Am worried about Lacy!

[Scoobstersmom]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

I got Lacy from the breeder late afternoon on Monday. On Tuesday I got a stool sample and put it in the fridge as was instructed. (So I had her less than 24 hours at this point.) I took the stool sample in on Wednesday morning. They called me on Thursday afternoon to tell me that she had Giardia and that she needed to be on medication, which I picked up the next day, as I could not get to the vet before closing that day. THAT is why she started Panacur on Friday!

.

The flag for me on this one is why it took your vet from Wednesday morning until Thursday afternoon to test the sample and notify you that your pup had giardia. It's a simple test. My vet did it while I waited. And then we came home from the appointment with the meds. None of that is your fault of course. I'm just curious.

Diana

[Jkpal]

...licking my face and seemed very happy, safe, and content...

I'm sure Lacy could pretty much immediately sense that she was safe with you and she probably started loving you almost as fast as you she; heck, you've been looking out for her before you even got her! She's a lucky little lady Lacy is...

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

Thanks, Dee, that is awesome that you give all new owners a booklet, I sure wish all breeders would do that, it would be extremely helpful to those of us who have absolutely no experience raising a puppy.

And Lacy was not stressed on the plane ride back home at all, or that night. The middle seat was empty, so I put her crate up on the seat, unzipped the top, and was petting her the entire way back. She seemed perfectly content. And when we got home, I cuddled her for a couple of hours and the last half hour, she was licking my face and seemed very happy, safe, and content. We bonded very fast. And not once did she cry the entire night, and has not cried once at night since I got her, which tells me that she feels safe and certainly has shown no signs of stress in the least, other than when she was put on the Panacur meds.

Even if it WAS stress...the point is it didn't come from stress..stress is just the thing that makes it show...it came from where she came from. Period. End of story on that one.

[SharonSnowbird]

Originally Posted by Scoobstersmom

The flag for me on this one is why it took your vet from Wednesday morning until Thursday afternoon to test the sample and notify you that your pup had giardia. It's a simple test. My vet did it while I waited. And then we came home from the appointment with the meds. None of that is your fault of course. I'm just curious.

Diana

Well, my vet said it had to be sent out to be tested. Looks like I might need to find a new vet.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Scoobstersmom

The flag for me on this one is why it took your vet from Wednesday morning until Thursday afternoon to test the sample and notify you that your pup had giardia. It's a simple test. My vet did it while I waited. And then we came home from the appointment with the meds. None of that is your fault of course. I'm just curious.

Diana

It is sometimes sent out... could be negative in the office under a scope because it is hard sometimes to see. If the vet does not have a snap test, it would be sent to the lab for testing. What kind of surprises me is that the vet did not just put her on metronidazole as that can be used if giardia is suspected.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

Well, my vet said it had to be sent out to be tested. Looks like I might need to find a new vet.

Not necessarily...read the above post. Let me see if I can find a link for you on the testing. Giardia is sneaky and hard to diagnose sometimes.

[ladyjane]

Here are a couple:

The Diagnostic Challenges of Diagnosing Giardia in Cats and Dogs | petMD

quote from the above link regarding diagnosis:
If the fecal examination is negative, but I’m still suspicious that Giardia is the cause of a pet’s diarrhea, I will run a Fecal ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). These are now available as bench-top snap tests (or samples can be sent out to a laboratory) and have a much lower incidence of false negative results in comparison to microscopic fecal exams.

Portland Veterinary Specialists > Library > Gastrointestinal > Giardia in Dogs

[SharonSnowbird]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

It is sometimes sent out... could be negative in the office under a scope because it is hard sometimes to see. If the vet does not have a snap test, it would be sent to the lab for testing. What kind of surprises me is that the vet did not just put her on metronidazole as that can be used if giardia is suspected.

