Topic: Anyone a vet? Knowledgeable about dogs?

[Caaveman82]

So here is the deal. We got our dog Elvis back in October.

For the record, she is potty trained. She will go paw at the door when she needs to go out.

She had a few problems at first but she got over it.

After about a month and a half for no reason at all she started having accidents during the night.

We took her to the vet and she said she had struvite or strubite crystals in her bladder. So she prescribed some medicated food. Said to mix 1/4 of it in with her normal food. We did this and it got better, the vet tested her and said okay go ahead and take her off.

This cost about $800.

So a week later she starts having accidents again and we take her back to the vet, she does not test her but just watches her urinate and says the crystals are back. So we put her on the food again.

$500.

This time it does not go away. We take her back and the vet tests her urine and says it's the crystals. Keep her on the food and she'll be okay.

$800.

SO the problem has not gone away and I keep trying to voice my concern to the vet and we just don't have the cash to go to another vet anymore. Savings are gone on the dog.

Here are things I have noticed.

-She never seems like she can drink enough water.
-When she pees, she pees, no joke for about a minute and a half.
-We let her out once an hour, so it's not that she is holding it for a long period of time.
-Some days she is all about food, others she will not eat anything.
-She is a 3 year old Boxer female. She is very non-energetic.
-It seems like it hurts her to sit down after just having gone to the bathroom.

This is all I can remember at the moment.

I am getting very worried and our vet just won't listen or try anything else.

I am hoping some one can give me a suggestion so when we do have the money to get to another vet, which will be soon, that we will have an idea to go to them with.

[kirkn]

Well, I have no suggestions for you, other than to print out and take with you what you just wrote...

Sounds like you really got rooked by your current vet.

Poor doggy.

Good luck with her.

Kirk

[Caaveman82]

Well, I have no suggestions for you, other than to print out and take with you what you just wrote...

Sounds like you really got rooked by your current vet.

Poor doggy.

Good luck with her.

Kirk

She is my sister's dog, I live with my sister and niece. Elvis, the dog, has become such a part of the family it's crazy. I am pretty peeved at the vet and I don't know what to do. The other vets in the area seem fairly shady. Not that this one has been very straightforward.

I hope this turns out too. Thank you.

[Bob Wessner]

Here's a pretty good write-up if interested, assuming the vet's diagnosis is correct.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_struvite_bladder_stones.html

Those are pretty steep bills for each of those visits. You don't mention what, if any tests they included. We had a cat with urinary problems over a long period of time. Some of her visits even included fluid IV's at the office and none of the bills came close to these.

I hate seeing pets in trouble. I hope you find a solution.

[Bob Wessner]

Just had another thought. You seem less than trustful of the other vets in your area. Have you checked www.angieslist.com/. I'm assuming there is one catering to the Minneapolis area. Might be worth the time, $$ to register. I use it from time to time here.

[Caaveman82]

Here's a pretty good write-up if interested, assuming the vet's diagnosis is correct.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_struvite_bladder_stones.html

Those are pretty steep bills for each of those visits. You don't mention what, if any tests they included. We had a cat with urinary problems over a long period of time. Some of her visits even included fluid IV's at the office and none of the bills came close to these.

I hate seeing pets in trouble. I hope you find a solution.

All they did was test her urine. They didn't explain everything they tested for. That $800 is for lodging her for the day while we were at work, the test, and the food. So yes, very steep.

[fuzzybutt]

sounds exactly like when a make cat has crystals in his bladder. Jerry Garcia the cat that i had back in the 90's got it as a 10 year old, he had to have surgery to relieve the problem. feeding a food low in ash and magnesium is the best way to prevent it. i got really lucky when i moved her 10 years ago, finding a cats only vet within 2 miles of my house, and she's damn good too.

[Caaveman82]

So after reading that link Bob, and from what you and fuzzy are saying it sounds like maybe the crystals are too big to pass. Maybe surgery is in order.

