Cut it Out? Not Yet!

My head is spinning. This is a frantic week for me. I thought I was going to have to my dog, Marley go under the knife again. The growth he had on his hip returned. For some reason, I failed to mention this before, so I will fill you in.
When we first got Marley back in late October, he had a growth on his hip. The woman that gave him to us said that the vet didn't think it was a big deal. Not long, he began to mess with it. He would lick and chew till finally it started leaving little doggy fluid tracks all over the place. I took him to the vet where they removed it and told me that it was due to some foreign material that was a result of a puncture wound. They cleaned it out and it healed up okay.

I noticed last week that the growth came back and he started messing with it again. I took him to the vet and they recommended that it be cleaned out AGAIN with the additional cost of about $500. This was very troublesome. I didn't really have the money nor did I want Marley to have to go through the ordeal again. I started him on antibiotics Friday.

I told the vet of my theory about how they probably didn't get all the foreign matter out last time and it festered up again around the fragment. She didn't like that theory, but was not offering a theory of her own. I told her that I couldn't afford to do the surgery every couple of months. She agreed but offered nothing of any value.

Last night, I noticed that the growth was smaller and it was draining. I took him to the vet for the appointed surgery and told them unless there was a compelling reason to do the surgery TODAY, I was going to take Marley home and keep an eye on it. That is just what I did.

This has been the first time that I have been flirting at discontentment with this vet. There are four doctors that work there and I seem to get a different one each time I come in. I am not thrilled about that. Now, I am wondering about the competence of some of them and the ethics of others. I don't REALLY think they are incompentant or unethical, but this situation makes me uncomfortable all the way around. I know that medical work isn't guaranteed, but there should be some kind of compassion for the pocketbooks of those that struggle yet give their pets priority.

If only I could put Marley on my med plan at work!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff - the next time you take Marley to the vet, if the growth is still there, ask them to biopsy a sample. I took my cat in with an abscess that we thought came from a tick bite that got infected. They gave him an antibiotic, but it didn't clear up. When I took him back, the doctor took a sample just to see and discovered a rare (for cats) kind of skin cancer. We had surgery for him, but didn't get it all. A month later he had to have another surgery, but it was all down hill after that. Tux was my loving companion for 16 years, still sharp as a tack and would have hung around much longer if we'd caught it earlier.

Not to scare you or anything, but if it's a recurring problem, it bears looking into.

Anonymous said...

Sayre, you are scaring me! My family has lost a few dogs in the recent months and I am beginning to think that we are cursed.

Actually, I think they did a biopsy when they removed it the first time. I know I paid a fortune for some test. You can bet I am going to watch it like a hawk.

Tai said...

It's tough isn't it?
I hope Marley makes a full recovery this time, and is never troubled with this again.

(and thanks for your very kind comment...you just made my day!)

Bon & Mal Mott said...

It's true, Jeff, just as with doctors, there are vets with varying skills in the profession. I think all pet owners can relate at least one horror story. We wish Marley well, and hope this little nastiness will clear up with no ill effects.

Bonnie and Walt

Anonymous said...

Marley is such a pretty dog.. I hope the antibiotics work!! Maybe you should call and see if that biopsy was done and what the results were.. i know if they do a full blood workup it's like about 200.00 so they may have done only that.

My brother and David have 9 cats.. most are pretty old now... you don't want to hear some of the bills I know of that they've had from the cats!!! (most expensive strays in the world i'm sure!)

Chris said...

Poor Marley! When I was a teenager, my dog (husky/collie mix) developed a fatty tumor on his chest but given his advanced age, the vet advised us not to remove it. Good luck Marley!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!
Chris
My Blog

Charles said...

Hope that Marley is doing better and that the swelling will go away Jeff. Hope that it's nothing serious and that Marley will be Chasing his tail rather than messing with the growth.

Anonymous said...

Poor Marley! I do hope that he'll be ok. He is a beautiful dog.