Euthanasia For Very Sick Cat

[sylvafern]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know which vets in Bangkok will euthanise a very ill animal? I know this is a very un-PC topic in Thailand so if you want to PM me the details instead of posting, then that's okay.

My friend's cat is very ill and has been that way for almost 4 weeks. She had him neutered and something went wrong (not sure exactly what, but another vet has confirmed that the operation was performed incorrectly). She is now taking him to a vet clinic attached to a university somewhere near Siam and rates the vets highly but they won't euthanise. She is having to take him every day for a drip and has to wait while he's there (not allowed to leave him there overnight). He has liver failure and other problems and the vet said he has only a small chance of survival. He hasn't eaten anything for this whole time. She is at the vet's right now and is trying to find out exact information on the prognosis, but if the drips and medication are just helping him to stay alive (rather than healing him) she thinks the best thing is to put him to sleep as he is obviously in pain and miserable.

Can anyone help recommend a vet that will do this?

Also, does anyone know of vet's that have particular expertise in cats as it seems that many vets don't really know that much about cat's compared to dogs (my cat also almost died after being spayed and the operation was performed incorrectly - different vet than this one).

thanks for your help.

[Totster]

Try contacting Bambina (who is a vet) by PM or email....

Bambina profile

totster

[Nienke]

Oh how sorry I am for your friend! Neutering is supposed to be a very easy operation .... and than this ....

About which vet in BKK euthanizes, unfortunately, I can't help you, but there must be as here in Chiang Mai there are several who do.

For cats specialists, maybe try the Kasetsart University??

Wishing your friend lots of strenght in this difficult time,

Nienke

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know which vets in Bangkok will euthanise a very ill animal? I know this is a very un-PC topic in Thailand so if you want to PM me the details instead of posting, then that's okay.

My friend's cat is very ill and has been that way for almost 4 weeks. She had him neutered and something went wrong (not sure exactly what, but another vet has confirmed that the operation was performed incorrectly). She is now taking him to a vet clinic attached to a university somewhere near Siam and rates the vets highly but they won't euthanise. She is having to take him every day for a drip and has to wait while he's there (not allowed to leave him there overnight). He has liver failure and other problems and the vet said he has only a small chance of survival. He hasn't eaten anything for this whole time. She is at the vet's right now and is trying to find out exact information on the prognosis, but if the drips and medication are just helping him to stay alive (rather than healing him) she thinks the best thing is to put him to sleep as he is obviously in pain and miserable.

Can anyone help recommend a vet that will do this?

Also, does anyone know of vet's that have particular expertise in cats as it seems that many vets don't really know that much about cat's compared to dogs (my cat also almost died after being spayed and the operation was performed incorrectly - different vet than this one).

thanks for your help.

[sriracha john]

I'm sorry, but I can't recommend a specific vet in BKK either, but when I took mine to a local vet here to euthanize... (some d*mn soi dog had bit her and severed her spinal cord)... they did so without hesitation... a very quick injection and her suffering was over rapidly...

still missing you, Margaret...

[BambinA]

Can anyone help recommend a vet that will do this?

any vet can do that process in severe sick animal .

[leisurely]

Try the animal hospital behind Central Bangna.

[markuk]

Can anyone help recommend a vet that will do this?

any vet can do that process in severe sick animal .

Bambina good to see you back, youve been absent too much!! as you know..

[sylvafern]

Thanks for the information. Maybe in some cases you just need to be the one that mentions it first. Hopefully it won't come to that, anyhow as the vet today told her there was a slight improvement and even though my friend didn't think there was, when I saw the cat I could tell the difference between today when I last saw it a week ago. She's going to keep going with the treatment for a few more days and reassess the situation after the weekend.

[Sheryl]

All the best for your friend and her cat.

I don't know about the willingness of various vets to euthanise -- killing a cat is believed to cause extreme bad luck and to be a serious sin in Thailand, even people who don't like cats in the least won't usually dare to kill one. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Actually, if the animal is so sick that it can't eat or drink, simply stopping the drips will lead to death fairly soon, andjust taking the cat home with a pain killer and/or sedative medication might be a humane option and easier to get a vet to go along with. Like we do with terminally ill people: stop useless prolongation of life and provide ample pain relief and let death come naturally. Presumably this wouldn't run afoul of the bad luck fears since the cast is not killed but rather allowed to die naturally and pain free.

