Me & My Vet, We're Like This

Because I don't care about my dogs, I waited almost 2 weeks before taking one of our girls to the vet.

She developed a slight limp, nothing major. She still plays tag with her sister (really, she does), she still manages to jump on the couch when we're not looking and she still runs through the yard like her tail is on fire.

So I waited. I figured it was a sprain. But it didn't get better. I parted her toes, checked her nails, prodded her pads and gave her leg a good feel-down.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zip.

And I waited. She was running, playing and jumping. She was also limping. Sometimes ever so slightly, sometimes she'd sit with her leg held up in the air. So after almost 2 weeks I figured that whether it was a sprain, splinter or stress fracture it was time to have it looked at.

The vet poked, prodded and pinched. He determined that it was her shoulder giving her problems. He explained a condition where the cartilage can cause problems in growing puppies. He took her back for x-rays.

Micah and I waited. He jumped on my lap. He walked on the benches. He did somesaults on the filty-nasty floor. He played with my lip gloss. He drew scribbled masterpieces on a receipt from my wallet. He screamed and cried because our dog was still in the back and I was doing nothing to rescue her.

And then we were summoned. I was showed x-rays. There was nothing to see but excellent bone structure. Our dog has a sprain and I paid the better part of $100 to be told that.

But the good news is that since I'm on a first-name basis with my vet and the entire office staff (they even ask about Micah's development every time I'm in) I'm now in the Frequent Flyer Program. This is something to be proud of. (NOT!) It's not like I alone haven't paid to fund the new addition they're building to the office. But because of this first-name, let-me-just-hand-over-my-paycheck relationship we have going on I am now entitled to sample drugs. I can't imagine what my bill would be if I had to pay for every prescription.

If only I didn't care so much.

25 comments:

Pam said...

it sounds like taking kids to the doctor!

KG said...

Aww - don't you love paying a ton of money for nothing? Vets and kids - it's all the same!

OHmommy said...

I am so glad I twit now.... I saw you had another vet bill. ;)

lindsey said...

Vet bills are so expensive. I love my vet so much though, it's worth it. It's hard not to care so much.

So we finally got the Kirby guy down to $800, he started at $2195... I mean give me a break. And I'm seeing what you mean about the tip thing, I shouldn't have offered it to him. However, last night I noticed he must have dropped it on his way out the door. I got it back! Yay!

Momisodes said...

Ugh. I hate it when that happens. It's like paying a $50 co-pay to hear your doctor say you have a cold. Uh...thanks!
At least you're getting some free drugs ;)

Wineplz said...

what a pretty girl! I nearly forgot you had Cavalier King Charles Spaniels! My mom has one...he's awful pretty, too. :)

I love "she still runs through the yard like her tail is on fire"...I am still laughing about that. That's the best possible way to describe how my dogs run through the yard sometimes, except that mine don't have tails. :)

And yeah, obviously you don't care about your dogs...you meanie, you.

Wineplz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrea said...

I am like you! I have a dog that was like my first child, and he has been limping forever now and I refuse to take him to the vet. He still eats. Am I heartless, uhm.....maybe. But I am still recovering from my emergency visit with him and the hip surgery on our lab. Come one what does he expect of me??? :) I am glad she just has a sprain! I was expecting to see a corgi!! LOL!!

pb&j in a bowl said...

She is so pretty. I keep saying that my next dog is going to be a Cavalier King Charles. Love them!

Shellie said...

What a cute doggy!

Michelle said...

Cute dog... and hopefully the sprain heals soon.

And thanks for reminding me the cats are due for their annual vet visit. Last month.

Kellan said...

Don't you hate when that happens! She's a cutie.

Take care- Kellan

Jenny P. said...

Okay, first off, those kids up there at the top of the page... they are all beautiful. Love the look of your blog. And the dog is cute too... though if I had to put in a vote, I would vote for the kids. I hate paying lots of money to be told something that I probably already knew... but how can we not pay it? Because what if there is something wrong, and we don't do anything about it? How responsible are we then?

I hope you get to keep your next paycheck. I just surrendered almost one entire check to the dentist. Three kids for cleaning and xrays... it'll near kill ya!

Debbie @ Three Weddings said...

Yeah, you're pretty heartless.

Madame Queen said...

I can't believe you haven't cared yourself into the poorhouse! What with all the pets and all the vet bills.

Anonymous said...

The receptionist at our vet's office always whispers the grand total. Then I can't hear her, so I whisper back, "How much?" and she whispers a little louder. It's such a silly little dance we do while my dog is peeing on their floor.

Burgh Baby said...

You get free sample meds? DUDE! I got a whole list of samples you need. Eye goop, allergy pills, and crap for allergy hot spots. You could save me a fortune if you sampled all the possibilities.

Flea said...

Will they give you free grooming tools and floor swiffering supplies too? :)

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear she's okay. I always took mine to my mom's vet, who was a good old boy & never charged more than a little above cost. Everything was almost cheap it was so inexpensive. The one time I took her to a vet here? Cost four times as much. Lesson learned!

Spammon said...

Ya know, my dog has half a tooth up in the front and the nerve is showing. The vet said it would be about $700 to fix it. Guess what...that dog is going to have to deal with a broken tooth. Because I got my own dental work that needs to be done!

AutoSysGene said...

Poor puppy! I hope your doggy feels better soon!

caramama said...

$100 for piece of mind, though. That is worth it, isn't it?

We are on first name basis with our vet's office too, mainly because we have to get the cat's medicine mixed up there every month. And the dog always has issues.

Hope your doggie gets better soon!

Cecily R said...

I am such a wuss parent that I can't imagine adding another kid/pet to the mix. Poor puppy! Poor owner who has to pay $100 to be told what she already knew! Poor owner's kid who has to somersault on an icky floor!!

jessica said...

is there really a frequent flyer program? and i HATE icky public floors. gah.

Becoming Mommy said...

We're like that with ours too.

One time Kerry decided to have a full on grand mal seizure and then not regain conciousness...until I had packed the baby and the other dog into the car (because the other dog is not able to be trusted w/o Kerry around) and we drove the 40 minutes and pulled into a space at the clinic.

Vet did many tests to determine she hadn't a clue what happened, but she was fine now.