Does anyone know of an honest Vet in the Toronto area?

[Little Miss Liberty]

I have a dog who my vet has diagnosed with Cushionings disease (which is a liver problem) and a heart murmur. I have to pay almost $200 a month in medication. I have been doing this for months but its really financially straining and wanted to get a second opinion. I would really appreciate it if anyone knows an honest vet that I could take my dog to. I live in Toronto, close to Etobicoke or even the Vaughn area. Thanks

 

[Scratch42]

Renforth Vet Clinic!

I've taken all my pets to them! They are great! I've even had others start taking their pets there!

735 Renforth Drive, Etobicoke (Renforth & Eglinton area)
They are actually in the back of the building off Eringate Drive.

Hope they can help.

PS they are also very reasonably priced too!

 

[alohamom]

This may be to far for you but my vet is out here in Campbellville, just north of the 401 on Guelph Line. He is top of the line as far as knowledge goes and is very up to date as he has many students from the Guelph vet college study under him. His pricing however does not reflect this and he is very sympathetic to financial burdens. His name is Dr. Stephen Ball of Brookville Vet and his number is 905-854-2216. When I first moved here my Mississauga vet had been charging me approx 1/3 more for shots and meds. Good luck.

 

[surfer_ed]

PM me if you need some advice. I have 2 Duck Tollers and am really active in Flyball and Agility. I know allot of people who know allot about vets in the GTA.

I know of one in Port Credit who is really good, although I live in Burlington and use the Bronte Rd Animal Hospital.

Bronte Rd is probably not any cheaper than anyone else but he is very resonable and had worked with me to limit over vaccinantion etc. What impressed me is that most vets just shoot up your dogs with vaccines every year if the need it or not but this vet is very willing to change the one-size-fits-all approach with me to limit over exposure. My girls still get what is needed but not all the other stuff.

If you want a second medical opinion, consider taking your pup to Guelph for one visit. It might be worth the trip, although it might not keep your bill down if there are monthly meds.

Good luck.

 

[Little Miss Liberty]

Thanks for everyones reply. I'll take all your options into consideration. I really appreciate it. I love my dog so much to keep him healthy even if I have to go into debt. But wanted to see what my options are. Thanks again.

 

[hawt1]

I would definitely get a second opinion. Our dog was also diagnosed with a heart murmur by our vet who recommended a whole slew of tests (which showed nothing other than a big bill at the end of the day).

We tried out a new vet a while ago who also caught the heart murmur and we waited to see what they would recommend. Their opinion was that heart murmurs are very frequent in small dogs and that unless he was showing any other signs, we should just let him be. Two years later, no problems.

This vet also did a quick and free diagnosis of a fatty tissue deposit on our dog's chest that the other vet wanted to charge upwards of $500 to check and see what it was even though we had self-diagnosed it as fatty tissue.

There are definitely reasons to see other vets. The diagnosis will likely be the same but the treatment may well be very different.

Good luck.

 

[Mortlives]

We take our pets to the Woodbine animal clinic. It may be a little far, but it's on the Danforth, and they are really good. Also, we have a dog on continuous meds, and the prices they charge are half what our last vet charged.

 

[Boo Boo]

You need to get a second opinion not because of the price, but because Cushings is most definitely NOT a liver disease. And it's not called Cushionings. It does affect the entire body, but if your vet told you it's a liver disease, you need to go elsewhere. You also should educate yourself through some reputable online sources, since it's a complicated disease and no doctor can explain it to you within the constraints of a 15-minute appointment, which is what most book for. You should also know that many people decide not to treat for Cushings, so you need to talk to someone who really understands the disease and can explain it to you so you can make the best decision for your pet. It would be worth a trip to a specialist (for me, if I were in your shoes).

As for the person whose vet said to wait on the heart murmur, well go ahead and sue for malpractice WHEN your pet starts having problems, b/c that's exactly what that is. I can tell you exactly why your vet did that -- because after years of doing what he's supposed to do, which is evaluating the heart through echos, ecg's, and x-rays, he got tired of being accused of over-charging and just decided to tell you what you wanted to hear -- that you don't have to spend any more money. After all, by the time the heart starts failing, you'll be long gone and there's no way you'll know that you pet could have lived a lot longer if it would have been medicated all this time. Of course, I don't really think you should sue the vet, because this medical neglect is completely the fault of the consuming public. It's just a shame for those people who genuinely DO want to do what's best for their pet.

You know, a lot of women have heart murmurs, but there's no way in hell I'm going to bet my life on assuming that means that mine isn't a problem. That's why I get an echo every 2 years. A lot of women also die from heart disease, but I'm not going to accept that without a fight, either.

 

[Honeibee]

Thanks Boo Boo, you typed out all that I was thinking. My horse has Cushings and it is NOT a liver disease. Find another vet quick.

Good luck.

 

[jtdl]

I agree with Surfer Ed - I'd go to the Guelph Veterinary University (? the name) and have a consultation.

 

[misslissa]

Just moved to TO and had decent experience at Sheppard-Brimley Vet Clinic in Scarborough. But, only been there once. Good luck!

 

[hawt1]

As for the person whose vet said to wait on the heart murmur, well go ahead and sue for malpractice WHEN your pet starts having problems, b/c that's exactly what that is. I can tell you exactly why your vet did that -- because after years of doing what he's supposed to do, which is evaluating the heart through echos, ecg's, and x-rays, he got tired of being accused of over-charging and just decided to tell you what you wanted to hear -- that you don't have to spend any more money. After all, by the time the heart starts failing, you'll be long gone and there's no way you'll know that you pet could have lived a lot longer if it would have been medicated all this time. Of course, I don't really think you should sue the vet, because this medical neglect is completely the fault of the consuming public. It's just a shame for those people who genuinely DO want to do what's best for their pet.

Given that this is directed at me, I will respond. I would not say this is malpractice. We paid for the ECG and all of the tests to make sure that he would make it through the tests while under anaesthesia with our original vet. The tests came back with no indication of why there was a murmur. There was a discussion around possible drugs that could be prescribed but no guarantee of it curing this or effectivey regulating it given the lack of evidence of the cause. And we paid for these ongoing tests two more times. When we moved, our new vet got our entire file and we did not tell the new vet what we thought of the earlier results (or lack thereof), we just let them diagnose and recommend. It just seemed funny to us how one will ask you to do the expensive tests and another will say, in the absence of any other problems, to wait and do the $750 tests if other signs show given that heart murmurs are regular in our type of dog. Had the second one wanted to do the tests again, we would have.


To accuse us of being cheap or putting a price on our pet's life, or not doing what is in the best interest of our pet is an incredible insult. We took our cat to Guelph when she was sick. We blended food and fed her three times a day through a tube inserted in her side for 10 weeks until she was cured of anorexia. She hid from us the entire ten weeks. She did not understand what was happening. This was a costly procedure in terms of finances and commitment and emotions. To accuse us of anything other than putting our pets interests at the forefront has me perplexed and angry.

A second opinion from a medical doctor is often recommended and the resulting treatment will often be different. Why could it not be the same for vets? And why can owners not choose to wait given what they have already done.

I think you read way too much into my post and assumed way too little of me!!!