Vet advice

Beanie

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#1
Not advice from a vet, advice about a vet LOL.

So Auggie has been pestering me to go outside over and over tonight and just a while ago he peed on the floor.

This is not exactly surprising or unusual for him of course. But we haven't had any issues since his ultrasound at the university about 7 months ago or so.

If I want to have his urine tested for a UTI at my new vet I have to take him in and pay for a vet visit plus the culture.
If I want to have his urine tested for a UTI at my old vet all I have to do is take in a sample and pay for the culture.

I have left my old vet for a variety of reasons I don't really want to detail here, but one of which involves the mishandling of Payton when he had clostridium. I obviously don't really want to use my old vet anymore but the new vet insisted last time Georgie had a UTI that they couldn't treat her without giving her an exam. So I just took her urine to the old vet, he ran the culture, said "Yep UTI" and gave me meds for her. Way cheaper obviously (not to mention my new vet is also expensive just for an office visit.)


What should I do? Take yet another hit to my bank account and dish out nearly $100 to take Auggie to the new vet... or use the vet I really don't like anymore but only pay about $45?
I've been thinking of trying to find another vet as well but it's really hard to find a vet I trust here. There are so many I do NOT trust, it's hard to know what to do.

I could call the new vet's office and ask them if they REALLY have to see Auggie... his urinary history is in is file (I went to the old vet and got copies of all that stuff for them so we could have it. I also have copies of my own.) It's not like this is new or unusual. Honestly if I called my old vet he might just give me an rx without even running a culture (well, maybe not now since I believe he knows I've switched vets.)

I just dunno what to do. =< Poor guy. He has to sleep in the crate until we get this cleared up again. *sigh*
 

JessLough

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#2
I'd go to the old vet. I mean, you just want to test for something specific.. so it's an easy yes or no answer. If that doesn't get you anywhere and you need to test further, I'd go to the new one at that time.
 

Saeleofu

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#3
Has the new vet seen Auggie ever? If they have, I'd at least call and see if they'd do it without an exam. I know in my state, we legally cannot prescribe meds if we haven't done an exam within the past year.

If they won't do it, I'd consider using the old vet. The only question is, is it worth the $50, to you, to give the old vet your business? If you're okay with it from an ethics standpoint, then fine, do it.

Also, vibes for poor Auggie. Pee problems are no fun at all.
 

Beanie

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#4
Has the new vet seen Auggie ever? If they have, I'd at least call and see if they'd do it without an exam. I know in my state, we legally cannot prescribe meds if we haven't done an exam within the past year.
They saw him only a few weeks ago for his annual. I could see the legalities of not having seen the patient in a period of time; the girl at the desk with Georgie made it sound like they ALWAYS had to do an exam. In fact she didn't even want to run the urine without them seeing her - she said they could make an exception and run it, but if it came back with anything they'd have to see her before giving her any meds...

If the case here is they have to have done an exam within a year... well, I guess Auggie is still covered because I think it was August when the old doc did the ultrasound and everything so we should be good. I just checked the vet practice laws for Illinois and I don't see anything like that though... it only talks about labeling bottles and such.

I think I will call the new vet in the morning since they did just see him a few weeks ago. Maybe I can get away with it. I think they know me pretty well by now to know I'm not an idiot. And they always tell me my dogs should be poster children for what everybody elses shelties should look like. =P
 

Fran101

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#5
You are in the same kind of situation as me!! LOL

I still use my old vet (whom I don't really love) for testing that don't involve anything too invasive or really anyone handling Merlin beyond a basic blood tests (fecals, uti tests, blood tests, etc...)

and if there is anything, I report back to new vet with the results and a plan of action is taken and Merlin gets the exam.

Was it awkward at first? YUP. Explaining to old vet that I was going to new vet for treatment and care and explaining to new vet that I was going to old vet for tests.. but at the end of the day I was just blunt "You are less expensive, but the other vet is closer" (lie, but I didn't want to say "they are better lol) and "you are the vet I trust with Merlin's care but their testing prices are more competitive"

Paying office visits when you don't have to, sucks. I was just like "look, I can't afford to bring Merlin in and pay an office visit every time I think Merlin's poop is weird. I'm paranoid. I think Merlin's poop is weird about once a week."
At the old vet fecal testing is $10 lol sooo...
 

Beanie

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#6
That's a really good way to put in Fran, I may do that! The other wrinkle is I could say I'm going to use them for UAs because Auggie's history with urinary problems is all there and doc knows the situation better than these people do... so for a UA I will continue to bring him there since he knows the whole story? That is not entirely untrue, I did think about how irritating it was going to be to switch vets when I've spent two years with these guys dealing with all of Auggie's urinary troubles and now I'm switching to a vet who has no idea of his history.

If he ever asked me about it I was just going to tell him that the new vet is close to my new house, which is absolutely true. I really don't want to get into a confrontation about some of the questionable things that have cropped up. =P
 

CaliTerp07

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#7
For $55, I think I'd just go to one vet. It's not worth awkwardness and stress to me to save that. If it was going to turn into surgeries and overnight care and thousands, sure...but for $55, I'll just be a chicken and go to new vet only.

If the $55 is a big deal though, just go back to old vet and be braver than me. :D
 

Beanie

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#8
Unfortunately $55 is a lot of money to me. =/

I called the old vet and the tech who has been there forever answered. I asked her if she wanted me to bring a sample or if I could just do some abx and she said given his history, if we want to just do some abx that was fine. So at lunchtime I will go run over and get some abx and get him on those right away, and we'll just run a recheck afterward.

It is nice to have a history with a vet's office so... I appreciate that, LOL. Auggie's breeder agreed that for just a UA using them was probably no big deal. So I think I will stick with them for his urinary stuff and not sweat it unless they give me reason to do so.
 

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