Do you know what to do in an emergency with your pet? I got a call today from a man that had bought a pup from me over 4 years ago. His boy (GSD) bloated on Saturday evening late. He recognized a problem right away and got him to his regular vet at 11:30 pm. That vet made the correct diagnosis on this dog right away, took x-rays and pulled blood, and sent him off to Purdue University Small Animal Clinic for emergency surgery. There was an intern working that night and disagreed with the first vets diagnosis of bloat. She messed around for 2 hours before she finally told the people that the dog would need emergency surgery and that a surgeon would be called in right away to do it. This intern thought it was a hemangiosarcoma that ruptured. 2 1/2 hours after that, a surgeon opened this boy up. He died on the table! Classic bloat symtoms, his belly looked like he swallowed a basketball, legarthic, drueling and wretching. Purdue made a big mistake on this one. They never should of
2007-10-02 06:52:31 · 12 answers · asked by bear 2 zealand © 6 in Pets ➔ Dogs
made this poor dog wait so long before doing surgery. Do you know what to do in an emergency situation with your pet? If not, make sure that you research all of the possiblities that can happen and be prepaired for it! This man knew that there was a huge emergency with this dog. The veterinary staff really messed up on this one.
2007-10-02 06:54:22 · update #1
Purdue Univerity Veterinary Hospital is actually rated very good! To the first poster, read my question! I said that Purdue screwed up not the owner! The owner knew what to do. My question was and still is, do you all know what to do in case of any emergency that will arise with your pet?!
2007-10-02 06:59:45 · update #2
Purdue never should of allowed an intern to be alone in the emergency clinic period. This dog did not bleed out, normal red counts, he had classic signs of bloat, not signs of blood in the abdomen. So Purdue gets away with charging several thousand dollars for their own mistake. This boy could of been saved if surgery was done right away. You can not wait on a bloat.
2007-10-02 07:02:45 · update #3
97% of stomach tacks done during a bloat surgery work well and the dogs do not bloat again. I talk to everyone that gets a dog from me about preventive tack surgerys that are done now. In this case, the dog had bloated, the stomach and spleen torsed as well. Tacks can prevent a torsion, dogs can still bloat with a tack, but they can not torse.
2007-10-02 07:05:53 · update #4
As an animal owner it is MY JOB to make sure that I have a good idea of what may be going wrong with my animal and to be ready to ADVOCATE for the animal if I don't feel the vet or the vet staff is understanding.
I moved a year ago. I have YET to find a vet that I am completely comfortable with. (My old vet would actually LISTEN to me when I said "she's dying, she left 2 kibbles in her bowl".
My last litter I did not have oxytocin on hand, my b*tch had a pup she had not yet whelped that I was certain was dead... the ER vet wanted to cut her open and do a c-section... I FINALLY got the oxytocin shot I'd requested when my 6'7" partner stood up and said "we are not doing a c-section until we try the oxytocin". The oxytocin worked... the pup had apparently died several days before the whelping and was too "soft" to expell.
Pet owners don't always know what to do in a jam. I tell them to phone me AT ANY TIME and for ANY reason. I have several friends who phone me when their dogs have issues. When one of my dogs was dying, I had a friend who came with me to vet appointments to help keep me on track and sane.
I'm so sorry about this boy you lost, sorry for you as the breeder, sorry for the owner. People do not realize that often the vets staffing ER clinics are YOUNG, NEW vets and they can make mistakes.
2007-10-02 07:09:14 · answer #1 · answered by animal_artwork 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
That's insane. Bloat in large or giant breeds is common and heck, even I know the symptoms.
They had bloodwork to support a diagnosis and they didn't open him up? I'd be sick.
I'm like Animal Artwork, I'm in the room and I'd be pushing for what I KNEW was going on. I'm not a passive owner. Plus, I'd have my reg vet there in a heartbeat.
I do suggest this for everyone - take a basic pet first aid class. It's fun and you'll learn tons.
I took mine through http://www.pettech.net/
It may help you know the symptoms of bloat and other life threatening emergencies...
Edit:
I didn't think about the teaching hospital aspect of this... I'd still be sick. Thank God we have 2 really good emergency clinics close by - even closer than my reg vet.
2007-10-02 14:41:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think this is terrible. With such classic signs of bloat / torsion, in a knwon suseptible breed, I would have expected the vet to treat for bloat FIRST, due to the very small window of opportunity that you have to act, and THEN, IF it wasn't bloat, look at the options. I would be disgusted if this happened to any of mine - two of whom are sighthounds, so feeding time in our house is very controlled.
As for do I know what to do in an emergency???? I THINK and HOPE I am competant enough in first aid to help my dogs as we make our way to the closest vet (of course, my own vet would be my preferance, but, depending on the urgency of the emergency, I would demand to be seen in any vets that is nearest to me at the time). My dogs have only suffered nasty cuts and tears, from barbed wire fences and the like, and I have been happy to clean, compress and keep an eye on things - in some cases they have needed the vet for stitches, in some cases the vet has taken a cursory glance and told me to keep treating it how I have every other rip and tear - but you can never be too carefull!
So, I feel QUITE confident that I SHOULD be able to administer MOST required first aid...whilst in the process of seeking veterinary attention.
I would always rather pay the £18 consultation fee and be told to go home and see to it myself (my vet knows us all very well), rather than NOT pay it, and end up with a seriously ill dog.
2007-10-02 14:19:41 · answer #3 · answered by Aye. Right! 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
All vets don't know the diagnosis right away. Some is just trial and error. The same with people doctors.
The intern, I'm sure felt bad. Sometimes, luck isn't on our side. If the pup would have lived, would it have been normal? Or would it have problems all of it's life?
2007-10-02 13:59:53 · answer #4 · answered by trying to please 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If I were in that situation, I would be livid with the intern. I think I would have also demanded that they accept my vets diagnosis and referral for that to them and that they proceed to call an experienced vet to make a final call. Better to be safe than sorry.
That is so awful.
2007-10-02 15:40:13 · answer #5 · answered by Shadow's Melon 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Torbay, its a teaching hospital. One of the things I have that brings me comfort is both my vet and my emergency vets have their own operating rooms. That way my dogs get help on the spot. Sad story.
2007-10-02 14:38:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's a very sad story! I'm glad I keep a close eye on my dog, but, truth be told, I'd just take her to the vet if I'm freaked. I need to learn more about health and diseases.
2007-10-02 15:33:47 · answer #7 · answered by a gal and her dog 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is why it is call veterinary PRACTICE. Mistakes do occur. In a perfect owrld they wouldn't, but they do. Vet teaching hospitals are great, but they are teaching hospitals, and one way to learn is from your mistakes.
It is still sad, but it happens.
2007-10-02 13:57:13 · answer #8 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Aww poor thing. Take them to good 24 hr animal hospitals!
2007-10-02 13:56:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is terrible ! I would have never allowed a intern, to make a decision like that.
2007-10-02 23:46:16 · answer #10 · answered by redneckcowgirlmo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