vets and my poorly pooch

[lexiesmummy]

not sure if im posting in the right place or not....
lexie came out of the kennels on monday (not her first trip as we spent quite a lot making sure she was happy in there for stays etc before leaving the country) she wasnt her usual loopy self, usuallyt when she gets home she tears around the place and knocks everyone flying but this time she had a small run around but not her usual self we just thought she is having a sulk. Hair loss was quite a lot but its not unusual for her she is a serial shedder and my god she can shed loads and loads its never ending.
the week carried on and she was still quite quiet was eating and drinking so we didnt worry too much just made the most of the peace and quiet.
Yesterday morning we woke to find she had a bald spot in front of her hind leg, she had ripped out the fur and it was quite red and hot she was itching like mad and wasnt eating and not really drinking, we spoke to the vets and they told us to up her flea treatment as she had been in a high risk area i.e the kennels and boilwash her bedding, see if that made her more comfortable if not they would see her and check for fox mange or any other infections but she told me this was rare.
the day went on and she no longer even went to see visitors just laid under the dining table and everyone was noticing a huge difference in her, her nose began to get quite warm, inside her ears were hot, she was itching like crazy even when out for a walk, we then found a rash all over her belly, we phoned the emergency vet, she told us to give her 3 piriton and if she was not more comfortable after 30 mins give her another one and give her a cold bath or take her in the garden and hose her with cold water (i didnt like the cold bath idea so gave her a cold shower). If she wasnt better overnight we were to take her for the half hour emergency clinic this morning. The rash subsided still visible but not angry looking like it was.
Today she still isnt right. she is still a bit mopy and feeling very sorry for herself, gave her another cold shower not long ago and it has cooled the area that she has ripped the fur out from. Her nose and ears are much cooler and she is showing a bit more interest in people now but she still is not right.
now i have explained all that i can progress onto my questions....
why are the vets so keen for her not to be seen? Are they just cant be bothered as its a weekend or likely to be too busy with big emergencies to deal with something like this? Are they merely trying to be helpful and save us money or does it still cost to see the vet on a weekday even if they dont treat? (may seem stupid but we have never had to see a vet other than for things like spaying and follow up appointment, puppy weigh and worm clinics and vaccinations).
To me i would of thought they would have jumped at the chance to have made money and seen her to say give her piriton but kind of sounds to me like they are trying to be helpful as surely it costs a lot to see an emergency vet at a weekend, but i dont know how much if at all it costs for an appointment with the regular vets say on monday morning if we take her to be seen then

[lexiesmummy]

forgot to say on sunday (day before she came home) we put some miracle grow patch magic on the grass which contains grass seed, coir, and fertiliser thats the only different thing at home that we can think of that may have caused her reaction but looking at whats in it it seems unlikely to us that it would be this unless its grass seed and not grass itself?

[Su-C]

Hi Ally,

Sorry to hear that you have come home from your hols to this - it must really be a downer. I dont really know what could be causing Lexie's problems, but as far as the vet is concerned, I guess it is a case (in their eyes) of not being an emergency - ie Lexie is not in danger if she is left until Monday morning. I would carry on doing what you are doing, and try to distract her from chewing herself if possible.

As for your question about the vet, for a normal appoitment you will be charged a consultation fee - my vet is £35 for the first, reducing for follow-ups, regardless of whether any treatment is given. You are after all paying for the vet's time.

Hope she gets on ok - let us know what the diagnosis is.

Sue
x

[lexiesmummy]

thank you.

The emergency vet last night got more interested when we told her that Lexies heart beat was around 144bpm was 72 beats in 30 secs so somewhere in the region of 140. That was when she changed and said ok we need to do something

[Matrix/Logan]

My lab x has allergies this time of year and often returns from a walk hopping and running and scratching and i give him piriton which really helps to calm his skin down.

Maybe they are just trying to see if this helps Lexi first before having her in and giving other treatments, often steroids are what they give for skin conditions and they have a lot of side effects.

Or maybe they have been busy with emergencies and don't see her as needing emergency care as they would with a dog who is bleeding or violently ill maybe? Which doesn't help you but makes it easier on them?

Surely they would see her if you insisted?

I know our out of hours charges more than double to see the vet on the weekend!!

[lexiesmummy]

Originally Posted by Matrix/Logan

My lab x has allergies this time of year and often returns from a walk hopping and running and scratching and i give him piriton which really helps to calm his skin down.

Maybe they are just trying to see if this helps Lexi first before having her in and giving other treatments, often steroids are what they give for skin conditions and they have a lot of side effects.

Or maybe they have been busy with emergencies and don't see her as needing emergency care as they would with a dog who is bleeding or violently ill maybe? Which doesn't help you but makes it easier on them?

Surely they would see her if you insisted?

I know our out of hours charges more than double to see the vet on the weekend!!

OMG one of your dogs has the same name as my eldest son lolol ...Blade!
After they knew what her heart was beating at and her ears and nose were hot she did get more interested but wasnt really interested to start with.
Hence why asking so many questions about the emergency vets the only time i ever had to talk to one was when she decided to rip out her stitches after she was spayed, the little madam

[Stuart]

I would hate to think that it is a case that the vets cant be bothered, you have discribed well enough, so maybe they wouldnt have done any differently if you had taken the dog in,..so maybe they did think to safeing you money.

Sometimes, I think that we tend to run off to the vets too quickly,..of course I cant say what I would do if my dog was like Lexie, but I think that a friendly phone call to a vet will often do as much as an appointment,...and doesnt cost

I do hope that you find out what is troubling Lexie

[Jude]

Originally Posted by lexiesmummy

forgot to say on sunday (day before she came home) we put some miracle grow patch magic on the grass which contains grass seed, coir, and fertiliser thats the only different thing at home that we can think of that may have caused her reaction but looking at whats in it it seems unlikely to us that it would be this unless its grass seed and not grass itself?

Depends what sort of fertiliser it contains - the pellet type that we use on the paddocks can cause a painful skin reaction in humans. She has not been in contact with anything like Shake'n vac has she? I have heard of several dogs having a reaction to that. I suppose the other possibility is if she was walked in fields that had recently been sprayed with selective weedkiller?

[lexiesmummy]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I would hate to think that it is a case that the vets cant be bothered, you have discribed well enough, so maybe they wouldnt have done any differently if you had taken the dog in,..so maybe they did think to safeing you money.

Sometimes, I think that we tend to run off to the vets too quickly,..of course I cant say what I would do if my dog was like Lexie, but I think that a friendly phone call to a vet will often do as much as an appointment,...and doesnt cost

I do hope that you find out what is troubling Lexie

Thanks I hope so too, and if it is a regular allergy relating to time of year or something we can then go about prevention from it happening again...hopefully

It was just rather scary last night when her little heart was going mad and she was so hot and had only been laying around for a few hours with no heating on or anything

[Stuart]

You are talking in the past tense,.. is Lexie a bit better now?