But let's hope the recent improvement continues and the poor thing recovers!

But in terms of vets who know what they are doing with cats:

1) Kasetart (sp?) University small animal clinic. On of the senior vets there is supposed to be the foremost authority on cats in Thailand. I think his name is Dr. Kronthong.

2)forget the name, but there is an Animal Hospital which is under Royal

Patronage located on Ramkamheng Road not too far from the ring road, it is good and the staff are very kind and seem genuinely fond of animals.

3) have heard that Dr. Maytee at the Ari Pet Hiospital is also good with cats.

[Chi Man]

For care with my cat, I've have nothing but positive things to say about Thonglor Pet Hospital (on Sukhumvit 55, 02-712-6301-4). They're more expensive than most vets, but they're really good, professional, and know what the h*ll they're doing. Even the receptionists speak English. They're really good with cats and even have a dedicated feline clinic.

[Erin]

Try http://www.vetsuk49.com/

When I took little Lupi there, the vet told me that they're gonna try to treat him first but if he is still not responding to the treatment then they'll have to put him down. (Luckly our Lupi survived!) so I think this is something they do for the sick animals. They also work with SDR so I imagine sometimes euthanasia is the better choice when they can no longer imporve the poor animals' quality of life.

They speak very good english and did a good job with Lupi, I do hope that your friend's cat will get another chance like Lupi and get better, good luck!

[sylvafern]

Thanks for your advice everyone. My friend decided to have her cat put down. She took him back to the original vet clinic which performed the operation and, although the vet wasn't overly keen at first, he realised it was the best thing to do. The drips were only giving him temporary relief and a few hours afterwards he was reverting back to the way he was before having the drip. He'd been this way for more than four weeks (still had not eaten or drunk anything) so it was the best thing to do even though it was hard.

Thankyou for the information on vets with cat expertise as well as myself and quite a few others at my work also have cat's and this information will be very helpful.

[Sheryl]

Thanks for your advice everyone. My friend decided to have her cat put down. She took him back to the original vet clinic which performed the operation and, although the vet wasn't overly keen at first, he realised it was the best thing to do. The drips were only giving him temporary relief and a few hours afterwards he was reverting back to the way he was before having the drip. He'd been this way for more than four weeks (still had not eaten or drunk anything) so it was the best thing to do even though it was hard.

Thankyou for the information on vets with cat expertise as well as myself and quite a few others at my work also have cat's and this information will be very helpful.

Sorry to hear that, the poor thing...and condolesences to your friend.

I think you would be doing a service to current and future cat owners if you could tell us the name of the place that did the neutering so it can be avoided, at least for cats. From what you describe as the problems my guess is that it was an anesthesia error. The anesthetics used for cats and dogs are different (should be, I mean) and if they lack experience with cats they may have given a drug not safe for them....

In the course of this thread we've had a number of posts of places with expertise in cats, maybe we should pin something on it? Dogs are such common pets in Thailand but with cats one has to select the vet carefully to get one with experience specific to cats, and there are not that many....

Moderator: can I go ahead a pin a notice or is it only Moderators who can pin? Thanks

Sheryl

[Scott]

My condolences on the loss of the cat. Your friend is lucky the vet did it. I have a very sick cat, but the vet's all refused to put it down. I (and a Thai friend) would call a vet clinic and they would say "yes" they would put it down, we'd go and they wouldn't.

I did take it to Kasesert University--which is excellent--on the advice of my vet and the cat is now in a manageable condition. However, she will die from his condition eventually and I don't want to watch him suffer when he relapses. So, if you know of a vet clinic that will perform this service (or provide the medication to do it). It might be a good idea to post it.

I wasn't even asking them to do it. I was willing to do it myself, as I wanted the cat at home for it's final moments. They wouldn't provide the medicine to do it.

[bina]

scott,

putting your own animal down is quite difficult; my boxer was euthenized by a vet (he had a degenerative chronic disease) and the amount of meds (cant remember the name but intended for euthenasia purposes )was triple the amount that another dog would have needed per kilo weight.we had to keep adding more to the drip.. his heart just wouldnt stop (he was given ketamine first-- a sort of dream sleep, to prevent pain and fear)... and the vet has to check that the heart has indeed stopped ... you dont want to bury your animal while in a coma induced by meds....

two goats, and little lamb also were euthenized at my zoo (different causes different times) and each time the vet did it with a drip in the vein, ketamine, and heart check....

