[Jason Carlton]

I COULDN'T BE MORE ANGRY RIGHT NOW!!!

Quick background. I picked up a stray dog last December that had red mange. He was about 4 months old at the time and knocking on death's door, but now he's doing pretty well.

The treatment given to me by the vet was Promeris. His first treatment was for a 1/2 dose, and it worked well. The next treatment was for a full dose, but it had some pretty nasty reactions, with constant diarrhea (literally every 30 minutes), and a lot of hair loss. The next month, the vet gave him a half dose again, with no negative effects, which we repeated every 2 weeks.

The 1/2 dose every 2 weeks has been great. He is 25lbs, so they have been giving me a dosage for a 22-55lb dog, broken down into 4 syringes so it becomes 2 months worth of treatment.

Friday, I went back for more Promeris. I reminded the vet of what all we had done in the past, and how he had had negative side effects, so that it was important to get the exact same thing as before. She said, no problem, it's all right here in the computer. So, I brought home the 4 syringes, and gave my dog one of them immediately.

Saturday morning, he wakes me up about 4 hours early, whining. I take him out, and guess what? Diarrhea.

After I brought him back in, I went back to bed. When I got up at my normal time and started paying attention to my dog, I notice a huge BALD spot on the back of his neck, very red, torn, and bloody! I cleaned him up and sprayed him with hydrocortisone spray (prescribed by the vet a few months ago). I noticed him scratching a lot throughout the day, so I kept putting more hydrocortisone on him. Diarrhea persisted.

Then today (Sunday), I see a large bald spot near his tail, a "thin" spot on one of his sides, a cut place on his neck (under the chin), a small bald area on the side of his face, and the bald spot on the back of his neck is a lot larger and worse. All of these areas have very red skin, and he's been scratching all day, in spite of me constantly stopping him and spraying him with hydrocortisone.

So, I pull out my receipt from the vet. Big shock, they gave him a dosage for 55-88lbs! Broken down into 4 syringes, this is a full month threatment... exactly what I told them NOT to do! The side effects he's having are almost identical to what he had before with a full dose, except then he didn't have a lot of hair to lose. Now, it had all grown in so thick and nice, and I know it's all just going to fall out again.

I gave him a bath in Sulfodene (coal tar, sulfur, and something else), which seems to help with the irritation a little, but I know it's too late for it to have washed any of the Promeris off of him. There was a lot of hair in the drain, too, which just makes me even more angry.

So what do I do now? My wife wants me to go back and throw a fit, but I don't know what good it's going to do. I'm sure they'll offer to swap out the large doses for the correct dose, but that's a whopping $11 value. I couldn't care less about that, I'm angry about the pain that they're puting my dog through! It's going to take another 4 months, at least, to grow his hair back, thanks to their inability to follow their own simple instructions.

What would you guys do?

 

[Morein]

I would personally say something to the vet, get your pet's records from her and find another vet.

 

[Pai]

Submit a complaint to your state's Veterinary Board, and hopefully it will go on the vet's public record. Unfortunately, because the vet industry is very unregulated, it's often hard to really do anything about blatant malpractice stuff like this. =/

 

[poodleholic]

I would talk with the vet, get the dog's records, and find another vet!

 

[Jason Carlton]

You guys really have no idea how ticked I am, and I think you guys are right. I'm going to go pick up his records tomorrow, and see about reporting it.

He's not acting sick at all (he's playing with a plush toy right now, pulling out the stuffing), but the bald spots are red and feel kind of warm. If they're still like that tomorrow, then I'm going to take him to another vet right then. The only problem is that I live in a rural area, and the next closest vet is a little over an hour away.

 

[skelaki]

I would definitely report the incident to the state board, get the dog's records and find another vet. And, if it was me, I'd find a vet that practiced holistic as well as allopathic medicine so that I'd have more treatment options.

 

[bfoster]

stay away from promeris--there have been numerous warnings on this drug.google it and see.
It is new and many dogs are not doing well on it.
Find a new vet that keeps up with drug warnings.
Good luck

 

[Independent George]

You definitely can't let this slide - it's not just your dog, but other dogs as well. The nice thing about the internet is word leaks out fast nowadays; besides reporting to the state board, feel free to write it up on Yelp, contact local breed & kennel clubs, etc.

Also: be sure to document everything. Take photos of the dog in all the spots you mentioned. Ask for copies of all of their records. Document the time & dates when you called, and, if you recall, exactly who you spoke with, and when. The more careful you are, and the more details you can confirm with a paper trail, the more effective your complaint will be.

I would even consider consulting an attorney, and then writing a letter to the vet letting her know you've consulted an attorney. I wouldn't recommend actually filing a lawsuit - the dog is fine, and the claim wouldn't be worth the time & cost involved - but simply mentioning the word, 'attorney', is enough to send any business owner into cold sweats. Normally, I'm not an advocate of that sort of blackmail - again, I'm recommending you don't actually file a lawsuit (though the right attorney may help your complaint to the state board be heard sooner) - but this is a special case. You do need to actually consult an attorney before dropping the 'L' word; they can't comment on the details of the meeting, so even if it amounts to a ten minute talk over coffee, it's still technically a consult and therefore privileged.

Last, as a general rule, try to remain as clinical and detached as possible. Start with the facts, and state the plainly (citing the aforementioned documentation when possible). You're trying to project the image of a concerned citizen who feels a vet acted dangerously, and not a hysterical pet owner overreacting to an imagined threat to your 'baby'.

 

[pamperedpups]

"So, I pull out my receipt from the vet. Big shock, they gave him a dosage for 55-88lbs!... exactly what I told them NOT to do!"

This is exactly why it is VERY important to always double check what medication you've been given before administering whatever it is to your pet. Of course double checking what the label and receipt say still won't help in cases where the medication is packaged wrong, however, it could have prevented the problem this time. Any questions should have you calling the vet to clarify BEFORE you administer the medication. Failing that, watching for and having prior experience with the symptoms of your dog having a reaction to a medication, it would have been a good idea to get your dog to the vet at the first sign of trouble (in this case, diarrhea).

That said, keep in mind that throwing a fit at the veterinary office won't solve the problem. Unfortunately, mistakes happen in practices. It's possible that the receptionist or a tech (not the vet) failed to enter a note in your dog's record about his prior reaction and subsequently adjusted prescription. I would definitely document what has and is happening and discuss the situation with my vet. I might also put a call in to the veterinary board, to see what everyone has to say on the matter before going through with lodging a formal complaint, alerting the public to this "stupid" and "dangerous" vet, threatening said vet with a potential lawsuit, and/or finding a new vet.