My vet missed a problem with my dog! urgh!!

[LovinPooh]

So I bring my dog to the vets for her annual checkup and she had an issue with her eye. The vet brushes it off as nothing. Says its just runny. So a couple of weeks later, her still runny eye, she starts to squint. So I bring her back, that visit cost me $70!! I was more freaked out to learn that my dog had a mass on her eye and needed surgery that I just paid and left. So it hit me this morning and I called them up and told them that I wanted that $70 credited towards the surgery and a different vet. And I get a bit of an attitude. Apparently the vet never wrote it down in the notes that there was an issue, and they are telling me that a mass can just pop up anytime. My issue is, is that the vet knew there was a problem with my dog and didnt look into it. the mass was there cause her eye had discharge the first time. I shouldnt have to pay twice, and nevermind the aggravation my poor pup has gone through with this.

And theres my vent for the day....

But would you let a vet who didnt take the time to look the first time operate on your pets eye?

 

[JR6ooo4]

Would you let your general practitioner operate on your eye? Even if our vet was the best, I think it still calls for a specialist.

Sorry to hear about your pup and hope she recovers quickly.

Mikeeee

 

[Sleepy]

Sorry to hear about your stress. Unfortunately, things like this even happen with humans and you don't get refunds or credits. No, I would not want a vet like that EVER touching my animal again......not even for yearly shots. I almost lost one of my own eyes because the redness was dismissed as allergies for almost 7 weeks.

Have everything documented. Ask to see the chart after every visit if you have to.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The key, to me, would be this:

When you mentioned the runny eye, what happened? Did the vet fully examine the eye with an opthalmoscope?

What happened the second time, ie when you went back? Was that manner of examination different than the first time?

In other words, how did they know there was a mass there the second time that they didn't the first?

If the exam was the same, then there's a good chance the tumor wasn't there, or at least fully recognizable, the first time.

But regardless, this is something I would talk to the vet about, not the office staff. With the staff, you'll just wind up in a power struggle. With the vet, you have a better chance to fully understand what happened and be able to present your argument as well.

I would recommend getting another opinion from a veterinary opthamologist - and that would be who'd do surgery if needed.

Good luck with your dog. FWIW, if this was something that was missed, I'd be angry as well. But my first worry would be about getting the problem taken care of, not arguing about the $70. You can do that later.

 

[sbell111]

I also wonder whether the doc looked at the eye the first time, but I also wonder how the issue was brought to his attention. Talking to a vet is alot like talking to a mechanic. you have to communicate your problem and your concerns. Since the primary reason for being there was an annual checkup, I would ecpect him to take a quick look at the eyes, but not do an in depth exam of them unless there was an obvious problem. Some watering is not nessarily an obvious problem.

We have to remember that our vets, as wonderful as they are, don't actually know our animals. They may not realize that a watery eye isn't normal for our pup. We have to not only point it out, but respond to them appropriately. If the doc says that the wateriness is normal, and we know that it isn't normal for our dog, we need to tell him that so he will make a more thorough examination.