NeverSayNever
Well-Known Member
quick history for those that dont know. I'm an an experienced collie owner, dog trainer, agility competitor/judge....... 18 months ago i searched for a pup and put my name down for a bitch from fantastic ISDS lines, very well known sheep trials people, all health tests done etc etc
when i went to pick her up i was horrified to find a litter of sickly puppies and my head told me to walk away... but of course my heart ruled and I came home with Diva. Who at 8 weeks only weight 2.1kg and had blood coming out of her bottom. She was at the vets every day and slowly we got her well. Now all my pups have gone through a chewy phase... but with Diva it was different, her PICA problem has taken a lot of managing. At 12 weeks old she got hold of the corner of a blanket from in her cage and swallowed the thread. I woke up to hear her gagging and she ended up in surgery as it was all the way through her.
Again, we got her better but i have had a real challenge to 'manage' her. She has to be muzzled when out in the garden to stop her eating anything and everything, even the ground. She cant go in a kennel with the others as i would have to take away all their bedding and toys , and the one time i paired her with another bitch and took the toys out, she ate the other dog's collar off her neck. Her toilet habits have always been difficult, she goes out for a poo, but then 1/2 hour later does more and messes her cage. I manage her now with a strict routine of feeding, muzzle on when out unsupervised and no toys in her cage. She didnt have bedding until recently when i gave her vetbed as although she was taking some bits of fluff off it, they say its meant to pass through and without bedding she was developing bald bits on her hocks.
On the up side, at 18 months old she LOVES her agility and is fab, she was entered in her first comp in November..... that is until today.
She had been off colour all weekend and long story short i took her into my vets this morning. i know the vet really well, she has seen Diva from day one, infact she was at my house last week seeing the horse and asked to see Diva train and commented on how great it was to see her so fit and well.
She said she thought there was another blockage of some sort, gave me a consent for to sign but said they would pop her on a drip , then xray this afternoon and phone me.
so i waited
and waited....
at 4pm i couldnt bare it anymore so i rang the vets. i spoke to a guy i hadnt spoken to before who started to talk about her 'surgery' and recovery. I interupted him, saying "what?!?!? i thought she was having an xray and then you would call me?" he said sorry, someone should have called me. He then began to break up so i said i would go straight to the vets.
i arrived and he showed me the xray and explained that her colon was 3 times the size it should have been. It was impacted with poo and bits of vet bed but she SHOULD have been able to pass this, espec as it was so far through. He had then felt up her bottom and found there was an anatomical abnormality that felt like a torsion, however it wasnt correctable. I then mentioned all her previous problems. And he said "oh, if i had known that, if i had known her history i woudnt have operated and put her through this". He then mentioned that the abnormality might be a tumor, espec as she is an older dog. I was like,..... erm, no she is 18 months old!!!! He then admitted he hadnt known her age.
He told me that with her problems the chances of this happening again are high and that if it does, they wont be able to operate again. He said that i had to decide if i was going to let her go.. rather than put her through the recovery from this op and then the chance it might happen again.
I was utterly heartbroken.
I stayed at the vets for almost 3 hours as i just wasnt comfortable with this decision and in the end i said no, i feel that she has been through this much and it may mean a lot more work from me but i feel i have to give it one more go , lets face it she had the op anyway, and i want to try and give her the best quality of life i can. then at least IF it happens again i will know i tried everything i could.
but i am so cross that the vets treated us like this. i feel as if i cant trust any of the vets locally now and i just feel let down.ive left her there overnight tonight, so please send healing vibes, hopefully i will be able to bring her home tomorrow.
sorry if that didnt make much sense
when i went to pick her up i was horrified to find a litter of sickly puppies and my head told me to walk away... but of course my heart ruled and I came home with Diva. Who at 8 weeks only weight 2.1kg and had blood coming out of her bottom. She was at the vets every day and slowly we got her well. Now all my pups have gone through a chewy phase... but with Diva it was different, her PICA problem has taken a lot of managing. At 12 weeks old she got hold of the corner of a blanket from in her cage and swallowed the thread. I woke up to hear her gagging and she ended up in surgery as it was all the way through her.
Again, we got her better but i have had a real challenge to 'manage' her. She has to be muzzled when out in the garden to stop her eating anything and everything, even the ground. She cant go in a kennel with the others as i would have to take away all their bedding and toys , and the one time i paired her with another bitch and took the toys out, she ate the other dog's collar off her neck. Her toilet habits have always been difficult, she goes out for a poo, but then 1/2 hour later does more and messes her cage. I manage her now with a strict routine of feeding, muzzle on when out unsupervised and no toys in her cage. She didnt have bedding until recently when i gave her vetbed as although she was taking some bits of fluff off it, they say its meant to pass through and without bedding she was developing bald bits on her hocks.
On the up side, at 18 months old she LOVES her agility and is fab, she was entered in her first comp in November..... that is until today.
She had been off colour all weekend and long story short i took her into my vets this morning. i know the vet really well, she has seen Diva from day one, infact she was at my house last week seeing the horse and asked to see Diva train and commented on how great it was to see her so fit and well.
She said she thought there was another blockage of some sort, gave me a consent for to sign but said they would pop her on a drip , then xray this afternoon and phone me.
so i waited
and waited....
at 4pm i couldnt bare it anymore so i rang the vets. i spoke to a guy i hadnt spoken to before who started to talk about her 'surgery' and recovery. I interupted him, saying "what?!?!? i thought she was having an xray and then you would call me?" he said sorry, someone should have called me. He then began to break up so i said i would go straight to the vets.
i arrived and he showed me the xray and explained that her colon was 3 times the size it should have been. It was impacted with poo and bits of vet bed but she SHOULD have been able to pass this, espec as it was so far through. He had then felt up her bottom and found there was an anatomical abnormality that felt like a torsion, however it wasnt correctable. I then mentioned all her previous problems. And he said "oh, if i had known that, if i had known her history i woudnt have operated and put her through this". He then mentioned that the abnormality might be a tumor, espec as she is an older dog. I was like,..... erm, no she is 18 months old!!!! He then admitted he hadnt known her age.
He told me that with her problems the chances of this happening again are high and that if it does, they wont be able to operate again. He said that i had to decide if i was going to let her go.. rather than put her through the recovery from this op and then the chance it might happen again.
I was utterly heartbroken.
I stayed at the vets for almost 3 hours as i just wasnt comfortable with this decision and in the end i said no, i feel that she has been through this much and it may mean a lot more work from me but i feel i have to give it one more go , lets face it she had the op anyway, and i want to try and give her the best quality of life i can. then at least IF it happens again i will know i tried everything i could.
but i am so cross that the vets treated us like this. i feel as if i cant trust any of the vets locally now and i just feel let down.ive left her there overnight tonight, so please send healing vibes, hopefully i will be able to bring her home tomorrow.
sorry if that didnt make much sense
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i am going in to visit this afternoon but we dont know as yet if she can come home.
espec given last year her bill for similar surgery and hospitalisation was more than double that.