SHOCKING EXPOSE OF VETERINARY PRACTICES ~ TO FLEECE THEIR TRUSTING OWNERS

You, my friend are a 5 star pet owner and veterinary client. Thank you for a fresh perspective in this thread and for being such and understanding person. Luckily, about 60% of my current clients are like you. My sincere sympathies for you and your dog regarding the lymphosarcoma. The only good news is it won't take long.

I had a similar experience. - A blind Client, Jim, had a service dog, Addie. Addie was diagnosed with a Mast cell tumor. Until that point, she was a shining star, as far as service dogs go. We had a fundraiser to put together enough money to get Addie surgery and chemo-therapy. The surgery went as well as could be expected, but not as well as we'd hoped. A month or so into her chemotherapy, she walked Jim out into traffic on main street. Not a good thing. The chemo really made her sick, and she just wasn't able to work.

Addie was retired shortly after that and came to live with my family. I'd hoped that I could keep her around. It was an adjustment for her to transistion from a working service dog to family pet/clinic dog, but it didn't take her too long. She came to work at the clinic every day and was a tremendous help. She immediately knew if a dog or people agressive dog came in the door, and had a very subtle way of approaching them sideways and showing them how to act in the clinic. She always knew when there was a problem in the clinic I needed to know about she would stand outside the surgery door and bark or would come around the corner into the pharmacy and give me her "follow me" look that meant I'd better get out front. She was right 99% of the time. We'd given the kids a bichon puppy a couple of months before Addie joined our family, and Addie essentially taught the puppy how to be a service dog, and to take care of us. She even potty trained the little poop machine.

Anyway, after two years, Addie slowed down at home. She would wind up and be "on" at work, but as soon as we were home, she'd eat, and head straight to her bed. Then one day, about 5 months later, she just couldn't get up after her lunchtime nap. I'd been monitoring her decline and I knew during the last month that her kidneys were going to shut down at any time. We called her former owner, and all the family and staff in. We had a very tearful couple of hours saying good bye, and put her to sleep in the lobby of the clinic. That's been 4 years ago. It still feels like we're missing a member of the family. The good news is, we still have the puppy she trained. Chet is always there if any of the kids come in the door crying. She taught him to diagnose when something was wrong. If I come home from work with a headache, chettie won't leave my side. He's been through flu, strep, colds, he's even there through seasonal allergies.

I've been somewhat short to some on this thread, because parts of it tended toward looking like "Gripe about your vet - Fest, 2009". I even, at some points tried to turn it into "Gripe about your clients right back", but I do truly feel for you and you're dog's cancer. Thank you for sharing your experiences. God's speed to you and yours.

AC KS

When the time comes that he's suffering, which is predicted to be soon, my vet will come to my home if I need him to. He will be soft spoken and kind, and will fight the emotions he's feeling. He will hurt. I will hurt. My dog will no longer hurt.

Vets often push for heart worm treatment at a cost of over $2,000, most of which is boarding the dog for 2 months. A dog receiving the highly toxic remedy miticide, must be limited in movement so the dead worms don't lodge in a blood vessel and kill the dog.

Many people don't realize that the same thing can be done at home by getting the worm shots at the vet and then caging the dog at home, or if it is a 'couch potato' dog anyway, just keep a close watch on it and don't let it start running or playing hard.

Cost of the heart worm remedy shots alone with no vet boarding vary from $150. to $1,200. Shop around!!!

Doctors do the same to humans why would the medical field be any different for animals.

thanks for this post. I just brought my dog to the vet yesterday; she's 15, has had a good long life, and is now panting, bad hips, in pain and may have cancer.

I brought her home for a few days to try the painkillers and see how she does...but I know it my heart it's just time.

I did not take the vet up on her offer to do bloodwork, steroid treatments and chemo. I'd only be doing it for myself.

Right now, Ladybug is asleep at my feet, dreaming like a puppy. I'll miss her very much.