Dancer's Awful, Terrible, Horrible, Stressful Visit to the Vet Clinic

Dancer During an Earlier Visit to the Vet

Yesterday (Monday), I called the vet clinic and made an appointment for Dancer to get his monthly injection for his arthritis.  The appointment was for today (Tuesday). at 1:45 p.m.  Dancer hates being in his carrier and he hates car rides even more.  He meows loudly, desperate, anxious meows, and he starts panting and hyperventilating.  I'm not sure if cats can have panic attacks, but, that is the only way to describe how he was, today.  By the time we got to the vet clinic, he had worked himself up to such a frenzy that he was drooling as well as  panting loudly and meowing  

The technician took him inside and then, came out almost immediately to ask whether he drooled like that at home, too.  I said no, he just doesn't like being in his carrier and car rides and finds it stressful.  When my daughter was home, she would sit in the backseat with him held on her lap and he would still meow loudly. but, when I am driving on my own, he has to be in the carrier at all times.  

A short time later, the technician came back out again and said the vet had checked him out and she had detected a murmur in his heart and they were concerned.  He is, after all, 15 years old.  They wanted to give him some sedatives to calm him down, give him oxygen to help with his breathing, and they wanted to take an x-ray of his chest; would I authorize the services and here's the estimated cost!  I couldn't say no, so, I said yes.  There would be a bit of a wait, I was told, and I said it was fine; I sat and read my library book, after I texted my daughter to let her know what was going on.

Some time later, the vet came out and we went into a side room and she said everything checked out well, he was not going into cardiac arrest as she had feared, and she will give me a sedative to administer to him, one to two hours prior to future car rides, to help him with his anxiety.  She also said that she did see a spot on one of his lungs in the x-ray and was going to send it to a radiologist and she will call me with the results once she gets the report.  Oh, and they did give him his arthritis medication, too!

Dancer was still meowing when they brought him out and the technician had a trash bag in her hand, as well.  Apparently, he had pooped in the towel I put at the bottom of the carrier, so they put the towel in the trash bag and put a disposable liner on the bottom of his carrier.  

Then, I paid the bill.  What was supposed to have been a routine injection turned out to be an emergency exam, with x-ray charges and sedatives added to the cost of the arthritis injection.  It was an expensive vet visit!  

Dancer meowed a few times in the car ride back and hyperventilated, but, to a lesser degree than before.  He has been hiding under my bed most of the evening, but, he did eat some tuna and I think he drank some water, too.  I don't think he has used the litter box, yet.  He has been avoiding me, but, he did come up on to the sofa at one point to look out the window:

Checking that all is well outside

And then, he turned around and glared at me:

"It's all your fault, Mummy, for taking me to the vet's!"

Hopefully, the sedatives I have to give him before taking him the next time will help!  If not, we might need to reconsider the need for monthly arthritis injections!  They seem to have helped him, but, I don't know if they are worth the stress of the trip to the vet clinic and back! 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Dancer survived his awful visit to the vet!
- I survived his awful visit to the vet!

- Being able to pay vet bills!  
- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- Chocolate!

Today's joyful activity was a phone chat with my friend E to wish her for her birthday.