I have to make a decision by 8:00 p.m. today and I don't have the first clue what to do. Spent my day dealing with this, crying over it, upset and pissed off, and I don't even know how it became MY 
problem!!
My blind husband retired his nine-year-old guide dog last week because the dog was showing signs of arthritis. The dog is scheduled to go back to his puppy raisers this Friday to live out his retirement with them.
Two days ago, the dog quit eating, became lethargic, kept trying to poop, couldn't. I took him to the vet today, and after examining him and performing labwork and x-rays, she is convinced he has Addison's Disease. The necessary additional diagnostics plus overnight hospitalization for IV fluids and monitoring will work out to around $2000 or more.
I called the vet at Guiding Eyes and not only does he refuse to believe the dog could have Addison's (simply because the disease is so rare, NOT based on symptoms and test results), he refuses to help AT ALL. My vet says Addison's is easy to manage and the prognosis is great, but the treatment is expensive for a dog this size (about $300 for a monthly injection) and she would rather take the dog herself than see him potentially put down because of it. Guiding Eyes WILL NOT help with funds because the dog is retired, but they also WILL NOT allow the vet to take the dog! I asked the GEB vet if they had a fund to support chronic medical conditions for adopters because I know the puppy raisers can't afford that kind of monthly expense, and the GEB vet refused to even discuss it with me! He yelled at me that it was premature to even bring it up without a diagnosis, but he's fighting even having the diagnostic tests done. I told him my vet would happily take the dog if the puppy raiser couldn't afford him, and he still didn't care. I also told him I could not afford a $2000 vet bill for a dog that technically does not belong to us and for whom we are not allowed to make necessary decisions.
So the GEB vet told me to keep the dog hospitalized on supportive care with no further diagnostics at all, and this weekend someone would come get him and take him to New York for diagnosis. This is not a good solution for several reasons: 1) IV fluids for the next three days are an inadequate treatment and the dog would probably die anyway; 2) hospitalization for the rest of the week would actually exceed the $2,000 for diagnostic tests, overnight hospitalization and initial treatment; and 3) I am concerned that this vet, who is being so unreasonable and callous, will not run the necessary tests and/or will euthanize the dog if Addison's (or another costly chronic disorder) is diagnosed.
My vet here has spoken with the GEB vet and he is being obstructionist to her as well as to me. She says the guy was almost impossible to her on the phone, even though she has the credentials and considerable specialist experience to back up her decisions and diagnosis. He cares more about the bottom line than about the dog, clearly.
I am supposed to take the dog from the vet over to a 24-hour hospital at 8:00 p.m. tonight. I have no idea how I am going to afford it, but the alternative is to bring the dog home and watch him suffer and deteriorate until Friday. I am absolutely sick about this. The thing that pisses me off the most is what a total jackass the GEB vet is being! He's been unreasonable enough in the past that our vet had to write him letters saying that his recommendations (such as how much the dog should weigh) were unhealthy, but this is just unbelievable. He's acting like an animal that worked well all of his life is completely disposable in retirement! I'm not at all a confrontational person, but I am looking forward to chewing that GEB a new one tomorrow. 
problem!!My blind husband retired his nine-year-old guide dog last week because the dog was showing signs of arthritis. The dog is scheduled to go back to his puppy raisers this Friday to live out his retirement with them.
Two days ago, the dog quit eating, became lethargic, kept trying to poop, couldn't. I took him to the vet today, and after examining him and performing labwork and x-rays, she is convinced he has Addison's Disease. The necessary additional diagnostics plus overnight hospitalization for IV fluids and monitoring will work out to around $2000 or more.
I called the vet at Guiding Eyes and not only does he refuse to believe the dog could have Addison's (simply because the disease is so rare, NOT based on symptoms and test results), he refuses to help AT ALL. My vet says Addison's is easy to manage and the prognosis is great, but the treatment is expensive for a dog this size (about $300 for a monthly injection) and she would rather take the dog herself than see him potentially put down because of it. Guiding Eyes WILL NOT help with funds because the dog is retired, but they also WILL NOT allow the vet to take the dog! I asked the GEB vet if they had a fund to support chronic medical conditions for adopters because I know the puppy raisers can't afford that kind of monthly expense, and the GEB vet refused to even discuss it with me! He yelled at me that it was premature to even bring it up without a diagnosis, but he's fighting even having the diagnostic tests done. I told him my vet would happily take the dog if the puppy raiser couldn't afford him, and he still didn't care. I also told him I could not afford a $2000 vet bill for a dog that technically does not belong to us and for whom we are not allowed to make necessary decisions.
So the GEB vet told me to keep the dog hospitalized on supportive care with no further diagnostics at all, and this weekend someone would come get him and take him to New York for diagnosis. This is not a good solution for several reasons: 1) IV fluids for the next three days are an inadequate treatment and the dog would probably die anyway; 2) hospitalization for the rest of the week would actually exceed the $2,000 for diagnostic tests, overnight hospitalization and initial treatment; and 3) I am concerned that this vet, who is being so unreasonable and callous, will not run the necessary tests and/or will euthanize the dog if Addison's (or another costly chronic disorder) is diagnosed.
My vet here has spoken with the GEB vet and he is being obstructionist to her as well as to me. She says the guy was almost impossible to her on the phone, even though she has the credentials and considerable specialist experience to back up her decisions and diagnosis. He cares more about the bottom line than about the dog, clearly.
I am supposed to take the dog from the vet over to a 24-hour hospital at 8:00 p.m. tonight. I have no idea how I am going to afford it, but the alternative is to bring the dog home and watch him suffer and deteriorate until Friday. I am absolutely sick about this. The thing that pisses me off the most is what a total jackass the GEB vet is being! He's been unreasonable enough in the past that our vet had to write him letters saying that his recommendations (such as how much the dog should weigh) were unhealthy, but this is just unbelievable. He's acting like an animal that worked well all of his life is completely disposable in retirement! I'm not at all a confrontational person, but I am looking forward to chewing that GEB
a new one tomorrow. 