Yet Another Vet Topic!

[aussielover]

I think a lot vets are pushing to do JPS these days.

This has been discussed a bit on GSD forums - apparently there have been a few breeders who have had puppy buyers call them in tears when the vet has seen them for vaccinations and told them they need to have JPS done. If the pup is a bit loose in its hocks or just because its a GSD, the vet says they're going to get HD and quick, do the op while they can.

Yep the same thing was recommended to me for no other reason apart from the fact she was a labrador puppy :rolleyes:

[Sayreovi]

I think a lot vets are pushing to do JPS these days.

This has been discussed a bit on GSD forums - apparently there have been a few breeders who have had puppy buyers call them in tears when the vet has seen them for vaccinations and told them they need to have JPS done. If the pup is a bit loose in its hocks or just because its a GSD, the vet says they're going to get HD and quick, do the op while they can.

Yeah, from researching JPS (here and through Google :rolleyes:) it seems alot of vets are recommending it too larger breeds regardless if they have clinical signs or not "just in case"

[shells]

JPS, apparantly she will have severe HD by the time she is 12 months

There is a vet here in Canberra who as soon as you take a Lab puppy in will do the same (especially is it is BYB or petshop). The amount of people who just happily agree is amazing - I personally know of 3.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Both Bob and Ray are great, very down to earth, common-sense type of practitioners. I would still be using Bob if I wasn't nursing and using our great Vets here. If I stop nursing I would be going back to Bob.

[OSoSwift]

I find this all quite disturbing!

Glad your girl is okay TO-how awful and upsetting that must have been.

[Stolzseinrotts]

How dare vets pull this s**t on unsuspecting clients, I wonder how many poor puppies have been through unnecessary surgery just for profit :

Sadly a lot have and will be in the future.

Some Vets are really just money hungry idiots. Always get a second opinion and if your are still not happy seek out a Vet who is highly recommended.

ETA; Vets are like Doctors, only some are great and the others are run of the mill.

Edited October 6, 2010 by Stolzseinrotts

[Mas1981]

I had a vet in the past that refused to refer me to a dermatologist even though my dog was suffering with terrible allergies, they also would not listen when I told them my dog was sensitive to certain meds and tried to fool me by injecting my dog with a drug that contained cortisone even though I specifically told them that he is sensitive to it. After all of this happened I had a good long think about it, phoned them a few days and asked for a referral again and told them the food they put my dog on was making him sick.... their answer, no referral and 'keep trying' the new food. I then took my dog to the vet closest to me who was recommended to me by someone from this site, I have never looked back or regretted changing vets. My new vet listens and is patient and does not force you into stuff that you dont want to do, and he referred me to a derm the very first time we saw him

[noisymina]

I had a vet trying to grossly over-service.

Pulled the plug on them and went onto natural therapies for a while until I was given information (from a DOLer) about a good vet that opened very close to us.

VERY happy with the new vet.

When I outlined my experinece to the new vet, without saying any names, she just nodded wisely and said she thought she knew who I meant. I wonder why, hey?

If you feel the vet is overservicing (or wanting to) ....move on.

There are good ones out there ------one just has to find them.

[ninahartland]

A vet I went to when my gsd was 7 months old rung me while he was under anaesthetic having x rays, saying I should pts now because there's no way this dog will be able to walk past 12 months old!

I sent xrays to a specialist in Sydney who said there was nothing wrong with his hips. He's now 4 and walks and runs just fine!!

I feel bad for the poor unsuspecting owner who gets told these things and believes it just because its a vet....they should know ,right??

[KitKat]

The owners of my boys brother had their vet tell them their dog would need elbow surgery and hip surgery before the dog was 12months old...even suggested they get it done asap and they could book them within a week or two. The dog had a case of pano...and it was agreed on by another two vets that we suggested they get a second opinion from. The original vet had them on expensive washes/shampoos with baths every other day to clear up puppy pimples!

[OSoSwift]

it gets more disturbing!

[dancinbcs]

Just googled JPS because I didn't know much about it and found the following.

