Personally, I'd get a second set of eyes to look at any and all records before proceeding with surgery and such. Just to be sure.
Sorry to hear about your little dog's problems.Our dog Charlie, a 5.5 year old Bichon Frise has recently been seen by our vet, and after x-rays, etc. been diagnosed with hip dysplasia in both hips. His limp is particularly pronounced on his right hand side He's always had a bit of a 'John Wayne' style to his walk and I suspect we're now finding out why.
This was about a month ago, and Charlie is currently on previcox and a joint supplement (Yumove) and has just had his first acupuncture session today (we’re currently on a 3 week waiting list to commence hydrotherapy)
Unfortunately the anti-inflammatories have had no effect and if anything he has got worse over the last month. We have already discussed with our vet the possibility of a Femoral head and neck excision arthroplasty.
Charlie is c. 8.2 kg so we have been told that he would be a reasonable candidate for this surgery as opposed to a total hip replacement.
We have pet insurance and our claim has been accepted. and whilst this is a lifetime policy, it has an annual limit per condition of £2,000. This doesn't go far of course and we've spent c. £850 just getting to this point.
When discussing the FHO op, our vet is suggesting a figure of c. £1800 and I have no idea whether this is about right or a tad expensive. I had a quick look online and the only place I could find with prices listed on the website was Towcester Vets. Admittedly there are 1.5 hours down the road, but the est. cost is £600-£800 and they take surgical referrals from other vets seemingly!
So my questions are, and sorry it's taken me so long to get to the point, has anyone got any experience of using another vet to carry out an operation? Does the 'local' vet who undertook the initial investigation generally co-operate with sharing copies of the x-rays, etc.? And are we possibly even jumping the gun a little with regards to considering an op when the condition was only diagnosed a month ago?
All in all, I'm thoroughly confused and a work colleague of mine mentioned this as an excellent site, where others may be able to offer some practical advice.
Thanks for reading this far - I'm sure I've read shortly books.
Regards Pete
That's a new one on me...could you name one of these insurance companies to see if they could help the OP?.....but there is always the option of finding pet insurance willing to cover pre-existing conditions.
Wow! Are you a vet? Are you in the UK? Your comments are quite scary - carelessness, not understanding the anatomy, not having the right tools = disastrous results.when you can afford it, a very experienced surgeon is always preferable (I would personally rather have a surgeon do this surgery than have myself do it, even though I have done dozens and all worked out well... but surgeons just do these better with the best/fastest recovery possible. Even though an FHO in a smaller dog is not a terribly complicated surgery, sometimes a major nerve can be damaged, or a bone shattered, if one is careless or does not understand the anatomy perfectly or have all the proper tools.... with disastrous results.
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and taking the time to respond.Sorry to hear about your little dog's problems.
Who is your insurer? Some will only allow referals to vets on their list. When is your insurance renewal date? If it is close - you could claim the money spent so far now, then wait till you go into the new year so you would have £2000 to spend on the surgery itself.
Surgery comes with scary complications, I'm an Aussie registered podiatrist which means I can perform small uncomplicated surgeries. To gain informed consent I need to make sure the patient is aware of all possible complications, including and not limited to infection, poor aesthetic results and cardiac arrest even though I only use local anesthesia. My point is this; carelessness, not understanding anatomy and not having the right tools are valid concerns in any surgery but especially when vets generalize in so many areas.Wow! Are you a vet? Are you in the UK? Your comments are quite scary - carelessness, not understanding the anatomy, not having the right tools = disastrous results.
Thanks for your response. I had no idea that surgery can be perfomed by those not qualified as doctors/vets. I believe in the UK all surgery can only be done by doctors/vets.Surgery comes with scary complications, I'm an Aussie registered podiatrist which means I can perform small uncomplicated surgeries. To gain informed consent I need to make sure the patient is aware of all possible complications, including and not limited to infection, poor aesthetic results and cardiac arrest even though I only use local anesthesia. My point is this; carelessness, not understanding anatomy and not having the right tools are valid concerns in any surgery but especially when vets generalize in so many areas.
In any form of surgery, if the person performing it does not make you feel comfortable get a second opinion.
Thanks for educating me!I'm fully qualified according to UK standards, a bunch of my lecturers specialised in wound care and PNA surgery through the NHS. Pods and Dentists also have surgical rights, I think people just don't come across us as much as doctors and vets.
Took a bit, but there is bad and good news with what I said. With the exception of the 25% off deal I mentioned (at petassure.com) virtually no one accepts a pre-existing condition. Sorry I jumped the gun and assumed. HOWEVER the ASPCA, for example, covers ongoing care and hereditary conditions up to $5,000 (some 3700 pounds). They also claim to cover a re-emergence of a condition if 180 days have passed.That's a new one on me...could you name one of these insurance companies to see if they could help the OP?.....but there is always the option of finding pet insurance willing to cover pre-existing conditions.