I asked the vet about metronidazole, and she said that it is used to treat a variety of problems, and that Panacur was used specifically to treat Giardia, and that is why she wanted to put Lacy on that.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

I asked the vet about metronidazole, and she said that it is used to treat a variety of problems, and that Panacur was used specifically to treat Giardia, and that is why she wanted to put Lacy on that.

I meant from day one since she had diarrhea. It is used for that and if there is giardia it can take care of it.

[SharonSnowbird]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Not necessarily...read the above post. Let me see if I can find a link for you on the testing. Giardia is sneaky and hard to diagnose sometimes.

Well, I am definitely going to be finding myself a new vet!!!

When I took Lacy there for a wellness exam the first day I had her, the vet said that she was due for her last puppy shots THAT DAY, which was Nov. 10th, and when I expressed my surprise and asked if she was sure, she replied yes.

The vet said that Lacy was safe to go out in public one week later, which was two days ago! I recalled that my breeder has said it was going to be longer, so I asked the vet if she was sure, and once again, I expressed doubt. She said yes, she was absolutely sure that Lacy could go out in public one week. Well, even though it didn't sound right to me, and I expressed my doubt twice, I trusted her because she is a VET!!!

I just got an email from my breeder and she said that Lacy was due for TWO more shots, not ONE!! OMG! I had given the vet the vaccination folder that the breeder gave me. It showed two dates - Nov 15th and Dec. 15th. for her 2nd and 3rd shots. So that means that her second shots were given too early, and she still needs her third shots. So if my breeder had not been reading these messages, and not reminded me that Lacy had two more shots to come, I would have taken her out in public this week, and to obedience classes. AND SHE WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN HER THIRD SHOTS!!!!! I am extremely upset that the vet make such a HUGE mistake! OMG!! I will be going to the vet tomorrow and asking to speak with the manager. I cannot believe all the problems that I have had in trying to find a puppy and since getting one. It just seems like it is never ending.

Is it a big problem that she had her second shots five days early?

[SharonSnowbird]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I meant from day one since she had diarrhea. It is used for that and if there is giardia it can take care of it.

I have no idea what meds they should be on, so when I am told they have to be on a certain medication, that is what I do. I have to trust the Vet, they are the experts.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

I have no idea what meds they should be on, so when I am told they have to be on a certain medication, that is what I do. I have to trust the Vet, they are the experts.

I didn't question you. I just made a statement. To my knowledge nothing was given for the diarrhea for two days..correct? If I am wrong, so be it.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

Well, I am definitely going to be finding myself a new vet!!!

When I took Lacy there for a wellness exam the first day I had her, the vet said that she was due for her last puppy shots THAT DAY, which was Nov. 10th, and when I expressed my surprise and asked if she was sure, she replied yes.

The vet said that Lacy was safe to go out in public one week later, which was two days ago! I recalled that my breeder has said it was going to be longer, so I asked the vet if she was sure, and once again, I expressed doubt. She said yes, she was absolutely sure that Lacy could go out in public one week. Well, even though it didn't sound right to me, and I expressed my doubt twice, I trusted her because she is a VET!!!

I just got an email from my breeder and she said that Lacy was due for TWO more shots, not ONE!! OMG! I had given the vet the vaccination folder that the breeder gave me. It showed two dates - Nov 15th and Dec. 15th. for her 2nd and 3rd shots. So that means that her second shots were given too early, and she still needs her third shots. So if my breeder had not been reading these messages, and not reminded me that Lacy had two more shots to come, I would have taken her out in public this week, and to obedience classes. AND SHE WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN HER THIRD SHOTS!!!!! I am extremely upset that the vet make such a HUGE mistake! OMG!! I will be going to the vet tomorrow and asking to speak with the manager. I cannot believe all the problems that I have had in trying to find a puppy and since getting one. It just seems like it is never ending.

Is it a big problem that she had her second shots five days early?

and to top it off, she had diarrhea of unknown origin and the vet wanted to give shots? Yeah, I would be out of there.

