Hi All,

Brief history - Callia (Briard)  is now 3yrs, last year she suffered two UTI's that required antibiotics. I got her spayed in July, refusing the usual pain killer mix that is usual post op including METACAM (I HATE IT), preferrring to use homeopathic remedies to help her recover as I have done with my other girls in the past with great success. This didn't greatly impress the Vets, my sneaking suspicion being that they couldn't charge as much if they didn't dose her with all the usual package drugs. She recovered very well in half the time that I expected.

Last week she started behaving a wee bit strangely and wasn't her usual self. When I was grooming her I noticed a slightly 'metally' smell coming from her undercarriage so to be on the safe side booked her in for a once over from the Vet. She wasn't showing the usual signs of a UTI - like constant licking, frequent need to wee, high temperature, etc.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take her myself because of family commitments so OH took her. When he came back he said that the Vet had a look underneath, couldn't really see a lot because of her hair (he wouldn't - She's a Briard) Said that her vulva looked normal, in his opinion she smelt because she was hairy - not true - I know when my own dog's smell and behavior changes - her temperature was normal and that she looked ok. But to be on the safe side he prescribed a 10 day course (4 a day) of antibiotics. He also said that if wanted, he could get us to drop in a urine sample but it would take a week for the results but to 'take the AB's for now'. For various long winded reasons I am not a fan of AB's, never have been and avoid unless absolutely necessary as I know the damage that they can inflict if taken too regularly. OH being a bit thick -roll eyes- took the Vet at his word and accepted the diagnosis and bought the AB's home!!! Grrrrrr!!!! Arguement ensued!

I called the Vet's today and said that I wasn't happy and explained why and spoke to another duty Vet as the original wasn't there. She totally refuted my suggestions that the Vet was wrong, I told her that I expected her to say that - and she told me 'be it on my own head' if the dog does actually have 'some sort of infection'. I did say to her - if you don't know THAT she has an infection for sure, then why prescribe AB's, especially when you don't even know what, if any, kind of infection that you are dealing with - how do you know the medication is right? - She said that she stood by her colleague's diagnosis and that was the end of the matter.

Bearing in mind that this was the same Vet who last year, diagnosed my 5yr old Male Briard - who has developed a hump on his back and can't lay down easily - as a 'large middle age dog (what b#####k's)  who PROBABLY is developing arthritis' and I've since had it diagnosed from a specialist Vet that it is a frozen, fixed, Vertibrae and that surgery is the only high risk answer!!!! Absolutely NOTHING to do with age, the specialist Vet said.

Sorry ;) I needed to vent. Obviously I've told them they have lost my Business in 'not so polite terms' but there is still something not right with Callia - she's seeing a different practice on Monday - and I'm £60.00 out of pocket for nothing!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Jo x

Hmmmmmm
Well I cant say i totally agree with you. Veterinary medicine, like human medicine, is MEDICINE and not MAGIC. I agree that you know if there is a change in your dog, and to be fair, although the vet did not find any outward signs of infection, what YOU described to the vet indicated a possible infection, so the vet accepted your judgement and offered antibiotics. Antibiotics are often given empirically in humans and animals , that is before tests identify the nature of the infection, as it can take up to a week to get a result, during which time, an infection could take hold and make a dog irreversibly ill. It is perfectly true that if your dog has an infection as YOU suspected, that failing to give antibiotics could be hazardous, and your vet is obliged by law to tell you that if you do not give the recommended treatment that there may be consequences....lets face it, if the vet didnt give antibiotics and the dog died, i bet you would be down there like a shot blaming the vet, just like the rest of us.

The facts are
You felt your dog might have an infection, so made a vet appointment
The vet took your word that the dog was ill and offered treatment
The treatment offered , given the symptoms is completely reasonable
If this is the first lot of antibiotics she has had this year, there is no chance that it will cause her harm
You took her to the vet "to be on the safe side" yet when he offers treatment to be "on the safe side" somehow its wrong.

