Urgent: Should I get pumpkin a necropsy?

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Sara and Buttercup

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Hi,
I wanted to start a new thread because this is fairly urgent. I was wondering if I should get pumpkin a necropsy. the specialist suspects lymphoma. the necropsy done here locally would be $450 to $500. I was leaning towards doing it but after hearing the price and the thoughts of the specialist i am wondering about the money when i have other cats. it would bring me tremendous peace of mind to know what he had but there are financial considerations too.
i think practically it would be better not to do it and spend the money on my live cats but will i always be wondering what really happened.
i think he had lymphoma too or at least some type of cancer. the vet and tech i talked to didn't think it would matter that much for his siblings to get that info.
the other thing and this is prob not a good reason but i am so angry at my primary local vet for not referring me out sooner and saying over and over again when i asked about lymphoma that it wasn't that. if i got a difinitive diagnosis i would have the satisfaction of making him own up in a way to his mistake. maybe he would even learn something. i do feel that this was greatly at fault here in what happened to pumpkin. ultimately it was my fault but as a trained professional he should have noticed the signs and referred me out much much sooner. i did listen to waht he was saying, partly i think because i wanted to believe it.
i just feel like crap. i let him down all the way around, even now i will feel that i let him down if i don't get the necropsy. if it was a couple hundren dollars i would most likey do it but $450 to $500 after just spending over a $1000 in the last few days on vet bills, etc. i just don't know. i don't really have that kind of money to spend unneccassrity. and i have other cats that are elderly... two with underlying medical conditions.
what do you think I should do?
the vet where i was going to take him for the necropsy said that if it was him he wouldn't do it but would save my money but he said it was up to me.
what do you guys think? i am waiting back on a call from another vet to get an estimate on what they would charge also.
the other thing is i just want it to be over. it is so awful and so traumatic.
i have this weird thing (this has happened with other pets) that I am not sure he is dead. he is not moving or breathing, he has rigormortis in his legs and stiff neck but not abdomen. i am scared to check for a heart beat. he has been in the refrigerator in a box for a day and half. i know this is irrational but i have this fear of buying a live cat. if i took him to the vet for a necropsy of course they would be able to tell. i know this sounds crazy but i just have this weird thing about it.
i feel so sad. if it was lymphoma like the specialist thinks, he could have been helped if i had brought him in sooner.
i just hate myself. i just can't stop thinking about all of this.
thanks for the help.
 
Dear Sara,

I am sorry you are agonizing over this. It does seem like a lot of money. Something what I do with difficult decisions is to weigh both sides. If I had it done, these would be the benefits and the downsides (money vs knowledge etc) If I didn't have it done, these would be the benefits and the downsides (it would be over vs maybe wondering, etc). Sometimes that helps me get my emotions out of the equation a little and consider the practicalities - and sometimes that is easier for me.

If it turns out it was cancer, what would you do with those results? Would you try to sue or would you report the vet? Would that make you feel better?

Not sure any of this helps. It will be a difficult decision no matter what you do, but in the long run, it will be the right decision. You will have made it because you cared about Pumpkin and loved him, and that will make it the right choice.

Thinking of you,

Sue
 
Even if you knew the cause of death, it won't bring him back, and you might rue the decision to spend that kind of money. You are not letting him down - it would better spent in his memory to help other animals or people. You can't let this get you down.

I know you miss him terribly, but in time I think you'll know you made the right decision to forgo the necropsy.
 
One other thing to consider, is having a necropsy done does not always lead to a conclusive cause of death. I have had about 50 percent of the necropsies I've had completed come back inconclusive - that is, they could not find the specific cause of death.

You may spend that money, and still not get an answer.

Pray to God for peace and comfort now. I pray for you.
 
I have to agree with RuthV.

You already found out what you need to know about the vet that didn't see the signs, and you won't be going back to him.
But if you really, really NEED to know and can afford it, then do what you need to, but it won't bring him back and I don't think, in the end, it will really make you feel better. Then you'll know, and you'll read all about it and blame yourself (maybe) even more.

I woke up this morning thinking of you, and your description of what happened, and you are in my prayers. I have had a similar experience of the last horrible moments of the death of one of my cats playing over and over in my head and I know how it feels. It's HORRIBLE, I know, to relive it...In my case, it might have been only diabetes, and the vet never even said anything, and I didn't know. It STILL bothers me. I think I would feel even worse if I knew. BUt I knew it was his time to fly free and I know he is happy and waiting for me over the rainbow bridge. Pumpkin is too, and he is in your heart forever. The body you have is only that, and I'm sure it is making you feel bad to have it there as a reminder. Hug your other babies and tell them to send the hugs up to Pumpkin...

