If the vomiting doesn’t stop then that’s the end. So sorry.
Ok. So the vet appt. went like this.
Him: we need to do lots of diagnostics to find the problem. x-rays, ultrasound, stool sample, blood sample, etc.....
Me: what did you find in your exam? how many x-rays do you need?
Him: I found nothing, we need to do lots of diagnostics, we need to do 3 x-rays tonight, right now. It could be her lungs, it could be her esophagus, it could be a bacterial infection, it could be her heart, there's no way to know without all the diagnostics.
Me: what happens after diagnotics?
Him: oh, then we see what further tests we need, like an exam with a cardiologist, etc... but we need to do 3 x-rays tonight.
So I took Lucy home. Their emailed summary was that the vet found nothing that would indicate Lucy's issues. Grade 4 heart murmur and that's it. He didn't find any pain spots, found nothing wrong with eyes even though she has advanced cataracts, didn't even bother to check her anal glands which I mentioned had been impacted. I was not allowed to be in the room during the exam. He kept pushing for lots of diagnostics and never once mentioned her advanced age. I think he only noted the heart murmur because it was listed on the shelter's paperwork that I gave them.
So their $65 full exam yielded less info than my vet's $25 exam. And I understand now why my vet did not pursue further action.
IL - you are officially Lucy's godmother. And no, the honor cannot be declined. I'm going to spoil the heck out of her for the rest of her days. I will count on you to help me see when it's time to let her go.
I'm doing a Lucy journal so I can keep track of her good days/bad days to know when it's time to let her go. She was great yesterday - and was SO happy when we brought her back home from the vets! And this morning she was happy and energetic but then threw up undigested wet food on her new bed and freshly washed blankie. She thought she was in trouble, but I just put on her warm hoodie (I keep the house pretty cold) and put her in a new bed and now she's napping.
Pain Meds - what do you guys give your dogs for general pain relief? Achy joints and such. She is old and I hear her joints creaking all the time. And most evenings she can't get up on the couch unassisted. My vet is just inundated and the vet last night would not prescribe anything without all the expensive diagnostics.
And finally - thank you, thank you all for your good thoughts and supportive comments. I was a mess yesterday and you guys helped me through it.
Oh gosh, that’s good news and bad news all rolled into one.
I know for me I absolutely love having Diana, our head of rescue, at the other end of the phone. When I first had Teddy Bear years ago, he stopped being able to pee. I knew that that was serious and I kind of fell apart because it was a Sunday, so I called her right away and she agreed to go to the emergency room where they found kidney stones.
But at that point because she was backing me up and she was there with me, she had made arrangements to take him to our rescue bulldog vet who is easily a third of the price of the emergency vets. And also we know him and trust him. So the ER vet massaged the stones out of his urethrae and the next day at a different bet 40 miles away he had surgery.
I couldn’t have done that without her active support, and that means she was actually with me at the vet appointments. TL; DR It really helps to have support!
Rimadyl for pain. It’s not just for joints, it is for actual pain. Our current foster dog is recovering from surgery and he’s getting Rimadyl daily.
If your regular vet charges $25 Per exam and does not have x-ray equipment, he sounds like a low tech old school vet that that’s good to go to for low level stuff. My low level vet charges $45 for an exam anymore.
You were my experienced virtual support. Dh was with me and I told them I needed to talk to my rescue org. before making any decisions. Not true since Lucy's mine now, but it was a good exit strategy. The convo with vet was done by phone so it was easier to hold my ground.
IL - is it safe to give her aspirin or ibuprofen for a few days till I get the Rimadyl from the vet?
Geila, we get glucosamine chondroitin chews for our dog who had an acl tear and has ongoing ups and downs with her leg. We also give her salmon oil bt don't think that would help her stomach.
No don’t give her either of those. They were trying to run up the bill because they can hear heart issues with a stethoscope.
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