judy
Well-known member
I got Zack home. Things seem worse than i expected, mainly because of things that the person at the vet office said and the ominous way they said it.
They brought zack out with one of those cone collars on his neck. He looked awful. He was groaning. I asked if i could take the collar off of him, and she insisted he keep it on for something like 3 days, at all times. I had spoken to someone else earlier on the phone when i called to see if he was ok, and she said he had the collar on, and she said i only needed to keep it on him when i couldn't watch him. But when i picked him up i could see he was in no condition to be biting his incision. It was obvious. He could barely move and he was suffering. He was groaning. His eyes showed that he was suffering. and that collar was awkward and rigid and wasn't doing his comfort level any good. but she said that if he so much as licks his wound, it can get infected, like, she made me feel like it wouldn't take much for him to get infected. When i said iwas going to take the collar off and just keep an eye on him, she used a very threateniing tone, "That's up to you, but we don't recommend that," and i told her the other person at her office i talked to earlier said i could take it off except if i wasn't going to be watching him, and she just repeated that wasn't what they recommended. I didn't like her manner or her attitude anyway.
So, when i got him home, i took it off and he's just sleeping. He came out of his crate once, then went right back in. There's no way he will be biting his incision or licking it until he feels better. They gave him a pain shot which is supposed to last until 10pm. Like you said, it's probably later as it's healing that they're going to want to lick it. but he just isn't feeling well enough to lick it. He looks like he looked on the days when he used to vomit and lay around and not eat all day.
I tried giving him staphisagria pellets and he turned away from it. I dissolved it in a few drops of water and used a syringe to squirt it into his mouth on the side, and about an hour later, did the same thing with the arnica. Next i guess i'll do the phosphorus? I'm not sure what i'm doing.
I wonder if it has any potency the way i'm doing it.?
So--they gave me pain pills for him, Tramadol, and said i am supposed to give them to him whether he needs it or not, or actually what they said was that he WILL need them. "It was a very painful surgery." ??
this is really different from the reassurance i've been getting from everyone else i talked to. They said they observed him after surgery and then found that he was in pain so they gave him a pain shot, and the doctor wants him to have pain pills, every 8 hours until they're gone. That's SIX days at 3x per day, after today. He's supposed to get the first pain pill at 10pm.
So now i'm scared--that when the pain shot wears off later, instead of getting better, he will be in pain that's bad enough to need pain pills. But for 6 days, that makes no sense at all.
I don't think i want to give him a pain pill later if he's acting ok. He had the surgery at 1pm, about. I guess. They weren't that clear about it. I had a sucky person to deal with, not good communication.
So, if the surgery was at 1, as the night goes on, he should be feeling better and better? If so, i don't want to give him a pain pill, but then, i'll be asleep around 1am and i guess he'll have to wear that cone thing??
If i put the onesies on him (i got 5 different sizes, i'll just return the ones that are the wrong size later) will he be able to chew the incision through the cloth?
Could it be that this particular vet did a procedure that's more painful than the normal one? She siad the incision is under the skin. How can that be? The sutures are the kind that dissolve and don't have to be removed later. Could this be why they're so uptight about him licking it and about him being in pain?
i sure hope Zack gets well soon, he's just sleeping and not moving. i hope later tonight he'll feel better. I'm not feeling too great about this.
Then, also part of the whole thing is the money. I called three vet offices and asked how much is neutering. One said $120, one said $175 and this one said $200. so i thought it was going to be $200. But when i got there today, they said they strongly recommend some bloodwork before the surgery to give him the best chance of not having a problem with the anaesthesia, which is $110 more, and it's up to me if i want to have it but i have to sign this form saying that i know that there's a risk with the anaesthesia and on that form i have to check a box saying whether i want the bloodwork or not and sign it--this seemed very manipulative to me. I would've thought bloodwork would be included as routine, and included in the price they quoted. What they do is, you get there, you're worried about your dog, they tell you he will be safer if he has the bloodwork but "it's up to you," and it's another $110. How slimey. They should've told me this on the phone when i called. So, they originally say $200. Then, it's $310. And when i finally pay, it turns out to be $387, almost double what they told me on the phone. They charged another $47 for the pain shot after the surgery. I would've thought that wouldl be included in the price they told me when i asked how much, but they try to make it seem like this is not routine, they observed Zack after the surgery and he was in pain so they gave him a shot, but they couldn't tell me this in advance, it depends on the dog, this feels slimey. And they, they charged for the pain pills and for the cone collar. They should've told me this in advance too. They want to make it seem like they can't know in advance, it's just after they observe the dog. but when i talked to the vet on the phone yesterday, she told me she was going to send him home with pain pills.
I think they are saying he needs six days of pain pills and a cone collar 24/7 for several days to justify tacking more money onto my bill. I guess i'll write the head doctor a letter complaining about this, but i dont' see how it will do any good. He is probably just the head slime ball.
I was talking to Lisa and she looked at her bill for Belle's spaying. Everything needed was covered for under $200. Belle also had her eyes checked and the microchip and a bunch of other stuff, and the whole bill was under $300. The spaying itself, including bloodwork (clotting time) and whatever was needed (NO pain pills, NO cone collar) was under $200.
I feel quite ripped off. and i dont' trust what they're telling me about Zack's care, whether he needs the pain pills, whether it matters if he licks the wound. I don't know what to think. I sure don't want him having any complications because i don't want to go back there for more treatment and get gouged in the wallet some more.
Of course, if that happens, i 'll go to another vet, but that will be embarrassing since i didnt' get the neutering done there. Not that i care. I went to these people because this vet cured him after he'd been sick for a month and the other two vets both said they were stumped, didn't know what to do next other than expensive and invasive tests.