[Sheryl]

My condolences on the loss of the cat. Your friend is lucky the vet did it. I have a very sick cat, but the vet's all refused to put it down. I (and a Thai friend) would call a vet clinic and they would say "yes" they would put it down, we'd go and they wouldn't.

I did take it to Kasesert University--which is excellent--on the advice of my vet and the cat is now in a manageable condition. However, she will die from his condition eventually and I don't want to watch him suffer when he relapses. So, if you know of a vet clinic that will perform this service (or provide the medication to do it). It might be a good idea to post it.

I wasn't even asking them to do it. I was willing to do it myself, as I wanted the cat at home for it's final moments. They wouldn't provide the medicine to do it.

Scott,

Another approach would be to ask for medication to keep the cat comfortable, and then let him/her die naturally and comfortable at home. (I agree with wanting to let a cat die at home...more than dogs, cats tend to be frightened when in unfamiliar environments). Fentanyl patches can be used with cats and work well to control pain. Mild tranquilizers such as diazepam (valium) can also be given. A combo of fentanyl + (if the cat seems frightened/anxious), valium ought to ensure a comfortable, peaceful dying process. It might still take some time but the cat needn't suffer.

As mentioned before on this thread there are several factors contributing to the reluctance of Thai vets to euthanize cats. I haven't (knock on wood!!!) had occasion to find out but perhaps they would be more responsive to a request for effective pain management. Particularly the more upscale private clinics like Tonglor, one would hope.

[bina]

fentynal... thats the one!!! the problem is the amount; and the heart check after wards to verify death... breathing stopped is not the way to check, most vets pull blood and check for minor, delayed heart beats... w/nero, the boxer, it took many extra millileters and waiting to declare death... same with the valium, not all animals react the same... not sure about cats though, here people use ketamine as an aid against fear/pain.... on most large animals and dogs... i'd still go for a vet somewhere thats willing, rather than at home if u dont have experience or are slightly sqeamish about it...

[Guest endure]

scott,

putting your own animal down is quite difficult; my boxer was euthenized by a vet (he had a degenerative chronic disease) and the amount of meds (cant remember the name but intended for euthenasia purposes )was triple the amount that another dog would have needed per kilo weight.we had to keep adding more to the drip.. his heart just wouldnt stop (he was given ketamine first-- a sort of dream sleep, to prevent pain and fear)... and the vet has to check that the heart has indeed stopped ... you dont want to bury your animal while in a coma induced by meds....

two goats, and little lamb also were euthenized at my zoo (different causes different times) and each time the vet did it with a drip in the vein, ketamine, and heart check....

When my boxer was put down the vet just gave him an injection into one of the veins in his paw and he was dead within seconds

I have his ashes in a little box - poor old Max

[Sheryl]

fentynal... thats the one!!! the problem is the amount; and the heart check after wards to verify death... breathing stopped is not the way to check, most vets pull blood and check for minor, delayed heart beats... w/nero, the boxer, it took many extra millileters and waiting to declare death... same with the valium, not all animals react the same... not sure about cats though, here people use ketamine as an aid against fear/pain.... on most large animals and dogs... i'd still go for a vet somewhere thats willing, rather than at home if u dont have experience or are slightly sqeamish about it...

I wasn't referring to using it to euthanize a cat but rather for pain relief. The idea being that with adequate pain relief, a cat could be allowed to die naturally at home. After all, isn't the whole point behind requests to euthanize an animal the idea that the animal is suffering? Stop the suffering and no need to euthanize the cat; let nature take its course. Personally I would feel much more comfortable with that and my guess is that so would a Thai vet.

Thai vets have problems with euthanizing cats on several counts...one, the deep-seated superstition that killing a cat brings especially bad luck/bad karma...two, the Buddhist precept against killing...three, the general Buddhist notion that the time of death is determined by karmic forces and has effects on the next life and therefore shouldn't be tampered with (i.e. there's a reason why it may be taking time for the animal to die).

But I'm not aware of anything that would inhibit giving of pain relief except possibly fear of the owner abusing or selling the drugs, since they are controlled substances.

