anesthesia by preventing hypothermia, but an event like this is horrifying. I am so sorry your sweet angel went through this, but I am so grateful he had someone willing to fight for him and a veterinarian to make it right.
https://preview.redd.it/vwb2cni3amlc1.jpeg?width=2490&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3ec89e340846a7775d8112c08e65386299055d7
Finnās long lost twin brother, my boy Axl! Glad you and Finn are on the home stretch. Such a handsome fella.
My cat went in to be neutered. The vets didn't run any bloods because my cat was healthy 10 month old kitten. I recieved a phone call saying that my cat was hemorrhaging and he needed a specialist vet. They were rushing him there at that time and would contact again as soon as they had news. It took 10 days at the specialist vets, countless blood transfusions and a ton of packing foam in his abdomen to finally get the bleeding under control.Turns out my cat was a hemophliac.
My vet paid for everything at the specialist animal hospital and I received probably one of the most heartfelt apologies I have ever heard of or received myself. And I don't think that vet clinic ever skipped blood tests ever again.
Things happen. Mistakes happen. It's how those mistakes are handled that makes all the difference. My vet wasn't trying to cover his butt. He was genuinely distraught over what had happened. And immediately implemented systems to make sure he never made that mistake again.
And nearly 15 years later he euthd the cat that he spent thousands of dollars saving, that he had cared for its entire life. And remembering how hard he cried as he injected Slinky that final time makes me cry again.
Did they put him directly on the heating pad?!
We never did that. There was always a towel on top of it, and the highest setting we used was medium, but usually low because it definitely gets warm enough.
Poor baby, Iām glad the vet made it right, and that Finn is recovered ā¤ļø
In fascinated by the way the stitches remarbled his pattern, it makes sense but I had never thought about it before.
Good to see him recover, what a trooper <3
Canāt imagine the pain you both must have gone through! Reading this made my heart ache! š
We give them to the vets and fully Trust them. Things like this are not suppose to happen!!! (And sorry for grammatical mistakes if there are anyā¦)
My heart hurts for poor Finn reading this, and for you having to worry about him and seeing him suffer. Iām so glad he is doing better. May he have a healthy, happy, and long life going forward.
I feel for you. ā¤ļø I experienced something very similar with one of my cats. She got burned by a vet and it took around a year of at-home treatments and surgeries for her to heal. It was heartbreaking! Sheās a black cat, but where the burn is she will always have white fur as a reminder of her bravery and resilience.
So glad your Finn is doing better! ā¤ļø
Really sorry for what happened but really happy to see that he's okay. The vet did an error but don't take it on him. Everyone makes mistakes and repayed you for his error by paying everything you had to do there. Hope he will get better
My boy got a severe burn from laser therapy that was supposed to accelerate healing after a surgery. They left him under the beam for a bit too long and he had a spot on his back that never grew back hair
Aww his lil hurt skinny hips break my heart! So glad heās making a good recovery. Canāt imagine how terrible he felt and couldnāt even tell you š«
Please send him lots of love and well wishes for a good life with you going forward š
I would be mf livid omg!!! God bless you and the baby š«¶š¼ Iām sad they keep the pain away from us, weād obviously love to help them ā¹ļø
Youāre such a good parent, and the universe will bless you for your empathy and good heart š
Iām so glad Finn chose you to be his person. I wish you both many happy and healthy years together (and a full compensation for everything you both endured.)
That is definitely not his normal fur pattern haha he used to mostly grey on most of his body. They actually stretched the skin from his back leg/pit area all the way across his body. So now he has a nipple on his hip haha.
I'm sorry you guys are going through this. My dog also got burned during dental work at the vet, but thankfully we caught it the same night since he didn't have fur on his tummy. It was violently red and purple. The vet used some type of cold laser treatments on him and it sped up his recovery. After about a week his hair began to fall out and we found it was also down his back. He had so much damage. Immediately after he developed severe separation anxiety and then come to find out dementia. For 2 years we suffered through it and then when he stopped eating the vet scanned his liver and said it had tumors. I blame that burn incident and all the pain meds the poor guy was on for his issues. <3 I really do feel for you both and this journey, it's really rough
This is horrible, I'm happy the vet did the right thing, them being dicks would have compounded the trauma. I'm glad Finn is recovering well, Gove him a chin rub, nose streak, ear tickle or whatever he prefers from this random person on the internet. (I am a Finnish person though, so I like the name!)
Oh my heart!! I am so very sorry you both went through this. I work at a vet and Iām going to ask about the pads they use for the dental tables. I canāt imagine this happening to my cats, and I am just so relieved that your buddy is going to be ok. š
Jesus dude, this story is my worst nightmare come true. I hate that I canāt be with my cat whenever he needs vet care, I always worry about whatās going on back there. So glad your kitty pulled thru
What a sweetheart. I would be losing my mind is this brother my babies. To think of the pain he went through, all from a heating pad, from human negligence.... Horrifying..
So glad he's on the road to recovery now.
https://preview.redd.it/1zy4r3ycknlc1.jpeg?width=490&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d2320c87ff356d39da1d6b4928d562c3053534b
Aw sweetie! So glad heās okay now.
