Poisoned or...?

I can totally empathize with your decision to treat him yourself. I have had some great experiences with vets and a lot of not so great experiences. It is a tough call making the choice. It is often a choice we make because of our financial situation. I wish there was someone in between who was not so expensive who could help access the situation, like the nursing centre for people. I just took my dog into a vet to have her cut pad looked at because she was still limping badly after two weeks.It was no more than five or ten minutes to tell me it would be ok and the bill was 100.00. There are a lot of people on this site with a lot of knowledge that can help. Hopefully you will find your answers and he will pull through. Oh , about ticks. I had a deer tick under my arm for only several hours. It was a terrible experience that I never want to go through again. the spot around it ended up the size of a baseball in a very short time. It was extremely painful and took months before the pain went away completely. So I would not underestimate the power of those little guys.

I really hope your furry family member will be ok. I would like to say that yes veterinary medicine can seem costly on the surface and paying those bills really can hit us hard in the wallet. Most Vets do what they do for the love of the pets and their families NOT for the money! Did you know that the wonderful person who cleans your teeth at the dentist (NOT the dentist him/herself but the hygienist ) makes almost DOUBLE coming out of a 2 year course than a vet makes after 7 years of school? That 60$ exam fee is not just for the 10 minutes the vet spends with your pet. It has to cover the cost of support staff (I'm sure you want someone to answer the phone and listen to your concerns), inventory (I'm sure you want the vet to have the supplies necessary to help your pet should the need arise), rent (I'm sure you want the vet to have the facilities needed for surgery, x-rays, blood work etc.), heat, lights, insurance.... the list goes on! I have worked for several clinics over the years and if I were fair.... not even once would I be able to describe any of the vets as rich. Owning a pet is a privilege, NOT a right. Without my paycheck I can't properly feed and care for my family and the animals I have. Would you have me do my job for FREE so your vet bills could be lowered? Would you get up and go to work every day for FREE so that your customers/clients don't have to pay as much? If I sound jaded perhaps I am.....try listening to a client tell you all about having their new car detailed inside and out, then tell you that having to pay for antibiotics to treat their pet's urinary tract infection is a cash grab and a rip off! I choose to drive a 94 Chevy pick up and live in an old mobile home so I can afford to have and properly care for the animals I share my life with.

Echo 1, I understand the costs surrounding the job. I can, however, say that there is a $500 spay/neuter difference from Regina out to Lumsden, and that shows nothing but price gouging. My vet, imho, is the best vet in the area, and she's also the best priced option around. My understanding and concept of currency is highly skewed, like much of my life. For that matter, however, I understand how small businesses (which most vets are considered), in general work. My boss has his wife and 4 daughters on the payroll, they all collect a cheque and yet they do not work a day in their lives for the company. Money gets squirreled away. Businesses are in business to make money whether they enjoy what they do or not.

I never meant to offend anyone with my defensiveness, I felt, and feel, judged. I find it unfortunate that there's such opposition to treating at home. I get it, I get the knowledge fuzzy had and I'm glad she responded here, I do not doubt her abilities and knowledge, I have an utter lack of faith in 'modern medicine'. That gets translated to my animals.

Tank greeted us with a wagging tail when we came home tonight and was bouncing around a little bit with Bull. He has a bit more hop in his step and is still drinking well. He ate a couple kibbles on his own accord and is still having eggs dumped down his throat. He is hydrated, urinating and we are starting slow on food.

Thanks, everyone, for your concern and help.

Good news!

Sweetened, is there any chance that someone in your area had recently had an animal put down? If they have not buried that animal or buried them too shallow, perhaps the dogs found it? Not to be gross but dogs will feed off a dead animal and there can be enough of the euthanasia solution in the tissues of the deceased animal to cause illness for the dogs. It really is my deepest wish for Tank to get well and stay that way. I guess Fuzzy and I have just seen so many tragic events where (for any number of reasons) people try to treat at home until it is too late and then there is nothing that can be done for the pets. Among the most difficult cases for us are those where the family says "If I brought him/her in sooner would he/she have lived?" Imagine having to deliver the news that a beloved family member could have been saved if only....... Ingestion of a toxin is one of those cases where sooner is ALWAYS better than later. I am not judging you for treating him at home, that is a choice that is completely up to you. I would ask that IF things do not turn out the way you would like (but I REALLY REALLY hope they do!), please don't blame your local vet for charging for his/her services. Wishing you and yours a good rest and a better day tomorrow!

