Veterinary Thieves Or The Practice Of Money. Do Vets Rip People Off? You Decide.?
Veterinary Thieves Or The Practice Of Money. Do Vets Rip People Off? You Decide.?
My dog had a three day episode of vomiting and diarrhea. She has
never had any health problems before so we didn’t have a regular Vet (per se) with the exception for the immunizations (she’s only 2 1/2 years old) and an indoor dog (with the exception of the outside front yard trips to go potty)
Here’s the deal, How is it that one trip to the Vet for vomiting & diarrhea turns into a a now ongoing nightmare of "Kennel Cough" and 1.00 later in a matter of two days, still no real answers with three different opinions and one disagreement on treatment?
Answer?
Just like Allopathic People Medicine, with all of it’s technology… there is still the thievery that exists within the Health Care Industry, That’s how!
I have a Chihuahua that has been very healthy. She’s 2 1/2. A very active Chihuahua all of the time! About 4 days ago, she developed a diarrhea & vomiting thing. She refused to eat or drink. Of course, I took her to a Vet within two days since the episodes were still happening but not as much or as often as before. Figuring that this might be a viral thing, a gave it a day before going to Vet #1. In the early morning on Friday, We (My wife and I) took her to a Vet in Clearwater, Florida a few miles from where we live who came "recommended" by my wife’s family members. This Vet took her temperature & listened to her chest asked us a couple of questions and checked her for parasites which was negative and then said "it’s probably some viral thing" or "it could be Pancreatitis" but i’m going to give her three injections…. one antibiotic… one for nausea… and one for diarrhea and some Flagyl tablets to take home just in case it’s bacterial… That sounded logical so 0.00 and out the door we went.
The diarrhea and vomiting subsided the next morning, however the dog hasn’t really eaten except for some Ham (she refuses everything else) so not much of anything or drank much so nothing in and nothing out obviously. Resolved? maybe…. except for the fact that about 4 hours after leaving Vet #1′s office the SAME DAY… she developed a cough. A hacking dry cough. So, I made a call to the Vet the very same day when the cough started and they said "uhhh… hmmm…. well if it don’t get better bring her back". The next day (which was yesterday) the cough was worse and they were closed (they close at 3 pm and I got home to my scared wife… and a coughing dog at 3:30pm. as I work … by the way…. in Health Care… (so i’ve seen first hand the nonsense that happens with human beings)
By 4:00pm we were at Vet #2….. at what used to be a reputable place where we took another dog that we had some years ago that had health issues (she’s now in doggie heaven) and where there was a great Vet that we really trusted and thought highly of…. whom was an older man with many years of experience… unfortunately, he’s no longer there and the place has been really "remodeled" and beautified and probably sold off …. (someone’s really doing well financially!) and of course the basic visit fee is .95 to walk in the door! So, what happened? we saw a young Vet…. with two earrings and a wigger beard that had to be less than 30 years old who asked a few questions…. auscultated her chest with a stethoscope and pressed an the Trachea and determined this to be "Kennel Cough". She’s not around any other dogs except for my brother in law’s dog that is symptom free and immunized against Kennel Cough…. but whatever. This Vet (whom is Vet #2) prescribed Doxycycline and Hycodan (Hydrocodone) syrup for the coughing jags and said "If she doesn’t get better then take her back to Vet #1." The cost….. 3.00! Ka Ching!…. Well, later last night…. which is still in the same day and a few hours later after giving her the Hycodan Syrup and Doxycycline … she started breathing very hard & rapid and still was coughing and looked worse than before. By 11:00pm, we were back at SAME Vet hospital as Vet #2) because my wife and I were afraid that she was worsening and don’t want her to get to the point of dying and they stay open 24 hours a day. Anyways, we saw Vet #3….. since there was a shift change…..& here comes a young Czech female DVM that asked some questions (we told her the whole scenario) pressed on her belly… auscultated the chest again with a stethoscope and said…. "The labored breathing is no doubt because of abdominal pain" We should do X rays…. and the cough was probably something she caught at Vet #1′s office…. when I asked how could a virus incubate so fast… she replied "oh they can develop in 2 hours". I’m educated…. and have had advanced courses in Microbiology and Virology years ago in Collage along with Pathology and although I’m not a Vet…. I’ve never heard of this ever in my life. I deal with people medicine for a living. Most all viruses and Bacterial infections have an incubation period
Zellparis wrote: "the only thing i have decided is you are a sad and sick person to mock the president of the united states"
My answer, Excuse me? What’s your trip? Don’t like my Icon? Too frickin’ bad!!!! I don’t particularly like your icon either. I’ve decided that you’re a sad and sick person to try to look like a thug! Not everyone in the world likes Messiah Obama….. so, when our health care turns into that same nonsense of what i’ve dealt with from Vets in the past few days… just remember, you love Obama!
