The Difference In A Second Opinion

[ahicks51]

When in for the annual inspection, I showed the vet some dots in Coco's groinular region [sic] of which I was suspicious. Turns out it's dermal hemiangiosarcoma, or whatever the proper name is for the normally-benign growths that can sometimes form mets and be very bad. Price estimate for removal: $550-650, including gas anesthesia, lab analysis, etc.

 

So, I figure I'll take him to the "go-to" greyhound vet in Phoenix on Monday (two days later), and I'm glad I did. Over the weekend, someone posted to the greyhound mailing list they had had a hound with recurring dermal hemis, and they treated in a different manner- local anesthesia and removal.

 

I take him in to Dr. Yocham- who is about as no-nonsense as they come- who agrees with the diagnosis, but disagreed with the general anesthesia. When I asked him to pen me in, he said, "We can do it right now."

 

Out-the-door cost? $90, including $38 for the office visit.

 

Admittedly, I don't have a biopsy- but the way I figure it, benign or not, it's not as though I'm going to stop looking for new ones. And if for some reason it has formed mets, there's nothing I could do anyway- except stay on the lookout.

 

The big difference, I suppose, is that the second doctor has been doing this probably since greyhounds were invented. The first doctor works at a hospital building a nice, big, fancy new wing. This is the same hospital, BTW, that wanted $800 worth of work to figure out Coco's tongue growth- but I was able to talk them down to a much lower cost for antifungals (and some antibiotics, which he clearly didn't need), which did the trick.

[ZoomDoggy]

Even with a local anesthetic and un-sedated removal, they should still be able to send off a biopsy if you want it done. I have had several suspicious growths removed from Marla wit a local and laser removal. MUCH preferable to general anesthesia.