Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... What a roller coaster of worry for you Heidi.I hope she's been ok since you got her home and is recovering well x
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Poor things (you and Balla-bambino) Hoping for good news at your next check in x
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Hiya! Bella has been home now for 2 nights...its still morning here, so just getting our second full day home underway. After about an hour at home with the cone, I decided I'd see how she did without it under supervision. Obviously, she isn't UN-supervised hardly at all, and I didn't like getting crashed into with the cone, so I took it off. It hasn't been back on since. She has licked a few times, but follows the leave it cue well. I also took a nice warm washcloth and washed the whole belly area figuring the being shaved thing, along with the smelling like the docs office was as disconcerting as anything else. I then rubbed in some newborn salve I made to sooth the whole nekkid tummy and also to promote healing of the incision. Her incision is about 7 inches long, and is criss-crossed with sutures. It seems to be healing nicely, with a bit of swelling, but nothing out of the ordinary. She's on rhymadil for another couple of days. As you probably have guessed, the biggest challenge is getting her to obey doctors orders and not overdo it. : Doc said no running, rough play, jumping for 5-7 days. :-\ since the moment we got home she has hopped up on the bed, the sofa, me, etc. I do my best to help her up and down when it's my idea...but she is a pup...so controlling her impulses is nearly hopeless! ;D I did some training with her yesterday to try and mentally wear her out a bit, and I might take her into town for a onleash walk later if the weather stays reasonable. While she hasn't been completly unruly - I think I'd rather take her on a moderate walk than have her tying to burn energy zooming in my yard or asking me to throw squeeks in the house for her. She's had a bit loose stool the last couple of days, so trying to keep tabs on that too. both the general stress of the surgery, the rhymadil, and still slowly transitioning to a new food - not to mention the unresolved urinary issue has been a bit much for her system. I've got her on a probiotic supplement as well as adding a bit of rice and pumpkin to her food. All in all we've had a good weekend....and I was pleased that hubby brought my laptop home from the winery so I could get my forum fix ;D ;D ;D
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Heidi, so glad Bella is doing so well after her surgery, when will you know about the UTI? It's going to be difficult to keep her still, maybe some inside find the toy games, shredding cardboard, find the kibble etc. nothing to strenuous 7" incision is quite long, I don't remember Hattie's being that long :-\ poor little girlie, hope she continues to do well and you manage for the next week Good luck XX
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Thanks Helen, Yeah...7 inches IS long...but it's because they opened her up further to check her kidneys, bladder, etc. It won't take any longer to heal, it's just more impressive. We hope to hear back on the urine culture early this week. I think they would have recieved the sample at the lab on Friday probably, so if anything was going to grow, hopefully it would have in a few days. It's a wierd feeling....both wanting something to grow - so that we have an answer and something to treat and resolve....but also not wanting it to be an infection because then I'd feel guilty that it's been going on literally for 10 weeks now. On a side note....hubby was absolutely LIVID....FURIOUS....that the vet both opened her up wider, and took the urine sample without permission...and is charging again for the urinalysis and the culture test again. Honestly, I think he's actually pissed about the amount of money...not that the vet did it. It added another $150 US dollars to the bill....so I can see his point....but our baby girl is NOT RIGHT...and we need to get her RIGHT. I think he's going to the vet's office on Monday to complain about the bill. :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ not that I think he's wrong necessarily...but he'll be a jerk about it, and embarass me. I think I'll send an email to the clinic and apologize for any fit of temper he might display..... :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ talk about an emotionally charged situation....
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Oh dear... Maybe hubby will calm down by tomorrow and realize that the vet was acting in the best interest of your dog?