[Scott]

My cat has urinary problems and has been treated for a long time. He is presently on two medications which are keeping it under control, however, urination is slow and difficult (although I don't see any evidence of it being painful).

Having gone through several months of serious problems and multiple hospitalizations, I know that there is no way that this problem is not painful. The cat was in absolute misery. The restricted urethra is such that it was almost impossible to catheterize the poor thing.

I have no intention of putting my lovely cat down until it really has to be done, but I lost several years off my life watching the poor thing suffer. Now, as he's getting older, the next round of trouble could be particularly bad. All the urinary problems caused the kidneys to fail and other problems. Fortunately, he was able to recover from these, but again age could be a factor the next time.

I keep the cat on his medication and the best diet possible and hope it doesn't come back, but the suffering the cat went through was unbelievable.

[Sheryl]

My cat has urinary problems and has been treated for a long time. He is presently on two medications which are keeping it under control, however, urination is slow and difficult (although I don't see any evidence of it being painful).

Having gone through several months of serious problems and multiple hospitalizations, I know that there is no way that this problem is not painful. The cat was in absolute misery. The restricted urethra is such that it was almost impossible to catheterize the poor thing.

I have no intention of putting my lovely cat down until it really has to be done, but I lost several years off my life watching the poor thing suffer. Now, as he's getting older, the next round of trouble could be particularly bad. All the urinary problems caused the kidneys to fail and other problems. Fortunately, he was able to recover from these, but again age could be a factor the next time.

I keep the cat on his medication and the best diet possible and hope it doesn't come back, but the suffering the cat went through was unbelievable.

That's terrible to hear. Was this in Thailand? Did you ask about pain medication?

It is hard for me to understand why a vet would leave an animal in pain. Cats can get pain relief, just as humans can, from drugs such as opiates (demerol, korphine etc) and fentanyl.

I know that vets do have and use these drugs for pain after surgery in animals.

Bambina, can you clarify about this in Thai vets? Will they provide pain medications if the owner requests it?

[Toni]

Thanks for your advice everyone. My friend decided to have her cat put down. She took him back to the original vet clinic which performed the operation and, although the vet wasn't overly keen at first, he realised it was the best thing to do. The drips were only giving him temporary relief and a few hours afterwards he was reverting back to the way he was before having the drip. He'd been this way for more than four weeks (still had not eaten or drunk anything) so it was the best thing to do even though it was hard.

Thankyou for the information on vets with cat expertise as well as myself and quite a few others at my work also have cat's and this information will be very helpful.

very sad to read this, my condolences! I know what they went through! I had always lots of animals and the final decision is very difficult to make. No single animal I forgot after saying good-bye.

[sylvafern]

I think you would be doing a service to current and future cat owners if you could tell us the name of the place that did the neutering so it can be avoided, at least for cats. From what you describe as the problems my guess is that it was an anesthesia error. The anesthetics used for cats and dogs are different (should be, I mean) and if they lack experience with cats they may have given a drug not safe for them....

Sheryl

You may be right with this. My cat that nearly died after being spayed had been stitched up with sutures that were meant for dogs which caused a severe infection. That was just at a 'local' vet and have since only ever taken my pets to seemingly more 'westernised' vet clinics. The clinic that performed my friend's cat's neutering was Doc love Dog animal hospital on Chaeng Wattana Rd which I've previously reccommended to people on this forum as it has a pet hotel (and a good dog spa). There are a couple of good vets there but, in my opinion, I think it has gone downhill .... it's a large practice but all the vets seem to be young female graduates (with a high turnover) ..... nothing wrong with that, but there hardly ever seems to be a senior vet on duty so I wonder how much support they are getting.

Last year one of my dogs died due to a misdiagnosis and unwillingness to listen to me. Got home from work one day and she was obviously seriously ill - immediately took her to the vet who said she thought she was anemic and gave her pills for that - the dog couldn't even walk, was shaking, and in incredible pain when picked up. I asked 4 times could she please stay in the clinic overnight (it's a 24 hour place) but they wouldn't allow it so I took her home with the intention of going back the next day. In the morning she was dead. The autopsy said she had a twisted stomach. I still use the clinic for my dogs but only for routine vaccinations, grooming and once in an emergency when my puppy was severly injured. I've also learnt to listen to my instinct and ask for a second opinon if I think it's necessary and insist on the animal staying in if I think it's necessary.