[Scoobstersmom]

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

I have no idea what meds they should be on, so when I am told they have to be on a certain medication, that is what I do. I have to trust the Vet, they are the experts.

Sharon, unfortunately one thing I've learned over the years is never to blindly trust the vet, especially when it's a 'new to you' vet. They are generally busy, in a hurry, possibly just following the protocols of the practice, and maybe spend 10 minutes with my pet.

I love my vet, and trust her with my pet's lives now, but it took time to build up that trust. And even now, I try to do my own research first, go in with a written list of questions, and then get her advice and opinions.

Over the years I have ran into some real crackpot vets, so I am naturally wary. Here's an example. I have a yorkie that was diagnosed with irritable bowel this past summer. I'd been working with the regular vet to get a diagnosis but it's a process. One Sunday morning the poor little guy woke up and vomited with some blood in it. It really freaked me out, so off to the ER I went. I took him to ARECA over in Mesa. They're a huge place, lots of specialists on staff, etc. My reason for going was to get a cPL test because I was concerned about pancreatitis and wanted an answer sooner rather than later. I figured if they sent the sample out that day, I'd have the results for my vet on Monday morning and we could get him treated right away. I let them sucker me into about $500 worth of various tests just to get the cPL, paid the bill and left with a dog that was as sick as when I got there. The next day, no cPL results. My regular vet gets them the next morning, so I was irritated. Tuesday, still no results. I had my vet run the cPL and Wednesday morning she had the results. By then it was a matter of principal and I kept calling and calling ARECA looking for the results. On Saturday - a full week later - they told me they found the sample in their refrigerator and it had never been sent out at all. To their credit, they did refund me the full cost of the visit, but sheesh - I am still irritated about it. I should have been able to trust them. My Ranger didn't have pancreatitis, but if did have it, he could have been dead in that week waiting for results.

Moral of the story: Never blindly trust the vet.

Diana

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Even if it WAS stress...the point is it didn't come from stress..stress is just the thing that makes it show...it came from where she came from. Period. End of story on that one.

EXACTLY. There is NO disputing that this giardia came from the BREEDER - that is obvious due to when she developed symptoms. Giardia has an incubation period, that is a fact...and it's not 48 hours.

Originally Posted by SharonSnowbird

Well, I am definitely going to be finding myself a new vet!!!

When I took Lacy there for a wellness exam the first day I had her, the vet said that she was due for her last puppy shots THAT DAY, which was Nov. 10th, and when I expressed my surprise and asked if she was sure, she replied yes.

The vet said that Lacy was safe to go out in public one week later, which was two days ago! I recalled that my breeder has said it was going to be longer, so I asked the vet if she was sure, and once again, I expressed doubt. She said yes, she was absolutely sure that Lacy could go out in public one week. Well, even though it didn't sound right to me, and I expressed my doubt twice, I trusted her because she is a VET!!!

I just got an email from my breeder and she said that Lacy was due for TWO more shots, not ONE!! OMG! I had given the vet the vaccination folder that the breeder gave me. It showed two dates - Nov 15th and Dec. 15th. for her 2nd and 3rd shots. So that means that her second shots were given too early, and she still needs her third shots. So if my breeder had not been reading these messages, and not reminded me that Lacy had two more shots to come, I would have taken her out in public this week, and to obedience classes. AND SHE WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN HER THIRD SHOTS!!!!! I am extremely upset that the vet make such a HUGE mistake! OMG!! I will be going to the vet tomorrow and asking to speak with the manager. I cannot believe all the problems that I have had in trying to find a puppy and since getting one. It just seems like it is never ending.

Is it a big problem that she had her second shots five days early?

Sharon - if you post the dates of all her shots given to this point, I can help figure out what you need going forward. If the breeder gave ANY shots prior to 6 weeks, those are basically moot/useless at that age, btw....and an informed breeder no longer even gives shots earlier than 8wks old anymore.