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3/28/2009 9:37:12 AM

Well... I brought Jaeda home this morning. A $500 quote turned into a bill that was twice that amount. And honestly, I don't regret taking her in to find out what is wrong with her. They found that her bladder is slightly lower in the abdomen than normal and that one of her kidneys and the corresponding ureter is dilated. What exactly that means, I am not sure, but it has to be corrected or she could loose her kidney if its not too late already. Sounds pretty simple to me except their "quote" for this surgery is $3500.00 And based on the quote I was given yesterday that too can double.

I honestly can't afford another creditcard bill that high. I have spent well over $2000 on her treatment already... Thats probably more than I have ever spent on Jinzo is his entire lifetime.

I guess what I am trying to say is I am now looking for other options for her and that doesn't include putting her to sleep. I think that if the right people came along, she would make them very happy as she has done for me. She is on Banfield's wellness plan and thought that if someone takes her and does what is best for her, her veterinary care is paid for for the next year.

I never thought I would be placed in the position to do this. I am so exhausted and so bummed out. I feel like I am loosing an important member of my family. I will probably keep her until I can find her a home.

If anyone has any suggestions or can help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated...

3/28/2009 1:07:35 PM

Quote :

"Need help Paying VET bills?? [QUOTE]'willingwin wrote: This was posted in a vet group I'm in and I wanted to make the information available to others. Whenever you think your pet needs to see the vet but you think you can't afford to go, please take note of two things. 1. Part of the deal with pet ownership is providing medical care. Failing to provide it may actually constitute animal cruelty. 2. Instead of asking for medical advice on myspace, call your vet. It costs nothing to make a phone call. If it's after hours, call an emergency vet. Vets can help you figure out if your pet's problem is an emergency or not and if there is anything you can do at home to help your pet. Myspace people generally are not qualified to give you this kind of information. With that in mind, here are some groups that can help you afford the vet bills: American Animal Hospital Association http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/home/ "Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship." Angels 4 Animals http://www.Angels4Animals.org "Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment to those pets and pet owners in need." Care Credit http://www.carecredit.com A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care. "With a comprehensive range of plan options, for treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every budget." Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP) http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/ "Seniors, People with disabilities, People who have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten - any of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved companion." The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes. God's Creatures Ministry http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html "This fund helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help." Help-A-Pet http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html "Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor." IMOM http://www.imom.org "We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged." The Pet Fund http://thepetfund.com/ "The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care." United Animal Nations http://www.uan.org/lifeline/index.html "The mission of LifeLine is to help homeless or recently rescued animals suffering from life-threatening conditions that require specific and immediate emergency veterinary care. We strive to serve Good Samaritans and rescue groups who take in sick or injured animals. In certain cases, LifeLine can also assist senior citizens and low-income families pay for immediate emergency veterinary care." UK Assistance with Veterinary Bills http://www.petloversonline.co.uk/financial.htm "Most of us can cope with the financial commitment involved in the day to day care of our pets. However, how many of us come out in a cold sweat when our pet is ill or injured and we know we have to take it to the vet? Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford it but, some of us who love our animals dearly cannot. Unfortunately we do not have a PDSA or a RSPCA Centre within our area, but there are a few charities who may be able to help." Other Groups Who are Breed or Injury Specific: Corgi Aid http://www.corgiaid.org/ Dachshunds Needing IVDD surgery http://members.rushmore.com/~dds/applyforhelp.htm http://www.doberman911.org It's for special needs and senior dobermans who need medical help.You can donate to help them, or have them put your dobie up there if you need help too!! HandicappedPets.com http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/help/ "From time to time, HandicappedPets.com recognizes a caretaker of handicapped pets that need some special attention, and a little extra help. There are those who are so selflessly dedicated to their animal families that they give up a little more than they can afford." Labrador Lifeline http://www.labradorlifeline.org/success/2005-abbey.htm LabMed: Rx For Rescued Labs http://www.labmed.org/aid_main.html[/QUOTE]"

http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/300198

[Edited on March 29, 2009 at 2:45 AM. Reason : this one is for nc residents only - http://www.ashleyfund.org/]

3/29/2009 2:41:32 AM

^ to add to that....

you may want to check with the vet school. if Jaeda's case is an unusual one that they think would be a beneficial learning experience for the students, they sometimes have a fund that could help out with the bills.

im not promising anything...but it's worth checking out.