PS: To everyone else….. My dog is showing signs of improvement! 
Still, Vets are wayyyy toooo expensive for their services nowadays!
Other articles you might like;
- A Review of the Bissell Proheat 2X Cleanshot Upright Deep Cleaner
- Celtic Cross Tattoos - Honoring Your Family History With an Irish Cross Tattoo
- Stomach Bloating - Stop Feeling Like a Puffer Fish and Get Some Relief For Your Digestive Problems
- What Causes Constipation? Overcome This Uncomfortable Digestive Problem Using Natural Methods
- How to Stop Diabetes Before it Starts - Knock Out Type 2 Diabetes Before it Destroys Your Life
Tagged with: antibiotic • chihuahua • clearwater florida • diarrhea and vomiting • disagreement • flagyl • flagyl tablets • front yard • health care industry • health problems • immunizations • Kennel Cough Treatment • nausea • next morning • nightmare • parasites • thievery • thieves • vet • vomiting and diarrhea
Filed under: Kennel Cough Treatment
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
the only thing i have decided is you are a sad and sick person to mock the president of the united states
Going to a Vet is not cheap. People have demanded more and more advancements in the quality of Vet care. All of this comes with a price tag.
So even though you are taking your dog for diarrhea, you are also helping to pay for the anesthesia machine, and the new laser (yes, lasers in Vet offices).
It’s the same for humans. I go to the doctor for a sprained ankle, part of my bill is paying for the MRI machine.
The cost of medical care is way up both for humans and pets.
First thing I thought of is why wasn’t your dog x-rayed? "Vomiting and diarrhea" are classic signs of an obstruction. The dog eats something they cannot pass and it gets lodged somewere along the line (often in the stomach). Causes vomiting and diarrhea.
Second thing, why wasn’t your dog vaccinated against kennel cough already? Even wild birds can fly into the yard with a sick dog, and bring it to your healthy dog. Vaccinations are important.
Incubation time for kennel cough is 2-14 days though. So I’m not buying that your dog has kennel cough.
I would honestly be looking for an obstruction (in stomach or bowels) that is causing your dog this stress.
Also you state you are in Florida. Heartworms are a big problem there. Labored breathing and cough. Is your dog protected against heartworms? It only takes a single mosquito to infect her.
~Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
Providing most of my own Vet care for our 150+ animals on our farm.
Currently 8 working farm dogs on our farm.
Dog owner for 36 consecutive years.
Unfortunately you have been dealing with some crappy vets. Labored breathing is not just from abdominal pain. It can be from other sources, including URI’s, flu, pneumonia, etc.
Incubation periods do differ but I have typically heard of incubation period being as early as 2 days for kennel cough, not 2 hours!
Here’s the thing – whatever this virus is, your dog probably didn’t get it at vet #1, that’s ridiculous.
With a viral thing – I would give it a week, before going to a vet – unless the dog stopped eating, or was in distress. If the dog is just mopey and still eating, and not getting dehydrated, then there is no reason to go to the vet. That is how you lost a lot of money. The vet, unless they did a PCR test, will never be able to tell you what virus it is, or if it even is one.
If they were a good vet they would have told you to go home and watch it, after doing a physical. But yes, most prescribe anti-vomiting meds, and get their money that way.
So, the first vet was not that bad.
Obviously the cough was not contracted from the 1st vet. It was just a symptom of the flu or virus that the dog already had.
The vet that gave you Doxy was correct – that is a good treatment. Unfortunately, your dog’s case progressed very quickly and was more than mild – creating the need to go to the vet a few times.
It sounds like you actually got off pretty cheap here. I have another answer somewhere about the costs of veterinary care. It is ridiculous the markups they place on meds, supplies, and services for people who are regular joes. Let the rich people pay more and the poor less…so many animals die when their treatment is said to cost $1,000′s and it really honestly only cost a couple hundred in reality. Vets only look at the $$$ and that is why a lot of people who love animals do not become vets.