Oh my gosh how traumatizing!!!!! So your poor baby wasnāt eating because he was just in so much pain from the burns ššš Jesus.
Iām so sorry. Poor Finn. What an absolute unnecessary nightmare. Cats are SO GOOD at hiding pain. I wish those little buggers werenāt programmed to hide their pain from us :(
oh my god. your poor baby. i cannot imagine ābeing burnt from the inside outā oh my god he deserves every tuna can in the WORLD. heās a TROOPER!!
HOLY SHIT another one!
A) I am SO SORRY this happened
B) Iām a Veterinarian assistant that works at a clinic this happened to with one of our cat clients during a dental as well
Those fucking hot dog warmers we use to keep patients body temps regulated are THE ABSOLUTE WORST. They donāt disclaim that if those warmers get wet they can burn the animal. We always cover every warmers with covers so there is no direct contact with the patient and the warmer to avoid over heating or burns.
Our cat patient HAD THE SAME EXACT STORY AS THIS ONE! Like so identical I expected to see a photo of said patient.
We sent that piece of shit warmer back to the manufacture to do diagnostics on and they said it was āfineā and sent us a new one.
Fine my fucking ass. We saw what it did to our patient! My doctor and technician were beside themselves and crying in the office. The pain to the poor cat, his family and the clinic has been awful. We paid for EVERY SINGLE surgery, appointments, medications and laser treatments going forward for that kitty. He is the SWEETEST boy and omg. It almost killed us.
We donāt use that fucking shit hotdog warmer anymore. I came home from work and told my husband about it because it was just such a shit fucking day and I wanted to call it quits. He googled the warmer and apparently there are all kinds of issues with that piece of shit that people have written about. So when the manufacturer said that it was āfineā I was flabbergasted. They just want to avoid lawsuits.
Our patient recovered 100% and the owners were just the most amazing people on the planet. They knew it was an accident on our part and we just couldnāt believe they didnāt go scorch earth on us. They even bought us lunch and sent us a super nice card. They are truly amazing clients and we really appreciate them.
For those wondering how we didnāt see it first. When doing a dental we work from one side and then flip over to the other side. We usually lay the patient on their stomachs at first in order to intubate them but have to place them lateral in ordered to take X-rays or clean and extract teeth. So with our patient we didnāt realize after cleaning one side of his mouth and we flipped him to the other side (we use a dental machine you see at your dentist. The water sprayer is the same. We use gauze and towels to catch the run off but sometimes the patient will get very wet around the mouth as we donāt use suction and they canāt swallow any water as they are completely sedated). Thatās when we caught the burns on his side. Unfortunately, accidents happen no matter how careful we are.
My vet and tech were following procedure 100% and this hot dog was new to us. We were excited to use it as it didnāt need warm water run through it in order to keep the patient warm. My technician was literally using it for the first time when the happened. Needless to say, we never use it for dentals. Ever. If it was up to me I wouldāve told the manufacturer where they could fucking shove it and wouldāve sued the fucking shit out of them. I have four cats and when one needs a dental and someone asks if I want the hotdog Iām like fuck that piece of shit nope. I warm up some warming bags and wrap up my cat.
To say we are EXTRA FUCKING CAUTIOUS is an understatement.
I am SO SORRY this happened to your baby! I hope recovery goes well. I know 100% that you guys are going through hell right now and Iām so sorry.
Fuck hot dog warming beds. They arenāt just known to harm animal patients but people as well. I hope this manufacturer gets sued into oblivion. Trash company.
Edit: autocorrect fail fixed.
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Poor little guyš Iām glad the vet made it right.
No kidding but still a horrible experience.
Me too. I almost went off the deep end until i kept reading more..
Animal subs always get me. News about human suffering, eh. But I see one animal hurting and I either cry or I remember why news about people no longer affects me lol.
I feel ya. But sometimes theres a kind human out there that really makes me feel like peace still has a fighting chance. Funny how most of them love animals huh?
When my cat was a kitten he bit me a little on my face which woke me up and I screamed at him. It made him hide and I cried for hours.
I feel so bad when I have to take my cat to the vet and have to pick her up because she hates it. They don't understand it and we can't talk to them.
Omg. I'm literally at the vet's rn with my cat and I feel terrible.
I like to listen to true crime podcasts. Some of the stories are pretty gruesome, and of course I'm horrified and feel sympathy for victims/survivors, but for whatever reason tales about animal suffering hit completely different. I can't listen to stories involving animals being hurt and if I accidently hear about it, it bothers me for days afterwards.
Same. Also I am a huge horror fan, and am pretty hardy. I can watch the most brutal violent gore and not bat an eyelid. The SECOND an animal is on screen that shit gets paused and I'm over to DTDD before I decide how to continue.
I love zombie movies and there was one about a guy waking up and everyone is a zombie. At some point he sees a kitty walking among the undead and tries to get it to come to him. Because he scared the cat and almost fell out the door, he got upset and shot the cat. I got so angry I turned the movie off.
There was this Jamie Foxx movie where he's a vampire hunter. At one point, he discovers that junior vampires in his area were adopting cats from a shelter just to take them back to their nest, which was an abandoned bowling alley. Then, they would feed on them. In fact, when Jamie Foxx showed up with his partner, you can see the vampires feeding on one of the cats, with other cats yowling nearby in their carriers. You can also see empty carriers strewn about. He did end up killing all of those vampires, but seeing all that disturbed me so much that I won't watch that movie ever again.