Bury your pumpkin, put him to rest. He's been in the refigerator - he can't be alive. Poor dear, I feel for you and wish you peace.
 
I consider that $500 too much for a piece of mind. Only once would I have like to have a necropsy done. That was for Sammy. He was fine a Friday morning, a little sick Friday evening and very sick and lost blood pressure Saturday evening. I would have liked to know what happened. However, it happened so fast I was not connected enough to get it done.

The cost of the necropsy consists of two or three general parts. The first is cutting into the animal and doing a gross visual examination of the various organs and systems. The second part is a microscopic examination of selected tissue samples by the vet and the third is sending tissue samples out for a specialist to examine. The latter can be expensive but might be necessary if looking for lymphoma.
 
i wouldn't get the necropsy. the vet should have seen from the bloodwork what was going on to some extent. i'd concentrate on that. were any readings out of normal range and did they point to something. also the physical exam.
i would get the vet to copy pumpkin's chart so you can have it "for your files." it's your right to get that info. you might then want to get a vet friend to look it over or pay for a 2nd opinion (a lot cheaper).

frankly, even if you did have viable tissue to get checked by a pathologist there is no guarantee you'd get a definitive answer unless there's an obvious tumor or damaged part. would you want to spend $500 and have them tell you they can't conclusively say it's lymphoma? my cat has lymphoma and not one aspirate or her spleen (which looked awful and was taken out entirely so they could chop it up to their heart's content) positively showed lymphoma. did you have an ultrasound/xrays done at the vet to eliminate anything obvious?

if you intended to sue, you might want to get the necropsy but you may know that most of the time the only people who profit from lawsuits are lawyers. animal cases are even tougher because pets just aren't valued legally as much as people are.

you might want to PM Stefani & Toonces to see what she thinks. she's more aware of bad vet issues. sara, i'm totally sympathetic and know how horrifying this whole ordeal has been for you (trying to give you practical help and i hope it didn't sound cold blooded). cleo has suffered from terrible vet care in the past. but i think you're right that the money for the necropsy would be better saved for your other kitties.
 
I am so sorry for your loss .You will do the right thing but I think all these replys are so right . You have other babies to look after and no matter what answer you get it will not bring him back.. Your vet will never say sorry cause he sounds like he is not the kind to admit he may have made a mistake. Your Pumpkin is watching you from up apove saying I am free I am young again and I can play no pain He is at Rainbow Bridge and he will wait for all his other fur family and you to come when the time is right. I too had to let my 5 year old go and I kept him all day to make sure he was gone even though I had to get the vet to help him...I understand your pain....RIP Pumpkin and send your momma a sign that you are happy...Maybe he will visit you in your dreams ....So sorry I wish I could help more...Kath
 
Sara,
How are you feeling today? Found a little more peace of mind, I hope.

It does get easier, but we know we will always miss and think of our pets.
 
Having just lost Itty I too have struggled with not truly knowing what happened or what could have been done differently. There are places along our journey where it could be said that just about every one who touched her life made some kind of error that cost her her life. (and I realize that our stories are very different but I think it is worth sharing anyway) I didn't get her to the vet quickly enough when she came to my house. I thought it was intestinal the first time we went to the vet with an emergency and she dismissed my concerns and observations. The next vet started her on insulin without a full history and the insulin was kicked off her final dip.... it just goes on and on. I believe it is just part of the grief process to start questioning things.

I know it is a difficult time but I would encourage you to focus not only your finances but more importantly your attention on the other furbabies you have at home. They need their bean. At least that's what Omi keeps meowing at me about.
 
yes honey, keep the money for the babies you have at home who may need to use it for their health one day. knowing the exact cause of pumpkins leaving this life is not as important you may think right now, knowing the love and joy you brought into each other's lives is. what would pumpkin say? if he could.
 
I am sory for your loss. I did not read the situation, but it sounds awful. There are people here who have lost cats by the direct result of a vet's incompetence. It is very sad and we feel responsible. You did not let your cat down. You trusted a professional to do the right thing. I know it would make you feel a bit better knowing the cause, but it really wouldn't be worth it for the money. Unless you had an extra $500 laying around with nothing to buy with it that is.

What about writing that vet a letter? Tell him you believe you lost Pumpkin because of him not acting sooner, or whatever the reason. Maybe it would make you feel better. Maybe just writing it would without sending it.

You should contact Tina and Regis and talk about the sadness of a vet's mistake. I think Pumpkin would want you to spend that money on his siblings' health care. He sounded like a special cat and I am sorry. Donna
 
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