I totally SHOULD have been that dreaded ‘BITCHY and DEMANDING’ hound-mama instead of the pleading worrier... Two Mondays ago I called the Vet and told them my Day had started suddenly limping on his left hind leg and that I felt he needed an x-ray. Even though I am with him all the time, I didn’t witness an injury occur but it was clear he was suddenly hurting and something was wrong with his leg. They told me They could book him for an appointment that Friday. I asked if we could get an x-ray during the week in preparation for the appointment. “No, we’ll wait and see what the doctor decides to do when she sees him on Friday.”
I was upset but we do not have many choices for care options where we live and with all of Day’s medical issues already known with this office It seemed in his best interest to stick there through what might end up being an emergency visit. We reluctantly waited it out until our appointment on Friday but called twice again over that week to see if there were any x-ray or appointment cancellations to get him checked as his limp worsened.
Finally, at the appointment, the doctor saw that he was hobbling, saw that he was refusing to bear any weight on that leg but because he did the usual ‘Greyhound statue and just take what happens to me through an examination while disappearing somewhere behind glazed over eyes’ she said she figured with his age and all the wear and tear his joints would have taken over his racing years it was likely just arthritis starting and that we should try him on a Glucosamine /anti-inflammatory mix to wait and see if that would help.
I asked directly if we shouldn’t just do an x-ray to figure out the true root of the issue instead of supposing and trying a supplement... he was clearly having serious pain issues. No, she figured she knew what it was and we should see a change within just a few days.
By end of the following Monday he was still badly hobbling so we called first thing Tuesday morning and told them he was not better, even a little bit, and that he NEEDED an x-ray. They told us that it could take a few more days for the supplements to show they would be of help and that he probably would be fine.
But I knew he wasn’t “fine”.....
Because I was too close to just flipping completely the fuck out on them, if I was to phone, I finally made Enz call back Tuesday evening and force them to make him an appointment for an x-ray and not just to see the doctor again. They finally agreed to book him in for an x-ray for today, ELEVEN days after I first called and asked to have an x-ray of his leg. The newest stress problem for us was that although they had agreed to book him for an x-ray for today (Friday), they wouldn’t pinpoint a time and that we would need to drop him off between 8:00 - 8:30am and they would try and find a time to get an x-ray of his leg in between all the other booked treatments for the day. That was a definite NO-GO for me. Why should he have to wait all day long in a clinic kennel when he hates being kenneled, is not happy at the Vet’s and is already in pain??! Extra stress on top of being in pain... not if I could help it and I was already mad!
So, we called back yesterday and fought again for an actual x-ray appointment time... Finally, after the reception staff had discussed with the doctor hours later, they had called us back and told us to have him there for 8:30 this morning and that the x-ray would be done right then while we waited.
Even as they took him (painfully unwillingly and scared to death of going back through the treatment area doors) I could feel that the staff was far from pleased with us for having been so pushy about getting him x-rayed. By this point, though, all I cared about was getting the pictures over with. It was only about a minute or so later when his doctor came out to say that they wouldn’t be able to x-ray him without sedating him because he was just too uncomfortable. She would give him the reversible sedation and do the pictures right away but wanted to keep him for a couple of hours to be sure he was clear-headed and steady enough on his three comfortable legs to be safe for us to bring him home. THAT, I was fine with, I just hadn’t been fine with him sitting uncomfortably and stressed out for hours on end in wait of x-ray.
Play and I weren’t even home for a full hour before the phone call came. Day’s doctor sounded very regretful as she told me what was wrong with my Day’s poor leg... my poor lil’ sunshiny Day has a broken ankle. And I feel like the absolute WORST mama ever to live because I knew... I KNEW that something was wrong but didn’t become the total raging BITCH that I should have in forcing them to look deeper in my fear of being shunned and put off for longer if I pissed them off too badly at the clinic.
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| My poor, splinted-up, Day... zoned and woozy still from the sedative. |
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| This just sucks..... like, SO bad....... |
Now I know I am not a Veterinarian but I know my boys and I know when something is wrong with them... but the fact that I questioned the initial diagnosis and asked for an x-ray over and again should NOT have been dismissed so carelessly. Day’s poor ankle break is on the front part of his ankle... the break, fortunately did not snap right through the entire bone but along with the main fracture he also had a chip fracture occur where a chunk of bone broke off at the front. From the type of break he has it appears he likely broke it with a wonky jump-landing while playing. Day is a WILD zoomie-Greyhound when it comes to playtime and often gets so zoned and focused that I have to corral, catch and hold him tight to help him stop when he can’t stop himself... sometimes its scary to see him zone out like that, his eyes go wild, his whole body quakes and he just circles and circles and circles at warp-speed as though he is running for his life. Surgery was an option for a few minutes but because of where the break sits directly between two close joints putting screws in would definitely cause more chipping and breaks to happen. Instead, he is splinted and will need to have splint changes every four days while being on absolute bed rest until he heals. Because of his body’s healing issues and skin sensitivities she doesn’t feel he won’t suffer with complications of a hard cast so splinting is his safest option of keeping his ankle immobilized to begin healing. Well, to begin the healing that should have started eleven days ago when I first called and asked for an x-ray.
Believe me when I tell you that this is a HARD on my heart lesson I am sharing in my own personal downfall of now discovering I am the awfullest mama ever... I have been streaming tears of guilt and regret since getting my poor Day home and settled into a comfortable sleep. We are on the search for another Veterinary clinic but just helping Day heal well from his poor broken ankle is all I will be having time to concentrate on for the next while... and then the Vet interviews will begin.
So, why am I sharing this rambling rant that makes me seem like an angry complainer? Because I want others to learn from my mistake! When you know in your heart that something is wrong... do NOT defer to so-called ‘authority’ as I did. Don’t be afraid to be ‘the bitch’ in order to make happen what should happen. I should not have had to fight for a simple x-ray. And my Day should not have gone though almost two full weeks of pain and hobbling to finally be diagnosed. I am always going to keep this mistake of mine in my back pocket and I hope that anyone reading it will, too. I hope that nothing is ever again wrong with either of my boys but if it is, you can bet I will not be pushed aside in my concerns again. Sure, mistakes happen but negligence due to overbooking shouldn’t.
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