Hi,
I am sorry to hear of both your experiences with a Specialty Hospital and the Vets wanting to do a surgery before a needle biopsy is done. It's hard to think they would do surgery without knowing the diagnosis and before a biopsy. Fortunately, my cat had exceptional care at the Animal Internal Medicine where he finally got treatment, but a second Vet where I took him wanted also to do surgery on him w/out a diagnosis.

To make a long story short, my beautiful 16 year old boy kitty, Tommy, went in for a Senior check-up, and the regular Vet felt a mass in his abdominal area. She unfortunately went in and did a needle biopsy thinking she could get a good specimen. Well, she accidentally got some of his bowel fecal matter mixed in and caused an infection. I think she punctured his bowel, but she told me she did not. He came home terribly ill. I went to a second Vet, and he wanted to do kind of an exploratory surgery which I know would have killed him, as he was so weak and thin. Finally, the thrid place was the Animal Internal Medicine hospital, and it was there a Surgical Vet did an ultrasound and then a needle biopsy and diagnosed it as intestinal lymphoma. Tommy never needed surgery, as it turned out, but did okay for seven months on Prednisolone and some oral chemo. He also had some kidney deficiency and bad arthritis and in the end the cancer just took over.