Getting A Second Opinion.

[pixie_meg]

I love my current vet but i have had one particularly bad experience(with a different vet) and was my very first vet experience as an adult.

This isn't name and shame and i think vets are great and definitely valued for the care they give our pets. But sometimes when you're given a diagnosis it is worth getting a second opinion. And sometimes getting that second opinion saves not only your purse but also unnecessary procedures to your pet. I thought it would be valuable to share our bad experiences.

So here's my bad experience, and i'm so glad i didn't take the vets word for it and also had the great support of Oberons Breeder.

When Oberon was 12 weeks old he had a lump on his elbow. I did what i do and googled it and believed it to be a hygroma(from slumping on hardwood floors). I went to the vet to make sure and was very quickly told that it was elbow dysplasia. This was 'diagnosed' by pulling on his legs. The vet then went on to tell me my dog also likely had hip dysplasia. 2 things that are generally unheard of in Borzois. The vet then started rubbishing my breeder and warning me that Oberon will cost thousands of dollars to look after because of his hips and elbows and that i should consider not keeping him.

I then got a recommendation for a vet who knows sighthounds and low and behold it was a hygroma and there was no sign of any elbow or hip issues. He was also checked over by my most recent vet and got the all clear.

[Bjelkier]

I know someone who had a bad time of it with a vet.

Her pup had been playing in the yard and hurt its eye with a stick. She rushed it to the closest vet who said they had to remove the eye. She called us in a panic and I recommended she see someone else just incase. Personally I would want one myself for such if such an opp was suggest to me and the dogs eye wasn't hanging out or bleeding.

Turns out the dogs eye was fine and it just needed time to heal and some cream, talk about a lucky save!

I have since seen the dog and she is fine, you would never have known she hurt the eye at all.

[pixie_meg]

I know someone who had a bad time of it with a vet.

Her pup had been playing in the yard and hurt its eye with a stick. She rushed it to the closest vet who said they had to remove the eye. She called us in a panic and I recommended she see someone else just incase. Personally I would want one myself for such if such an opp was suggest to me and the dogs eye wasn't hanging out or bleeding.

Turns out the dogs eye was fine and it just needed time to heal and some cream, talk about a lucky save!

I have since seen the dog and she is fine, you would never have known she hurt the eye at all.

You've got to wonder why the rush for surgery? and over diagnosing?

[MolassesLass]

Sometimes you need a second opinion when you're told it's nothing too, though I don't know anyone who does it.

Lump appeared on side of dogs chest and after waiting a week to make sure it wasn't a bruise, went to the vets. A fine needle biopsy was taken and I was assured it was nothing but a harmless fatty lump (lipoma) and it didn't need to come off unless it began to obstruct her walking. 6 months later dog was having GA for unrelated xrays so asked for lump to come out at same time. It was discovered to be a mast cell tumour (grade 2 by then). My poor baby, with that thing growing on her and possibly having spread in those 6 months. She might have dropped dead from it one day and I would never have known it was that lump.

[Jetty]

A couple of months after I got Jet he had hurt his leg jumping off of a chair and playing. After a day or two he continued to limp so we decided to take him to the local vet. (which we had never gone to before)

They didn't even take xrays or anything and diagnosed him with something (unsure what now) and told me we had to do a $2000+ operation and he would be in pain for the rest of his life!

I left then very upset and decided to get a second opinion. I took him to my now regular vet and the vet was actually alot more caring and considerate then the first one which was a bonus for me

He took xrays before jumping to a conclusion to what might be the problem and it ended up just being a tissue in his leg that was causing the problem. A week later with crate rest he was back to his chirpy self with no limp!

I am never going back to the local vet again after that experience. I didn't like the way they handled Jet and how they just assumed it was something without doing tests first.

[aussielover]

I love my current vet but i have had one particularly bad experience(with a different vet) and was my very first vet experience as an adult.

This isn't name and shame and i think vets are great and definitely valued for the care they give our pets. But sometimes when you're given a diagnosis it is worth getting a second opinion. And sometimes getting that second opinion saves not only your purse but also unnecessary procedures to your pet. I thought it would be valuable to share our bad experiences.

So here's my bad experience, and i'm so glad i didn't take the vets word for it and also had the great support of Oberons Breeder.

