So my dog develops a limp, and is walking on 3 legs.
I tell the vet it's been like that for 2 days, and could be as a result of the missus catching him with the vacuum cleaner, which had caused him some pain.
I write a list of everything I want checking, from testicals to nails etc, and mention at the bottom that some more Loxicom (pain killer for dogs) is required, to help him out, as he has a bit of arthritis.
The vet then tells me (despite the info I've given him) that he fears the dog has a shoulder tumour, and that he 'must' take x-rays, and that it could result in amputation, or having to have him put down, and some blood tests would need to be done. The cost would be about £250 (that's a lot for me) especially as the consultation, meds, etc are still to come.
So concerned that my dog could have cancer, and is now desperate to have the tests, I agree, just like any owner would. I then spend the rest of the day in pieces, concerned that my dog might have to be put down, and how I am going to explain it to my family.
Then it struck me that why would he be telling me that the dog could have a life threatening problem, rather than just tell me he would like to investigate, so I'm sceptical. Sure enough, that afternoon, the vet phones me up to tell me not to panic, and that they've run the tests and he in fact doesn't have the tumour.
He suggests that we put the dog on painkillers (as I suggested in the first instance) and see how he goes.
I ask about the blood test results, but all very vague, so then I ask about the x-ray that has just cost me £250 but no pictures for me to see, and all very vague.
At this point, I challenge the vet, and tell him I think he is stinging me for unnecessary work, and question why it had not been proposed that we put the dog on painkillers for a few days and see how he shapes up. I'd phoned another vet surgery during the day to ask how they might have dealt with it, as I was suspicious, and they felt the same as me.
Without much of a fight, the vet asks me how much I am prepared to pay, and offers to remove the costs of the x-ray, which I thought was fair enough, but it still left me feeling I'd been taken for a mug, and my dog still came out in exactly the same condition as he went in.
Not a happy day yesterday.