Why can't my POS vet figure that out? Jesus.

Thanks Bob, I just signed up for Angie's List, I found a highly recomended Vet in the city.

I will call them tomorrow and see how they pan out.

[oldbiker]

One of the #$%*es I owned in the past suffered from 'Diabetis Insipidus' which made her drink an enourmous amount and of course then pee a lot. It can't be cured but there is a treatment which holds it in check. I think I would try to find a vet who is a bit less greedy.

[tramp]

get a new vet, those bills are outrageous

[eldar]

I go with oldbiker. I had a cat years back that had a type of diabetes and it would drink like no tomorrow and pee like it as well. Granted, NOT a dog but it might be worth looking into.

Read this and see what applies:

http://www.essortment.com/all/caninediabetes_rkvf.htm

[Caaveman82]

I go with oldbiker. I had a cat years back that had a type of diabetes and it would drink like no tomorrow and pee like it as well. Granted, NOT a dog but it might be worth looking into.

Read this and see what applies:

http://www.essortment.com/all/caninediabetes_rkvf.htm

Yikes scary. Some of it does fit though.

I will have to bring this up to the new vet as well.

I'm freakin out because she is so young and I know that damn near anything wrong with dogs can be fatal.

She is within her "target" weight but she still looks like skin and bones.

[jtb]

Definitely get a new vet.  Good Luck, she sounds like a great dog.

[MickeyX]

It actually sounds very much like diabetes to me. If it is, here is what I suggest... It takes a blood test, not a urine test to know for sure. You got totally rooked by the vet and you need to confront them with it once you go to the other vet and get the true results. Mostly, female dogs and males cat, who have been fixed, will get diabetes. Pee a lot, start to lose weight, no energy, and it may hurt to pee because of all of the sugar that they are pushing out of their system. Also, ketoneurea can be painful. This is also related to diabetes. I suggest not giving the dog store food. They are full of fillers. Dogs and cats aren't meant to eat wheat products and can become gluten intolerant. It turns to sugar in their systems, along with some other stuff they cram in there to keep the manufacture cheap. Innova Evo is a great brand, very natural, no wheat-type fillers. Don't give food off the table either. We love our furkids and what to treat them well and spoil them, but this is one of the worst things you can do for your pet.

Bottom line, get a simple blood test. The other vet is a quack if they only did a urinalysis. The fact that they charged you $800 is just robbery. Should have run you no more than $300 for any of those visits.

My dog, may she rest in peace, was found to have diabetes when she was 7. She had a blood test before her teeth cleaning to make sure she could handle the anesthesia. It's a good thing she decided to not let me brush her teeth anymore. She got 2 shots of insulin a day for years and she felt so much better. It cost an extra $30 or so per month to keep her healthy and she was more than worth it.

Good luck and I hope the dog is okay. I'll check this thread again to see what you find out.

[fuzzybutt]

+1 on good quality food. the only grocery store food my vet recomends is purina one. "knock on wood" none of the male cats i have now (up to 12 years old) have ever had a urinary problem and the food that they get has a major part in that.

[Ecosse]

Geez Caaveman, I just caught this! Unfortunately the only thing I could say has already been said about your punk ass vet and about food and such.

Try not to freak out; I've had pets with serious issues and had to remind myself to keep my head, or I'm no good to them.

Good advice given here ... I hope you found a competent Vet, and hope the best for Elvis.

[azuredesign]

I also thought of diabetes, but could be a bunch of different things.  Have you any experience with the vet Michael Katz out that way?
Hope things work out easily,
Ben

[KARamsay]

I do rescue and deal with a lot of dogs in varying shape and condition.