3/31/2009 3:16:13 PM

AAHA (the first one he/she listed) gives out grants regularly for $500 so long as your pet is treated at an AAHA accredited hospital...which most are. Definitely worth looking at.

[Edited on March 31, 2009 at 4:07 PM. Reason : or she...]

3/31/2009 4:06:43 PM

Im real sorry, I hope things work out for you

4/1/2009 4:50:42 AM

Hey guys... I am sorry I haven't responded but between her and my job, I have been quite busy or emotionally occupied LOL. But I want to thank you Elise for your suggestions. I have checked out a few of those. I will continue to check out more today and try to figure something out.

I am also going to call her diagnosis vet to check how long we can spare in order to save up this money. The only thing I can see being a problem is infections and the fact that that one side is dilated.

I'll keep you guys updated and hopefully I can get some good news...

Again thanks for your thoughts and prayers...

4/1/2009 9:03:53 AM

Jaeda underwent surgery yesterday and it went well. I called the vet this morning and she had a normal pee with no leaking :-) She is doped up on pain meds and antibiotics. They went ahead and took out her kidney and ureter. They also spayed her. The vet said they had to tack her bladder up quite a bit. They also noticed that the ureter connected to the bladder and pretty much it scaled the side of the bladder to the urethra and urine was pooling in the vagina. The problem they said she might run into is a weak sphincter and she may be placed on meds to help her tighten the sphincter.

I am sooooooo happy that she is ok. She is definitely a joy to be around and definitely makes everyone around her smile. I am sooo glad I could give her this opportunity to live a long and happy life :-)

4/16/2009 11:29:59 AM

^ if she does have sphincter problems....and meds dont help, there is another surgery (a balloon surgery) that can be done...it's only been done in like 10 dogs, but it's been successful in every one....just so you know... this dog had it done at state just recently (http://www.sevagrreat.org/special_needs/special.htm)


im glad to here it's going well though! good luck with her!

4/16/2009 6:32:52 PM

Thanks :-) I hope meds will be able to help her... I doubt I'll put her through any more surgeries... If she continues to dribble a little , I wont be too concerned.

But the vet just called me and said that she needs to stay another night because she cannot keep food down :-( I hope nothing is seriously wrong... I hope its just a reaction to the anesthesia.

4/17/2009 8:29:27 AM

They called me earlier and said that her other kidney is dilated and they think that this is do to a suture placed too tight. They put back under anesthesia to correct it... Damnit this bullshit... I really need some prayers so if you have like 5 seconds, please pray for my puppy

4/17/2009 10:44:58 AM

*praying for puppy*
good luck!

4/17/2009 12:38:22 PM

[breeder]

4/17/2009 12:41:11 PM

any updates on the little one?

4/19/2009 8:50:45 PM

I wanted to keep you guys updated but I figure I would wait until everything was pretty solid for her. But we brought her home Monday night. She is eating great and is starting to put weight back on. She has to be confined to the crate for most of the time. I will take her out every once in a while to get her circulation going. I feel pretty bad for her. But she doesnt seem to be in any pain so we have opted to not give her pain meds since they can make her sick to her stomach and I just don't want her poppin a ton of pills. Tomorrow we are taking her back to recheck her kidney levels. Everything below this paragraph involves a possible mal-practice case. I know its rather wordy so if you decide not to read it thats fine; but if you read it and can offer me advice or help in some way, it would be greatly appreciated.