When Oberon was 12 weeks old he had a lump on his elbow. I did what i do and googled it and believed it to be a hygroma(from slumping on hardwood floors). I went to the vet to make sure and was very quickly told that it was elbow dysplasia. This was 'diagnosed' by pulling on his legs. The vet then went on to tell me my dog also likely had hip dysplasia. 2 things that are generally unheard of in Borzois. The vet then started rubbishing my breeder and warning me that Oberon will cost thousands of dollars to look after because of his hips and elbows and that i should consider not keeping him.

I then got a recommendation for a vet who knows sighthounds and low and behold it was a hygroma and there was no sign of any elbow or hip issues. He was also checked over by my most recent vet and got the all clear.

I'm surprised the vet didn't at least do xrays if they suspected hip/elbow dysplasia. And Hygromas are quite commmon in large/giant breeds such as Great Danes and Greyhounds.

I hate to say though that some vets are very anti-purebreds. As a student myself, I have to say that sadly, most young vet students are taught that purebreds have a multitude of health problems and the overall attitude of the teaching staff is generally anti purebred. I think this is a great shame because I think purebreds have a lot to offer.

[Nekhbet]

I'll join the queue

DDB - was limping heavily as an adolescent and couldnt walk for more then 5 minutes at a time. Vet quoted $1800 shoulder surgery just by looking at the dog and moving his leg about a bit. Went to the chiro turned out to be a bad disc in his lower back and he was throwing all the weight foreward

some time later someone broke in and beat him on the face with a piece of timber. Eye had an ulceration on it and his face was swollen. 1st vet just said the eye was gone and remove it. I tried another vet who did some steroids, antibiotics etc and we now have a mostly functional eye with only a little bit of pale scarring on it.

I dread the poor people who don't have the savvy to second guess and roll with some vets decisions or worst, PTS.

I'm surprised the vet didn't at least do xrays if they suspected hip/elbow dysplasia.

no apparently some vets are magical and can tell just from a little manipulation that your dog will be a cripple and you will need to take out a second morgage in order to fix it.

[dancinbcs]

I could write a book about all the incompetant vets I have heard about over the years. Good vets are definitely in the minority and the only vets I recommend to anyone with a pure bred dogs are the vets that have a large pure bred breeder clientele. In the whole of Sydney most breeders use just three vets from the hundreds scattered around the suburbs. I wouldn't let most vets anywhere near my dogs.

[cowanbree]

I think it is easy to forget that vets are human and have good and bad days. It is a fine line that they tread between overreacting and spending a lot of money when it isn’t necessary and not doing the relevant tests and losing the dog.

I recently had a dog that was off his food. 5 days out of 7 he would eat fine with no issues then he wouldn’t eat for 2 days. Not seriously ill but just not quite right. Throw in a couple of episodes of vomiting that quickly cleared up and most vets would diagnose it as a gastro type bug. This went on for about 6 weeks, several visits with bloods done twice. I knew my dog wasn’t right and was getting quite frustrated so I got a second opinion, they also thought a gastro. Another severe bout of vomiting and I went back to my own vet and said do something, now. Turns out he had a partial bowel obstruction. It took 3 operations to fix it and then due to mispositioning while under long anesthetics his throat was burnt by the stomach acid. He will never eat normally again. I don’t blame the vet, he did make a mistake but the dog wouldn’t be alive if he didn’t listen to me and operate when he did and do the great job that he did. Mind you it is easier to say that when the dog concerned is sitting at my feet alive.

What I wouldn’t forgive is a vet that doesn’t care and can’t admit to and learn from his mistakes. Sorry goes a long way in my books

[Mas1981]

I took my dog to the vet as a pup as his one eye was tearing and it looked as if he was crying, they said conjunctivitis and i was given eye cream, i contacted his breeder after the cream was finished as his eye was still not right, she gave me the name of an eye specialist who was fantastic with him, he had follicular conjunctivitis and a blocked tear duct.

Took same dog to same practice for his allergies and he was given cortisone and food that did not agree with him, I phoned and let them know but they said to carry on trying the food even though it gave him the runs. I had also suggested a referral to a dermatologist as we had seen a naturopath first and the vet was our second consult for the same problem, they were not keen to refer me. I was told by another DOL member to go and see her vet who is actually my closest vet and he is wonderful, he had so much info on allergies and he agreed that the only way we will be able to help him is to have him tested for allergies, intradermal test and blood test. He is seeing the derm on friday but we have to wait another 14 days for the tests as he has not been off the cortisone long enough.

