Vet Broke My Dog

[macoduck]

Wally only needed one vaccine and a well-doggy check up. He's only been with us for 2 months and he was new to my regular vet. My vet has a bum knee and before I realised it he had his 2 techs lift Wally onto the exam table. Wally wasn't happy - wouldn't stand- obvious distress. I said take him down now!

DH took Wally outside while I remained so Miss Pudge le mutt could get her yearly checkup.

A few hours later we see Wally has a big welt at the "DAPP4L Duramune Max 5/4L" vaccination site. He is so tender he screamed and tried to bite me when I barely touched it.

Then we notice he's walking slower without his usual bounce.

Off to the e-vet. He can get in and out of the car OK but walks slowly and is less happy.

She thinks he's retched his back. She gave him a Dexamethasone injection that seemed to help within 5 minutes. She was going back and forth from Wally on the floor of the lobby (he wouldn't get up but that's typical of Wally when he's tired) to a semi-trauma she had in the back room.

She gave Wally Tramadol 50mg every 8 hours for 5 days. She'll be on call there all weekend and we're to bring him back if he doesn't improve. She thought he should be OK by morning. If not then it's a disc rather than a sprain. I want my happy Wally back.

 

Poor Wally. Tomorrow was going to be his first time at playgroup.

 

Update: Wally is much better. Given his quick response to the steroid shot it was most likely that he had a painful reaction to the vaccine.

A big thanks to Dr Feeman for giving more info. I will have my greys' charts flagged so they'll be pre-medicated when vaccinating and no more table dancing.

Edited October 14, 2007 by macoduck

[cello]

I hope that you send the e-vet bill to the vet who broke poor Wally.

Carol Ann

[Guest adriahna]

Poor sweetheart. I hope he gets better - and I agree with cello on the matter of the bill. Gentle hugs for Wally.

[macoduck]

I hope that you send the e-vet bill to the vet who broke poor Wally.

Carol Ann

 

My regular vet is part owner of the E-vet office and there will be faxed report from the E-vet awaiting him when he arrives at his regular office in the morning.

He had just mentioned to me that the hydrolic table at the E-vet office cost $6000 but he just couldn't afford to put it in his regular clinic.

 

Wally just got up and stretched! That looks like a good sign, doesn't it?

Please let him be OK in the morning.

Edited October 13, 2007 by macoduck

[StridersSis]

That is a good sign! Prayers Wally feels better in the AM Poor guy

[Guest greybookends]

OH Wally, I am sorry you can't come to playgroup today, but you just get better ok. Ducky I am sorry.

[Guest vahoundlover]

Oh Wally, I hope you feel better this morning!

[Guest wmlcml6]

Dex was a wonder drug for Curly Sue during her last year with us. It transformed her from a 13 yr old to a 3 year old.

 

Because it makes them feel so good, your boy may be inclined to over do it today, so please be careful and limit his exercise and jumping so he doesn't re-inflame his achy back and it has a chance to completely heal.

 

Stoopid vet. I'm sorry he wasn't more careful. :-(

[Guest argolola]

Prayers for sweet Wally.

[Batmom]

A few hours later we see Wally has a big welt at the "DAPP4L Duramune Max 5/4L" vaccination site. He is so tender he screamed and tried to bite me when I barely touched it.

 

Next time he has to have a vaccine, ask your vet to premedicate (steroid shot). This is what we do for Zema, and it works. Else she will have a goose egg and be crying for 2 days. We've also gone to 3-year rotation for most shots.

 

Hope he is feeling lots better this morning!!!!!

 

[Guest CindiLuvsGreys]

Dummy. I do hope wally is feeling better today. My vet always gets on the floor with my dogs.

[grey14me]

that's stinks! Holly's vet has a bum ankle and always wants to put her up on the table, too. I've started bringing a non-skid bathmat with me to put on there, so Holly won't panic and scrabble around and fall. I still hate her being up there, but she handles it much better with the bathmat.

[gracegirl]

that's stinks! Holly's vet has a bum ankle and always wants to put her up on the table, too. I've started bringing a non-skid bathmat with me to put on there, so Holly won't panic and scrabble around and fall. I still hate her being up there, but she handles it much better with the bathmat.

 

Sorry, big dogs don't belong on the table. I guess in my mind it's part of the job of the vet to get down 'n dirty with the dogs, so if they are not physically capable of that then we'll change vets. I don't have any loyalties to a vet in Seattle yet, so it's easy for me to say "oh, just change vets." Grace will absolutely not be put on any vet's exam table (hydraulics or not) unless she is under for some reason. Fenway might be okay with it, but I'd rather not risk it.

 

Oh, and thanks to BooMooandDoo I have found a great vet in my neighborhood that I really, really like...just not enough history there to be 100% loyal. That's a good thing that I don't know my vet well though, right?

Edited October 13, 2007 by gracegirl

[feemandvm]

I hope that you send the e-vet bill to the vet who broke poor Wally.

