On 10/27 my dog was taken in to have a nasal scope performed. We were given a quote in the pre op appointment, to which my husband and I had agreed on. In the pre op drop off they explained that if they found anything or if anything was going to change with the procedure, they would notify.
While waiting in the room, I asked how the nasal scope went and they explained the nasal scope was not performed at all, that they ended up finding a tooth that was missing and the hole where the tooth was had been impacted with a lot of debris. They explained how they placed a mucosal flap and that there would be discharge for a couple of days. There was never a phone call during the time he was sedated, stating that the procedure was changing and/or that they'd be going a completely different route; which ended up being double the expense that we were expecting to pay.
After the procedure was completed he ended up sneezing and blood was coming out of his nose. I asked if this was normal and was told this was the discharge they were talking about. I asked what was considered "abnormal" and was told to bring him back only if blood was pouring from his nose. I called multiple times because there was a lot of blood, even though it wasn't pouring out of his nose, it was still worrisome. They just kept saying that it was normal. I also called stating that he wasn't eating or drinking, so they prescribed a non steroidal anti-inflammatory stating that would help him eat.
He eventually stopped bleeding and all was well. Fast forward two weeks, my dog starts bleeding again. I called on a Saturday and the on call doctor stated that it was normal for the bleeding to stop and start again due to healing process but he wasn't 100% sure just because he had never done a procedure like that. They stated that the doctor who did the procedure would call me on Monday. Monday comes around and Dr called me back stating that it was absolutely abnormal for him to start bleeding again. I asked if it was possible that the flap had been dislodged or missing, he stated no that the flap and spot should be completely healed and that it sounds like he has Von Willebrands disease and that I need to get bloodwork completed to rule that out. The Dr never suggested I bring him in just to check to see if the procedure that was completed was in fact healed, just to make sure. The next day he stopped bleeding again and all was well again.
Then, a couple of weeks later he started bleeding, again. I called to make a follow up appointment on a Sat and the on-call doctor saw him. He opened his mouth to find that the flap was not there and that he was bleeding from the hole. They ran a CBC to find out that he had no platelets left in his body, which lead the Dr to do heart work and Lyme disease tests because he stated that Von Willebrands doesn't attack the platelets like this. All the test came back negative. I asked what could be done to raise the platelets, Dr. stated that there really is nothing that can be done to get the platelets to come up. My dog was prescribed an ATB and a steroid and I was told I needed to come back in 10 days to get a blood redraw. I sat in the parking lot, looking up home remedies on how to get my dog's platelets to come up.
I ended up calling the vet back to ask if there was a way to get refunded for the procedure because there was ZERO follow up suggested from the vet, just to make sure the flap was healing like it was supposed to be, which could have potentially prevented my dog's platelets from drastically dropping like they had. I was talked to very rudely from the Dr. who completed the procedure and was told that no refund would be issued, that everything was completed properly during the procedure.
Not once was there discredit to the Dr that completed the procedure. The issue was/is the lack of follow up, concern and compassion. We wasted a lot of money because of their failure to follow basic follow up procedures. read more