Anyone in MD? Need vet info.

mle

Does anyone here know anything about CVRC (Chesapeake Veterinary Referral Center) or VOSM (Veterinary Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group) in Maryland? I can't seem to find any reviews online and I'd like opinions, if possible.

My dog was diagnosed with a grade 3 luxated patella, and I have had a consult with a surgeon at CVRC and they can do surgery this coming Friday. I'd like to have it done as soon as possible, since I don't want her to be in pain or injure it further. Additionally, the surgeon mentioned that if done soon enough after the injury, he would have a better chance at definitively saying whether it was hereditary or if it was strictly trauma induced. This determination is important, as it would impact whether or not the breeder's health guarantee would apply.

However, VOSM was just recommended to me, and now I have a dilemma. With no real reviews to compare, I'm not sure whether I should keep the appointment with CVRC, or get a consult and do the surgery with VOSM.

Is there anyone here from Maryland who has had any experience with either?

Thanks in advance

vabird

I don't have any first hand knowledge so I went to the web sites. Wow. What a difference. I am sure you will get very good care at CVRC, they are all board certified surgeons, but VOSM's web site seems to show that they care about the whole process of surgery, pain management, and rehab. VOSM has an anesthesiologist on staff so I am sure they probably have good anesthesia and pain management protocols in place. I also like it when a veterinary hospital appreciates and gives credit to their veterinary technicians as VOSM does.

mle

Yeah, that's why I'm kind of conflicted now. I was happy with CVRC - they discovered a heart murmur as well and have several cardiologists in their practice so they plan to do a cardiac exam prior to surgery, which I'm not sure VOSM could do. On the other hand, these types of injuries seem to be their specialty & their site is quite impressive.

I guess my best bet will just be to call them on Monday and see what the earliest is that I could get her in, and try to get a rough estimate in price. I'm afraid it will probably be more expensive than CVRC, which is already more than I can actually afford. The biggest issue really is that it's SO difficult to keep her quiet, and I really would like to try to get her operated on as soon as I can to determine cause.

Ugh, the whole situation just sucks

vabird

If CVRC is cheaper then I think I would go with them. My opinion was based on all other things being equal. I missed that you had already had a consult. They have already examined your dog and have a plan in place so I think you can stay with them and go forward with confidence in them. Where you comfortable with the surgeon you talked to? That makes a difference.

mle

Yeah, he seemed knowledgeable and was very nice. Piper seemed to like him as well, which I took as a good sign - she was very comfortable in the building in general and liked the tech & receptionist as well, which isn't always the case (she can be kind of aloof sometimes). He was very young though - hasn't been practicing for too long, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I think my biggest issue is that she's only 11 months old, so I REALLY want to make sure this surgery is successful, as I did have agility plans for her. I was comfortable with CVRC, but now that I've heard about this new place and their work with agility dogs, I feel almost like I'm choosing the "lesser quality" option, when really that's probably not the case at all - especially because I was completely confident in CVRC prior to hearing about the other place.

I guess it just depends on what info VOSM can give me tomorrow. I'm still hoping that someone around here may have info on CVRC, just to confirm I'm not doing bad by taking her there.