Does this vet seem like a scam to you?

Question

I have a 7 month old beagle who went in this morning to be vaccinated against rabies and also to be fixed. Well, the vet had not even seen him and told us that he had mites because he has a bald spot on his butt. I know for a fact that this is from crate training him (since then we do not crate him because of this) and this bald spot is healing since we stopped. The vet insisted that he needed a skin test to confirm that it was mites. Lo an behold, it wasn't. Now he's telling me that my dog has an ear infection. Wouldn't he have brought this up when he called us about the mites? My boyfriend is picking up the dog right now since I'm at work. Am I wrong to take him to another vet?

No, my dog doesn't have any itching or discharge from his ears. The vet wants to flush his ears (for $110) to get rid of the infection, wouldn't they give him antibiotics? My boss was a breeder for 20 years told me that when his dogs had ear infections, they were treated topically.

Answer 1

If this is your first encounter with this particular vet and you have so little trust and confidence in him, by all means.....take your dog to another vet. If you are going to own a pet, you need to have a trusting relationship with a good vet.

I do have to say that demodectic mange is very common in beagles and any bald spot would seem suspicious to a vet. How does being confined in a crate cause his butt to become bald? A vet does need to do a skin scrapping to give you a definite diagnoses of mites....sarcoptic or demodectic mites and look at the results under a microscope to determine which miteis causing the problem. A small bald spot can be caused by other illnesses too.....such a ring worm. Also, ear infections are common in flop eared breeds as well.

Has your dog been examined by any vet previously or was this just a 'drop off, neuter him and give him a rabies shot while he's there'? I can't imagine that your dog would have an ear infection and you would not notice yourself.

Do you regularly check inside your dogs ears? I mean....I've seen dogs kept in a back yard and their owners do not even notice when the dog's collar gets too tight and becomes embedded in the neck! Then.....not even notice when maggots are devouring the dead and decaying flesh around the neck.

Just because you didn't notice, does not mean it isn't so and 20 years of dog breeding doesn't mean your boss has a license to practice veterinary medicine.

Depending on the cause of the dog's ear problems (bacteria or yeast )....flushing would not be usual, an injection of an antibiotic such as penicillin, with some dexamethasone mixed in and a bottle of ear drops to use BID at home. We use Tresaderm.

There are a lot of people who simply drop off a dog with no prior examination by a vet. A diligent vet will check a dog before any surgery is performed, do blood work and call the owner at home if he discovers any other problems.

Without seeing your dog and a DVM after my name, I really can't tell you if your vet is a quack. Only you know the circumstances.

I would just say to go to another vet because you have already decided that the vet is just making up additional problems to increase your vet bill more than you were quoted on the telephone.

Been a vt too long and I recognize the scenario!

Answer 2

Doesn't sound like a scam, just a very disorganized veterinarian.

I do suggest you have your dog tested for ear mites/infection.

You are not wrong for taking him to another vet for a second opinion, just make sure you mention the possibility of the dog having an ear infection. Remember, 90% of infections that are topical are diagnosed on symptoms and visual signs..so what the vet doesn't know that the OTHER vet may have noticed, can in the long term end up hurting your dog.

Make SURE you mention what the other doctor wanted to test for and see what the new vet thinks.

Answer 3

My comment would be that you have the option of whether to have diagnostics or treatments performed on your dog or not and that should have been made clear by your veterinarian. If you felt that the bald spot was due to crate training the vet should have given you the option to watch to see if it got better before a skin test was performed. In regards to the ear infection the one thing you would want to ask before your dog was treated was how was it diagnosed. Usually a simple swab of the ear exudate is all it takes to diagnose it. As far as treatment for an ear infection can vary depending how severe it is and what the veterinarian has available. You are not wrong to take it to another vet if you feel uncomfortable with the situation. You just have to make sure you are aware of all your options before you agree to treatment or diagnostics for your dog to make sure you make the most reasonable decision.

Answer 4

When you are not comfy with a vet, yes, you need to find a new one. Just like a family physician, if you aren't happy with them, you find a new one.

Beagles are predisposed to ear infections because of their long floppy ears. Long floppy ears hold heat and moisture inside the ear, causing bacteria to grow - smell his ears, if the smell musty or yeasty, he has an ear infection and an earful of yeast. Owning a beagle, it is always a good idea to clean his ears after grooming, swimming and weekly to prevent painful ear infections that require vet visits and medication, sometimes orally and topically. Preventative is always key.

Glad to hear you are having him neutered! Boy beagles are the number one breed that get hit by cars. This is generally because males dogs can smell a female in heat for up to five (yes, 5) miles! Beagles and other hounds have a greater sense of smell than other breeds, so the tend to run even more. Also, beagles are notorious for escaping their yards. Being of the hunting breed, a lot of exercise is beneficial in many ways. Beagles are such adorable dogs with great personalities and demeanor. Have fun with him!

Answer 5

If you are that untrusting of your vet , you should probably get a second opinion. If the second vet examines the dog and wants to do the same thing , then go ahead and do it. There really is no way for them to tell if its cancerous unless they remove it anyway. A cancerous tumor is sandy and gritty looking inside. They'll be able to tell as soon as they remove it and then can tell you if its cancerous or not. Then they may have to remove surrounding lymphnodes if it is cancerous. But, $380 seems like a reasonable price to me considering the anesthesia and the detail this surgery may include. Its not an outrageous price by any means. But, its always the safe way to go with a second opinion.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Does this vet seem like a scam to you?
I have a 7 month old beagle who went in this morning to be vaccinated against rabies and also to be fixed. Well, the vet had not even seen him and told us that he had mites because he has a bald spot on his butt. I know for a fact that this is from crate training him (since then we do not crate...

Answer 7

No, not at all. A good vet should be fine with any second opinion you feel you need. And never trust anyone against your "gut feeling". Just because they're doctors doesn't mean they know everything, don't make mistakes, or not shady and trying to make a buck.
That said, doctors examine all pets before they have surgery. Even if they have just looked them over, they do it again, just to be sure they are perfectly healthy for the risk of anesthesia. The doctor might have, legitimately, just found the ear infection.
Good Luck

Answer 8

Find another vet asap. This guy is trying to make a buck or two, and if you keep going to him, he's just going to insist on doing procedures to get you to pay him. If your dog had an actual ear infection, that would be one thing, but he should have brought it up when he said about the mites. Good luck.

Answer 9

First, let me thank you for having your dog neutered! Definitely get a second opinion on the ear infection, though. However, ear infections are common in hound breeds because of the floppy ears trapping heat and moisture in.

Food can actually have a lot to do with ear infections, too. High-quality foods that don't contain a lot of junk like corn, by-products, etc can help. I'm not sure what kind of food you feed, but you may want to check out brands like Canidae, California Natural, Innova, Merricks, etc.

Good luck to you and your Beagle!

Answer 10

I would take him to another vet if you are unsure about this one.

Beagles have ear infections commonly because of the floppy ears and moisture/heat being trapped inside. Do his ears have a bad odor or discharge? Does he shake his head a lot? Does he paw or scratch at his ears often?

Good luck!