Roxie Pupdates #4 (scary times)

[taxidermynerd]

Poor baby. It is pretty big. If it comes back benign will it still need to be removed?

Well, according to them the only way to know if it's benign is to remove it and send it out for biopsy. So either way she'll still have to have the surgery to remove it.

 

[faislaq]

I was assuming if the small one was benign the larger one would be, too.

 

[taxidermynerd]

I was assuming if the small one was benign the larger one would be, too.

Not necessarily, as they are two separate things. And I'd rather remove it and have it be fine, than have it say in and turn out to be something bad, you know?

 

[finchly]

Good grief Taxi! I just read the thread. No wonder you are worried.

I've had a similar go-round with the dog vet recently. Both dogs. Cricket first -- Cricket's been battling a terrible itchy/scabby skin and infected ears since LAST January. The vet's treatment (Apoquel and prednisone) didn't touch it. We got it nearly better ourselves through assuming it was dietary allergies, changing her food, applying essential oils, and giving her baths in a special shampoo (tar or coal?) every 3 days. Which is exhausting, and the food was expensive as all get-out. And it would flare back up.

Piper - since she was 4 (she's now 8) people have assumed she was very old because she seemed like she could barely walk. She's never been able to walk with me & Cricket. I repeatedly asked the vets what was wrong. They insisted they didn't see/feel/observe anything.

So we took both dogs to our bird vet. She was great. Here's what she did.

Cricket - had mega ear infections. Even the skin on the outer part was way swollen. She said the ears were basically swimming in bacteria NOT yeast which is all we'd ever treated for. They cleaned her ears and put medicine in --- within about 4 hours her ear tissue shrank back to normal! They changed the food again, it seems to be digesting better and it's just as expensive but she doesn't eat as much of it. So an overall savings. Did 10 days of antibiotics because the skin thing is also bacterial. Still shampooing every 3 or 4 days. They go for a re-check on Monday, Cricket is almost not itchy and the scabs are gone.

Piper -- has level 3 luxating patella. Unfortunately dogs her size don't do that great with surgery, so she's on a pain med. Now she trots, wags, and looks happy! I just feel guilty that it took 4 long years to find that out. Also they put her on a diet. LOL She's a little chunka munka.

$400+ later -- After the appointment, hubby turned to me and said "I feel heard." That's exactly what I was thinking.we are sooo glad we went there.

So we are definitely going to keep taking the dogs to the bird vet. The downside is they are 1/2 hour away, not 5 min away. But at this point who cares!

 

[taxidermynerd]

I feel you there.

In a way I feel almost guilty, We've been going to this vet since 1971 when my dad and his family moved here, and they've always done so well with our dogs... But I also don't feel confident in them anymore. I don't feel good about taking Roxie there anymore.

I've always felt good about Chirp and Fuzzgig's vet, we've been going there since 2016. The vet we see is awesome, and she has never rushed us into anything, always asks if we need anything cleared up or have any questions, and when there's an emergency they're always accommodating. I feel so much better about taking my pets to see her.

So after this whole ordeal (she's got to heal from this surgery, goes in to remove stitches and biopsy results on the 28th, then will get the other lump removed, another 2 weeks, and then the stitches and biopsy results for that), my guess is by late February we'll be switched to our other vet.

Roxie is being her usual gremlin self now, her new thing is stealing my Dr. Scholls from inside my hiking boots. Thanks dog. But the fact she's been cut open doesn't seem to be bothering her. She doesn't like the soft e collar though. I just tell her she's lucky it's not The Cone Of Shame.

 

[finchly]

In a way I feel almost guilty, We've been going to this vet since 1971 when my dad and his family moved here, and they've always done so well with our dogs... But I also don't feel confident in them anymore. I don't feel good about taking Roxie there anymore.

I understand. However the dog's health has to come first, so let go of that guilt! It's just a business transaction.

I'm glad she is feeling well enough to be a gremlin.