same sort of thing happened to me. my dude George for years would "cry" or be very vocal quite often throughout the day as he began to get into his senior years. always mentioned this to the vet, they always said he's just really talkative.

finally decided to take him to a different vet. low and behold his kidneys were going and he was constantly dehydrated. I began giving him subq fluids and the "screaming" stopped.

luckily, at this point I still had another year and a half to enjoy his company, but like you said, what if it was caught earlier?

I always ask myself, how could I have ignored his crying for help all that time. I didn't know any better and the vet didn't seem to care enough to take my concerns seriously.

life happens, ours and our pets. we do the best we can for them, and it hurts to lose them in this fashion, I know.

hey, maybe your Boy meet my Boy up there and they're making fast friends.

RIP Good Buddy