RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Louise B — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:40:53 GMT

Why would knowing about the # sacrum on the first day made any difference? Lots of cats sustain a # pelvis in an RTA and go on to survive and have normal urinary / faecal control (or regain it). I would have been very unlikely to have euthanased immediately had my cat sustained a # sacrum - I would have waited just like you to see what progress my cat made. I know you knew early on (from your other thread) that your cat had a paralysed tail and no bladder function so you did know that your cat had neurological deficits that might prove to be fatal in your cat's pronosis.

My dog was run over almost two years ago and sustained two luxated vertebrae, two # vertebrae, was in schiff sherrington and unable to move from the neck down, 3 # metatarsals, was in acute renal failure, the liver / pancreas wasn't looking too hot either, she had open wounds down to the bone front and back legs, plus various other soft tissue damage. Not every injury was diagnosed at the first X - ray - but, and for me this is the big but, they were focussed on treating the conditions that would kill her first. The true extent of the injuries became apparent later and there were many times I wondered if I was doing the right thing to keep her alive. I did, and against the odds, she survived and is back home walking (albeit with a odd gait). However, she never regained faecal control. I am not saying you should have kept your cat going with the urinary issues as that is a whole different ball game but I am saying that keeping your cat going for a while to see if she regained urinary control (even with a # sacrum) was not a bad thing to do as the outcome could have been very different and I would have done likewise.

I know you are grieving (and I lost my cat last night to an RTA so I can empathise 100% there) but be careful that your grief isn't making your feel irrationally angry (which is a normal part of the grieving process). I would go back and chat to the vet (but try not to go on the attack) and see what they say. I think any of us working in emergency clinics have been involved in plenty of RTA cases where the first set of x-rays have not been good quality and of limited diagnostic use simply because the initial priority is stabilisation of the cat's shock, etc and, for one reason or another, it has been necessary to limit the manipulation of the animal's positioning or time spent being x-rayed, for the intial welfare of the animal. Obviously I cannot say whether the vet has been negligent here or not (outside my remit and would be unprofessional) but there are plenty of other very good reasons why the # may have been missed. I have also seen cases where an over zealous obsession with getting fab xrays soon after arrival has actually compromised the chances of survival of the animal. Vets are always trying to ensure that they don't win the battle at the expense of the war (if that saying makes any sense to you).

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

martin whiting — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:46:23 GMT

Sorry to hear about your situation. Everyone has said correctly on here that we can't really comment directly on what happened .

Speaking to the vet and the partners of the practice is the first step and explaining to them why you are upset is important. They may be able to explain why they were unable to see the fracture in the first place. If you are not happy with their response then the RCVS is there to hear questions you have even without making a complaint, so you can phone them to talk about the situation and they can help you. Contacting them to discuss what happened is not the same as making a complaint, so they can confidentially help you and guide you in what you can do next if you want.

However it does seem if you think there might have been negligence on behalf of the vet then this might not necessarily be a task for the RCVS as they deal with professional misconduct which can be slightly different to negligence. The RCVS explain the difference on this site: http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/negligence-and-misconduct/ talking through the situation with them after you have spoken to the practice seems like the only step forward. Then you will have the information you need to make a decision on what you would like to do next.

I hope that helps?

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

meep_ kitten — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 23:44:56 GMT

Hi Butterfly, I understand the upset of losing a loved pet, and then the concern over an unclear diagnosis and possible prolonged distress for the cat/extended expense for an owner. But it is obviously not a matter for a nursing forum to comment on (without having experience with the individual circumstances) other than to share and empathise with the upset you are experiencing. Please take this matter up with the senior vet in charge of the case. Only they can comment on the treatment your cat received and whether enough was done at the time. And to reiterate, I'm very sorry for your loss.

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Butterfly — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:59:54 GMT

As far as i know the first xrays were taken under sedation on the friday and the second under a full GA on the saturday, he wasnt operated on till weds afternoon, he was looked after by 3 different vets, what im saying is that surely one of the tree should have spotted it, one of them has been qualified for 25yrs

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Fuzzyduck — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:55:02 GMT

If the 1st set if xrays were taken conscious this maybe why the fracture wasnt picked up, many vets will take a conscious xray following an rta but other than obvious things they are not normally of great quality and then later full GA xrays are normally taken to make sure there is nothing else, i assume they proceded with the surgery to save a further GA.

As for the complaint i cannot comment as i dont know the full story i can only speculate as to reasons why, ultimately only you can decide what you want to do.

Im sorry your cat didnt make it x

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Charmaloo88 — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:42:46 GMT

Again, without seeing X-rays no one can comment. Maybe a hairline fracture that was made worse by cats movement after? Personally I would take it up with senior staff at the practice and if you're then not satisfied go through RCVS. They can't deny you the notes or X-rays, but if you're thinking of taking them somewhere for another opinion it just muddies things further. I can appreciate how this must be an awful situation to be in, especially as you work within the profession, but if you were not happy with a service then you need to go through the same procedure as anyone other owner.

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Mark Hedberg — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:42:28 GMT

It does depend on the xray. A large dislocated fracture might show up well - a crack in a bone might not show up well. I'm afraid I must agree that I can't comment further, as I know nothing about the case.

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Butterfly — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:28:55 GMT

Yeah but surley you would see a fracture in the sacrum on the first xray, i know that animals are especially good at hiding things but they cant hide from an xray?

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Charmaloo88 — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:21:13 GMT

If you spoke to the head nurse/vet involved how was nothing said? Follow guidelines on RCVS website if you wish to make a complaint but as mentioned above we can't really give much advice due to lack of history, can't see X-rays etc. Although I would say with most RTAs I've experienced some problems do not become apparant for several hours, days or in one case a whole fortnight after the accident!

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Butterfly — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:02:19 GMT

I dont work there, it is a vets that do their own OOH, we spoke to the Head Vet and the nurse involved but nothing was said

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Alia — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:56:43 GMT

Do you work at the practice or was it an OOH clinic? I would speak to the vet in question first of all. I'm sorry to hear about your cat :-(

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Butterfly — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:52:13 GMT

I just need some advice please.

Re: RCVS complaint advice desperately needed

Katie Mansfield — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:47:26 GMT

Hi, sorry to hear of your loss.

As for your complaint I feel it would be extremely difficult and unprofessional of anyone on here to pass comment.

K x