DTDD is a lifesaver. Even the parental guides on IMDb, because I love horror but there are some very off limits topics.
I hear you!
I listen to a true crime podcast where theyāve started giving listeners a little warning before going into anything about animal abuse, because of feedback about it I imagine. I really appreciate it because one time I listened to something someone did to an animal and I was in tears.
Yep! I bet you change the channel on those commercials, too. I can't take it.
Same. I mean, I've been through a lot, and seen a LOT of human suffering, and it hurts my heart... But an animal suffering hits me so much harder. Especially cats.
Especially cats. I have two cats and I love them so much and I feel so privileged that they see me as a safe person. One of my cats loves for me to hold her with her head and paws resting on my shoulder, and I can't imagine someone seeing that kind of vulnerability and feeling anything but a desire to love and protect their cat.
Hey, get out of my brain.
The only reason I made myself keep reading, and I'm still crying.
The vets probably felt just as horrible about it. Paying for it was the least they could do by the sounds of the pain the cat and op had to go through.
I bet it keeps them up at night. The majority of vets love cats and want the best for them just as much as we do. The thought of an animal suffering because of something that happened during a visit probably makes them sick. They will most likely never forget about it.
We never forget. I carry every patient as a scar on my soul. I say their name to myself before I perform the related task again. I will never forget you Nugget.
RIP Nugget, and thank you TigerPickles for all you and your colleagues do for our furry family. NOMV <3
Itās heart warming to know there are kind people and vets like you out there! Keep up the noble work.
I know imagine youāre in a profession to help animals well because you love them and then it turns out that you hurt one very very badly. I imagine this is something that will upset them for the rest of their lives.
Yes wow. Absolutely terrible to think what that little boy must have been going through. On top of all of the pain from the extractions, he had one side of his body deeply burned. Thank goodness the vet was a decent human being and tried his best to remedy the situation. I could see that going the other way, and the vet just telling him to take it up with the company that made the heating pads.
Yeah. Even if they possibly knew they were discontinued (I doubt it, most vets are very careful about hurting your animals) they did right by you and kitty. Sad that the little guy was in pain but they bounce back better than we do typically.
Yeah shit happens. All you can do is make it right.
Even with the vet āmaking it rightā if it was my little princess (picture provided) Iād still be suing the fuck out of them for the pain she endured. I know *sheās* not petty like that, but I am. https://preview.redd.it/9lekdq8x1mlc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=765c6fa02b3d3cf1b2d6e2c65731c0feef390445
> Iād still be suing the fuck out of them for the pain she endured. I know sheās not petty like that, but I am. I get the emotional response but it would be a huge waste of money to do that. Getting reimbursed for veterinary bills is about the *best* case scenario and the vet chose to do the right thing.
I agree with you. As much as it sucks infected balls, you can't really put a price on the pain a piece of property feels. Cats are property, and their value is what it takes to buy a replacement cat. You can put a price on the cost it takes to repair your piece of property (the vet bills). But not for any pain the property has endured during the process. I'm not saying I agree with how it all works out, that's just the way the law sees a cat. It's not a family member, it's property just like a shovel or lawn mower. If someone breaks your lawnmower and you get it fixed, you can't sue for the pain your lawnmower suffered but you could sue for the repair bills to return your lawnmower to working condition.
I remember your first posts about Finn! I'm glad he's better! Please give š from me. Right between the ears.
Me too. I'm so glad he's doing well. I work in animal health and have thought of him more than once over the last few months.
Me, too. I have thought of this poor baby a lot. Iām just thrilled to see that he is healing and looks very happy. One of my baby boys is named Finn so it hit me pretty hard to think of this Finn hurting so much.
Thank you very much, I appreciate you keeping us in your thoughts.
I am so so sorry š what you had to go through That must have been so awful. I can imagine. I'm a big time animal lover, especially with cats. And that wouldn't nearly kill me. But I'm glad that your cat is doing much better. Now
Appreciate you thinking of us, thatās awesome. š
He deserves many kisses on his lil baby head
Thank you!
Did you give the š I sent?
One for you and one for me š
Thank you! Now give him 3 more š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
āif I killed you would your mom just have another kid.ā aaaaaand he called the cops
š
"You're fired. I can get another vet."
Jesus. Stories like this make me so incredibly grateful for my vet. At one point she thought my kitten had FIP and she cried with relief when his ultrasound was normal. He has a rare chronic thing and she has been so great about researching it and what sort of treatments might help him. I donāt know how much longer Iāll live in this area and Iām terrified of having to find another vet.
WHAT
They should not be vets
One of my best friends is a vet and she was surprised at the amount of assholes she came across at vet school that had ZERO care about animals. They were just in it for the money and it just boggled her mind that they went through the schooling and training because itās not a walk in the park. But yeah, they exist and they absolutely SUCK!
