Second Opinion? Homeless Kitty 😿

Hello I would love a vet to give me an opinion of this cats X-rays, just think more opinions are better than one 😃 He is homeless, found him living in my garden when I moved in, he had a big hole in his backside so I took him for a surgery to fix it and got him neutered at the same time. He is +\- 3yrs old. Thanks so much

Hello!   I'm afraid that the veterinary second opinion doesn't really work like that at this time.  Perhaps in the future it will, but for now the person who orders the radiographs or takes the history is the one who interprets them and orders second opinions, which mostly come from someone more experienced in the area of radiography than they are themselves, or else it is unlikely to help.  Don't feel that you would be letting your vet down in asking for a second opinion - most vets are happy to get one.   I for one love the chance to have someone more experienced look over my work and help me to do a better job for the patient.  Thanks to digital radiography, this can be done quickly and online these days.  However, this is not my role here and could, indeed, get me in trouble with the RCVS - it would be like one doctor treating another's patient without speaking to them.  Best of luck

(PS when I say that a more experienced vet is needed, this is ideal.  But sometimes two or three brains are better than one - we all discuss cases with out colleagues at work and it might be that your vet is doing this already - but definitely worth the ask).

Thank you Liz Perhaps “second opinion” was not the correct thing to say. I just want AN opinion. Unfortunately, when this poor homeless guy tested positive for FIV, the vet was irritated that I didn’t want to have him put down… OF COURSE that’s what should happen if he were sick or suffering but all he wants is to LIVE and get love. So… that is what he will get. Does this look like a cat that needs to be “put down”? The vet also suddenly “could not continue to offer him treatment any further” 

Hi - I don't know your vet and am not about to take sides in a disagreement that I know nothing about, so I will speak as I find. Radiographs are usually interpreted by the vet who took them and interpretation is generally part of the cost of the rads.  Therefore, if you have paid to have a cat radiographed, you can also expect to have had an interpretation of the results (unless - very rarely - there are extenuating circumstances which make this inappropriate).  This process is known as the first opinion.  My commenting on a radiograph without permission or history from your vet would constitute a second opinion and remains against general professional standards.   This convention exists to  save another vet trying to interpret radiographs out of social or medical context, which of course can be dangerous for the patient and confusing for the owner.  As it happens, we cannot offer that service in any case (please see the site rules that you agreed to). If you search for Sarah Caney's website iCatcare, you will find an excellent article about FIV and how to responsibly prevent its spread.  Most vets have FIV positive cats on their books - it is quite common and not seen as a reason in itself to euthanase a cat.  However, owners do need to take steps to prevent the virus being passed on to other people's cats. Given that most vets do treat owned FIV positive cats, I think it may be worthwhile exploring why it was that your vet could not treat this one.  Perhaps it was connected to funding, for example?  It is not normal for vets to treat a stray cat free of charge (although they will always provide emergency treatment), as there are shelters and groups available whose role it is to take strays on, treat and re-home them; they are set up and funded for that, so a stray cat shouldn't lose out (especially if they turn up with the radiograph and FIV test already taken care of). It sounds as though contacting your local rescue is probably the next step.  Best of luck to the lovely boy.