Finding a good Vet is as hard as finding a good professional of any sort. To paint all Vets as being money hungry lap dops that love to over medicate and don't know anything is just sure ignorance.

My sister, for example is a Critical Care vet. She works at what you call the pet Emergency Hospital. She, like most vets in a multi doctor practice, is not a partner. She is simply employed. She works long hours for much less pay than an MD, Dentist, or other medical professional. She gets no kick backs from using more or less drugs or a specific type. Further, in Canada it is MUCH more difficult to get in to Vet school than it is to get in to another medical field. We only have two colleges in the whole country that offer the program and every year it's a drawn out fight between people with 4.0+ GPAs and years of volunteer service to get in this under paid medical profession. You can safely assume that most if not all Vets could have gone to a Medical school of their choice. Granted this is probably different in small towns and with single practioners, but you get the point. I know more than a dozen Vets, most of them female and I can honestly say not a single one of them is in it for the money. Many of them spend their own money or donate their own time free of charge to help injured animals found on the street.

A Vet receives as much training about animals as say a Doctor does about people. If your child got sick all of a sudden would you be listening to your Doctors or posting for ad hoc advice on GFY? I think we both know you'd stick with the professionals and simply ignore the posters that are speaking from their own (very limited) experiences.

Now all of that being said, back to my original point. Not all vets are equal. If you don't trust the Vet you are with, find another. Personally I always look for female Vets (as well as all other medical professions) because personally I think they care more. A night in the Vet hospital should be relatively inexpensive compared to what you've already paid. Probably around $30-$50 "boarding" charge plus fluids. If you have doubt, wait another day. If you still have doubts, get another Vet's oppinion.

Yeah, I said "heartworm medication", I should have included all anti-worm or deworming medications in my rant. Sorry, was thinking of my own dog who lived to the ripe old age of 18. Every test he ever had for anything worm-related always came back negative. I treated him once per year for heartworm in particular, and that was enough in my view.

Luckily they never caused him to siezure though. If they had I can tell you I wouldn't have been at all happy about it. I'd say best advice in this thread is take her to another vet.

Hopefully your pup hangs on. It doesn't sound good, judging by what you're saying but I say it's not over til it's over. But if the worst does happen, well... all I can say is I've been there. My dog of 18 years passed away a few years ago, of old age pretty much, and even then it was a very tough time.

Ding Ding Ding we have a winner. Correlation does not imply causation. The fact that I have bad gas today AND it's sunny does NOT mean that sun causes bad gas.

Stick with the guys that have 4 years of University plus at least 4 years of Vet school over the guys that have done some research on the Internet and have one or two anecdotal stories to point to. I know I would.

100% agree.

:( I am so sorry to hear this. Kind of sounds like the vet is clueless about what is going on with her. Maybe he can keep her overnight and see if there is any change by morning? Maybe her body just needs extra time.

okay so talked to vet again, he said she is comatose he recommends euthanasia...

I said that I have spoken to several people who have said she could have had a reaction to the dewormers. His words were, "prove it"... he said I can have a necropsy done to prove it and that's about it. I can't go on anymore about how much this fucking sucks. motherfuckers

And Cherry, if you end up having to put her down I understand how much that hurts. I had to put one of my dogs down last month when she ate a whole bunch of small rocks and they shredded up her inside. I could have spent $5000+ for a surgery that might have helped, but she would have faced a long difficult recovery. Having been through multiple surgeries in her life and having Addison's disease, I elected to just let her go this time. It's important to remember that they don't know what's coming. They don't know they're gone and it's just us that feels the pain.

I hope your dog pulls through, I really do. Good luck!

Give me a second, I'll see if I can get ahold of my sister.

thanks, thanks again everyone.

yeah I absolutely hate treatments that are more harmful than good, I am all about natural treatments when possible but they don't make these assholes as much profit... fucking hate vets I swear.

fuck this is unreal... vet called again said she passed away... he is offering to do an autopsy if we like, he said he'd like to know what caused her death, or if we want her remains. RIP little Penny

As someone who has worked for two emergency Veterinarians, I have much respect for your sister.

Okay I just got off the phone with my sister.