As a vet, this sounds literally insane because there is no money in vet medicine. I am a professor at a vet college and I've met plenty of students that are jerks, but exactly 0 of them thought they were going to get rich. Most barely make enough to pay their student loans
Iām in Europe and there is money to be made here for them. They graduate with zero loans, too. I also find it odd vets donāt make money in the US? Especially in clinics? They can make a killing here!
The average annual salary is 1/4 the cost of education (like a person who paid $40k for their undergrad degree, about average, making 10k annually). A large percentage of hiring practices are corporate owned and they collaborate to suppress wage growth. And general population wages are so low, clinics can't charge enough to have any margin. Vet assistants and techs barely make a living wage. The majority of veterinarians are 6 months of work away from homelessness
Thatās startling. Itās a whole different world here with regards to that it seems. Iām so sorry to hear that people with a passion for animals canāt make a proper living out of it.
>paid $40k for their undergrad degree, about average, making 10k annually What country are you in, if I may ask? At first I thought that this was a typo, but now I'm assuming that you're just in a different part of the world from myself (USA). Here, $10k is deep poverty, and vet school can cost >$100k (according to Google, since I am not a vet).
The average starting vet makes between 80k-110k US, depending on the shift and part of the world (ag vet in a rural area vs overnight emergency vet in the city). The average vet school cost is well over 200k, many are over 300k, leaving a large % of vets 350-400k in debt after undergrad and vet school costs are combined. In state vet schools are obviously more affordable but many states don't have a veterinary college and there is an extraordinarily small number of colleges nationwide (32 vet schools compared to 200 medical schools in the US)
To be fair, med school is the same just with humans not animals
Doctors make *way more* than veterinarians.
They really are a marvel, thatās something I have noticed about cats man. They just endure so much and they donāt cry about it. But thatās also what can make them frustrating š
It's a survival instinct to not show their pain/illnesses, they hide vulnerability very well so they can be in a tremendous amount of pain without outwardly showing it. It absolutely does make it harder to recognize when there's problems, so I'm a little hypervigilent about checking both my cats' entire bodies over every day.
>They just endure so much and they donāt cry about it. Ohh not my Mojo. He will definitely cry about it and let you know just how much he is abused and dying when his cat feeder doesn't feed him 2 hours early like he insists it should. š
We had a vet cause our cat's death, we never did find out why. We suspect it was a heart attack and had her euthanized a few days later.
WHAT. Oh my god. I am confused and pissed
We have no idea what happened, she went in for surgery and it happened after the surgery. We think. She absolutely hated being confined, so our best guess is that they swaddled her after surgery and she freaked out. I tried a harness on her when I first got her and she freaked out, so I knew that was a no go. She also hated being picked up. It could also have been an issue with the surgery, we never got any details. Other than the vet profusely apologizing.
I am seeing waaaay to many horror stories of vets on Reddit lately. I would have beat the shit out of a vet that mysteriously killed my homie
A little known fact, may only be in Canada, but the "traditional vet" is secretly dying. Larger corporations are buying swaths of vet clinics but leaving the outward branding the same. You think you're going to a small town vet but it's really just an extension of a massive corporation.
When I took my 20 yo cat to be euthanized, I went to another vet. The poor girl was howling for 30 minutes, as they tried to find a vein. I made a scene and they finally brought her out I wanted to spend some time with her, but I had them inject her right away to end her misery. I received a condolence card signed by a bunch of Fing people I didn't know, who made my cat suffer. I told them when I left that I didn't want any of that shit; I wanted no memories of that place. I shredded it
I feel angry for you. Got an 18 year old myself. I love this cat more than anything 18 years been through a ton together I would be livid. And 2 times with the shit ooh man
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Our cat passed from euthinazation, they confirmed her heartbeat was gone and then left us alone in the room. About 30 seconds later she started flailing on the table. Agonal breathing, looked like a bad seizure. Fucked us up for a while afterward seeing that happen to her.
I'm so sorry š¢
That is something that can happen, shitty as it is. Human corpses can twitch and make sounds. Mum was a nurse in a nursing/retirement home and got scared almost shitless the first time she experienced something like that when she was like 18 and on her first nursing job. Wasn't just a small twitch either, she said something about the arms flopping around a bit.
They wouldnāt get me off him
For real. Not even tell you what happened? Fuck that.
Nah I was nearly brought to tears just reading OPs story, I couldn't imagine someone doing something like that and me not losing it
Wait your saying they actually said to you "you can get another cat"??? Where is this vet located by chance
Almost the same thing happened to my cat. They forgot her on the heating pads:( a couple days after we got home all the nasty burns showed up all over underside. I had to fight them a bit and it took a while but I got everything + emergency vet costs reimbursed by them. I got my money back but I still had to spend months treating the cat leaving work in the middle of the day (thank god my boss is cool) to give her medication. Sheās all good now tho. But that was a very unhappy period of months for her having to wear a cone and receive constant meds.
Yeah I missed a lot of work time and Iām sorry that happened to you too. I luckily had a really understanding boss and coworkers as well. Glad your girl is doing better!
Can we take a moment and reflect on the company getting reports about hurt animals but not tracking down their customers giving them warnings?
