Originally Posted by Ilovethemountains
Hello, this is my first time posting to this particular forum. I don't know if there are any veterinarians out there, but I have a couple of questions that are really bothering me. In November of 2005, my 12 year old Collie / Shepherd mix suddenly appeared very bloated, and felt hard. I took him to the vet I had used for several years. He kept him for two days, and then operated. He removed an 18 lb. Non-malignant tumor of the spleen in a 3 hour surgery – something about the spleen had ruptured, encapsulated, re-ruptured, etc., until it became noticeable. He also said that this was a very “rare” illness. He said it was “touch and go”, but if he survived 48 hrs. he would be okay. When I called at noon the next day, I was told that my dog had died the night before of a probable “thrown blood clot”, that he had been doing well, but suddenly went into respiratory arrest, and died within minutes. That this was common in large dogs after long surgery.
We did not get a new dog for several months, as I just needed some time. He had been an important part of my life for 11 years. Then, in May, a coworker said she needed to get rid of her two year old Lab mix, he was too energetic for their house. I took him, and quickly became attached. He became my daily morning walk buddy. Last Saturday, he was fine, jumping and running as he always did, when he suddenly collapsed. He quickly became completely non-responsive, and seemed to be dying before my eyes. My wife and I ran him to the vet just before they closed. The vet felt hardness in his abdomen, and immediately performed surgery. About one hour later, he returned and showed us what he said was a very inflamed, near to rupture, gall bladder. It was about 3-4 inches long, and purplish. He said it should have been half that size and greenish. He then said it would be “touch and go”, but if he survived 48 hrs. he would be okay. (Boy did that sound familiar.) We waited as we wanted to see him after he came out of the anesthesia before we left. Twenty minutes later, the doctor came out and reported that he hadn't made it. He began bleeding through the suture, and was hemorrhaging from his nose, and went into cardiac arrest. He then said this was not uncommon, that sometimes after surgery, they just lose the ability to clot. He also said that this condition (the inflamed gall bladder) was extremely rare, and this was the first time he had dealt with a stricken dog that survived long enough to get into surgery.
Today we got the bill, and coincidentally, the bill for the 1 hour of surgery and 3 hrs of service, was exactly the same as the 3 hrs of surgery, 3 days of service. $750!!!! I have spent $1500 in less than a year for two “rare” unsuccessful surgeries.
My questions – are these rare ailments? Do the animals typically die? Or is there something not right with my vet's post-op care? Would the bills be so similar if the 3 hrs. of service occurred in an after-hours procedure? Should I trust this vet, or start searching for a new one. Up until this, we really liked him, and trusted him.
Thanks
j