Sounds like you did a great job with Tank, Sweetened. Congratulations. I certainly echo your mistrust of the medical system, for animals and people. If we take livestock to the vet it ends up costing more than the animal is worth, and we will never get that back. Farming is a business, after all, and small farmers are infinitely more caring and humane than large scale, commercial operations that actually make a profit(speaking of working for free).

About a month ago one of our LGD's was lethargic for a couple of days. I looked him over thoroughly, but couldn't find anything, so gave him another day and checked him again. At that time I found an abscess behind the joint of his jaw. I thought it would burst and then be ok. He was obviously not feeling well, but would be ok to ride it out. That night when I checked again his breathing was laboured, so I took him to the vet.

The vet said the lump didn't feel ready to pop. She stuck a syringe in it, but didn't get much out. She said her recommendation would be surgery, but it was too late in the evening to do it. I said there was no way I would pay for surgery. She said if I wanted to treat him at home I'd better do hot compresses, and do lots of them, until it burst. She also wanted to give him anti-biotics, but wanted to make sure I could get them into him before I left, because it was imperative he get them. I took the pill and tried to get it down his throat. He bit my finger, coughed, and jumped away. At that point the lump burst INSIDE his throat (hence the trouble breathing) and ran out of his mouth all over the floor.

Why do vets make you feel like you are incapable of following their instructions? I took him home and heated up a wheat bag in the nuker. I wrapped it in a towel and propped it up against his jaw with a pillow and went to take care of my critters. When I came back he had drained much more. I re-heated the bag and put it against his jaw again. I crushed the anti-biotics in my mortar and pestel with water and pulled it into a syringe and squirted it down his throat because there was no way he was going to take a pill. I did this twice a day for several days. The next day he was feeling much better, and is back to normal now.

Had I not gone to the vet it would also have burst and he would have recovered. My cost was $150 for exam, anti-biotics and pain meds. It was much cheaper to have him neutered at the same vet.

Tank started rummaging last night and looking for things to get into Huzzah!

He ate a decent amount of food through the night, has continued drinking and is no longer walking with his head down. He has some speed to him and even looks to be less skinny, which I'm sure isn't the case but I think he's holding himself better so it doesn't look as bad.

Echo 1, I know all about dogs getting into dead things for sure! We had a lot of deer die-off here, and Lola (momma dog) was taking the puppies wandering until we got her tied up. When a new carcass shows up, the pups take off when you turn your back and come home with some part of a dead thing. We thought poisoning because the coyotes are very bad this year and farmers have had trouble with them picking off calves. We've stopped the ability for them to take off, after much trial and error (Smart puppies, sadly), but I think they've been poisoning their deadfall carcasses and baiting coyotes away from their herds.

Whatever it was, I'm optimistic he's on the mend and that what I'm doing is working, but I'm not ready to let my guard down in it just yet.

I understand services rendered cost money and whatnot, But I haven't yet asked the question to a vet "if I had brought them in sooner." I do think doctors and vets alike are specifically trained, whether inadvertently or not, to make people feel as though they can't do anything without them.

Im greatful for everyone's input and will post an update again tomorrow for those interested.

Glad to hear he is doing better

That's great news. Sounds like he's definitely rounded the corner.

Tank is all better. Thanks to everyone (and I mean -everyone-) for their suggestions, comments and support. He's got his energy back, is eating well, putting on weight, drinking and all around, he's just better.

Lots of love and a little bit of luck goes a long way.

Glory days, this is a good thing to hear. I suppose that you will never really totally know what happened with him. But thank the lucky stars that he is well and better, a good day. have an awesome day too, CynthiaM.