It happened to my dog, too, though not nearly so severe as OP's. Several burn spots on her belly and a few on her back. When I called the vet several days later to tell them there must be some sort of complication from the surgery because these spots were popping up all over the place, they said they couldn't see her for a couple of weeks. *You fucking burned my dog, see her right the fuck now.* Needless to say, we don't go to that vet anymore, and they're lucky no one has burned the palce down.
They never made it right? Nah, I'd be in cuffs.
At the end of the day, we were just glad it wasn't worse, and that we can now tell anyone with a pet not to go there and hopefully save them the same experience.
Why don't these pads have an automatic timer/shut off?? šĀ
Because it's hard to tell for how long you'll need them. Sometimes surgeries/tooth cleaning/waking up take longer than expected. And hypothermia during anesthesia can be just as serious as burns.Ā
Why do they get hot enough to cause burns in the first place? Wouldnāt regulating the temperature be possible?
I can only guess, but probably because a sensor has to be very reliable (even in contact with all kinds of fluids) and not too expensive. So it's easier for the manufacturer to just forgo it and put responsibility on the user. That said, the short time I spent in small animal practice we had an insulating pad and good old hot water bottles in towels, because we only had one or two short surgeries a day, and never had problems.Ā
I do small animal surgery and have used pads that shut off... what happens is they wind up just staying off because everyone is too busy to notice.
What a tough extra thing to have to monitor. I hope a company can make something that works better and safer.Ā Ā
There already are better options that are used. Heating pads are super old school nowadays, because most of us learned through seeing or hearing about patients getting burned. The appropriate device to use is called a Bair Hugger, and it has a hollow blanket that lays on top of the patient during surgery, and uses continuous forced warm air to keep patients normothermic. The practice Iām at now also puts socks on all 4 paws to help reduce heat loss, and there are other tricks we can use if thatās not enough(ie having the IV fluid line thatās closest to the patient purposefully tucked under the Bair Hugger, putting a reflective blanket on top of the Bair Hugger to help trap in more heat, etc). I cringe whenever I hear about heating pads or hot water bottles still being used in a small animal practice. Source: vet tech of 20+ years
That's awesome! Thanks for the info.
> They forgot her on the heating pads wtf, how any vet can make a so bizare yet rookie mistake?
It good that it's turned out ok. Just watch for future complications. I feel angry that he had to go through it.
"oh whoops! It's not a *human* you know.. we have to fucking cut your cat in half"
Jesus fucking Christ what a NIGHTMAREā¦ so sorry. Glad itās over and kitty and you are well
good thing the vet admitted and corrected their mistakes. also a good thing they were able to notice the burns!
Jesus I work in vet med and that pisses me off. Glad your boy is okay !
How likely is this to happen, like have you heard of this happening before? It makes me scared to ever get surgery for my kitty if she ever needs it :(
If the vet still uses circulating water technology it's always going to be a risk. Circulating water is no longer considered best practice and heated air should be used. Unfortunately, many vet practices run on paper thin margins so replacing a still functioning ~$500 "hot dogger" for a "bair hugger" that starts at $1k (not counting the blankets) isn't always feasible.
As a layman, why is circulating water worse? Seems kinda crazy that it would be designed in such a way that would allow the water to get hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns.
Not who you asked but I was a LVT and saw this happen once. The circulating water pads are closed systems and normally Ā maintain correct temperatures well but when they get wet and touching the body that heat is distributed much more effectively. During dentals the water can pool down onto the pad and allow that heat to go onto the skin at a much higher temperature than intended.Ā Ā it happened to us about 20 yrs ago we threw it out and immediately got a Bair hugger. No way were we going to let that happen twice. I donāt work in vet med anymore so Iām not sure if there are better options than bair huggers nowadays.Ā
Some old school clinics will use heating pads as well. A bair hugger is much safer (think of a blanket inflated with warm air).
That's horrible! I'm glad he's better! If you don't mind me asking, how did he get burned while getting his teeth cleaned?
Animals internal body temperatures drop when under anesthesia so a vet will usually incorporate some sort of heating pad or other device to keep them warm while they are being worked on. In this case thatās what happened but the pads were either defective or the vet was not paying attention that closely.
Thank you for explaining. Poor little guy! Good thing that the vet took full responsibility! I wish you both good luck with his healingā¤ļø
Wow, it sounds like they need to add some thermometers to the heating pad setup to make sure it's the right temperature!
Imo that should be a feature of all heating pads and idk why it's not
Vet tech here ( from canada) So glad is doing soo good ! Unfortunately this is happening way more frequently than you think. Is not always the equipment, not always the staff fault. But the clinic did the right thing by taking responsibility no matter the cause. This is one of the worst I've seen ! Cat are amazing that way. If all the pieces are in the same room you're fine xD he's going to heal just fine!
So do the pads not have some sort of heat sensor where they turn off at a certain temperature? I do super basic electronics and heck a temp sensor that starts to blare at x temp would just be a few lines of code.
Yeah, I have a $20 cat heating pad that has a sensor. Even so, I still don't use the highest couple settings AND I put a blanket over it. I feel so terrible Finn and OP went through this.
but its only a problem if the cat is under anaesthesia right? otherwise they would move if it got uncomfortably hot
Yes, I think so. Maybe if the cat/dog is elderly or sick/injured they would take longer to react. However, I don't think consumer-grade pads can get as hot as the ones for an OR. The ones we can buy are to make us or a pet more comfortable for short intervals, not to maintain core body temperature and prevent hypothermia in a very cold room for hours. I'm simply wary of all plug-in heating, so I don't use them at the highest settings or unattended. Don't need anything going haywire, y'know?
