Vet been treating wrong injury for 8 weeks and now wants £900+

[milliehunter]

Hi

After a bit of advice..... our horse went lame 8 weeks ago, our local vet treat him for a fetlock injury, after 8 weeks and little improvement and a bill of £921 he was no better. I got a 2nd opinion who diagnosed a Suspensory Ligament injury (he showed me scans).

Im not sure what to do with the 1st vet or where I would stand re: the bill, any advice?

Thanks in advance

 

[CBFan]

That's horses unfortunatelty. Sometimes the cause of lameness isn't clear from the outset. Did 1st vet scan and Xray? not very easy to comment without all the details...

 

[Wishful]

Would be easier if horses could talk...

 

[milliehunter]

They done nerve blockers and X Rays. They wanted to give him a steroid injection into the Fetlock but I wasn't convinced, that's why I got the 2nd opinion.

 

[ycbm]

First let's point out that you edited your title and the first vet wants nine HUNDRED pounds, not 90.

Did the second vet say it was obviously the suspensory that he would have looked at first? Will they put that in writing for you?

I would at the very least be asking the first vet to explain himself and why he did not scan the suspensory before running up such a bill on a non existent injury.

 

[Nudibranch]

I'm not sure there's a lot you can do. As CBFan says, that's horses. Can you break down what the first vet did more specifically? Their time isn't cheap as we all know and with medicine there isn't always a clear answer immediately. Bills mount up very fast - one of mine ran through a fence three weeks ago; so far the bill has been £1600 and there is more to come.... it happens

 

[glenruby]

Secondly did the second vet block the suspensory or scan it only? Many suspensors of normal performing horses have changes on ultrasound. Not that unusual as a concurrent injury/incidental finding. After all the first vet blocked the lameness to the fetlock.

 

[SusieT]

Are you sure the second vet is right? Was the second vet able to use the results of the first vets nerve block to help their diagnosis i.e were the tests useful anyway? Unfortunately its not always easy to spot the cause immediately.

 

[sarahann1]

It's a big bill, but for the investigations which have been done, it seems reasonable, if eye-wateringly depressing. I was £444.14 (yes, really, it'll be a bill I never forget!) for a 1.5cm cut on an eyelid. From my own experience of suspensory investigations, my vet did nerve blocks before X-rays/scans etc.

Could you ask the second vet what they would have done had no prior work been done, what line of investigation they'd have used?

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Unlikely you will get a satisfactory outcome, best you can expect is a staggered payment plan from vet 1.

 

[Equi]

No insurance? If not then a staggered payment plan. Unfortunately a lot of injuries like that are opinion. Xrays and blocks can only tell you so much - its investigating that costs the money most of the time, not the cure.