I am really a little confused with what you actually want from the vet...I mean if you didnt think she had an infection, why did you take her in the first place? And why shout at your husband? He took the advice of the vet in good faith......if you want to have the say so, then go yourself, regardless of family commitments.

slightly off topic, what don't you like about METACM? I'm asking, because my pup is on this for UAP (a form of ED). It's the first time I've used this and althought I am finding it brilliant, it's good to know about other peoples experiences, to be on the look out for potential problems.

>When I was grooming her I noticed a slightly 'metally' smell coming from her undercarriage so to be on the safe side booked her in for a once over from the Vet.

Yes, that metallic sort of smell often indicates something amiss in the urinary department, and a week of broad-spectrum ABs (usually Synulox) would be the first course of action - to be on the safe side.

> slightly off topic, what don't you like about METACM? I'm asking, because my pup is on this for UAP (a form of ED). It's the first time I've used this and althought I am finding it brilliant, it's good to know about other peoples experiences, to be on the look out for potential problems

Possibly because dogs have died after being given Metacam & other NSAIDs

By the way I didnt respond to the following in my earlier  post
"Obviously I've told them they have lost my Business in 'not so polite terms' ".....
There is no justification for verbally abusing a professional for giving a perfectly reasonable opinion. It is horrible to be on the receiving end of verbal abuse, and if that is how you behave, they are better off without your custom. And does your husband know you called him "thick" on the internet in a public forum?

Hi
A mate of mine swears by potassium citrate and cranberry juice for a bitch that used to have regular cystitis.  Can find out more if you are interested.

If Callia gets repeated UTIs it'd be sensible to have the pH of her urine tested periodically (that's something you can do at home). It could be that by altering her diet you can prevent them occuring in the first place.

Did you know that if clients are abusive to staff it goes on the animal's notes, and will be passed on when a new vet asks for the animal's history?

moonmaiden

I know dogs have died from Metacam and other NSAID's (as they can die from many other medications and procedures). But Metacam is generally the preffered AI for a Mastiff, due to it's lack of bad effects on them. 
The report you linked to said that if the owners had been aware of the side effects then thier dogs may have survived. This is exactly the reason I am asking, I would rather know about all possible side effects from any personal experiences (as well as reading the leaflet that comes in the box with a list of possible side effects).
Any medication I give or refuse to give to my dog, is done so after much research and weighing up all the pro's & cons, or as much info I can get.

Sounds like the wise thing to do.  Look into the drug and be aware of all the possible reactions, side effects etc, etc. 

Metacam and other NSAID's can be life saving in cases where no other treatment is available and the only other option is to PTS. 

I personally, so far, touch wood, have never experienced any probs with Metacam or Rimadol but I can't say the same for benazepril hydrochloride (Fortekor) or Cartrophen but yet I know that are many many dogs on these drugs with no side effects at all.  All drugs have possible side effects and that always has to be weighed against the possible benefits.  It's seeing these things in balance. 

Again, slightly off topic, why are you still going to that vet if you were unhappy with the diagnosis in one of your other digs. If the specialist confirmed that the vet was totally wrong i'd have changed vets there and then.

Just to make it clear to everybody, I was not impolite to the Vet, just stated my case, as I think that we are all still entitled to do whenever we are unhappy! She took my comments on board and accepted them as they were in no way personal. I really cannot see that anything will be passed on in 'my notes' to the next Vet, as there is nothing to report.

As for not being able to go to the Vet myself, well next time I'll try to time it so my that my Daughter doesn't need to have 6 stitches in her head at the local A&E becuase of an 'unforeseeable' accident :( As much as I love my dogs, my 11yrs old daughter still comes slightly higher in the pecking order.

Clearly most of you don't agree with me on this and that's fine, I'm a big advocate of us being entitled to our opinions :)

I am afraid that it was your own wording in your own post that implied you were rude to the vet...maybe you were joking but it didnt come over as funny to the rest of us.  I still feel that the vets treatment was not unreasonable, and i am still not clear why you would send your dog to the vet if you dont want to take their opinion or have any treatment given.

