A day has passed since I took Weasel for his ultrasound and x-ray and now that the news and the events that unfolded have settled into my psyche, I'm angry.
The vet that I saw, was the same one that told me that Weasel had 3 months to live over a year ago. He pressured me into a $5000 surgery and lay quite a bit of guilt on me for not taking that course of action. Yesterday, he back peddled, stating that it wasn't necessarily pancreatic cancer and could be another malignant form of cancer that 'behaves' differently, which explains why we had another year with Weasel..ummmm no. It is behaving identically to pancreatic cancer which is why the liver was impacted. The other traditional vet I saw and Dr. Haghighat confirmed that it's pancreatic cancer without a doubt.
On top of that, he had the audacity to mention that due to the fact that I didn't have the surgery previously, it has spread which will cost more, as they have to remove both tumours. I didn't go there to pursue surgery and he knew that so mentioning it was pretty sad on his behalf.
What I saw, was a man with a god complex - pure and simple. He couldn't admit that we succeeded in achieving longevity of life through alternative methods, and in fact, it's highly likely, we would have lost Weasel had we done the surgery due to the stress it places on the body. The other traditional vet I saw a year ago stated that almost 100% of cats that undergo that surgery die 3 months later due to the severity of it.
This same vet told me at best I only have 1 year left with Weasel. Why on earth would I believe someone who completely screwed up in his last prognosis and why would he have the confidence to state that after seeing his previous error? Why can't these vets stop focusing on such negative outcomes that cannot be proven and instead support their customers, tell them, "you're doing a great job! Keep it up!" or simply remind them that yes, it's a terminal illness but there are cases out there that prove that quality of life is still achievable and even longevity. Positive thinking is our greatest ally when facing these situations. Bringing stress home is not only hard on the owner, but the pet senses it as well. What I witnessed was a process that drives revenue through scare tactics.
Yes, Weasel has another tumour; however, there's the fantastic fact that we shrunk a pancreatic tumour by 1 cm. That is amazing and it's those small victories that mean the world to me and perhaps to others as well.
I will continue to treat Weasel as best I can to address the new tumour and even if I only have one more year with him, that's a heck of a lot longer than what the traditional vets informed me.
By no means am I against traditional vets. I know that they believe in what they do and want the best for animals; however, they really need to educate themselves on alternative treatments to compliment what they practice, offering their clients the best outcomes possible.
I am so angry with you and for you, Melissa. And had that been me, I may have called the veterinary medical association to let my feelings be known... This is what I despise about animal medicine. The advantage-taking. The guilt-tripping and the fear mongering.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, who am I kidding. Doctors do this to us on a daily basis.
I am not against any kind of medicine; however, I do believe there are multiple ways to handle an issue as with anything in life, and there are multiple views and beliefs and none are wrong. Why can MDs not support us to treat our ailments both medicinally and perhaps, holistically? (I know they exist but it sure is a rare trait.) The same goes for vets.
I feel that it is so easy sometimes for them to use scare tactics... Often I feel as though our pets are giant experiments. Kind of like with vaccinations: "annually... ok no, we've changed our minds, now you can do them semi-annually. Just kidding... you can do them once in their lifetimes." So my baby was your experiment.
Excuse this vet for what he is. Smart perhaps, but not worldly. Closed-minded.
And go and celebrate the fact that you managed to shrink Weasel's tumour.
(Sorry about the rant!)
Celebrate Weasel's small victory and I know you'll manage to help him with his new tumour. :)
Arezoo
Hi Arezoo,
DeleteOnce again, I love your passion :). Your messages always bring a smile to my face, or tears if you're sharing news of your own personal struggles with Rambo. Yes, I agree, the advantage-taking and guilt tripping is a poor tactic to take when people are at their lowest and feeling vulnerable. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that it's not a tactic that's used in all clinics. I think initially people feel shocked and maybe accepting of how the news is delivered, but like me, when the shock wears away, the other emotion that creeps in is anger. By relaying news in a more gentle fashion, one can likely avoid that outcome. It would be great wouldn't it, if they stated, 'we recommend surgery; however, if you can't afford that, we know someone who can help you achieve quality of life through alternative methods'. People feel satisfaction knowing that there are options that exist. I really really hope that the growing number of blogs and testimonies out there help to educate the public about their available options.
Yes, you're right, it does feel as though our pets are their test cases. Inoculations are a great concern to me. I had a vet in Milton that stated once every 3 years was ample, but the one down the street from me reminds me every year to come by. Each clinic is following a different process at the expense of our babies. You said it perfectly yourself.
Also very well stated is what you said about the vet - 'smart perhaps, but not worldly. Closed-minded'. Very much so. I certainly don't discredit his intellect, but he could become incredible by garnering the knowledge of alternative medicine as well (and learning how to tell people about bad news lol).
Thanks again for your amazing thoughts!! :)
Thank you for your lovely words, Melissa. I am passionate about this because, well, these are our babies, and just because they cannot speak using words, does not give these vets the right to use them as their 'experiments'!!! The internal specialist that crushed me by saying that Rambo could have "days, weeks, maybe months" - though I believe the word "hours" may have been used as well - could have approached it a lot differently by adding in an option like Dr. Haghighat! The fact that you and I have found a vet like him, so passionate and so positive, has done wonders for our animals, and I dare say, our own psyche. Let us now teach these closed-minded veterinarians what options exist!! :)
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