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Old March 9th, 2004, 02:26 PM
Heather MH's Avatar
Heather MH Heather MH is offline
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I need advice please.

Ok so I'll try to make this short.
Chevy my male 7month old BC had a lump on his leg about 2 months ago. We had it removed, more for cosmetic reasons. He had it unchanging, not bothering him for over 5 weeks. But he was being fixed so we had it all done all at once.

Now he has a new lump on his shoulder. He had hurt his leg playing ball and then this lump appeared. Back to the vet we went we were given anti-inflammatory's for him. After a week the lump is unchanged again. The vet called to check on him and after telling her he is still limping and the lump is still there she thinks we need to do the following. Keep in mind we can touch any part of his leg and it doesn't bother him.
1. remove the lump and have it send for histology (sp??)
2. take fluid from his elbow joint, to have that checked.
3. X-rays
My question to you is am I being hosed?

I trust this vet but in the last 2months we have spend close to $1000.00 on the two pups. And now I estimate this to be around another $400.00.
So do you think this is all necessary?

Please let me know I have booked the appointment. But I can't afford this, not only that I don't want Chevy to go through any more then he has to.

Thanks
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Old March 9th, 2004, 02:42 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Can they do a needle biopsy of this bump? Do you know another vet you can trust for a second opinion?
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Old March 9th, 2004, 02:55 PM
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Heather MH Heather MH is offline
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She doesn't want to do a needle biopsy, because of what the last lump looked like.

It was like a honeycomb with little pockets of puss. She doesn't think it will accomplish much to have that small of a sample.

The pups had another vet who was very nice, but even more expensive then this vet.

I have knots in my stomach. My bf is mad at me because he says we can't afford it. I just don't know what to do?
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Old March 9th, 2004, 03:09 PM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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I say, do as she says this time and make sure you get a copy of the lab report as to what the lump is. You can base any further decisions on that.
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Old March 9th, 2004, 03:13 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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Well you can't be too careful with a 'lump' afterall it can be either something insignificant or something very serious.

You will need to get to the bottom of it one way or another. In particular because this is a younger dog.

Most senior dogs develop insignificant little old age tumors and growths. BUT you're dog is yound and you should do what you can to find out.
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Old March 9th, 2004, 03:25 PM
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cmt489 cmt489 is offline
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Heather,

Having read your two posts in this thread, I think that you know what you want and need to do but you are letting your boyfriend's thoughts cloud your own (and trust me, I am not judging you for this, we have all allowed ourselves to be influenced by those we care deeply about - that is part of being human and being in a relationship that matters ).

I get the impression that you do want to make sure your dog is fine and I also get the impression that you trust this vet. There appear to be legitimate reasons for concern. On the other hand, I understand how you feel with respect to having just spent a lot on these two dogs. Given your circumstances, will you vet let you work out a payment plan for this. Do you have a close friend of family member that would allow you to borrow the money? If the biopsy comes out negative, then you know and you may grumble that it was unnecessary but, if it comes out positive, it may mean that you are able to nip something in the bud before it becomes much worse.

Best of luck to you. My gang (Oliver and Nadia) and I have our fingers and paws crossed for you

Michelle

ps BTW - this is why I recommend pet health insurance to every pet owner I know. It has definitely helped bail me out of a vet bill or two....
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Old March 9th, 2004, 03:57 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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Which pet health insures you Michelle?

I found some of them to not cover most of what I've needed in the past. And what do you pay monthly?
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Old March 9th, 2004, 04:07 PM
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cmt489 cmt489 is offline
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I use Master Care which is provided by Pet Care. They do have a Canadian website. My premiums for my dog are $40 per month and for my cat $25 per month (originally it was less but she had a few major episodes - to the tune of $2,000.00 in one year - so they upped it by $5 per month).

Check out the website which is http://www.petcareinsurance.ca

Master Care is their "premium" line which covers not only accidents but illness categories up to a maximum amount depending on the plan you choose. It used to be a $50.00 deductible but now it is an 80/20 co-insurance split or, if you pay $5 extra per month, there is no deductible at all - this is what I do so if you were to co-insure the starting rates as I understand them for the plan I am on are $35 for a dog and $15 for a cat).

They do not pay for spay, neuter or shots but those are expenses that you pay for with insurance if it is covered through the premiums and that you can anticipate and save for. Also good to know is that they have paid every claim that I have made within a week or two of being submitted by my vet
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  #9  
Old March 9th, 2004, 09:50 PM
Karin Karin is offline
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I need advice please.

Heather, is the lump on the shoulder easy to move freely?
If so it could be a lypomoma ,sp?, (fatty tumor) and did he have a vaccination scheduled at the same time? Most vaxs are given sq in the shoulder area and there can be a reaction. My uber goober reacts all the time so I go IM on all vaxs.
It is not uncommen for active young dogs to come up with a few abcesses. As long as the lumps go away, and are not painful and do not change in growth size (big point here), just watch it closely. Please check to see if it is free moving with an easy touch of your fingers and is it hard or soft, egg shaped or not? Warm to the touch etc. As stated before it is rare for lumpy dogs of this age to have cancerous growths.
Just my .02 cents worth.
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  #10  
Old March 10th, 2004, 09:56 AM
Heather MH's Avatar
Heather MH Heather MH is offline
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Thanks everyone!!!!

Karin, The lump is free moving and it started out soft. We originally thought it was because he was limping and he had maybe strained the muscle. The lump is now hard. This is exactly what the first one on his leg did. Started soft ended up hard, never bothered him, and didn't change in size. I wish we would have gotten the first one sent to histology.

Anyway thanks again to everyone, Michelle you are right I did know what I needed to do, and I will let you all know how it goes on Monday.
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