Does anyone have experience with vets and animal emergencies? My puppy is at the vet & I want to bring him hom

Question

My puppy is in the hospital after having eaten 2 Advils. It's been 4 days and he's doing well and showing lots of signs of improvement. But the vets say he needs to stay another day to be monitored and get fluids.
I was wondering if anyone had experience with vets. At $400/day, I really can't afford to leave him there if it's not totally necessary....and I'm not really sure if an IV is necessary.....
I want to do the best thing for him, but I'm not sure if I trust these vets to only do what's NECESSARY.

Answer 1

i work for a vet and have been a vet tech for 22 years. if the Dr. wants to keep the dog on fluid therapy for one more day do it. the vet is concerned about the liver and the kidneys because of the Advil. the Dr. wants to flush it all out before sending the dog home,also to make sure the kidneys do not shut down. this can cause your dog to die. keeping the dog at the hospital is the best thing. if the money is a problem work out a payment plan or see if you can work off some of the bill. i know of a few vets that will do this . you can type in Dr's notes sweep floor clean windows good luck with your dog and keep the pills up where the dog cant get to them.

Answer 2

The reason the dog is at the vet's is because it needed to see a doctor, I know (believe me) how it is so very expensive it is but that's the cost of having a pet. Look into pet insurance, also watch a pup, they are curious and will do the oddest things while growing up. It is like a toddler exploring the world. I think $400 a day is high also, look around and see what others would charge for this care, later you may need it for something else. Best of luck with your new dog.

Answer 3

I work at an emergency hospital and one thing i can tell you is that they over charge a lot of people. But eating advil is pretty serious stuff. It causes kidney failure. We have had quite a few animals get sick by eating aspirin and advil and other medications. I would go along with what your vet says, but in the future, for something like losing fur, DO NOT go to an emergency hospital. They are really bad at over charging people. Good Luck with your puppy.

Answer 4

Is the money way more important than your dogs health?
Take their advice and leave it there until they're satisfied it's well enough to come home whether you like it or not
But while you're waiting ask yourself these questions-
Has my vet allowed me to visit my dog and spend time with it while it's recovering?
Has my vet allowed me to bring things llike favorite toys or blankets that smell like home to keep in with the pup?
Would my vet allow me to see his entire facility or will they let you no farther than an exam room?
Can I weigh my pet myself or does someone jerk the leash from me and take the dog in back where it's out of your sight?
Is staff helpful and understanding and compassionate or cold and uncaring?
And lastly-will your vet work with you on payment plan or demand payment at time of service?
If answers to all these questions are yes then leave well enough alone.If answers are no then pay your dogs bill and find another vet immediately!
You would'nt take your child to the emergency room and hand it to a nurse and leave until they call you to come pick the kid up and you should'nt have to do this with your dog?
If you have to drive 3 towns away to get to the vet then so be it.Your dog is a member of your family not just a possession.Money should'nt be an issue in the animals health unless you have the attitude that the pup is easily replaced.
And why were there 2 Advil left where pup could get hold of them to begin with?Do you not realize that puppies are just like babies?Everything goes in the mouth.

Answer 5

I have had dogs for over 30 years and have needed the emergency vet care lots of times. Needing IV fluids is doing two things...flushing the advil's out of the system entirely and rehydrating the dog and rebalancing the dogs proper nutrients. Rushing this process may cause a relapse taking you right back there for several more days. I know it's expensive but they are not jerking you around...trust me. They are doing what they know how to do...preventing the dog from dying from this. You just learned a very expensive lesson. It happens.

Answer 6

2 advil would probably get the dog a little high...depending on how big it is. If it's a rather large dog, then it probably had no effect at all. Human and animal medicines are made from the same chemicals...so it's not exactly poison, although they can OD. If it's been 4 days it's probably out of its system already....and truth be told I think you're getting ripped off.

Answer 7

That's a tough one. I used to totally trust vets but have since learned the hard way, not to. Have you seen your puppy for yourself? Is he eating and drinking normally? Is his temp. normal? I'd say that after 4 days the advil should be totally out of his system - so it's your call. If it was my dog, I'd want to see him and then decide for myself.

Answer 8

Advil or any other ibuprofen product is extremely toxic to animals, but after four days, I have to agree with the others that it should be out of the puppy's system by now.

Answer 9

Sorry, sounds like you are getting royally screwed. You can take your animal out of a hospital at any time. They cannot keep him there.
Any medication in their system would have passed through after approximately 24 hours.
I worked at 3 vet clinics and depending on the meds, we would induce vomitting, provide fluids, and they are usually checked out within 1-2 days depending on their status. If your pup is acting fine, take him out!

(and $400 a day sounds EXTREMELY steep. We charged less a day for treatment for snake bites and parvo, which is FAR more extreme!)

Answer 10

Call other vets in your area and ask them. You'll get a lot of static but just maybe at least one of them will give you the answer you need.

$400 a DAY????? I'd find a different vet anyway!!!!!