So upset vets didn’t diagnose the problem 😢

L

Lauraback

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 March 2024
Messages
457
Visit site
Hi All

I’m so very upset and need to rant apologies for the essay

I am so so upset that my girl Sophie now has a poor prognosis following months of vet investigations and they missed the actual issue 😢 she is the sweetest most gentle girl in the world

Adopted her age 3 a podenco rescue from Spain she was saved and taken out of a kill shelter as she had her 9 pups with her.

First 7 years most healthy dog ever only went to vets for annual injection 👍

June 2025 had cruiciate ligament surgery suffered badly after with sickness and diarrhoea just got her back to health when vets wanted follow up X-rays which knocked her back again with major sickness

Vets thought an issue with oesagophus so another anesthetic for X-rays which showed no issue

Sophie then became anaemic around November another anesthetic scans showed irregular spleen biopsy of spleen didn’t show anything

Sophie continued to lose weight and anaemia got worse referred to newmarket late last year

Spent 2 days in Newmarket December 2024 they did all the tests again they were told she was a rescue from Spain they concluded she had IBD but their report said her stomach lining was normal and no ulcers etc they also noted protein in her urine but didn’t investigate further sent her home and advised a IBD diet I put her on Purina strictly but she was still being sick and loosing weight

Sophie has had bloods at my usual vet a few times this year shes still loosing weight vet Kept telling me it’s IBD but I was sceptical about that! Bloods showed kidney disease she then had a urine test confirmed kidney disease stage 2 my vet spoke to the Newmarket specialist re her kidney disease on top of the anaemia and weight loss - their reply it’s coincidental due to her age (11)

She was given appetite pills to make her eat which have not helped and she’s lost 20% body weight now.

I was sobbing my heart out I felt I was losing my girl by starvation after a bit of googling I contacted different dog food company to ask if they could help was contacted by their in house vet Alison and we talked through Sophie’s history Alison she was lovely and suggested Sophie had leishmania but we both agreed we thought the Newmarket referral internal medicine people would have tested for this. I checked the Newmarket report and they had not tested my Spanish girl for Mediterranean illnesses so I got my usual vet to test her last week as a matter of urgency. It’s come back yesterday as super positive even positive a the lowest dilution 1 in 400 😢

My vet said her prognosis is now poor/guarded and she is now stage 3 kidney disease and I am absolutely devastated her illness was missed for so long as if it had been diagnosed earlier she would have had a really good prognosis and why did I pay Newmarket specialists £3.5k and they got it so wrong and a dog food company vet got it right after a 10 minute phone call!

Sophie has now started the leishmania meds and we will see if they can help or she even survives the course I am just devastated her real issue was missed so many times and thank god for Alison at the dog food company sometimes a different eye over things helps

Sorry for the waffle here I just need to let it out
 
So sorry you're going through this, hopefully she will pull through now you have her on the meds. I spent a lot of time being angry with our vet over an issue with thyroid meds. Tey was diagnosed at 5 with hypothyroidism ( after lots of expensive tests into other other things before doing the blood test for this). I went back after 6 weeks on the meds and said she had lost too much weight ( gone from overweight to seriously underweight extremely quickly) and was bouncing off the walls, I said obviously the dose was too high for her and could we adjust it, vet agreed but wanted to check her T4 levels again so ran more bloods, said the levels were up a bit but still not high enough, I again said that looking at the dog it seemed the dose was too high, I was told that she just needs to adjust to it and it will be fine. I thought he had given us the same strength meds to continue with and stupidly I trusted him that it would sort itself out. She had a heart attack and died 4 days later, turns out the new pills were even stronger than the first ones. I can't prove they caused the heart attack and being angry hasn't got me anywhere but it's hard not to be.
 
Dopeydapple said:
So sorry you're going through this, hopefully she will pull through now you have her on the meds. I spent a lot of time being angry with our vet over an issue with thyroid meds. Tey was diagnosed at 5 with hypothyroidism ( after lots of expensive tests into other other things before doing the blood test for this). I went back after 6 weeks on the meds and said she had lost too much weight ( gone from overweight to seriously underweight extremely quickly) and was bouncing off the walls, I said obviously the dose was too high for her and could we adjust it, vet agreed but wanted to check her T4 levels again so ran more bloods, said the levels were up a bit but still not high enough, I again said that looking at the dog it seemed the dose was too high, I was told that she just needs to adjust to it and it will be fine. I thought he had given us the same strength meds to continue with and stupidly I trusted him that it would sort itself out. She had a heart attack and died 4 days later, turns out the new pills were even stronger than the first ones. I can't prove they caused the heart attack and being angry hasn't got me anywhere but it's hard not to be.
Click to expand...
I am so sorry Dopeydapple I cant imagine how devastating that was for you losing your girl so young 😢 we trust the experts even though our gut feelings are different, I’m angry like you, I know people make mistakes but sometimes it feels so unfair when our beloved dogs lose out because of it🙁 hugs
 
Bellaboo18 said:
Very sorry your girl is poorly. Thank goodness you've now found the cause of her issues. Unfortunately, vets are just people and make mistakes. I find there's little point in directing any anger towards them, they'll have tried their best. Concentrate on trying to get your girl better.
Click to expand...
Ditto this.