She said, of course, that without knowing the case she can't really say. But her thoughts are this:

Dewormers are very safe and she has never heard of this type of reaction. There are some dewormers that can be toxic to Collie breeds but it's unlikely they'd be used at all as there are lots of options.

She said it really depends a lot on the age of the dog. If it's a young dog, and I think you said it is a puppy, then it's quite possible that it's Epilepsy and it's been triggered by something like the stress of being in the clinic to get tests and shots. If she was treated with heavy doses of Valum and Phenobarb (seizure medicine) then it could take a long time to wear off and may appear as if the dog is in a vegetative state when in fact it's just zonked right out. It depends on how big of a dose the dog was given. If the dog is an older dog then you think things like parasites or tumours in the brain but in a young dog epilepsy is a strong possibility.

She also said that treating with Valium and phenobarb IS the exact right thing to do. The ER clinic did exactly what she would have done.

She said that it depends on how much money you want to spend. If you're willing to shell out the cash, and you want to continue with the care then your dog needs a specialist (Neurologist). They'll start with an MRI of the brain and work to diagnose treatable illness. On the other hand they may also tell you it's time to let the dog go. This is going to be a very expensive path, think thousands and thousands of dollars.

She also said that getting a second oppinion is natural and normal and if you don't trust the Vet you are with, take the dog to another one. Perhaps you have friends that can reccomend a good one?

Good luck!

I was just at the bottom of page one refreshing and refreshing like a tard...

thank you so much WC, that advice is priceless. But the dog has passed away, vet called... he wants to do an autopsy on her, I guess I am going to tell him to go ahead. just fucking sad. RIP little Penny

much love to your sister.

Sorry to hear that. I feel your pain having put a dog down recently myself.

Personally, I would get the autopsy because I myself would like to know. Maybe for you in this situation it'd be better to just move on? Only you know the answer to that.

Again sorry to hear it.

I am so sorry for your loss! My heart just aches for you you right now.

Wow, sorry. From the heart.

thanks again... well doctor said he will do the necropsy I guess it is called because he wanted to see what the cause was.

I am glad to at least know its not the dewormers, I didn't really think it was but it was easy to blame it on that due to the circumstances. I guess he can call us with the results if he finds them. I'm not going to wait around, just need to move on from this now and pet grieve. So sad.

thanks again everyone.

Geeze, was getting ready to tell about our seizure info and then saw what happened. So, so sorry! I've put down 3 pets in the last 2 years and while it didn't make it any easier, they were 13, 16 and 18 - not young like yours.

I suspect that it seems like there was an underlying condition and shit just hit the fan that had nothing to do with the meds.

For the future, I used these guys a few years ago - I realize you can't drive to ATL every time you have a major issue but they might be able to help over the phone:

http://www.gvsvet.com/

Warchild - your sister rocks.

Sorry for your loss - I don't trust people who don't like pets!

I'm sorry that she has passed...

My brother had a cat that seizured several times over a couple of days in was back and forth between the emergency vet and the regular one. I had them do a necropsy when she passed and it was determine that there was something parasitic that hit her brain possibly through eating food that was old, but it was never 100% pinpointed. The report back was really weird. That cells someone blew up in an area of her brain.

So true. Nicely said. :thumbsup


Cherry - There really are no words here. Some would say "it's just a dog", but to those that know it's much more than that. I'm sure you had many good times with your dog and made sure she had some happiness in her life. That's all a pet can ask of you really.

Much condolences.

I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. I dn't think it was the dewormer but it is very disturbing your vet answered that allegation with , "prove it." That alone would make me never go back there.

Again, I would take a look at anti-flea meds as in my exp. this can cause the symptoms you are describing. Sorry for your loss. I know my guys are like family.

I am sorry for your loss, my pups are my babies, to me it is hard to imagine loosing them...

I'm so sorry hun!

:(

Oh, crap!; I am so sorry! I would go for the necropsy and yes, you might want to bury her someplace and plant a tree on the grave. That is what I do when I lose one and I have lost more than a few.

Sadness here but I think you did the best that you could do and that is what counts!

aww man, crap, sorry to hear about that.

rip penny.. you are in a better place

I am sorry for your loss. I have two dogs that I adore. I dread the day I lose either of them.

Sorry to hear about your doggy,that's terrible