I can understand how you feel hairypooch, you feel vexed!!! Go on love you have a vent. When we are frightened, we are loud and very often furious!

I can understand why your emotions were a bit high with the worry of your child formost and of course your dog. That said, I don't see that your husband could have done anymore than he did at the vets, he took their advice and I do think calling him thick and telling him off was a bit unfair. Our husbands do take the brunt of our emotions, they are wonderful at times. I do wonder what you would have asked had you been there, what action you would have wanted the vet to take? Other than what they did advise. Without tests, which can take days to return, they can't say what sort of infection is hiding, and its been my experience that AB's are given in these sort of cases to see if they work on a 'wait and see' basis, or whilst the results of tests are awaited. Had the vet gone into major blood/urine/scans etc, only to find it was a mild urine infection that cleared up with AB's but gave you a huge unecessary bill, would you have been more unhappy? Or is that what you wanted? Couldn't you have returned yourself with the dog and asked for more extensive tests? Sometimes we have to trust in our vet and play the 'wait and see' but if the condition recurs more extensive tests have to be given.

As you have obviously lost confidence in this practice, its far better for all concerned that you go elsewhere, it would be interesting to see what a new vet advises. I hope the dog is well and recovers from whatever ails her, and also that your daughter is feeling much better now.
Best wishes to all! :)

Just to update and to finally put this subject to bed  - I certainly didn't mean to imply that I was rude to the Vet, but looking back at my post it does read that way - I need to learn how to describe a situation more succinctly, without emotion - hand well and truly slapped - nor did I intend it come across as joking or 'funny' pinklilies, I can assure you that I don't post on subjects like this to cause humour.

I took Callia to another Vet last night and explained my concerns and the situation regarding the other Vet. They have taken the urine sample that I provided for testing. To quote the Vet - At this stage as there are no positive presenting symptoms they are not going to prescribe until they get the results of the test. As she has a normal temperature, is eating, behaving and peeing normally there is no immediate cause for concern but if it does turn out to be similar to what she has suffered in the past then we shall go down the path of getting to the root cause, when we get the results and their interpretation of it - if AB's are necessary - then I will of course comply. If it's something entirely different, then it will be dealt with accordingly. They are in agreement with me on this and so far appear to be of the thinking that treating the cause rather than the symptom, IE, in our case odour, is the right way to go. The vet that I saw also practices in Alternative Therapies and by his own admission 'likes to think outside the box'.

Calmstorm, my OH is of the same thinking as me when it comes to the health of our family and knows by now what my beliefs and opinions  are. The problem he has is saying 'no' or daring to question. He has very often been witness to me questioning certain procedures or treatments, if I don't understand something or have had experience of it before then I will seek to clarify. Unfortunately he is sometimes intimidated when dealing with Vet's and Dr's.  I still don't think that it is unreasonable to want a diagnosis rather than a vague 'it could be but I'm not sure' BEFORE treatment prescription. Afterall, I wouldn't expect to be treated for toothache when it was my finger that was hurting. If he see's a Dr for something and I ask him what the problem is, very often he won't know exactly because he believes that they 'blind you with science' and most of the time he's not unintelligent, he wouldn't be able to do his job if he was, but he is lazy and doesn't bother with detail and this is what causes my frustration with him. IMO, he has is apathetic with the medical profession.

Needless to say that we won't be returning to the original Vet. I think/hope that I have found another Vet that doesn't mind explaining in plain English and welcomes questions. Afterall, it's me that paying the bill.

