Princess is not feeling well :(

[ladyjane]

My vet sends labs out unless it is an emergency. It definitely costs more to do them in house.
If she sends them out in the morning, she often has the preliminary reports by the afternoon. Usually the final does not come until the next morning.
If she said afternoon, my guess is she is sending them out. In house would be immediate.

[Princess10]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

The price difference could just be because it's a different vet or the other vet quoted for a more comprehensive panel.

Unless it's an emergency, we do all labs out-house too. Sometimes cheaper. They include more. Much fewer errors. Ellie's doctor sends her own dogs' labs out too.

Thanks, I'm sure they wont have a problem sending them out. I'd think it'd only take a couple days to get results, too, and she's doing better in the meantime so I'd think it would be ok. I'd rather know everything now or soon, instead of having to wonder & wait should something happen again.

[Princess10]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

My vet sends labs out unless it is an emergency. It definitely costs more to do them in house.
If she sends them out in the morning, she often has the preliminary reports by the afternoon. Usually the final does not come until the next morning.
If she said afternoon, my guess is she is sending them out. In house would be immediate.

That makes sense, too. I'll ask & request they be sent out if she says they wont be.

[107barney]

$59 is probably a simple chemistry. I pay around $150 for a superchem panel with urinalysis and blood counts and differentials. Recently, Barney got the senior discount (j/k it was really a senior "profile") and that was $134 including chemistry and urine.

If she had blood work done when spayed, I'd just stick with what they want to test, but if she has never had blood done, I'd want the whole kitchen sink including urine. That's just me - I like to see it all numbers and analyze them ad nauseum and drive my vets crazy

It is cheaper usually if you do more things in combo.

[MaddiesMommie]

Glad to hear Princess is doing better. I will pray for positive results on her blood panel.

[Princess10]

Quick update, Princess is continuing to improve. She didn't eat most of yesterday but was interested when I finger fed her so I guess that's the trick. She's drinking & pottying great.

She just had her blood took. They did the CBC/6. They do send it out & the lab tech said it'd be in either this afternoon or tomorrow for sure. They're open Sat. so I'll definitely know by then. It was $59.20. I told them I will be a returning patient, though I hope only for preventative care. Out of alllll the vets I called they were the only ones that would open their doors. To me, that really speaks volumes.

Again, I would like to say Thank You from me & Princess. Even the vet's office was blown away that an online community could be so caring & compassionate.

[aproctor]

Originally Posted by Princess10

Quick update, Princess is continuing to improve. She didn't eat most of yesterday but was interested when I finger fed her so I guess that's the trick. She's drinking & pottying great.

She just had her blood took. They did the CBC/6. They do send it out & the lab tech said it'd be in either this afternoon or tomorrow for sure. They're open Sat. so I'll definitely know by then. It was $59.20. I told them I will be a returning patient, though I hope only for preventative care. Out of alllll the vets I called they were the only ones that would open their doors. To me, that really speaks volumes.

Again, I would like to say Thank You from me & Princess. Even the vet's office was blown away that an online community could be so caring & compassionate.

That is wonderful news that she is doing well! I am happy you found such wonderful people on here as well and a good vet I know how hard that can be!
Give your baby a hug from us and I hope she continues to do well. We will be anxiously waiting the results of the tests too!

[MaddiesMommie]

Such great news! Hugs to Princess from us.

[TxVicki]

I'm glad that Princess is starting to feel better. Prayers still continue for her.

[107barney]

How was the blood work?

[Princess10]

The vet just called & said the blood work all came back normal.

And I have a second interview on Tues. that sounds pretty promising & would actually be something I'd like to do. Two pieces of good news I've been waiting on.

[aproctor]

What wonderful news!!! Congrats!!!

[chachi]

Originally Posted by Princess10

The vet just called & said the blood work all came back normal.

And I have a second interview on Tues. that sounds pretty promising & would actually be something I'd like to do. Two pieces of good news I've been waiting on.

Im glad you got good news good luck!

[TxVicki]

Originally Posted by Princess10

The vet just called & said the blood work all came back normal.

And I have a second interview on Tues. that sounds pretty promising & would actually be something I'd like to do. Two pieces of good news I've been waiting on.