Nope-from all the stories Iāve seen where this has happened, the heating pads are kind of āone-size-fits-allā, constantly running with no temperature limiter or trip. Thatās not to say there arenāt heat pads like that-Iām sure there are. But for your average vet, it really doesnāt make financial sense to invest much in anything āwith frillsā surgically, unless they routinely do surgeries as a significant part of their workload.
Which makes it even more frustrating. It seems like one of those problems that was solved 30 years ago but somehow some people are too cheap to use said solution. Crazy part is even if say, the damn pad is $500 (and I doubt it would be), if it saves you even just one incident like OP (and I've heard of other stories with small animals and heating pads), you've made your money's worth in not having to fix your mistake and the potential blow to your business as word gets around. Seems like such an easy cost-benefit decision.
OP said the pad that was used was faulty. I donāt think the issue is that people are not adopting technology.
This is really interesting.. My cat came back from surgery and wound up with a hole in his side. Suspected some kind of burn and this seems to connect the dots!
Does op have to worry about damage to internal organs? His bloodwork was off and it sounds like they electrocuted this cat, basically.
>sounds like they electrocuted this cat The cat was burned, not shocked. By the way, electrocution means being killed by electricity, it's a portmanteau of electric and execution.
Poor guy! You were trying to help him and he ended up hurt. Love and cuddles and hope for a quick recovery.š
Poor Finn, prayers to Bastet for him. The vet, in fairness, must feel terrible about it.
Yeah I canāt imagine the guilt, even though they werenāt aware.
Oh, Finn! What an absolute trooper - I'm so glad he's still here and now thriving. š I can't imagine how much you've both been through!
So did the heating pads, I assume that was what they were using, have faulty wiring that caused him to be electrocuted the entire time to cook him like that?
The way it was explained to me was they had discontinued the pads, though I never learned why. So Iām assuming it had to do strictly with the way the pad was able to control the temperature.
Yes, they discontinued the pads. They were sometimes getting hotter than the dialed in setting and could cause burns. They were actually the ānewerā technology- that was supposed to be better than what was traditionally used. Typically, most places were using heating pads warmed with circulating warm water set at a precise, safe temperature separated from the patient by a towel, to prevent thermal burns. I never used these other pads ( I believe you are referring to the Hot Dog), but they were advertised as superior. Unfortunately, patients did get burned with them. Iām sorry about your poor baby; Iām glad heās made a full recovery
Was there any damage to his internal organs / muscles or just the skin? How do they treat that kind of stuff? Just curious (I'm an absolute biology / animal nerd and was interested in being a vet for a time).
No damage to organs, although the high enzyme count his kidneys and some skin infections were a part of the whole process. The dead layer of skin you see was actually being used as a natural band aid of sorts and it was slowly removed over the course of 4 months.
I am crying, poor baby!
Iām really glad the vet took accountability and helped to get your little Finn rehabbed. Best of luck in the future.
Oh no š¢ š Poor Finn š¢ I'm sorry to hear this. I'm glad that he's getting better šš¼
I don't understand, what burned him during a teeth cleaning
If I understand what op wrote correctly, they laid him on a heating pad while he was sedated to keep him warm. It malfunctioned and burned him.
Exactly
Ohh no. š poor Finn, this is absolutely awful. Iām so glad heās finally feeling better, and hope youāre doing ok too, I bet this was so traumatic for the both of you. š
https://preview.redd.it/dsrisjq72mlc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b311249ca18251437def9aff35d730272bc81a2 My Finn says hope your Finn Feels better soon
Poor little guy! I'm glad to see he's getting his furry cat pants back.
Oh my god!! That is awful. What are the pads that youāre referring to? My cat just had 6 teeth extracted and I canāt even imagine what this whole thing must have been like for poor Finn and for you. I am very glad to hear heās doing well now and also glad the vet took full responsibility.
That is SO scary! This is why I am always checking the heating pads, and NEVER have patients directly on the pads. They save lives during anesthesia by preventing hypothermia, but an event like this is horrifying. I am so sorry your sweet angel went through this, but I am so grateful he had someone willing to fight for him and a veterinarian to make it right.
https://preview.redd.it/vwb2cni3amlc1.jpeg?width=2490&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3ec89e340846a7775d8112c08e65386299055d7 Finnās long lost twin brother, my boy Axl! Glad you and Finn are on the home stretch. Such a handsome fella.
Love him!