Sooooo we dropped her off Wednesday at a specialty hospital and we were told if all went well, she would go home Friday. Wednesday evening after her surgery, the surgeon called and thought that she might have made the suture too tight, but thinks that she will be ok. In between those days, they noted several times that she was vomiting. They called Friday and stated that she was not doing well. They first did bloodwork which indicated that her kidney levels were off the charts. Her kidney levels before the surgery were perfect. They proceeded to do and ultrasound scan and saw that not only was there a suture obstructing her ureter and causing her kidney to become dilated, but somehow she got pnemonia from the vomiting. They went back in for a second surgery and it went well. They also were aggressive in treating the pnemonia. However, not only were her kidney levels still high (not nearly as high as before) but it tacked on about 1500.00 more to our bill. (And this didnt include the price of the surgery which was only 400.00) They didnt charge us for the surgery but they charged me for everything else following the surgery.
When we went to talk to the surgeon about this cost, she said that her kidney levels being as high as they were is due to kidney disease. I don't believe that because her kidney levels before the surgery were actually normal. I also read a few journals stating that acute obstruction can cause hydronephrosis and induce vomiting thus leading to pnemonia. I also read that this acute obstruction for 2 days should not cause permanant damage explaining the significant decrease in her kidney levels after fixing the suture. But her levels were still high. Permanant damage is said to occur after 2 weeks of obstruction.
I have a copy of her medical records and I basically went through the medical notations with a fine toothed comb and did some research to figure out what was going on; whether the surgeon's mistake lead to a cascade of unfortunate events or everything post 1st surgery is coincidental .
I honestly think that we shouldn't have to pay for everything that followed her mistake.
Am I justified in thinking this? And if they don't want to negociate with me, is this a case for malpractice?

[Edited on April 23, 2009 at 12:35 AM. Reason : ytuy]

4/23/2009 12:35:13 AM

when you go to pick your dog up, bring the best article that shows that their error is linked to hydronephrosis and pneumonia. highlight some of the most relevant bits. you will need to talk to the actual vet about this and not the lackeys, because its the vet you want to scare. however, i doubt they are going to be willing to settle on doing the whole thing for free because of the consent forms you must have signed. however, if you can get them down below a grand i think you should be pretty happy compared to 3500 or whatever you were looking at a couple months ago. be polite, but firm, and dont go into superbitch mode if they dont jump to accomodate you. you need to be able to get further vet care for your dog if she isnt totally cured by this surgery and you never know when you could be making yourself a name as a troublemaker in the vet community. on the flipside, when this is all over you should definitely tell us who the vet was so we can avoid them if they are anything less than apologetic.

4/23/2009 3:38:46 AM

Quote :

"I honestly think that we shouldn't have to pay for everything that followed her mistake. Am I justified in thinking this? And if they don't want to negociate with me, is this a case for malpractice?"

I agree with you. I don't really know how malpractice works in a vet situation. But it's definitely worth talking to them about it.

4/23/2009 3:51:58 AM

Quote :

"when you go to pick your dog up, bring the best article that shows that their error is linked to hydronephrosis and pneumonia."

Yeah I have quite a few peer reviewed articles that state that. Some are in humans and some are in dogs, but regardless they pretty much say the same thing. I guess thats one thing I took away from my defense is if you can back it up with scientific evidence and names, it shuts people up pretty quick.

We tabulated the bill up up until the morning she was suppose to come home and it came to 2500.00 which I am more than obliged to pay. Someone on the Labrador Forum brought up a good point about the consent form I signed stating that if there are complications .... etc etc... However, I fell like if the events proceeding her surgery were due to the obstruction aka the vet screwing up, then that contract is null.

But I went to Carolina Veterinary Specialists in case anyone else is thinking of taking their animal there. I think they are nice but Dr. Lew Jaeda's surgeon, I felt like she didn't care to really give us good updates and the vet techs I wouldn't expect to know everything about her and her recovery. But even when my boyfriend contacted her about Jaeda and the bill she was pretty sure that the change in her kidney levels was due to kidney disease and the reviews I read point to a different source. She also didn't want to talk to us about the surgery and give us many details. When I worked for a basic vet, she actually met with the patient's "parents" to talk about the surgery and the care needed for post opt surgery.

We go back to the vet today and yes we are disputing this bill for sure. I'll let you know the outcome. But after reading the sources, her kidney levels should eventually go back to normal. It may take a while... but who knows.

Aight please pray for her and myself

4/23/2009 9:30:20 AM

This just keeps getting worse and worse for you and your pup

Good luck, and I agree with GREEN JAY. !!

4/23/2009 10:36:56 AM

yikes, good luck.

poor pupster

4/23/2009 10:43:46 AM

I know thank you

Its frustrating because when we think that everything is going ok, all of a sudden something ELSE is wrong... one thing after the other...

But more than anything I am frustrated because it was a careless mistake... She indicated right after the surgery that she thought she may have made a mistake. And honestly, if that were me, I would have gotten a second opinion, done tests, do an ultrasound scan.. something to make sure I did the job right...