[MolassesLass]

I think it is easy to forget that vets are human and have good and bad days. It is a fine line that they tread between overreacting and spending a lot of money when it isn’t necessary and not doing the relevant tests and losing the dog.

Certainly.

My post wasn't a vet-bashing; just a reminder that no vet nor vet test is 100% accurate and we need to do research ourselves, not just follow instructions blindly.

[Mas1981]

I think it is easy to forget that vets are human and have good and bad days. It is a fine line that they tread between overreacting and spending a lot of money when it isn’t necessary and not doing the relevant tests and losing the dog.

Certainly.

My post wasn't a vet-bashing; just a reminder that no vet nor vet test is 100% accurate and we need to do research ourselves, not just follow instructions blindly.

I agree, vets should be commended for their work as they work long hours etc but it is the same as a human doctor you have to find one who listens to you and who will consider all options and explain them to you in a way that you understand.

[wagsalot]

We had a bad diagnosis by a vet when Riley was younger - I thought I knew what it was - got told by the vet I was over reacting and never to google , and was sent home.

Well thanks to that vet, Riley is partially blind in one eye. I knew it wasn't right, so after it didn't get better I took him to another vet where I got the correct diagnosis, and Im glad I went when I did.

I think alot of the time you just get this gut instinct, and need to know to listen to it.

[pie]

Yes I've had a bad one too - dog would sometimes hunch over in pain and cry, then would be okay, took him to the vet, she said it was a spinal problem, was going to need surgery, etc and referred us to a specialist. Obviously we were distraight - the dog wasn't even 1!

Specialist checked him over and said he was a perfectly sound and fit little dog.

Figured out that he was eating bits of polar fleece from tug toys we had and it was obviously hurting as it was going through his digestive system.

Threw out all the tug toys, changed vets, and haven't looked back!

Yes vets are human, as are doctors, and sometimes it pays to get a second opinion just in case.

[W Sibs]

I've learned to always go with my gut feeling, I know my dogs better than any vet. If something isn't right and they say my pups are fine... I will go elsewhere.

[Diva]

A vet that will really listen to the owner is priceless. I don't want to vet bash but I've had some really awful and distressing experiences with vets who are poor diagnosticians and who don't listen.

One example - I took a dog to a large local vet practice because he was lethargic - I knew this dog, it was a big deal. The very senior vet dismissed me to my face as an over-anxious female owner, found nothing on examination and tried very hard to just send us home. I insisted in the face of complete disadain on the vet's part on a blood work up - the dog had immune mediated haemolytic anaemia and a red blood cell count so low he would have been dead in days if I hadn't insisted on following my gut.

OK, one bad experience but this was a major practice, it couldn't happen twice could it? So I stayed with the practice and one day took a lame older dog there. I was pretty certain given her age, the site of the pain and her breed that it was highly likely to be osteosarcoma. I had had the breed for years, the vet (different to the one above) had never seen any before except mine - but he was certain it was a cruciate ligament injury, and dismissed entirely the possibility of bone cancer.

I so much wanted it not to be cancer that I agreed to the cruciate operation he wanted to do. But I insisted both to him and to person I spoke to when I dropped the dog off that if they found osteosarcoma when they operated she should be pts before waking from the anaesthetic. I would not put her through an amputation and wanted to minimise her distress.

When they operated, they found osteosarcoma. So had they pts as instructed? Nope. No-one had taken any notice of my explicit instruction on what to do if it was bone cancer, the dog was awake before they even rang me.

Needless to say I haven't darkened their door since - and I'll always get a second opinion now if I don't think what a vet is saying rings true to me. Our dogs have no-one to advocate for them but us.

Edited June 9, 2010 by Diva

[sas]

Shortly after adopting Leila she started to cough, the Vets we saw at the time said it was Heart Worm (without testing her) and wanted to treat her for it and gave us a shocking quote.

We went to another Vets and got anti-biotics for her Kennel Cough.

[SparkyTansy]

Just wondering how many of you that were given a wrong diagnosis, and went for a second opinion advised/complained to the original vet practice?

[pixie_meg]

I'm surprised the vet didn't at least do xrays if they suspected hip/elbow dysplasia. And Hygromas are quite commmon in large/giant breeds such as Great Danes and Greyhounds.

They did suggest xrays but given they would have had to sedate him and i wanted a second opinion anyway i decided not to. I even suggested hygroma to the vet but was told no.