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| - My initial experience was in March, when my 7 year old dog was very ill, vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite and drinking a lot of water. She was diagnosed with pancreatitis and sent home with the proper medications. However, due to her excessive diarrhea (the techs did not clean her during her 2 day stay), she contracted a UTI from sitting in her own feces. I had to pay for a whole new Rx on top of a already very high vet bill. When I had initially picked her up to bring her home, she was still covered in her own poop and smelled awful. Their response was that they cannot bathe animals while they have an IV catheter in place. That's all well and good, but how about afterwards, you know, when you take out the catheter so my dog can have some dignity?? I expressed my mind to the treating doctor, and his answer was that they would give her a free bath. Wow...thanks. That doesn't help anything. She was also a little overweight, so we started her on a very expensive prescription diet and started her pain meds since it also seemed she was in arthritic pain as well. They DID say to bring her back every once in awhile for blood tests since the medication she was taking may cause kidney issues. BUT the doctor said for her to continue the medication as directed, so I did.
June/July, she started not wanting to go on walks anymore and I attributed this to her arthritis & that the weather was warmer so maybe she was hot and uncomfortable. This happened every time I tried to walk her up until September. I called and her doctor called me back saying to continue her medication and bring her in when he got back from vacation. That was my plan. However, Oct 2, she had already not eaten for a day, had not gone to the bathroom, wasn't drinking water and wouldn't even stand up. My husband & I tried enticing her with tuna, and she ate that with her medication. Tuesday she stopped eating altogether. She'd try a prescription dog treat but that was it--not even cheese. Wednesday the 4th I took her in to see a different doctor since her regular doctor was still on vacation. This doctor recommended that she be on a higher dosage of 2 other medications for her arthritis & not being able to walk. In the vets office, I noticed blood in dribbled urine on the floor and there was seemingly no surprise from the doctor. She said that it was probably from her holding it in for so long because it hurt her to squat, so if she took more pain meds, she'd be able to go potty. I was given options to treat her with radiographs & lab work, but she suggested we start small, & I trusted that decision. We brought her home & gave her the meds, all the while trying to feed her. The medication made her a zombie, she didn't move all night. Didn't eat, go to the bathroom or drink water. My husband & I had to squeeze water into her mouth just so she would stay hydrated. Now, if your dog hasn't gone potty for three days, wouldn't you SUGGEST treatment for that? I was so naive and should have spoken up. I had to work on Thursday the 5th and my husband texted me saying my dog was vomiting and extremely lethargic. I had noticed labored breathing before I'd left for work that morning too but thought it was because of the pain meds. I took her in & she saw yet another doctor. At this time, my dog had to be carried everywhere, she couldn't walk or even stand. Her tests showed hyperkelimia & high calcium. They had to use emergency drugs to stabilize her. It was suggested I could take her to the emergency vet hospital to continue treatment since they are not staffed for emergency round-the-clock care so she could be more more closely monitored. Or, the other obvious option. If I had chosen to take her to the emergency vet, even if they were able to stabilize her and, she'd be on IV meds at home for the rest of her life, and who knows how much damage the hyperkelimia has already caused to her heart. Her quality for life would not have been the same. I made the hardest decision of my life to put her to sleep.
Now, I feel (and yes, I'm no doctor, and I'm sure they get people all the time who think they know everything, but pet owners KNOW their pets), that she was misdiagnosed in March. She may have had pancreatitis, but I feel there was more underlying or that this pain medication she was on caused her downfall. She was a playful dog, & seeing her not being able to walk or run was very unlike her. I will say that the techs and receptionist gals were very sweet and accommodating. They seemed genuinely concerned for my dog, & that was a nice touch. The doctors seemed to be just "playing doctor", & don't really seem to care.
I feel that us poor pet owners are taken advantage because our emotions are on high & we will believe anything. I am not an angry person, but this entire situation since March is enough to make me write a review this long. Not to mention, the clinic is often dirty, smelling of urine, dusty and not well kept.
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