"Identification of candidates for the JPS surgery

•Dogs should be preferably 4 months of age and no older than 5 months of age for this surgery to benefit from the surgery

•PennHIP radiographs should be made to assess the dog for loose hips

•I recommend that all breed susceptible dogs such as Labradors, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Golden retrievers and other breeds should be tested at 4 months of age using the PennHIP technique"

So how the hell can any vet recommend this surgery without a PennHIP evaluation is beyond me. Doing this surgery on a healthy puppy is malpractice.

[Beth.]

When I took Lottie in for her vaccination at around the 12 week mark, the vet I saw (which I had really liked previously), told me Lottie had bad hips and was really sore - because she pulled away when she tried to stretch her legs way out and back - which I could easily do at home by myself, she was just a little scared at the vets!!! I told her this, but nope, she definately had bad hips - well I was in tears as well!!! But I went with my gut as I knew there wasn't anything, and yep, sure enough, when she was getting xrays on her stomach for when we thought she had a blockage about 6 months later, I got them to take xrays of her hips (it was at my work which was nice), and there was nothing at all the matter!!! And again, the other week she had her legs palpated by another vet who said there was no soreness at all!!! But gosh, they do know how to scare clients (and make you feel like crap about the whole thing - a nice way to bring down the excitment of a puppy ). I tell you what, after being a member on here, I'm going to be the best vet out

ETA - I also got recommended the JPS procedure!!!! After only just extending her legs!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited October 6, 2010 by LuvLottie

[Sayreovi]

Just googled JPS because I didn't know much about it and found the following.

"Identification of candidates for the JPS surgery

•Dogs should be preferably 4 months of age and no older than 5 months of age for this surgery to benefit from the surgery

•PennHIP radiographs should be made to assess the dog for loose hips

•I recommend that all breed susceptible dogs such as Labradors, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Golden retrievers and other breeds should be tested at 4 months of age using the PennHIP technique"

So how the hell can any vet recommend this surgery without a PennHIP evaluation is beyond me. Doing this surgery on a healthy puppy is malpractice.

This is what really annoyed me as well, too say to me that even though her normal xrays are perfect, that she has very little laxity in the hips without doing a PennHIP too find out how much exactly is there just boggles the mind especially with such a young puppy! Basically no proof and i apparantly just had to trust them!

I am now very curious as too what the specialist they originally referred me too would have said.......

When I took Lottie in for her vaccination at around the 12 week mark, the vet I saw (which I had really liked previously), told me Lottie had bad hips and was really sore - because she pulled away when she tried to stretch her legs way out and back - which I could easily do at home by myself, she was just a little scared at the vets!!! I told her this, but nope, she definately had bad hips - well I was in tears as well!!! But I went with my gut as I knew there wasn't anything, and yep, sure enough, when she was getting xrays on her stomach for when we thought she had a blockage about 6 months later, I got them to take xrays of her hips (it was at my work which was nice), and there was nothing at all the matter!!! And again, the other week she had her legs palpated by another vet who said there was no soreness at all!!! But gosh, they do know how to scare clients (and make you feel like crap about the whole thing - a nice way to bring down the excitment of a puppy ). I tell you what, after being a member on here, I'm going to be the best vet out :D

ETA - I also got recommended the JPS procedure!!!! After only just extending her legs!!!!!!!!!!!

This is basically what happened with us, but I had taken her in barely 2 days after I got her to do the usual "bringing home a new puppy" check. So they basically hurt a brand new puppy that was scared enough already and I had no idea at that stage what was normal for her to walk like etc etc.

Gah i should really stop thinking about it, I am just so angry with them!

Attached a photo of Jovi, my pup that "will need a total hip replacement at 12 months if we don't do anything now"

Edited October 6, 2010 by tollersowned

[asal]

Interesting. I have had to counsel a couple of owners of 10 - 12 month old cavaliers I bred after vets told them their perfectly healthy pups needed LP surgery.

Happens far too often. TWICE with 2 different vets for one dog.