4/23/2009 11:11:46 AM

I don't know if she's talked to you about this...but a lot of time kidney values will read normal up until they are too far gone. I think like only 1/3 of the kidney actually has to be functional before you'll notice abnormal blood values...and then you may have to take into account that she's only working with one functional organ.


However, I think you're absolutely right about an obstruction being responsible for acute funky kidney levels...and if that truly was the cause for her current state, her body will rebound nicely!

4/24/2009 10:36:45 AM

Your dog Squirts ?

4/24/2009 3:09:39 PM

You should not have to pay for the doctor's error! I cannot believe that she didn't fix that immediately. I would get a second opinion ASAP (preferably at the vet school if possible). Document every conversation you have had with the veterinarian and tell her you will pay for the surgery but not the complications. Get a lawyer involved if you need to... I would be furious if I were you. Mistakes happen, but not at the expense of your pet's health or your wallet.

4/24/2009 4:39:03 PM

Well I got everything taken care of. I was able to talk to the vet about it and we came to an agreement.
Jaeda is doing great... In fact she really wants go wide ass open and I can't let her She wants to attack Jinzo every chance she gets.

The vet says to keep her calm for two weeks and I dunno if that is long enough for her. Her scar where her staples are are healing very nicely, but I am scared that if she gets too rough that something will get torn open inside of her. One thing I am afraid of is the suture hold her bladder up will come open. She's no ordinary puppy. She plays just about as rough as Jinzo if not rougher. So I am going to call the vet and see what that "two weeks" mean. If it were up to her, she would have gone all out the day after we brought her home

But she gained her weight back and then some. She weighed 38 lbs going into the surgery, 33 coming out and now she is up to 42!

Since she doesn't leak she isn't wearing a diaper which means we can catch her peeing on the rug. Sometimes she has a hard time holding til she gets to the door. But basically we are back to day one on the potty training... well maybe day 5. She slept with me in the bed too feels great to have a healthy puppy again.

The vet rechecked her kidney values and they are sitting at the high/normal range. We have been feeding her a high protein diet and she says that that can account for that, but she wants us to switch to adult food just in case and then recheck her kidney levels. I hate to switch her while she is still a puppy but I would rather do that then later find out that her levels are too high down the road.

4/27/2009 9:18:49 AM

glad to hear everything is working out

4/27/2009 9:41:06 AM

Welp... the Monster is finally almost back to 100% She still leaks just a little bit but not enough to be concerned about it. Once she I feel like her body is 100% recovered, I will prolly put her back on PPA to try and get those sphincters working again :-) So far no infections and no major complications. Still not 100% potty trained but she is doing well. Her first week, she had a few accidents but I think its because she was getting use to the idea of having a full bladder. Oh yeah... she discovered that she, too, can sit on the couch

5/5/2009 8:30:37 AM

^ That's great Glad to hear she's doing ok!

5/5/2009 8:36:25 AM

yay!

5/6/2009 8:13:52 AM

Quote :

"Oh yeah... she discovered that she, too, can sit on the couch"

i've never been a domestic canine, but i'm pretty sure that's the most glorious day of their lives.

5/6/2009 8:27:45 AM

great news! we need some more pics soon.

5/6/2009 9:20:21 AM

Welp Here are some pics of her. She is a few inches shorter than Jinzo and he weighs 65lbs




I have more but TWW is taking too long to upload on to the server.. I'll get more later :-)

5/6/2009 1:20:58 PM

Glad to see shes doing well.

5/6/2009 3:34:12 PM

haha! her little 'bracelets' are too cute!

5/7/2009 12:16:10 AM

Ha ha she looks like they gave her a backwards poodle haircut She had her staples removed like last week... She has been sleeping on her bed beside my bed :-)

5/7/2009 10:04:02 AM

^ Is she doing better with potty training?

Gambit is doing great, thanks to your's and LivinProof's tips!!

5/7/2009 10:17:35 AM

Glad Jaeda is doing better!!!

5/7/2009 12:15:07 PM

Thanks Jamie... Jaeda saw you the other day when we were on Hilsboro about to get on Gorman. She told me to tell you hi

No prob Samwise... Jaeda is actually doing very well with pee pee training... she leaks a little bit but not much

5/7/2009 1:34:37 PM