Carol Ann

It sounds like Wally had a vaccine reaction and his swelling and stiffness likely had nothing to do with being lifted on a table. The swelling was painful and you mentioned he reacted quickly to an anti-inflammatory. The vet was not at fault in your dog having a vaccine reaction and thus I can't see why they would be responsible for an e-vet bill. If you go to a bakery and buy a peanut butter brownie and you have an allergy to peanut butter... can you sue the bakery? Vaccine reactions are a risk of vaccinating and in this case is not negligence or malpractice which would be the primary reasons the vet would be responsible for the bill.

 

Happy to hear your pup is better but IMHO sending the bill to the vet is inappropriate.

 

 

[Guest TriciasZoo]

Oh, my sweet Fairy Duckmother. I'm sorry that the vet did this!! Poor Wally. Will you please give him extra huggles and scritches and treats from Auntie Trish? You know how I feel about you and your pups. You're family.

 

:bighug :bighug For you, Mac, and pups.

 

:dogcookie :dogcookie For Wally. But make sure he shares with Pudge and the rest.

[macoduck]

It sounds like Wally had a vaccine reaction and his swelling and stiffness likely had nothing to do with being lifted on a table. The swelling was painful and you mentioned he reacted quickly to an anti-inflammatory. The vet was not at fault in your dog having a vaccine reaction and thus I can't see why they would be responsible for an e-vet bill. If you go to a bakery and buy a peanut butter brownie and you have an allergy to peanut butter... can you sue the bakery? Vaccine reactions are a risk of vaccinating and in this case is not negligence or malpractice which would be the primary reasons the vet would be responsible for the bill.

 

Happy to hear your pup is better but IMHO sending the bill to the vet is inappropriate.

 

Thanks Dr Feeman, I had not thought the vaccination could cause so much pain but then Gracie had something similar with the dental vaccine once.

Wally is much better this afternoon and I am able to touch the vaccination site without him reacting.

Edited October 13, 2007 by macoduck

[Xan]

Glad Wally is feeling so much better. I was wondering about what Dr. Feeman said as a possibility, too. Since you didn't describe a difficult time or yelping when he was getting up or down on/off the table, and there was the painful injection site ....

 

Hope all continues to improve without incident!!

[RobinM]

I know how you feel. When I brought Polli in for x-rays last Friday, she had been limping for a week, however when I brought her in, she had stopped. We opted to bring her in anyway to have it checked out fully. When we brought her home, she was totally lame in her right leg.

I realized that they had to manipulate her in order to get the correct pictures but she WAS walking when I brought her in and was totally crippled when I got her back.

NOW, she is JUST starting to walk a bit better.

 

Hoping that Wally is on his way back!

[Guest Ola]

I'm really surprised that a vet would want to put a grey on an exam table for a routine exam. I just had my mixed breed in for a checkup and a rabies vaccine and she was examined while standing on the floor (she's only 35 lbs). I think you should insist that your dog stays on the floor - if this poses a physical difficulty for your vet, perhaps he could sit and you bring your dog to stand beside him? That should make it easier for the vet.

 

Because of the reaction, I wouldn't give the combo vaccine to your dog anymore. Instead, do some research on which of those shots he actually needs (this depends a lot on the area you live in) and do the shots individually, spaced out by a week or two. It will be more expensive (if you end up giving all the shots), but worth it to avoid a reaction in my opinion. And definitely do the 3 year vaccine cycle if you don't already.

 

Hope Wally feels better soon!

[patricia]

I am so happy that Wally is feeling much better. All exams with our big babes are done on the floor. In fact Dr. Shawna LaceyLaines Oncologist came into our exam room introduced herself to us and then she sat right down on the floor and we had a 40 minute consult with her on the floor with Lacers. Our small babes exams are done on the table with a nonslip mat. Hug Wally for us.

[Guest Tigonie]

That IS really strange that the vet would put him up on the table, though with a bum knee, I can see why the vet wouldn't want to actually get down on the floor. I'm surprised, though, that the vet didn't just bend over towards the dog. We've moved 3 times in 6 years and have gone to four vet clinics with Emma. We've gone to more than one vet in some of the clinics. I've never yet had one who put Emma on the table for anything like vaccines, shots, blood draws, etc. I have had several vets who actually sat on the floor with her talking with me and petting Emma for several minutes before giving a shot, but the rest of them stood and bent over towards the dog.

 

Here's hoping that Wally is better this morning! Poor pupper!

 

I have a feeling the vet will have one exam room fitted with the hydraulic table soon. I bet he's going to feel awful when he finds out about Wally.

[krissn333]

Our vet has a big foam block covered with leather that he will put larger dogs onto if he needs them elevated a little bit, but it only elevates them about a foot and a half off the ground. My dogs happily jump up onto it and lay down. Putting a big dog up on a slippery exam table IMO is not a very good idea.

 

Hope your baby is feeling better soon!