Glad it's all sorted for you, TO. :D

exactly, one poor woman in lithgow's vet operated on her 10 months old cavi girl and told her to send me the bill. my vet hit the roof. but what can u do once they have carved up a perfectly healthy pup before even bothering to tell u

his verdict is "any vet who prescribes such an op on such a young pup has payments due on their car"

come to think of it when he worked out the date of the op and the birth date of the pup she was barely 9 months old

other fortunatley rang me first, n after being examined again by my vet left a much relieved camper

Edited October 6, 2010 by asal

[periannath]

I adore my vets and trust them implicitly and have not had a bad experience with them in over 20 yrs. Not happy with the diagnosis on a pup I bred in another state.Puppy not eating and acting 'strangely'.Glassy eyes,growing at nothing ,circling restless ¬ sleeping.Owner thinks pup has gone 'mad' My advice was if this breed stops eating the dog is SICK and most likely has an obstruction.Pup owner does the right thing and takes puppy to vet and came away with diag. of SOA or epilepsy.Blood work was done and an MRI suggested.Pup owner rang me late one night to tell me the pup is getting worse rapidly and would be PTS next morning.Thank god for my breeder friend in that state that rushed over and picked up the pup for me. That pup was not going to be put down without being seen by a vet that knows the breed and without being properly diagnosed.Puppy vomited up a mass of foreign material just before my friend picked him up that had been in his gut for goodness knows how long.Puppy back to normal but stayed with my friend for a week or so to make sure we had we had resolved the problem.Puppy is back with his owners but damn lucky to be alive. An extremely distressing occurrence for everybody concerned especially for the poor pup who must of been in a lot of pain for far too long.

A good vet is a priceless and I feel for everyone who has an unhappy, scary or potentially lethal experience with one.Finding a great vet isn't easy.

[espinay2]

I must say I am getting more and more annoyed with the direction some vets are going with the surgeries. Of the ones I have heard of (in the last few months quite a few - seems the more I talk about it, the more cases I hear about from people), some are doing x-rays for PennHIP, but telling owners they should get the surgery done 'while the pup is under' at the same time the x-ray is done!! What is the point in that (except it could prove to the puppy owner there was no problem in the first place I guess!!!)

More and more I see breeders having to deal with upset puppy owners who are disenchanted that their young pup might be 'defective' (MIGHT! - many of the cases I have heard are 'just in case' types - but I guess that is how the vet would get around a legal suit if scores came back saying there was no problem) and who are shelling out thousands of dollars for what is potentially unnecessary surgery (and in some cases you will never know if it is or not as no scoring of any type is done - remember PennHIP can't be done until 16 weeks)

And if no scoring is done, there is no way for a breeder to even know if there is a problem for them to deal with in their breeding program.

Seems like it is the latest money making exercise to me. And it has me fuming.

Edited October 6, 2010 by espinay2

[mokhahouse]

I had the opposite experience and I am thankful both my vet and specialist were more cautious. Pennhipp xrays showed severe laxity in both hips and Mokha began to show signs of a problem. My vet referred me to ortho specialist, he could have operated straight away and got my money, I would have agreed. Instead he monitored Mokha for the next six months to see if surgery was warranted, we were talking a TPO on both hips here. As we reached the cut off age for this surgery ortho said he didnt think the surgery was warranted as Mokha was doing well and his elbow was the main concern by then having been diagnosed with ED from symptoms and xray examined by specialist. Surgery was done very successfully on elbow and conservative treatment on hips. He could have made thousands more off me but acted in Mokhas best interest. Mokhas hips are troubling him now a year on but hopefully in the warmer months he will be more comfortable. Do I regret not doing the TPO, sometimes I wonder but it would have meant so much pain and exercise restriction to do both hips his life would have been very difficult especially with his elbow as well. I am so glad I can rely on both my vets(at same practise) to do the right thing for my dog, if you cant trust your vet where does that leave you.

[Loving my Oldies]

Seems like it is the latest money making exercise to me. And it has me fuming.

My previous vet, now retired, went to a conference where one of the main topics was about luxating patellas and probably HD - I can't quite remember. He told me he started talking to the man next to him saying how he disagreed with all the leg surgery that was going on and in all his years of practising as a vet had done only a few such surgeries. The other man said, "Jeez mate, don't say that. That's where I make most of my money!" Edited October 7, 2010 by Mother Moocher

[all that glitters]

A vet I went to when my gsd was 7 months old rung me while he was under anaesthetic having x rays, saying I should pts now because there's no way this dog will be able to walk past 12 months old!

I sent xrays to a specialist in Sydney who said there was nothing wrong with his hips. He's now 4 and walks and runs just fine!!

I feel bad for the poor unsuspecting owner who gets told these things and believes it just because its a vet....they should know ,right??

OMG!!!