Lots of good advice here, but MickeyX nailed the points I would go over:

• Get a new vet.  That is WAY too expensive - they should have never charged you for board.  You should be able to get a visit and a full blood panel for around $250-300.
• Get a full plood panel (including thyroid) and see what it yeilds - my first two guesses would be diet onset diabetes or Lyme disease
• Food matters - Evo is probably the best bag of food (kibble) you can buy.  I feed it to everything and everyone I bring in the house.  My cat got crystals a few years back from eating the dog food (he likes it better).  At that time I put everyone on EVO and he got better.  I will offer the disclaimer that it is expensive, but on the positive, they will eat less per day and be generlally a lot healthier and happier.  Less filler =  better smelling and less poop. 

Keep us up to what is going on!  I hope it works out for you both!

[Caaveman82]

I found a new Vet and brought Elvis in yesterday, Dr. Krull said he would get back to us Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

I used that Angie's List and he came very highly recomended and he was almost as pissed off as I was when I told him what was going on and what had happened with the other vet.

I am hoping for the best. I am really nervous.

[MickeyX]

Great news on the new vet!! I hope the pup is okay and will end up okay with whatever is wrong. 

[Caaveman82]

Great news on the new vet!! I hope the pup is okay and will end up okay with whatever is wrong. 

Thank you, I hope so too.

She was a rescue dog and when we went to see her she looked so sad and pitiful and we fell in love with her immediately. She came got happy and really became her old self, or what I assume was her old self before being tied to the side of a barn and forced to have a lot of puppies and starved damn near to death. When they rescued her she was eating the siding off the side of the barn and chewing on rocks and pebbles. She was happy and everything was cool, then suddenly these things started to happen and I notice she is not nearly as happy as she was before and it just really bums me out. She has had a rough go at this life and I just wish she could be okay. I guess that's why I connect with her. Without going into great detail my younger years were a little harsh, and she has had it really bad. Even though she spends more time with my sister, because I work a lot, she shadows me and goes every where with me in my free time. I love that damn dog.

I want to thank all of you for your advice thus far. I will let you all know what happens.

[Dawdlin Dog]

I can't add anything to the great advice already given, but me and the four-legged ones here hope the new vet comes through and Elvis gets better soon.
Keep us posted.
 

[Caaveman82]

The vet called me yesterday and had Elvis' results in.

Her blood was perfect. White blood cells were a little low, but nothing to worry about.

The only thing unusual was her elevated sodium and chloriene content in her urine.

So he thinks it may be adisons disease.

He says there is a test, I cannot remember it off hand, but we'll be getting it done next week.

Also you guys were right about my other vet, the blood and urine test was less than $300. Considering the other vet charged about $800 for just urine and "storage" for like 6 hours, I got ripped off. Oh well it's all good.

The new vet is a cool guy, he treated an elephant back in the 70's.

[Ecosse]

I'm just glad you are in better hands and I hope for better days for Elvis.

[Steve F]

Perhaps you should confront the old vet about the charges, and ask for about half of that money back.  You should.  You were ripped off.
I had two Minature Schnauzers that were diabetic (same parents) and that routine of checking blood sugar (litmus strips in the urin stream every morning) and insuline injections every morning wears on a person.  Good to hear Elvis's blood work came out good since canine diabetes usually leads to blindness and premature death due to eventual kidney failure.  Hope any necessary surgery works out.

[fuzzybutt]

i hate it when the animals get sick, hope elvis feels better soon!

[Caaveman82]

We have the test, again I forget it's name, scheduled for next week, so we will see if she has Adisons or not.

The vet said it's pretty manageable, so that gives me hope.

As far as the old vet goes, I wrote them a letter letting them know that I have done some research on prices for the tests they did and that I feel cheated and even worse my dog was not okay when they said she was and that I would be filing a formal complaint with a handful of state agencies.

[Bob Wessner]

Glad to hear.

Can't recall, did you find this new vet via Angie's List? If so, go back out and post comments about the current and former vet. That's what keeps the List's value going.

[Ecosse]

Awesome caaveman!

[Caaveman82]

Glad to hear.

Can't recall, did you find this new vet via Angie's List? If so, go back out and post comments about the current and former vet. That's what keeps the List's value going.

Already done Bob