What do you think - which vet should I pick? :)

[coripc33]

Hello all, I have mentioned in my post about the spaying that I am oscillating between two vets for this procedure. The reason that I am even considering two vets is the following:
About 3 weeks ago my puppy jumped out of the car (parked car, before anyone is wondering if the car was moving - a lot of my friends asked me that ) and hurt her back leg. She was in tremendous pain, and I picked her up and went straight to her regular vet (with whom I had been very happy up until that point). It was a Sunday, and her regular vet was not there, but the emergency vet saw her. They took X-rays, and he told me that it seemed like there was a bone chip in her knee, but he wasn't sure. Just for good measure, he took X-rays of the other (good) leg, and the other one didn't look the same. Based on this, he said that she probably has a chipped bone, but he was going to leave the X-rays for the regular vet, and I was to call the next day after he was going to review the X-rays. He (the emergency vet) said that in all probability she was going to need surgery to remove the chip from the knee.
The next day I called the vet every hour throughout the whole morning. Eventually someone called me back (not the vet) and told me that it seemed that it was broken, but they weren't sure. They recommended that I kept her calm for the next week or so, and then bring her back and see if anything was different.
Now... I was really annoyed by this. I tried to get them to look at her again, but they said to wait for another week. It just didn't sound right to me (now, keep in mind she is my first dog), but I thought that, if something was broken, I wasn't going to wait around for another week. I talked about it with a bunch of people who have dogs, and everyone suggested to go for a second opinion. So I went to another vet.
The second vet took X-rays again (the first vet didn't send the X-rays to them), and they were positive when they said there was no broken bone. They said that it could look like it, but her bones are still growing, so that can be confusing (she showed it to me on the X-ray, it's just hard to explain here). They just said that it would go away, that it was probably just a ligament or pinched nerve, to just have her rest as much as possible. She said it would take between 2 and 4 weeks for her to be back to normal again. Both vets gave me Deramax (I hope that's how is spelled).
It's been almost 3 weeks, and she is using that leg almost perfectly now. She is still lifting it up and limps every once in a while (when she's tired), but I think she's going to be OK.
The first vet is just down the street, and he had been wonderful (for all shots) before this. Their facilities are great. The second one is way far away, downtown, but I liked that they were really helpful when I took her there. The facilities are smaller there, it looks like a tiny place, but I don't know if that matters much.
So... did I overreact with the first vet? In other words, would you go to the first vet after this, or would you definitely switch? I need to spay her next week (she will be 5 months old), and I need to make a decision on where to take her. Please help!

 

[lpollockandrsn]

From just this info, it sounds like the first vet was still on the right track and might have been telling you the same thing in a different way. The growth plates at the ends of long bones do look like they are 'seperate' in an xray and can be misleading. You can do damage to a growing bone if you try to interfere when it doesn't need it.
I would use whoever you get the best 'feel' from. Which office takes the time to answer your questions best, which one seems to enjoy seeing you and your puppy, which vet seems to have a more educated and professional feel.
I don't think smaller offices are a bad thing, it can be better overall as you may have more personal attention in a small place. Tho they may not have some of the fancier equipment for more involved procedures but that isn't important for her right now anyway.
I am sure she will be just fine...don't be too frustrated. You were right to get a second opinion when something is ambiguous like that but if overall you felt the first vet was straight forward and caring, and accurate then just weigh that in too. Good luck, I am sure she will be fine. I will keep you in my thoughts.

 

[yoko]

i admit that your other vet should have talked to you again if you still had doubts. but i think unless you were incredibly unsatisfied with their help you should continue to use the vet who you already have been using for a while

 

[casablanca1]

It sounds like the second vet communicated better, but that the real reason you liked them was that they were more certain of their opinion (which was probably easier for them b/c they were seeing the xrays later, and had more info) and because they explained their opinion better. I'd say do some research on both vets - services, hours, vets' training, affiliations with major vet hospitals, etc.) and if both can offer good basic service, then go with your gut instinct.

 

[coripc33]

Yes, that's exactly it, casablanca - the second vet was certain that nothing was broken, as opposed to the first vet's "it seems it's broken, but let's wait for a while". BTW, the X-rays were taken less than 24 hours apart, so I don't know what could have changed in that time, but who knows...
I will probably stick with the first vet for now, since they are just down the street, and the hours are great. But I will double check everything they tell me, because I think it's better to be annoying than sorry later on.

Thanks again to everybody, I am glad that I was only paranoid about the first vet. As I said, she's my first puppy ever, and I don't want to make any mistakes that can't be reversed.