YEAH !!! glad her blood work all normal.

Fingers crossed for your interview.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by Princess10

Unfortunately, I do not know all things yorkie or all things dogs or vets. I have had Princess for less than 1.5 yrs., my first dog ever, & am doing everything within my power, capability & knowledge to provide for her. I am in no way perfect & not even hinting I am anything close. The situation I am in during this particular time is being handled the best way I can make it. I do trust this vet. Below is her website & some reviews I found as well. We saw Dr. Smitley.

When we spoke of a bland diet like boiled chicken & rice I asked if there was something I could sub the rice for since she wont eat it, that is when she said yes, I could use cottage cheese. Then she said she would also send home the I/D. She said she did want her to eat today since her stomach was so empty, so much vomiting & so long since something was held down. What I did based on that conversation is try the I/D, she ate a bit & held it down, was asking for food, when I gave it back to her she turned her nose up so I gave the cottage cheese. It wasn't a whirlwind decision to just see whatever she could eat. She did also say that fasting after a pancreatic attack as they used to do has not proven to be any more beneficial than offering food, esp. in smaller breeds. Of course, I cannot prove/verify that, just going by what she said.

They will be calling to check on her tomorrow, I will bring them UTD on everything that's went on since I left there as well as inquiring about the blood panel & see what she says. If anyone has anything they'd like to add by all means feel free to express it.

I read tons of books, watched dvd's, talked to other dog owners & have spent countless hours on YT reading whatever I could find. Apparently I did not spend enough time in this thread, probably because I thought Princess was healthy so far so I would not have to worry about something like this. All I can do is learn & go from there. There's no taking back anything, even as recent as an appt. 7 hours ago. I am doing the best that I can & Princess is improving a lot from Tues. when this nightmare began.

Milwood Animal Clinic - serving Portage and Kalamazoo, MI
Updike Karen M Dvm - Milwood Animal Clinic - Portage

I'm glad Princess is doing better.

I don't understand most everyone's issues with the cottage cheese, as it is what your vet said to give her to entice her to eat. From my experience, it is a bland food, and has highly easily digestable proteins, and is available in low fat and nonfat varieties, which would make it appropriate for a dog with digestive issues, as long as the dog can handle dairy, as some cannot. It is recommended in diets for liver compromised dogs on low protein diets, so I do not see where it would cause problems here with Princess, especially too since your vet recommended it.

I do want to point out that it is only cottage cheese that is ever recommended in bland diets, one should never assume that all cheeses are similar, it is not okay to substitute any other type of cheese for cottage cheese if one doesn't have cottage cheese on hand.

I would never give milk or sour cream, but I have given mine yogurt as a treat or enticement on occasion and only in moderation (1/2 - 1 teaspoon at a time), and most often with a meal, or sometimes to give medication. It is important though to check for artificial sweetners, which I avoid like the plague. I don't know if yogurt is okay for Princess, I would check with your vet before giving it to her.

I would also watch giving her any dog treats, as many are very high in fat and proteins. This would be a topic for discussion with your vet, also. I give all mine Gerber Graduate Puffs, and a variety of fruits and veggies like carrots, apple, peach, banana, berries, green beans, broccoli, and zucchini, to name a few. The veggies and fruit can be hard to digest, so may not be good for Princess at this time, but might be okay once she has recovered.

I also give mine probiotics w/digestive enzymes. You may want to ask the vet about this, as it can help with digestive issues in dogs.

And one more thing just to note: Vets can send bloodwork out as STAT, which puts a rush on it, and many tests can be added on to blood that has already been drawn and sent out. I have on occassion had both in house bloodwork run and had it sent out at the same time. The in house BW can give the vet an idea of what may be going on with a pet immediately, or can rule out stuff, and it can give them at least something to start with when trying to diagnose a sick pet. Some of the tests are duplicates, but that way the in house results can be verified. Most pre-op BW is run in house, right before a scheduled surgery.

Also, feel free to call your vet anytime after they have seen your dog. They should be more than willing to discuss any associated problems or improvements in one's pet for a period of time after the initial visit, and may ask to see the pet again if they feel it's warranted for continuing treatment of the pet.

Wishing you all the best, and keeping Princess and you in my prayers.