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Originally Posted by Brodies Mommy  Are you a vet? Or just a person with experience with their dog? I would imagine the fact that my dog was physically cut open and had his kidney and bladder squished, squeezed and cut open would have given my vet an opportunity to look for an external liver shunt? Unless he is a complete idiot (which I rather not believe considering all that surgery was done) why would he not look? He has done many liver shunt surgeries himself (which he has told me) and said it would be a costly operation. Since he is so familiar with liver shunts I assume (maybe I'm dumb?) while he had poor Brodie open he would have looked?? Otherwise why would he so confidently rule out an external shunt???
I don't really know what else to do. I already paid $4,200, not to mention my vet informed me he went ahead and ordered me a case of Hills LD wet dog food and dry (as they only sell by the case). I can't wait for that bill! Maybe this makes me a bad dog owner, but I've had him for 4 months and didn't anticipate him costing so much in such a short period of time. I really can't afford more surgery, or a $300 flight to TN, plus taxis, plus hotel stay, plus food, and time off work... I don't mean to offend but I am not a millionaire or a stay at home doggy mom. I want the best for my little guy but I'm now in debt and my vet seems to think he shouldn't have surgery so I am not sure I should go put another couple thousand on my credit card and rush him into surgery again.  |
not a vet but a VERY WELL INFORMED DOG OWNER. And sadly i think your vet is MILKING YOU. Ask your vet if he looked during surgery to see the shunt? Does your dog have a long scar on belly? If not he did not cut him up far enough to see the liver is my guess. Those numbers are really high on bile acids. I hope your vet is right and knows his stuff but with numbers that high I would have to question him. I was only trying to help you as i have read on liver shunt for 5 years and am a member of liver shunt groups. Did you ever join that group i recommended to you as they know alot about this probably more than many vets so i STRONGLY recommend this group. I know you are upset trust me I spent 10k on pancreatitis over the course of the year and am out over 25k now with 3 dogs in 5 years. It is very costly to own a sick dog and why i do so much research myself and try to help others with what i know as sorry but very disappointed in the vet profession from what i have seen. And in your state and my state it is VERY EXPENSIVE for vet care as what you are seeing. Sadly had you gone to ut it would have cost you about 2k and that includes all diagnostics and surgery so now like myself you are out all this money and still do not have a difinitive answer as to if your dog has mvd or liver shunt and mvd (hmd) those numbers are high for that as everything i sent you shows numbers less than 100 for mvd (hmd) and over 100 most likely shunt - a dog i helped had NO SYMPTOMS but stones and had 3 shunts so dogs do not have to have all the symptoms. Join the group and educate yourself further it will save you money in the long run. I never put 100% of my trust in anyone anymore as they are only human and why i mostly deal with specialists when it is something more serious.