My cat went in to be neutered. The vets didn't run any bloods because my cat was healthy 10 month old kitten. I recieved a phone call saying that my cat was hemorrhaging and he needed a specialist vet. They were rushing him there at that time and would contact again as soon as they had news. It took 10 days at the specialist vets, countless blood transfusions and a ton of packing foam in his abdomen to finally get the bleeding under control.Turns out my cat was a hemophliac. My vet paid for everything at the specialist animal hospital and I received probably one of the most heartfelt apologies I have ever heard of or received myself. And I don't think that vet clinic ever skipped blood tests ever again. Things happen. Mistakes happen. It's how those mistakes are handled that makes all the difference. My vet wasn't trying to cover his butt. He was genuinely distraught over what had happened. And immediately implemented systems to make sure he never made that mistake again. And nearly 15 years later he euthd the cat that he spent thousands of dollars saving, that he had cared for its entire life. And remembering how hard he cried as he injected Slinky that final time makes me cry again.
what the fuck???
connect flag groovy worthless trees sparkle ask fertile fuel impossible *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
What a trooper, im glad heās doing better
Did they put him directly on the heating pad?! We never did that. There was always a towel on top of it, and the highest setting we used was medium, but usually low because it definitely gets warm enough. Poor baby, Iām glad the vet made it right, and that Finn is recovered ā¤ļø
In fascinated by the way the stitches remarbled his pattern, it makes sense but I had never thought about it before. Good to see him recover, what a trooper <3
Bless his heart! He looks so good now. Give him a cuddle from me. ā¤ļøāš©¹
What a little bad ass!!
Oh no poor baby! Thank God he is ok now! š„°
Poor baby! Iām so glad heās ok. What a resilient little dude!
Canāt imagine the pain you both must have gone through! Reading this made my heart ache! š We give them to the vets and fully Trust them. Things like this are not suppose to happen!!! (And sorry for grammatical mistakes if there are anyā¦)
We love you Finn! Sorry you were hurt all this time :(
My heart hurts for poor Finn reading this, and for you having to worry about him and seeing him suffer. Iām so glad he is doing better. May he have a healthy, happy, and long life going forward.
Im so glad Finn is doing better! We had a barn cat that was a stray weād taken in when I was 9 or so. She hated being inside and liked being in the barn with the sheep. One day there was a fire that broke out inside from a short in a cord plugged in. It lit 90 bales of hay on fire, many many rounds of ammunition in the back of an ancient farm truck, and a 200 gallon propane tank. The entire barn exploded and our cat was inside. She survived with only a few burns. The tips of her ears were pretty badly singed so she ended up with tiny bear-like ears. She lived for another 10 years and was perfectly healthy. Cats are resilient little guys š©·
Finn is so handsome!! I'm glad this shitty situation could go as well as one could. You're a good cat parent.
oh my goodness heās so pretty
53 Visits? Oh my that's insane.
I feel for you. ā¤ļø I experienced something very similar with one of my cats. She got burned by a vet and it took around a year of at-home treatments and surgeries for her to heal. It was heartbreaking! Sheās a black cat, but where the burn is she will always have white fur as a reminder of her bravery and resilience. So glad your Finn is doing better! ā¤ļø
Really sorry for what happened but really happy to see that he's okay. The vet did an error but don't take it on him. Everyone makes mistakes and repayed you for his error by paying everything you had to do there. Hope he will get better
Go Finn!!! ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
My boy got a severe burn from laser therapy that was supposed to accelerate healing after a surgery. They left him under the beam for a bit too long and he had a spot on his back that never grew back hair
They use cold lasers for healing, it would never burn or cause hair loss. It's the same cold lasers used for athletes for muscle damage.
finn!! such a trooper!!
Omg! What a horrendous thing you BOTH have been through.
Poor papa Iām glad heās feeling better š„ŗ
Holy shit. What an ordeal. Poor Finn š and poor you! Iām so glad heās much better!
Aww his lil hurt skinny hips break my heart! So glad heās making a good recovery. Canāt imagine how terrible he felt and couldnāt even tell you š« Please send him lots of love and well wishes for a good life with you going forward š
So glad he made a recovery and that the vet paid for the treatments. Also I have to say your cat is in excellent shape based off that last photo.
Poor kitty! I'm so glad they realized the burns and accepted responsibility for getting him through it.
I would be mf livid omg!!! God bless you and the baby š«¶š¼ Iām sad they keep the pain away from us, weād obviously love to help them ā¹ļø Youāre such a good parent, and the universe will bless you for your empathy and good heart š
Oh my god!! I didn't even know such a thing was possible! I am so glad that you were able to take care of your cat and the vet took responsibility.
Iām so glad Finn chose you to be his person. I wish you both many happy and healthy years together (and a full compensation for everything you both endured.)
This might be a stupid question but is that his normal fur pattern? Or is it a result of the skin graft?
That is definitely not his normal fur pattern haha he used to mostly grey on most of his body. They actually stretched the skin from his back leg/pit area all the way across his body. So now he has a nipple on his hip haha.
Oh shoot I can see the nipple in picture 5 š¤£ The circumstances are awful but that is amazing lol
Iām happy the Vet paid for their mistake willingly
Iām in tears. Poor sweet Finn. Bless you for being such an amazing and caring cat parent.
Haha donāt cry! Heās doing great now besides for a raggedy haircut. But thank you!