I'm very sorry Sophie is poorly & wishing you all the best of luck for her future.

Whilst it's very upsetting as an owner, vet's work incredibly hard to try & do their best for each patient and it can be very difficult for them - don't forget, they are trained to not show much emotion in difficult circumstances but it doesnt mean they don't care or won't wish things were different with hindsight.

Wishing you both the very best of luck X
 
Last edited:
MuddyMonster said:
Ditto this.

I'm very sorry Sophie is poorly & wishing you all the best of luck for her future.

Whilst it's very upsetting as an owner, vet's work incredibly hard to try & do their best for each patient and it can be very difficult for them - don't forget, they are trained to not show much emotion in difficult circumstances but it doesnt mean they don't care or won't wish things were different with hindsight.

Wishing you both the very best of luck X
Click to expand...
Thank you muddymonster I do agree my local vet loves Sophie as do the vet nurses. I didn’t take to the Newmarket vet however they were pretty cold but hey ho it is what it is. Been a crap week I’ve been advised my team at work are being made redundant 😕 my retired horse with Nero issues has laminitis and to top it off I got a flat tyre driving to get horse food today 😫 but most importantly my side kick Sophie is very poorly and she is my world I will try my hardest to do the best I can do for her
 
Lauraback said:
Thank you muddymonster I do agree my local vet loves Sophie as do the vet nurses. I didn’t take to the Newmarket vet however they were pretty cold but hey ho it is what it is. Been a crap week I’ve been advised my team at work are being made redundant 😕 my retired horse with Nero issues has laminitis and to top it off I got a flat tyre driving to get horse food today 😫 but most importantly my side kick Sophie is very poorly and she is my world I will try my hardest to do the best I can do for her
Click to expand...
I'm so sorry, it never rains but pours 😔

I'll keep my fingers firmly crossed for all but especially the horse and Sophie 🤞

She'll know how loved she is, of that I'm certain Xx
 
Last edited:
Really sorry that you are going through this and fingers crossed that she responds positively to the meds.

Would give yourself some time to be able to think calmly about it but then I do think this is worth raising with both practices in the hopes that it’s something they think to test imported dogs with similar signs for sooner as with her travel history, it probably should have been done earlier for completeness (I wonder if the length of time she’s been here is what made them not think about it). If neither practice sees a lot of imported dogs they may genuinely not have thought about it as a possibility.

Out of interest did the rescue test her before import or give you any advice or information about the possibility of leish? If they still exist I’d be having a chat with them too as they should have given you better information at time of adoption (which may have made you ask the question a lot sooner) and they’d also be well advised to speak to whoever ended up with her puppies as they probably should be tested as a precaution as placental transfer has been documented.
 
If you haven't already please also make sure the organisation you got her from is aware. Hopefully it would encourage them to start testing, before import dogs should ideally be tested for leish, brucella, and 4Dx snap tested, and the results included in their paperwork before they travel. (Personally I feel dogs without this shouldn't be allowed in).
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I'm sorry Sophie is ill but I'd be cross with the organisation that brought her from Spain to UK for not testing/innoculating her before letting her spread a deadly disease here quite unnecessarily, rather than your own vet.
Click to expand...
Yes I’m not happy with the rescue org but even if she tested clear at time of import to uk I believe she could test positive later on 😕 as far as I’m aware on what I’ve read she wouldn’t have spread the disease in the uk it’s spread via the sandfly
 
FieldOrnaments said:
If you haven't already please also make sure the organisation you got her from is aware. Hopefully it would encourage them to start testing, before import dogs should ideally be tested for leish, brucella, and 4Dx snap tested, and the results included in their paperwork before they travel. (Personally I feel dogs without this shouldn't be allowed in).
Click to expand...
Good shout
 
Boulty said:
Really sorry that you are going through this and fingers crossed that she responds positively to the meds.

Would give yourself some time to be able to think calmly about it but then I do think this is worth raising with both practices in the hopes that it’s something they think to test imported dogs with similar signs for sooner as with her travel history, it probably should have been done earlier for completeness (I wonder if the length of time she’s been here is what made them not think about it). If neither practice sees a lot of imported dogs they may genuinely not have thought about it as a possibility.

Out of interest did the rescue test her before import or give you any advice or information about the possibility of leish? If they still exist I’d be having a chat with them too as they should have given you better information at time of adoption (which may have made you ask the question a lot sooner) and they’d also be well advised to speak to whoever ended up with her puppies as they probably should be tested as a precaution as placental transfer has been documented.
Click to expand...
My local vet said he has had 3 cases of leish before but they all had skin lesions he didn’t know dogs can have it where it attacks internal organs more without the lesions so he has learnt something from this situation which could help future unwell dogs. I’ll message the original uk lady who rescued Sophie and pups she rehomed pups from Spain before Sophie ended up with 2 rescue orgs
 
Lauraback said:
Yes I’m not happy with the rescue org but even if she tested clear at time of import to uk I believe she could test positive later on 😕 as far as I’m aware on what I’ve read she wouldn’t have spread the disease in the uk it’s spread via the sandfly
Click to expand...
Whilst it's true for leish which needs a vector to spread adopters should at least not have to walk into acquiring a dog completely blind to the possibility, there are lots of vector carried diseases dogs from warmer climates can be exposed to that are pretty much unheard of here (anaplasmosis for instance), and testing prior to travel would be very much like a vetting for a horse "fit at the time" with no guarantees for later on (but still worthwhile).

