I have a Pug named Rocky Balboa. Keep in mind each surgery carries a risk of complications and death with it. He was neutered in May 2006, so he has no testicles. One day I noticed his bag was full of something that felt like one, so I took him to the vet.Damn. In September 2006 he was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia. He needed surgery to fix it so his intestines would not go into his scrotum and get knotted causing death. No problem, I swallowed the $1400 vet bill and got it fixed because I love my dog like a child. They told me it was an emergency and needed to be done right away, so it was. It was very painful for him and took about a good 2 weeks to fully recover. Fast forward to December 2007. I feel the same thing in his bag again. So take him back and sure enough, he has the same thing again . So once again I swallow the $1400 vet bill to get it fixed, hopefully for the last time. Two days after the surgery, I still feel the mass. So I go back and say WTF? They tell me it is swelling. A week after that I call the surgeon and explain what I am feeling in his bag. She tells me it is A) Fluid accumulation or B) Fatty tissue left over from the surgery floating in his bag. I think bullshit, but give them the benefit of the doubt. Two weeks later I am convinced there is something wrong. I take him in and get a different vet to look at it (7 different ones work there). He goes with the fat in the bag story, but I know it is more. About 3 weeks after that I take him back again to a different vet, she tells me she has no idea and tells me to go to another clinic for a sceond opinion. I go to the Hernia specialist at the other clinic yesterday, and guess what he tells me, he needs the surgery again (another $1400), and not only that, he tells me that the whole time it may have been a scrotal hernia. So now I am pissed. The first place has totally ripped me off and kept sending me away when I insisted something was wrong. I feel I should get my money back for the second hernia. What do I do?
When my dogs were nuetered they didn't have "bags" after the neutering. :/ Not that I noticed anyway. I thought they are supposed to remove the whole thing.
Thats hard to decide. On the one side, my dog loving self says to do whats best for the dog, and on the other side, my american pie self says to sue the vet for negligence.
As far as I know, the outer part stays there, at least in small dogs, but because nothing is in it, it presses up against the body and should look like nothing is there.
Well if possible try and get in touch with other people who bring there pets to that vet and see if they have had similiar experiences. If you notice a lot of similarities you sohuld get everyone to sign on to have the vet reported to (name is slipping from my mind right now) but I know there are watch dog bureau's that are supposed to keep an eye on places like this. My mind fails me for specific names but a quick web search should reveal the answers.
The dog will be getting the surgery from the new vet clinic. No problem there, I want this fixed, my poor dog, it is so hard on him, I don't want him to die. They really sound like they know what they are doing and I like the specialist. The other clinic however is on my shit list. I will be dealing with them today. If they refuse to refund my money, the lawyer will be calling them next. I would do anything for my dog, hell I gave up Christmas just to pay for the last surgery, I am really pissed that they messed up, and now the little guy has to do it all over again.
When my cat was fixed,they made two small incisions to remove the balls leaving the sack. BustaJesse:Find a vet that works alone,in my experence doctors that work in the same building/group will rip you off every chance they get. And good luck to your pet,I've been there.
It sounds like you may have the beginnings of a good lawsuit to me. Talk to a lawyer, preferably one who deals with animal cases.
Did a quick ssearch and it seems that this problem can be both inheritable and a recurring depending on the breed,genetics,and scarring during surgery.
Wow sorry to hear about all of that. If he was misdiagnosed I would see what your option are, or find out if it all due to when he was neutered. My wife had pugs as a kid and said they are prone to costly medical problems, but the same thing 3 times or more seems excesive.
I am aware of that, and that is why I was fine going back the second time. However 2 days later? I do not think so. If anything they should have used Mesh the second time, I even reccommended it to them, because with each surgery the success rate goes down, and mesh has the extra support that is needed to build a better layer of scar tissue. They also ignored my concerns totally. Also, if it was inherited, many vets notice when they do the neuter.
WOW, I hope things work out for you and Rocky Balboa. I know how frustrating a vet can be. I went to the University of Minnesota to have surgery on my little guy. Colon issue, they checked to see if he had cancer, and the vet said he didn't, only to find out 3 months later they didn't check the "other" computer system which in fact he did have cancer. We spent a lot of money of meds, special food and exams only to have to put him down, which I would have done sooner if I had known about the cancer.
Already have. I'm never going back to these guys again. I am sorry to hear about your little guy. It is always hard to lose a pet. My situation is not nearly as bad, but if I left it like they said, it could have escalated to death. I wish it was treated more like a hospital and less like a business. These kinds of things are not like accidentally putting onions on a big mac, when you asked for no onion, it is a life they are messing with. I'm really pissed.
Pet insurance might help. If you know your pet will have an an going problem, it might help with the payments.
Check. I'm the last person in the world to suggest a lawsuit, but this is bullshit. However, make sure the new vet knows about the history and does solid documentation. You'll need it later if this goes to court.
Insurance sounds like a good idea for the future, does anyone know of any good companies for Canadians? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