:?
They brought zack out with one of those cone collars on his neck. He looked awful. He was groaning. I asked if i could take the collar off of him, and she insisted he keep it on for something like 3 days, at all times. I had spoken to someone else earlier on the phone when i called to see if he was ok, and she said he had the collar on, and she said i only needed to keep it on him when i couldn't watch him. But when i picked him up i could see he was in no condition to be biting his incision. It was obvious. He could barely move and he was suffering. He was groaning. His eyes showed that he was suffering. and that collar was awkward and rigid and wasn't doing his comfort level any good. but she said that if he so much as licks his wound, it can get infected, like, she made me feel like it wouldn't take much for him to get infected. When i said iwas going to take the collar off and just keep an eye on him, she used a very threateniing tone, "That's up to you, but we don't recommend that," and i told her the other person at her office i talked to earlier said i could take it off except if i wasn't going to be watching him, and she just repeated that wasn't what they recommended. I didn't like her manner or her attitude anyway.
So, when i got him home, i took it off and he's just sleeping. He came out of his crate once, then went right back in. There's no way he will be biting his incision or licking it until he feels better. They gave him a pain shot which is supposed to last until 10pm. Like you said, it's probably later as it's healing that they're going to want to lick it. but he just isn't feeling well enough to lick it. He looks like he looked on the days when he used to vomit and lay around and not eat all day.
I tried giving him staphisagria pellets and he turned away from it. I dissolved it in a few drops of water and used a syringe to squirt it into his mouth on the side, and about an hour later, did the same thing with the arnica. Next i guess i'll do the phosphorus? I'm not sure what i'm doing.
I wonder if it has any potency the way i'm doing it.?
So--they gave me pain pills for him, Tramadol, and said i am supposed to give them to him whether he needs it or not, or actually what they said was that he WILL need them. "It was a very painful surgery." ??
this is really different from the reassurance i've been getting from everyone else i talked to. They said they observed him after surgery and then found that he was in pain so they gave him a pain shot, and the doctor wants him to have pain pills, every 8 hours until they're gone. That's SIX days at 3x per day, after today. He's supposed to get the first pain pill at 10pm.
So now i'm scared--that when the pain shot wears off later, instead of getting better, he will be in pain that's bad enough to need pain pills. But for 6 days, that makes no sense at all.
I don't think i want to give him a pain pill later if he's acting ok. He had the surgery at 1pm, about. I guess. They weren't that clear about it. I had a sucky person to deal with, not good communication.
So, if the surgery was at 1, as the night goes on, he should be feeling better and better? If so, i don't want to give him a pain pill, but then, i'll be asleep around 1am and i guess he'll have to wear that cone thing??
If i put the onesies on him (i got 5 different sizes, i'll just return the ones that are the wrong size later) will he be able to chew the incision through the cloth?
Could it be that this particular vet did a procedure that's more painful than the normal one? She siad the incision is under the skin. How can that be? The sutures are the kind that dissolve and don't have to be removed later. Could this be why they're so uptight about him licking it and about him being in pain?
i sure hope Zack gets well soon, he's just sleeping and not moving. i hope later tonight he'll feel better. I'm not feeling too great about this.
Then, also part of the whole thing is the money. I called three vet offices and asked how much is neutering. One said $120, one said $175 and this one said $200. so i thought it was going to be $200. But when i got there today, they said they strongly recommend some bloodwork before the surgery to give him the best chance of not having a problem with the anaesthesia, which is $110 more, and it's up to me if i want to have it but i have to sign this form saying that i know that there's a risk with the anaesthesia and on that form i have to check a box saying whether i want the bloodwork or not and sign it--this seemed very manipulative to me. I would've thought bloodwork would be included as routine, and included in the price they quoted. What they do is, you get there, you're worried about your dog, they tell you he will be safer if he has the bloodwork but "it's up to you," and it's another $110. How slimey. They should've told me this on the phone when i called. So, they originally say $200. Then, it's $310. And when i finally pay, it turns out to be $387, almost double what they told me on the phone. They charged another $47 for the pain shot after the surgery. I would've thought that wouldl be included in the price they told me when i asked how much, but they try to make it seem like this is not routine, they observed Zack after the surgery and he was in pain so they gave him a shot, but they couldn't tell me this in advance, it depends on the dog, this feels slimey. And they, they charged for the pain pills and for the cone collar. They should've told me this in advance too. They want to make it seem like they can't know in advance, it's just after they observe the dog. but when i talked to the vet on the phone yesterday, she told me she was going to send him home with pain pills.
I think they are saying he needs six days of pain pills and a cone collar 24/7 for several days to justify tacking more money onto my bill. I guess i'll write the head doctor a letter complaining about this, but i dont' see how it will do any good. He is probably just the head slime ball.
I was talking to Lisa and she looked at her bill for Belle's spaying. Everything needed was covered for under $200. Belle also had her eyes checked and the microchip and a bunch of other stuff, and the whole bill was under $300. The spaying itself, including bloodwork (clotting time) and whatever was needed (NO pain pills, NO cone collar) was under $200.
I feel quite ripped off. and i dont' trust what they're telling me about Zack's care, whether he needs the pain pills, whether it matters if he licks the wound. I don't know what to think. I sure don't want him having any complications because i don't want to go back there for more treatment and get gouged in the wallet some more.
Of course, if that happens, i 'll go to another vet, but that will be embarrassing since i didnt' get the neutering done there. Not that i care. I went to these people because this vet cured him after he'd been sick for a month and the other two vets both said they were stumped, didn't know what to do next other than expensive and invasive tests.
:?