Medical gobble-dee-gook
Yesterday morning, the dog couldn't walk without wobbling, and within a few minutes, she could barely get up. She was drooling puddles. I had never seen anything like it, and Barb was out of town, so I took her to the vet. Now, we don't have a regular vet for Lola yet, because she has been so "difficult" for the vet to examine. The vet we've been seeing must have been bitten by a dog, because she is very fearful of Lola (who is really a sweetheart, but stubborn) and wants us to sedate her. So I had to go to the emergency vet place, and take my chances with what vet I would see.
They admitted her and observed her the whole morning. They gave her IV fluids and put in a catheter. They x-rayed her, took blood tests, and so forth. They found nothing. They said she seemed worse than when I brought her in.
So, I had a chat with the vet. He was young and very very serious. He wore a white coat and was terse with the assistants in the office. Talking to him was like reading a medical textbook. He told me all of the things that these symptoms brought to mind, and then he told me what tests they had done for that possibility. His conclusion, since he couldn't find anything, was that it must be a neurological problem, and that I should take her to a specialist for more tests.
I have had pets all my life, and one thing I have learned is that most things resolve in a day or two.. or they don't, and then you need help. I kept trying to get a feel from him about whether he thought this illness fell into that category, of "wait and see", or if we needed to put her in a doggy ambulance and rush her off to UC Davis. I asked him what he would do if she were his dog. I suggested that I bring her home and wait a day. He refused to let me get a reaction from him. He kept repeating his technical terms and sounded for all the world like a doctor who is afraid he'll get sued for malpractice if he didn't prepare me for the worst.
I discussed it with Barb and we decided to bring Lola home. At home, she ate and drank and seemed very happy. After a bit, she tried to get up and was able to sit. She even staggered around the backyard, and finally was able to pee. This morning she seems much better.
Our neighbor's tree is dropping walnuts, and he suggested that Lola may have walnut poisoning. I looked it up online and found that the symptoms are drooling and lack of coordination, and could even cause seizures if enough are eaten. I can't really blame the vet for not knowing about every possibility, but he didn't talk to me about poison. It's much more likely that our young dog chewed up stuff she shouldn't have, than for her to suddenly develop a syndrome that only old dogs get over time. Even I know that, and I didn't have to run any tests to come to that conclusion.
I think that this time, my tendancy to go with my gut, instead of the medical establishment, seems to have been the right way. When doctors talk gobble-dee-gook instead of coming from their heart, I have to listen to myself instead.
They admitted her and observed her the whole morning. They gave her IV fluids and put in a catheter. They x-rayed her, took blood tests, and so forth. They found nothing. They said she seemed worse than when I brought her in.
So, I had a chat with the vet. He was young and very very serious. He wore a white coat and was terse with the assistants in the office. Talking to him was like reading a medical textbook. He told me all of the things that these symptoms brought to mind, and then he told me what tests they had done for that possibility. His conclusion, since he couldn't find anything, was that it must be a neurological problem, and that I should take her to a specialist for more tests.
I have had pets all my life, and one thing I have learned is that most things resolve in a day or two.. or they don't, and then you need help. I kept trying to get a feel from him about whether he thought this illness fell into that category, of "wait and see", or if we needed to put her in a doggy ambulance and rush her off to UC Davis. I asked him what he would do if she were his dog. I suggested that I bring her home and wait a day. He refused to let me get a reaction from him. He kept repeating his technical terms and sounded for all the world like a doctor who is afraid he'll get sued for malpractice if he didn't prepare me for the worst.
I discussed it with Barb and we decided to bring Lola home. At home, she ate and drank and seemed very happy. After a bit, she tried to get up and was able to sit. She even staggered around the backyard, and finally was able to pee. This morning she seems much better.
Our neighbor's tree is dropping walnuts, and he suggested that Lola may have walnut poisoning. I looked it up online and found that the symptoms are drooling and lack of coordination, and could even cause seizures if enough are eaten. I can't really blame the vet for not knowing about every possibility, but he didn't talk to me about poison. It's much more likely that our young dog chewed up stuff she shouldn't have, than for her to suddenly develop a syndrome that only old dogs get over time. Even I know that, and I didn't have to run any tests to come to that conclusion.
I think that this time, my tendancy to go with my gut, instead of the medical establishment, seems to have been the right way. When doctors talk gobble-dee-gook instead of coming from their heart, I have to listen to myself instead.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, September 16, 2004 at 8:37 AM.
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Doctors floor me anyway, with their attitudes that they actually know what is going on. I don't have experience with the vets, but I still remember the extremely wise last response from my surgeon who tried to fix my knee, and it turned out to be true! He ACTUALLY TRULY told me, "Your leg will either stay the same, get better or get worse."