Guest jomalley Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Had our first major run-in last night. Short story is that it's the other guy's fault, and me and Horatio (my grey) are mostly okay. The only main thing I'm worried about is a wound on his inside front left leg, near the elbow area. We've gone to our vet, and of course Horatio doesn't like his wound to be poked or prodded. Vet wanted to do anesthesia (and dental too[which he does need]) to explore the wound and see if it needed stitches. I'm not comfortable with this vet being able to do anesthesia, so he's washed the wound as best he could and given us Simplicef for antibiotic and Deramaxx for pain and some ointment. According to the vet, he think it's soft-tissue damage but didn't reach the bone. According to the bill, it's less-than one centimeter. QUESTION: Assuming we're on antibiotics and keeping watch for infection, is anesthesia worth the risk right now? I have another vet in mind who I think I'm more comfortable with. I gave the offender an estimate, and he SEEMS like he's willing to pay for this, but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks either. Horatio is already stressed out enough. I know the decision is my own, but I'd appreciate any thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizjaye Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Have you called the second vet yet??? I am interested to see what other posters say about the timing issue in terms of waiting vs. seeing another vet. Photos of the wound are critical. Glad you wrote that you and Horatio are okay. A second vet (to a new doctor) visit shouldn't be that expensive. I think I would error on the side of getting a second opinion now but I'm probably a worry wart. Garth was attacked last summer by a Shepard and he needed some stitches. (Its a long long story). Bottom line is I am not sure waiting gets you anything. We'll see what the more experienced owners say. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MomofSweetPotatoes Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 i would have the wound explored. If it is to the bone, it's not worth the risk of a bone infection. This is jmho and I am one of those who is overly cautious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flint Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Flint has been bitten twice and both times he had surgery to clean out the wound and stitch him up. I also think it's better to get it check out thoroughly with surgery, but with a vet you're comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jomalley Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Going to a vet listed on the GreySave website this afternoon. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 What they said for sure Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jomalley Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 This is jmho and I am one of those who is overly cautious. A greyhound owner who's overly cautious-- unheard of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheila Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I will have to pipe up and say that I think some of the 'grey savvy' vet stuff goes a little over the top when it comes to many procedures and that includes the anesthesia routines. Once upon a time these concerns were valid but with advances in animal medical science it is not the issue it once was. Unless your vet is still using procedures from 30 yrs ago I wouldn't be frantic about it. My Kiowa was the first GH my vet ever had in his practice and as far as I know I am the only client with GH's even now. My vet has performed all manner of surgeries which include an emergency tracheotomy, a toe amputation, a cancerous lump removal, and dentals on my greys with no problems. That's not to mention having stitched up various wounds that greys are prone to get. If there has been an issue that I thought might be out of his realm of experience I do some research and my vet is VERY willing to look at whatever information I can give him and research it himself. Not to mention the numerous times he has come in after hrs on Saturdays, Sundays, 1 AM.......to care for my hounds. By all means take your dog to a vet you feel comfortable with. I don't even understand bothering with a vet you don't feel comfortable with. Just because a vet doesn't come with the status of 'grey savvy' doesn't make him/her incompetent and unable to 'do' anesthesia though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jomalley Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 By all means take your dog to a vet you feel comfortable with. I don't even understand bothering with a vet you don't feel comfortable with. Just because a vet doesn't come with the status of 'grey savvy' doesn't make him/her incompetent and unable to 'do' anesthesia though. Many good points. I will say the first time we went to our current vet, I never saw a doctor, and the same tech who was there then also saw us this morning (we were waiting at the door to come in) and made no acknowledgment of us. The doctor who we finally did see today lacked bedside manners, but that was mostly because of a language barrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 (edited) Teddy bit my Beau, when Beau jumped into Teddy's space and possibly on Teddy when Teddy was eating a kong. Teddy is food aggressive. This is the damage. The vet said "Beau is a VERY lucky dog. Teddy's bite just missed the jugular. Please don't underestimate the damage. Looking at Beau's injury, you would never think it was as bad as i just mentioned. This was the day he came home after surgery. It did look worse before being sewn up. They did an incredible job. Edited April 8, 2008 by RobinM Quote ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties. Waiting at the bridge Angel Polli Bohemian Ocean , Rocky, Blue,Sasha & Zoobie & Bobbi Greyhound Angels Adoption (GAA) The Lexus Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jomalley Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Great news-- Vet #2 said we most likely don't need stitches or anything beyond antibiotics and a keen eye. I don't know if it was his pain meds he took this morning, but he let the doctor clean all over and inside the wound without a whimper. Yay for grey-cajones! The doc (who was AWESOME) said it looked like a minor puncture wound that did not go deep and just hooked into the skin creating a small pocket. I know part of it is just having gotten good news, but I'm SO going back here for a dental in a couple of weeks. Great phone service, staff, and docs. Horatio got a steak out of this last night out of sympathy-- would I be horrible if I did it 2 nights in a row? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyhoundbaby Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 (edited) The more I read about the vet horros on GT, the happier I am with our vets. We're quite blessed - they have 5 or 6 in the practice; I mostly go to one and he mostly lets me track him down in any of the 3 clinics they have. The staff all know our hounds; in fact, when we had to let Tapsy go, 2 of the techs cried almost as hard as I did... People think I'm crazy because their emergency clinic is almost an hour away but, nope, not changing... Glad your pupper is OK Edited April 9, 2008 by Greyhoundbaby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.