Any Vets on the dis boards???

[MissMet]

I have been having some issues with my dog & I need a "second opinion" of sorts. I'm not looking for treatment info, more of just, "do I have a reason to be upset with/questioning my vet?"

Here it goes. I have an almost 8 year old yorkie. About three years ago she suddenly had a large golf ball looking mass on her bottom. It ended up being her anal glands neading to be drained (?). So they had to put her out and drain it. They sent her home with a drain, then a few days later she went back to have it removed. Rocky hadn't shown any signs at all until it was a giant mass. Fastforward to Feb '10 and it happened again. Fine. I had her 5 years before she had this issue. Now three years later it happened again. Seems reasonable. Well, on wednesday I had just brought her in because of another minor issue. While we were there the Vet (not her normal one, but a fill in) checked her chart and said she'd also check her glands. She came back and said that it was a good thing that she did because it was so full we could have had an issue again... after now only 3 months! Oookaay. So she "relieves" her. Now her usual vet had told me the first time that it had happened that Rocky is too small for the groomers to be able to do it, as it would hurt her. She said that they would med her when they do it. Well, this fill in did not med her at all. I brought her home and she was obviously uncomfortable but I just figured that is to be expected. That was wednesday. Now tonight she is obviously really sore. I checked her bottom & she now has the giant golf ball looking thing back!

I'm just really annoyed and I need to know if I have a right to be. I know I'm emotional 'cause my dog is in pain, so please tell me if I'm being unfare. I brought my dog in and she was completely fine, now it looks like I'm gonna have to have her go through that whole procedure again after only 3 months because the vet needed to drain her bottom so she WOULDN'T have to have the procedure again! This doesn't seem right. Should I look for another vet or is this truly just "bad luck" for my little Rocky??

I'm calling the Vet first thing tomorrow morning to have her seen again, but I just wanted to be talked off the ledge before going in so I don't wrongfully snap on my innocent Vet, if of course they are "innocent".

Thanks for any help you can give. This has been so frustrating. Not to mention I'm leaving for WDW on Monday & I'm leaving Rocky with my parents. I'm gonna feel real bad if they have to take her back & forth to the vet, etc. Oh and every time this happens it costs me $350+!!

 

[sunshine1178]

I don't totally follow your story, but if we are talking about having the dog's anal glands expressed, that's more of an under $50 procedure than a $350 one.

I have been having some issues with my dog & I need a "second opinion" of sorts. I'm not looking for treatment info, more of just, "do I have a reason to be upset with/questioning my vet?"

Here it goes. I have an almost 8 year old yorkie. About three years ago she suddenly had a large golf ball looking mass on her bottom. It ended up being her anal glands neading to be drained (?). So they had to put her out and drain it. They sent her home with a drain, then a few days later she went back to have it removed. Rocky hadn't shown any signs at all until it was a giant mass. Fastforward to Feb '10 and it happened again. Fine. I had her 5 years before she had this issue. Now three years later it happened again. Seems reasonable. Well, on wednesday I had just brought her in because of another minor issue. While we were there the Vet (not her normal one, but a fill in) checked her chart and said she'd also check her glands. She came back and said that it was a good thing that she did because it was so full we could have had an issue again... after now only 3 months! Oookaay. So she "relieves" her. Now her usual vet had told me the first time that it had happened that Rocky is too small for the groomers to be able to do it, as it would hurt her. She said that they would med her when they do it. Well, this fill in did not med her at all. I brought her home and she was obviously uncomfortable but I just figured that is to be expected. That was wednesday. Now tonight she is obviously really sore. I checked her bottom & she now has the giant golf ball looking thing back!

I'm just really annoyed and I need to know if I have a right to be. I know I'm emotional 'cause my dog is in pain, so please tell me if I'm being unfare. I brought my dog in and she was completely fine, now it looks like I'm gonna have to have her go through that whole procedure again after only 3 months because the vet needed to drain her bottom so she WOULDN'T have to have the procedure again! This doesn't seem right. Should I look for another vet or is this truly just "bad luck" for my little Rocky??

I'm calling the Vet first thing tomorrow morning to have her seen again, but I just wanted to be talked off the ledge before going in so I don't wrongfully snap on my innocent Vet, if of course they are "innocent".

Thanks for any help you can give. This has been so frustrating. Not to mention I'm leaving for WDW on Monday & I'm leaving Rocky with my parents. I'm gonna feel real bad if they have to take her back & forth to the vet, etc. Oh and every time this happens it costs me $350+!!

 

[MissMet]

I don't totally follow your story, but if we are talking about having the dog's anal glands expressed, that's more of an under $50 procedure than a $350 one.

No, it's not the "expressed" procedure that costs $350, but a surgical procedure when the gland has become, I guess, "infected" for lack of a better term. It's an actual surgery where they put her out and she has to stay overnight and then goes home with a drain in. When her gland blows up to the size of a golf ball, not the usual gland issue.

 

[samshane]

Did it abscess? Just went through this with my dog and it costs $300+ to have her medicated and have them drain it. Of course, this happened on a Sunday and it was an emergency vet. During the healing process, my vet had me take her in for a vet tech to drain them and it cost $20.

I had my dog's anal glands removed. It wasn't cheap - but I didn't want to deal with the abscessing - and I am sure she didn't either. Her's had a putty-like substance in there and it was so hard for even a vet tech to drain out. So we opted for removal.

 

[MissMet]

Did it abscess? Just went through this with my dog and it costs $300+ to have her medicated and have them drain it. Of course, this happened on a Sunday and it was an emergency vet. During the healing process, my vet had me take her in for a vet tech to drain them and it cost $20.

I had my dog's anal glands removed. It wasn't cheap - but I didn't want to deal with the abscessing - and I am sure she didn't either. Her's had a putty-like substance in there and it was so hard for even a vet tech to drain out. So we opted for removal.

I didn't realize this was an option. Maybe I'll ask the vet about this tomorrow. Yeah, the last time it happened they said how hard of a time they had 'cause it was like the consistency of toothpaste. On her procedure they cut two holes in the lump to drain it & then thread a medicated string through the two holes & left it in for a couple days. While it's in I have to put a warm, wet compress on the wound ever 4 hours. She is also in pain killers and antibiotics during this process. Is that similar to what you had done? We just did this in Feb & now it looks like we have to do it again, so removal might be worth it.

 

[clh2]

Our dog has had gland issues from time to time. Sometimes more than others. Yes, it does get expensive, however, we've not had drains put in surgically etc.

Occasionally, our vet mentions having the glands removed. Before you opt to do this, make sure you know the risks. While for most dogs, there are no adverse reactions. For some, they can become...for lack of a better way to phrase this...fecally incontinent.

For the record, we watch our dog take care of his business everyday. If it appears that he is "straining" during his "business" for more than a couple of days, we'll go in to the vet. My vet and the vet techs laugh at me for how closely we watch him.

We started giving our dog a little scoop of pumpkin (pure pumkin - not the pumpkin pie mix) every time he eats. The fiber is supposed to help with gland issues. FWIW - we haven't had a problem for about a year!

Good luck with your furbaby! I do not like when my baby isn't feeling well.

 

[teskak]

I add to this risk of incontinence - what are you going to do if one of the nerves in that area gets cut when they remove the glands and your baby is incontinent permanently? It is a significant risk and one reason vets are very careful about recommending permanent surgery