I have to say that I do like the vet I go to for a few reasons. State of the art facilities, they show obvious love for the animals, and the have a 24 hour practice so you can use them as your regular vet AND for emergencies (and every once in a while just do a routine vet exam at, say, midnight if you feel so inclined). They also remember who you are, and when we had to put Kai, my mom's Rottweiler down, the vet sat in the exam room with me and talked about how much she liked Kai, and the time he broke loose from his room while boarding and terrorized the lobby of the clinic for half an hour until they caught him. What I don't like is this:
Last night we went in to get Bunny's stitches out and was talking to a lady who was picking her cat up after a surgery. When she went up to pay her bill, she was told that the invoice was actually several hundred dollars over the initial estimate. Hmmm. They gave her the old "When we got in there we found that the situation was much worse than what we anticipated." This story is sounding so familiar!
For those of you who don't know, Bunny had two surgeries. I know I shouldn't talk/complain about money openly, but I must share. The first was supposed to cost $600 at most. The second was supposed to be another $800. I am not the best at math, but I felt kind of taken advantage of when my bill after all was said and done came out to $2600. Bunny is worth every penny, of course, and she was very well cared for. However, after hearing this lady get fed the same story I was fed, I felt a little miffed and wondering just how often this happens!
Second, and this is my real gripe... while getting her stitches out the technician noticed that Bunny's range of motion is not what it should be. She is not the surgeon, of course. The surgeon thought last week that things would be fine. However this tech was involved in the surgery and saw the extent of the nerve damage, and mentioned that I should "bring her back in a couple weeks to check on that leg." Because if she ends up unable to use it they might have to amputate! First, do not look at me and say amputate about my dog. Second, get your story straight with the surgeon and try not to scare the crap out of me. 3rd, if the $1500 surgery had the potential to not work why was it done in the first place? Like Bunny needs to go through more trauma in 6 months if her leg is not in working order? This is a 10 year old dog and she is already very displeased with her current bedridden lifestyle.
Sorry if this is an upsetting blog to my Corgi friends (esp Mandy).
4 comments:
Gosh Tavia, I'm so sorry! :( I think in general veteranary practices are in it for the money.... my recent experience which I haven't had the nerve to complain about yet, was when I paid $423.00 for 3 x-rays for Pennhip and OFA.... The PEnnhip was $300 and the OFA was $105... but tell me why they charged me the extra 105 when they should have used one of the pennhip x-rays for ofa.... *sigh* It's all about the almighty dollar :(
I hope Bunny is feeling a little better... and if I were in your shoes, i'd be getting back in touch with that surgeon to get the "real" story.... I wouldn't be ok either, hearing my 10 year old dog would need yet MORE surgery, or even AMPUTATION.... no oh no, i would NOT be ok... *hugs*
See, I just KNEW someone else would have had a crappy vet experience. I feel kind of bad talking about the dollars and cents of Bunny's surgeries (I don't want to come off like I am complaining about the money it cost to fix her back up) but seriously... I think it is ridiculous that these vets just line their pockets by takng advantage of how much we love our animals. I tried to complain but it got me nowhere. I guess we just have to chalk these up to experience and not let the vets take advantage of us again.
Ok, to be honest I would have amputated to start with...that said, right now the best thing you can do is physical therapy at least a couple times a day. I had to go thru 8 weeks plus with Pilot not that long ago (lol). But dogs are adaptable.
I wish you were closer so I could show you what I'm talking about.
Now that the stitches are out:
1. heat up a sock of rice or whatever and get the joint warmed up for about 5 minutes first.
2. Lay bunny on side or lay her back on your lap
3. Slowly extend leg all the way forward from the shoulder, gently stretching and then all the way back. You want to go just past where full extension would be but not stress it.
4. repeat about 15-20 times
5. bend each toe joint and each joint in the knee, rotate and run thru full range of motion, at least a dozen times for each.
This will be the best thing you can do to help her regain use, otherwise the joint may stiffen and the muscles atrophy. If she seems sore give her a partial pain pill or aspirin...
more later
Thanks Mandy. Is that uncooked rice in a sock that you mean? You just throw the uncooked rice into a sock, tie it off and heat it in the microwave? I can do that routine a couple times a day.
She seems a little painful since she got her stitches out, and even more hesitant to use that leg than she was before.
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