My cat, Yates, has a palate defect (so he can get food and stomach acid into his sinuses, poor kitty). We discovered this through $$$ testing at Southern Maryland Referral Center.

Dr. Greco (the surgeon) and Dr. Maguire (the internal medicine specialist), said we could spend $$$$$$$ to do a surgery with only a 50/50 chance of success to repair the palate, and we'd still have to deal with the scar tissue in his sinuses.

The best bet may be to take him up to UPenn (in Philly) and have a stent put in (its like springs to hold the scar tissue open so he can breathe). Of course, we'd have to take him up there for evaluation (another $$$) before they even do the surgery. And it's an experimental procedure, so they aren't sure what the long term risks are (i.e. what if it slips? One of the other kitties is an aggressive wrestler).

When we found all of this out, we were just a few months from getting married. They said it wasn't life threatening, and could wait until after the wedding.... now its after the wedding.

Now I've also found these boards and heard all of the horror stories about SMVRC. On the other hand, they were bought out by VCA, so perhaps things have changed. Has anyone been there recently?

I'm considering getting a second opinion, but I'm not sure where to go and I'm leary of spending even MORE money.

My normal vet is Dr. Fox in Indian Head, and he's recommending SMVRC (even though he's no longer there, and several of the vet techs seem to be following him to Indian Head). We developed a good working relationship while figuring out what was wrong with Yates. He tells me what a test is for, what the risks are for not doing it, what the cost will be, and lets me make the decision - I know Yates best and have a pretty good "intuition" about what's going on with him at this point.

I also like his junior vet's (I can't remember her name) approach to Hunter's stomachitis. It's a mild case, and the vets at St. Charles wanted to spend $$$ on biopsies and such, and it's just not necessary. Plus, when St. Charles couldn't figure out what was wrong with Yates they just shrugged their shoulders and said "some cats sound like that". Whatever.

So, if you managed to get to the end of this (!), I suppose these are my questions.


Do you have experience with SMVRC since VCA bought them out?
Any suggestions for a second opinion? Or should we just go up to PennState?
Are there other options you know of that I've overlooked?


Thanks so much!
Denise

Here's Yates:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/2841086489_d815420b95.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2841937070_9fe0c8658f.jpg

I'd take him to Annapolis...that is also where the best pet ER is located. Best of luck..he's a pretty boy!

CVRC_HomePage (http://www.cvrc.com/)

I agree with catt about going to annapolis to get yates checked out. He is a very pretty cat by the way.

Yates is adorable! Good luck to you and him. :flowers:

Two suggestions -
Try the MASH (Mid Atlantic Specialty Hospital) in Huntingtown, MD (Calvert County). They are fabulous and I've only heard good things about them as well
Mid-Atlantic Animal Specialty Hospital - Referral Veterinary Surgery (http://www.vetmash.com/)

And for the longest time, due to doggie medical reasons, I would drive from dc to st marys county to pick up my dog and take him him to Owings:
Calvert Animal Hospital
1923 Skinners Turn Rd, Owings, MD 20736
(410) 257-6171

The "specialty" vets rotate out of Annapolis. Saving you an further drive and giving you tons of quality and professionalism.

Thanks for the advice and well-wishes!

The distance difference between MASH and CVRC is pretty negligible from Indian Head (they're both over an hour away!).

I'm not sure if they'd want the referral from my normal vet, or from SMVRC (who made the diagnosis). Ideas?

Thanks,
Denise

Thanks for the advice and well-wishes!

The distance difference between MASH and CVRC is pretty negligible from Indian Head (they're both over an hour away!).

I'm not sure if they'd want the referral from my normal vet, or from SMVRC (who made the diagnosis). Ideas?

Thanks,
Denise

I think they'll want to check your kitty out either way - but it won't hurt to have the paperwork. I'd call and find out what else they may need. Good luck.

I know the distance is tough for you but that might be what it takes to get him better. A lot of the specialists are not in Charles County. I recommend Dogs and Cats Veterinary Referral in Bowie, MD. They are easy to get to, take 301 all the way up near rt 50 and turn on 197. It's about an hour from Indian Head. Their surgeon, Dr. Eileen Snakard is brilliant and has performed many risky and difficult surgeries with success. It's worth a shot to go talk to her. Good luck!

DO NOT take your pets to MASH.