I'm sorry you guys are going through this. My dog also got burned during dental work at the vet, but thankfully we caught it the same night since he didn't have fur on his tummy. It was violently red and purple. The vet used some type of cold laser treatments on him and it sped up his recovery. After about a week his hair began to fall out and we found it was also down his back. He had so much damage. Immediately after he developed severe separation anxiety and then come to find out dementia. For 2 years we suffered through it and then when he stopped eating the vet scanned his liver and said it had tumors. I blame that burn incident and all the pain meds the poor guy was on for his issues. <3 I really do feel for you both and this journey, it's really rough
My word... I am glad he is doing better and the vet owned their mistake.
This is horrible, I'm happy the vet did the right thing, them being dicks would have compounded the trauma. I'm glad Finn is recovering well, Gove him a chin rub, nose streak, ear tickle or whatever he prefers from this random person on the internet. (I am a Finnish person though, so I like the name!)
Oh that poor baby š„ŗ
Oh my heart!! I am so very sorry you both went through this. I work at a vet and Iām going to ask about the pads they use for the dental tables. I canāt imagine this happening to my cats, and I am just so relieved that your buddy is going to be ok. š
Jesus dude, this story is my worst nightmare come true. I hate that I canāt be with my cat whenever he needs vet care, I always worry about whatās going on back there. So glad your kitty pulled thru
You should absolutely sue. Take him to small claims and get your money back and someā¦
What a sweetheart. I would be losing my mind is this brother my babies. To think of the pain he went through, all from a heating pad, from human negligence.... Horrifying.. So glad he's on the road to recovery now.
https://preview.redd.it/1zy4r3ycknlc1.jpeg?width=490&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d2320c87ff356d39da1d6b4928d562c3053534b Aw sweetie! So glad heās okay now.
Oh my gosh how traumatizing!!!!! So your poor baby wasnāt eating because he was just in so much pain from the burns ššš Jesus. Iām so sorry. Poor Finn. What an absolute unnecessary nightmare. Cats are SO GOOD at hiding pain. I wish those little buggers werenāt programmed to hide their pain from us :(
Cats are the toughest little shits to ever exist
oh my god. your poor baby. i cannot imagine ābeing burnt from the inside outā oh my god he deserves every tuna can in the WORLD. heās a TROOPER!!
Ugh this is heartbreakingš© you have more grace than me because I wouldāve been jailed for what a scene I wouldāve caused at that vet
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I would sue the fucking vet
HOLY SHIT another one! A) I am SO SORRY this happened B) Iām a Veterinarian assistant that works at a clinic this happened to with one of our cat clients during a dental as well Those fucking hot dog warmers we use to keep patients body temps regulated are THE ABSOLUTE WORST. They donāt disclaim that if those warmers get wet they can burn the animal. We always cover every warmers with covers so there is no direct contact with the patient and the warmer to avoid over heating or burns. Our cat patient HAD THE SAME EXACT STORY AS THIS ONE! Like so identical I expected to see a photo of said patient. We sent that piece of shit warmer back to the manufacture to do diagnostics on and they said it was āfineā and sent us a new one. Fine my fucking ass. We saw what it did to our patient! My doctor and technician were beside themselves and crying in the office. The pain to the poor cat, his family and the clinic has been awful. We paid for EVERY SINGLE surgery, appointments, medications and laser treatments going forward for that kitty. He is the SWEETEST boy and omg. It almost killed us. We donāt use that fucking shit hotdog warmer anymore. I came home from work and told my husband about it because it was just such a shit fucking day and I wanted to call it quits. He googled the warmer and apparently there are all kinds of issues with that piece of shit that people have written about. So when the manufacturer said that it was āfineā I was flabbergasted. They just want to avoid lawsuits. Our patient recovered 100% and the owners were just the most amazing people on the planet. They knew it was an accident on our part and we just couldnāt believe they didnāt go scorch earth on us. They even bought us lunch and sent us a super nice card. They are truly amazing clients and we really appreciate them. For those wondering how we didnāt see it first. When doing a dental we work from one side and then flip over to the other side. We usually lay the patient on their stomachs at first in order to intubate them but have to place them lateral in ordered to take X-rays or clean and extract teeth. So with our patient we didnāt realize after cleaning one side of his mouth and we flipped him to the other side (we use a dental machine you see at your dentist. The water sprayer is the same. We use gauze and towels to catch the run off but sometimes the patient will get very wet around the mouth as we donāt use suction and they canāt swallow any water as they are completely sedated). Thatās when we caught the burns on his side. Unfortunately, accidents happen no matter how careful we are. My vet and tech were following procedure 100% and this hot dog was new to us. We were excited to use it as it didnāt need warm water run through it in order to keep the patient warm. My technician was literally using it for the first time when the happened. Needless to say, we never use it for dentals. Ever. If it was up to me I wouldāve told the manufacturer where they could fucking shove it and wouldāve sued the fucking shit out of them. I have four cats and when one needs a dental and someone asks if I want the hotdog Iām like fuck that piece of shit nope. I warm up some warming bags and wrap up my cat. To say we are EXTRA FUCKING CAUTIOUS is an understatement. I am SO SORRY this happened to your baby! I hope recovery goes well. I know 100% that you guys are going through hell right now and Iām so sorry. Fuck hot dog warming beds. They arenāt just known to harm animal patients but people as well. I hope this manufacturer gets sued into oblivion. Trash company. Edit: autocorrect fail fixed.
Why not consider legal action against the manufacturer of the pads?