Completely irrelevant aside but I do so wish foreign rescue organisations would focus funds and energy on stopping animal overpopulation and mistreatment at the source (TNR strays, education, education and more education, and lobbying for more humane methods of euthanasia in kill shelters) rather than just shipping individual animals away from it.
 
I agree field ornaments, and I’m not active on Facebook but my friend who follows the rescue said other adopters said their rescues later got diagnosed with leishmania 😞 photo of my girl when she came out of the kill shelter with her pups in a right state 😕 I love my girl to bits and will try my hardest for her moving forwards, I was uneducated on Mediterranean diseases and the rescue are lacking in prior export testing and that needs addressing 😞
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3743.jpeg
    IMG_3743.jpeg
    80.1 KB · Views: 63
Direct transmission is possible.

Dogs can be infected by other dogs in the absence of the vector (sandfly). There have been cases reported in Germany, Finland, New Caledonia in the Pacific and in the UK of direct transmission (non vector routes of infection). Here are the links:

https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-016-1551-0.
https://actavetscand.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13028-014-0084-9.
https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-016-1388-6
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/news-and-even...hmaniosis-transmission-between-dogs-in-the-uk
 
Last edited:
Dog to dog transmission is possible but appears to be quite rare.

As far as I’m aware current thinking is that biggest risks are blood transfusions (which is one of reasons why it’s not advised to use a dog who has travelled abroad as a donor) and sexual but there are theories it may be transmissible by a deep bite but not sure anyone has proved it yet.

We do currently lack the “correct” sandfly vector in the UK but with global warming who knows what will happen?
 
Clodagh said:
I am disappointed that neither vet practice suggested testing for diseases that are well knone in imported rescues. I would certainly bring it to their attention.
And the sandfly vector… we do have those in the UK, but do I assume it’s a different sort?
Click to expand...
Yes the referral centre is one of the biggest in Europe and I just realised and looked them up the consultant who spent 2 days doing the tests and assessments on Sophie was actually born and raised in a Mediterranean country with leishmania before coming to the UK not many years go. I will let them know so hopefully the same thing won’t be missed again in future
 
skinnydipper said:
Given the massive number of imported rescues coming into the UK each year, vets maybe need to be more aware of the signs and symptoms of the diseases the dogs can bring with them.
Click to expand...
They really shouldn't be allowed in without completed appropriate vaccination programmes.
 
Lauraback said:
Yes I’m not happy with the rescue org but even if she tested clear at time of import to uk I believe she could test positive later on 😕 as far as I’m aware on what I’ve read she wouldn’t have spread the disease in the uk it’s spread via the sandfly
Click to expand...

RVC diagnoses first case of leishmaniosis transmission between dogs in the UK

A vet from the RVC has recently been involved in diagnosing the first case of leishmaniosis in a dog from the UK that has not travelled to an endemic area
www.rvc.ac.uk www.rvc.ac.uk
 
skinnydipper said:
Given the massive number of imported rescues coming into the UK each year, vets maybe need to be more aware of the signs and symptoms of the diseases the dogs can bring with them.
Click to expand...
What?
Why are all these dogs coming into the UK, healthy or diseased?
Like there aren’t enough home-grown misfits, unfortunates and rejects needing homes? What the hell’s going on?
Sorry your bitch is poorly, but ‘rescuing’ from abroad?
Might be different if the dogs were arriving on small boats - although some dogs did get places on the evacuation planes from Kabul, in preference to genuine Afghan refugees, thinking about it....
This is simply wrong.
 
Exasperated said:
What?
Why are all these dogs coming into the UK, healthy or diseased?
Like there aren’t enough home-grown misfits, unfortunates and rejects needing homes? What the hell’s going on?
Sorry your bitch is poorly, but ‘rescuing’ from abroad?
Might be different if the dogs were arriving on small boats - although some dogs did get places on the evacuation planes from Kabul, in preference to genuine Afghan refugees, thinking about it....
This is simply wrong.
Click to expand...
What exactly has happened to the six month quarantine rule?
Or have all the rescue dogs coming in from abroad been vaccinated against rabies…
I do understand people over here taking on rescue dogs from abroad as the pictures you see of the conditions are shocking…but our rescues/pounds/shelters are bursting at the seams…
 
Marshpiper said:
What exactly has happened to the six month quarantine rule?
Or have all the rescue dogs coming in from abroad been vaccinated against rabies…
I do understand people over here taking on rescue dogs from abroad as the pictures you see of the conditions are shocking…but our rescues/pounds/shelters are bursting at the seams…
Click to expand...

And a lot of the photos are staged. It’s a business, not a rescue
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top