BARF just cost me $100

[blessedwithboys]

I've been trying really hard to get this right, but after what happened this week I think I will be sticking strictly to commercial raw food.

I gave my toy poodle some pork neck bones. She handles chicken wings and drumettes with no trouble, so I thought these little meaty bones would be ok. Boy was I wrong! Tuesday evening she started to whine for no apparent reason. I wanted to give her once over to try to find what was hurting, and she needs a comb-out every day, so I got the comb and gently started going over her from back to front, as her face and ears are her most sensitive areas. As soon as I pointed her head up to comb under her chin she began crying. I felt a big lump in her left cheek.

I got the kids to sleep and then took her to an all-night emergency vet one town over and the pulled a jagged piece of bone out of her gum. She was bleeding in her mouth and they were worried about infection due to her bad teeth. I passed on the antibiotic shot and have just been giving her lots of acidophilus since then and she is ok. The pain seemed to vanish as soon as the piece of bone was removed.

The bill came to $106, but I pointed out that the $6 "hazardous material disposal" charge was bogus since the vet just threw the bone fragment and the bloddy gauze into the room's wastepaper basket. So I paid $100.

This single mama has decided that she will still to commerically-prepared raw food from now one, with an occasional beef rib. Vegas can't crack a beef rib, so I'm confortable with that, but no more chicken wings straight from the package. The stuff I buy has ground bone, and I think I'll leave it at that.

Oh, BTW, when the vet asked where she found the bone, I lied and said she must have scrounged it from the grass outside while on a walk with my son! I didn't need any crap about BARF froma strange vet. LOL

[Nicole915]

I'm so sorry your dog ended up in the ER, that is stressful for everyone involved. Don't beat yourself up, there usually has to be an underlying issue for a bone to become lodged like that, hopefully you'll see your rDVM this week for a follow up to address her teeth/gums.

If you're passing on the abs due to personal reasons, thats cool... but if its a cost thing, ask them to call in a script to someplace like Meijer or Walmart that have the free antibiotic prescriptions. Also, next time fess up to the vet, but be firm about not wanting to debate the merits of your feeding choice, as he's not your normal vet. (I would, however, encourage you to talk to your regular DVM about how appropriate it is for your dog considering her dental condition, as that is why you pay her the small bucks!) I can only speak for myself, but knowing that the dog was on a barf diet might have changed my focus during the exam, and I know I've thrown in some occasional free blood work for good clients who raw feed because its important. Not every vet is going to fire you as a client for feeding raw, most of us just want you to make an informed choice, and to illustrate that there is a difference between 'research' done via the internet based on testimonials and raw peer reviewed science.

Hopefully they sent you home with some pain meds for her, poor puppy. Wishing you the best!

(*I'm not your vet, and this isn't medical advice*)

[blessedwithboys]

i did get a rx that i took to walgreens but they told me they didnt know what clavamox was and woul dcall the vet and find out, but they havent called yet to let me know if they can fill it. i just refused the shot b/c it was $40.

i dont think she's in any pain, though. i've been able to comb her since and i even got her to let me hold her mouth open to look and it looks pretty good.

i know she need a dental, but i've had more than a few vets locally tell me they wont anesthetize (sp?) such a small dog except for a 911, and she wont go for a standing dental, so i guess i'll have to start looking harder or maybe look in a bigger town with more prgressive vets.

[phatchristy]

http://www.petzlife.com/

Just wanted to throw this up here, I heard about this product a few years ago and a woman I know uses it for her dog and she was able to avoid getting a dental cleaning. It was reccommended by her vet. They now sell it through some of the vet supply catalogs online too (I think it's either KV vet supply or revival animal health).

So sorry about the dog, I'm so amazed it's so cheap at your emergency vets! Here it's $200 just to walk in the door!

[blessedwithboys]

hey, for $30 that gel looks like it worth a try. i will def. order some. the first time i gave vegas a beef rib with a bit of meat on it, she went crazy (she absolutely is not interested in toy chewies and doesnt really chase balls or play with any kins of toy at all) the bone was really rough after she chawed on it and it managed to knock off huge chunks of calculus that were on her fangs when i adopted her. the plaque is starting to come back though, so i think i'll give her another rib while iwait for the gel stuff to arrive and see wht happens.

thx!

[Ola_]

That sounds scary! Sadly freak accidents happen, whether with raw bones or chewed up tennis balls or whathaveyou. I'm surprised though that they won't do a dental just because of her size - tooth infections can spread to the whole body and cause a lot of problems. I hope you can find something that will help with her toofers!

[Nicole915]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

i did get a rx that i took to walgreens but they told me they didnt know what clavamox was and woul dcall the vet and find out, but they havent called yet to let me know if they can fill it. i just refused the shot b/c it was $40.

Clavamox is labeled "Augmentin" on human side. Its amoxicillin with clavulanate added as a potentiator. You might be able to give the emergency vet a call, and as for something more accessible human side at the dose you're looking for. I usually script out clindamycin in this sort of situation, as most human pharmacies have it in liquid as well as capsule.

Its really strange that they won't do a anesthesia dental on your dog, we do them all the time on very very tiny pups, but I suppose that there is something to be said for the vet only working within his comfort zone. If you look up an AAHA hospital in your area, I suspect anyplace with that designation will do a propofol + iso/sevo monitored dental. Please keep in mind that just like you, the calculus isn't really the issue, its the structural integrity of the tooth. While getting the nasty brown stuff off is good, the real issue is how the tooth is, not how it looks.

Hugs to the dog!

[blessedwithboys]

Originally Posted by Nicole915

Its amoxicillin with clavulanate added as a potentiator.

i dont understand a word of that LOL but i guess i dont have to. i can call walgreens and let them know. the girl at the drive through window honestly struck me as kind dumb, and i would have gone in to talk to the pharmacist, but i had the dog with me...couldnt take her in, didnt want to leave her alone in the car, even at 11pm.

its been almost a week now. is there really any point in doing the antibx? i'm not opposed to responsible use of them, but i loaded her up with probio's and kept on feeding her raw, just ground turkey that would be easy on her mouth. she is eating fine and her activity level is normal. i dont think shes having any infection issues...

[Nicole915]

Man, its so hard to tell without seeing the actual mouth. Honestly if it was my dog or my patient, I'd err on the side of caution, just because some of the infections that can occur in the mouth are stealthy and will hide until they're a huge issue. Because the tooth can abscess without you seeing it, the infection can run up into the bones of the skull, and in rare cases into the brain. If you're on the fence, call your regular vet, and get her opinion (and maybe a different antibiotic, depending on how much augmentin costs).

And yes, some of the people who work in pharmacies are really really not bright. The actual pharmacist is usually an awesome resource, but the clerks can be just people hired off the street, they aren't necessarily pharmacy techs.

Best of luck!