Unecessary Surgery and Loss...

[confused83]

Hi all,

We have recently lost our bunny. He started having weepy eyes just after Christmas, I took him to one vet who said he probably had an eye infection and prescribed antibiotics. At this point this was fine, after a week on them with no improvement and his eye starting to bulge slightly we took him to a second vet. She said he either had an abscess or a tumour and she would need to do an ultrasound, which she did. Her diagnosis was a retrobulbar abscess and she said the surgery to extract it would be risky and difficult. Based on this statement we sought out the best rabbit vet in the country. We took him up, she said obviously if the previous vet had thought it was an abscess and had run an ultrasound then she would remove it and all should be fine. Mid surgery we find out it is in fact a very large tumour which would be almost inoperable and would severely affect his quality of life. We chose to put him to sleep while he was still under the anaesthetic.

 

If the first vet had correctly diagnosed a tumour we would have bought him home, showered him with love and affection for a week or so and then put him to sleep before it significantly affected his eating. The surgery was totally unnecessary and was not only expensive but ended our little bun's life in a way that we would not have wanted.

 

I am not sure what to do - can you advise?

[hightail]

Your specialist will have seen the ultrasound images from the original vet. If they hadn't they would have insisted on doing another before operating. These images are digital these days and will have been sent by email along with the rest of the records when your original vet referred you. You have a situation here where two vets, one a specialist, agreed that surgery was worthwhile. Sounds like it was difficult to know for sure whether it's an abscess or a tumour and surgery was the only way of finding out. With two vets in agreement on this it would be difficult indeed to suggest either was negligent.

 

I know you must be very upset, maybe even feel cheated out of a few more days with a beloved pet. Anger is a much easier emotion to deal with than grief and finding someone to blame is an understandable reaction but from what you've posted I don't think you'd succeed in any case against either vet.

[citizenB]

Always very sad when one loses a pet

 

Did you have pet insurance on your little friend ?

 

If so, you could run your concerns past them and they will advise if you might have a claim against the vet.