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Oh Heidi, here's hoping he calms down, as Karen has said. Tell him this story. My friends neighbour has a gorgeous Springer Spaniel about 5 years old, before Christmas everytime she stood up she wouldn't/couldn't move so her owners took her to the Vet who took X-Rays, did various tests and eventually told them she had a disc problem, gave her medication and charged them a small fortune. Over Christmas they went to stay with family in London, when Molly screamed in pain and literally couldn't move, they took her an emergency Vet who immediately discovered all of her nails were infected and had to be removed They had to pay for the procedure and a Sunday emergency fee . They went back to their Vet in town and are demanding the money back for mis diagnosis, prescribing meds, doing X-Rays and for totally the wrong thing. Now that's worth making a fuss about as if was a heck of a lot of money and putting their dog through unecessary procedures. I agree with Karen, your Vet wants to get to the bottom of this awful problem and make Bella well so I would be grateful, even if she really should have called to ask your permission. but does it really matter as you just want her well. Maybe you could offer to 'complain' about the bill? xxx
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Thanks ladies...I hope he calms down too. I get where he is coming from....it's been 10 weeks and she still has this lingering issue, and it's been a small fortune in lab work. $50 for every urinalysis, and now this second $100 for a urine culture. I think the prices are a bit high....but I do think that the doc is trying to get to the bottom of it and get Bella better. And if I don't grumble about the charges initially...what do I expect? But really...it's been several $11 fees for urine sample colletion (I mean really...you walk her out the back door, she squats to pee, you catch it in a paper cup and charge me $11???? And while I could collect it at home and bring it to you - you want it fresh...not the 30+ minutes it would take me to bring it to you.... And on the bill this time was a $19 fee for collecting it from the bladder directly....I mean really....you cut my dog wide open to get a better look at her anatomy....and while you did this, you opened a sterile needle and syringe (less than $2 retail) and withdrew a sample. Had I looked at the bill a bit closer when I picked her up...I should have grumbled about that fee - and I should have said "the doctor was checking with the lab to see if they were charging for this test" and not had to pay the $105 for the culture up front. Because I can gaurantee that if the lab does comp it....I won't see a credit. : I'm frustrated that I'm having to spend this extra money...but I want my girl to get better. I want an answer. And when the doc called me to tell me about the surgery and the sample she took, she asked if I was willing to pay for the culture. I did agree...so even tho my hubby is mad...I did agree to pay for it. I don't know....sometimes I think vets charge an exorbinate amount for what they do....but I'm a business owner too, and I know that it costs money to be in business. And I also know that if my personal financial situation were stronger, I wouldn't think twice about the charges... Ugh...sorry for the rant.... :-[ :-[ :-[ I just want my girl 100% healthy and my hubby 0% angry ;D ;D ;D ;D
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... It can really add up, can't it... It's understandable that your hubby is a bit antsy about the costs. But, as you say, it is pretty much necessary to get to the bottom of it. Ultimately you of course just want your dog to be over this problem. I really hope that all this is behind you soon!! With vet fees, we are not really paying for how hard it was to do something, or how much the raw materials cost, or how long it took. We are paying for their university fees, the new x-ray equipment, the cost of cleaning the surgery, the staff salaries, the insurance, and we are also paying for the more-difficult-to-pin-down-but-essential knowledge, experience, judgement and skill that they have. None of it comes cheap....sadly....
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... It's always dicey when costs, etc come into the whole picture. And certainly it can add stress all around. Hopefully what will happen is that BECAUSE you had the extra test done the problem can be pinpointed and cleared up, thereby SAVING a whole bunch of money that might have been spent for further tests and vet visits that might have happened if the test had not been done. And, most importantly, your girl is healthy.
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Lots of sympathy, angry OHs do make life stressful. I hope everything calms down....
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... In the UK we are so used to the NHS and "free" health care that it comes as a shock when I have to pay for animal care (sounds nuts ). Wouldn't it be great if there was NHS for animals? Should I start a campaign? My Sunday visit to the vet yesterday wasn't cheap but I just pay up and hope I can claim on the insurance. What else can you do?
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Thanks everyone. I do hope that this is the last big fee we'll have with her. Obviously I'm hoping I'll have a bill for antibiotics soon, and ultimately another follow up urinalysis to make sure she is 100% better this time.... I think the hard part for my husband is both the financial burden, but probably moreso the fact that our last dog Izzy had a horrible start too...her's was digestive and it took a solid 9 months before she would routinely poop kickable. : Because our jobs were different at the time, and all the expenses there came out of my personal account, not a joint account I don't think he realized the amount of money that was spent on her care either. And then we VERY suddenly lost her at 4 years old. That was actually the impetus for us getting Bella.... So his deep loss of Izzy, his deep love and concern for Bella's health...paired with some unexpected vet bills....and I think it's just the perfect storm. ??? Anyway...I took pre-emptive measures this morning and sent the following email to the clinic: Dear Animal Clinic Staff, My husband intends to stop by today to discuss the billing and charges recently on our dog Bella who saw Dr. xxxx on Thursday for her spay. While I too am frustrated by the multiple lab fees and still not having a resolution to her ongoing urinary issue - he is obviously more bothered by it than I am. I fear he will be rude and demanding, and probably far from polite - and for this I offer my apologies. Please know that I respect everything you do there, you have all been nothing but polite and helpful and VERY professional in all the care you have given to Bella over the last several months. Again, my apologies for whatever may come out of his mouth today. Respectfully, Heidi and Bella
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... Well, forewarned is forearmed. You've done what you can do... I can understand his frustration. It's an emotional situation, for all the reasons you've told us about. I guess he sees the same events unfolding before his eyes. I do hope he can contain himself at the vet's though.
Re: Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.... [quote author=Oberon link=topic=9620.msg139733#msg139733 date=1422293613] Well, forewarned is forearmed. You've done what you can do... I can understand his frustration. It's an emotional situation, for all the reasons you've told us about. I guess he sees the same events unfolding before his eyes. I do hope he can contain himself at the vet's though. [/quote] Me too Rachel!!! : I haven't heard from him, or from the clinic either...so who knows. I need to upload my pictures of Bella from this weekend...poor pathetic sleepy girl....