Think you've done the right thing by going with another vet. If you like to try alternative therapies and your vet "likes to think outside the box" then im sure you will get along much better as you're singing from the same hymn sheet as it were. Think its very important to trust your vet implicitly and to think they feel the same as you do.
Let us know the outcome when the results are back. :-)

It has been some time since I have posted, if you had read my earlier posts you will find that I am very much inclined to question my vet to death, and insist on knowing everything ;) and I write this smiling, believe me :) However, having been with animals for all of my life I have, at times, had ABs given and it has worked, when symptoms have not been altogether apparent. Sometimes tests have been taken which have come back to prove that course of action was necessary, and by using AB's early the animal has been saved a few days discomfort and the real fact that the infection could have taken a stronger hold had it not been treated earlier. I have also known tests give a false result, or inconclusive result, which given a week or so can follow with a far different result. Vets can sometimes be wrong. Guess what, they are human, just like the rest of us ;) Thats why second opinions are good, thats why we should ask questions, and go to specialist vets when we think it's necessary. Maybe, if you feel your husband does not act the same as you would at the vets it would be best not ask him to take the dog in the first place, and if you can't make it cancel and go again yourself another time. Maybe when he visits the doc's he's happy with what they tell him, even if you are not.....;).. none of this is any of my business, just responding to you. I just felt it unfair to call him out thats all, especially on an open forum, and call him lazy.

I remain hoping the best for your girl, and that should anything be amiss it is simple or has cleared itself up now. Good Luck with the new vet :)

Hi Jo,

Yikes - bet you're glad you tipped your toes back in the water (erm, probably not!)

Ranting / venting threads are not at all uncommon on here (not my faves I have to say ;) ) and usually somewhat more supportive as, after all, they are what they are - outpourings in times of exasperation!  Inately human trait, even for us gifted to be the stronger s#x ;)

Glad Calamity Cal is in hands more to your liking, belief system (and by virtue of that everyones better interests).

Take yourself off, have a large cuppa of something warming (eh, that usually makes with milk rather than tonic LOL) and if there's some high calorie sugar filled delights lurking in the back of the fridge, cupboard (come on - there must be an Easter egg or two hidden there) indulge yourself to the mad hon.

Teri xxx

Hi Teri :)

Nothing has changed - except perhaps a few more sharks circling looking for fresh fodder ;)

Pssst..... I have a suspicion that some on here aren't actually human - they are that superior breed of being who never succumb to inferior.... human traits lol.

Just waiting for the next calamity, they say they come in three's - yep, two down, one to go. Optimism not being one of my stronger points you'll be surprised to know.

I must say, I prefer the tonic option, I find that milk makes my Vodka go cloudy!

Anyway, why are you malingering on here when you should be at the beck and call of young Midas? He hasn't got you trained properly yet has he ;)

Joxxxx

Malingering ...... MOI? :-D   This is a blatant means of escaping for a tad while the son of all things beginning with that particular number (in triplicate) is taking an all too brief nap LOL.

It stirs ............... oh no   Times up :) :) :)  Where's that vodka....

hairypooch

I can understand where you're comming from on your first post. I have done similar. After having been to the vets and feeling totally fobbed off with thier apparent lack of an answer. When we are worried about the health of our dogs a 'try this & see'  diagnosis really gets ones back up. Funnily enough my OH also rarely feel the need to question ANYTHING, especially something a vet has to say.

I asked before why you don't like Metacam, I'm not trying to stirr anything up I am genuinly interested in anybodys bad experiences because my pup is on Metacam, and I like to find out as much a possible to be on the look out for any bad symptoms that aren't mentioned in the leaflet.

I am glad you have found a vet who is on the same wavelength as you and I hope all turns out well for your dog & your daughter.

Hi M/L :)

'Funnily enough my OH also rarely feel the need to question ANYTHING, especially something a vet has to say.'

It must be a 'man thing' ;)

Whenever I am prescribed a drug (for me or the family) I like to research it as much as possible. Over the years I have been told and read some rather unpleasant stories regarding this drug and have also been prescribed it on a number of occasions. I don't wish to go into the details as it will only start another disharmonous thread ;) And I am keen to avoid it -life's too short :) Suffice to say that it is routinely used in a lot of operations.

All I can suggest is that you thorougly read the contraindications on the leaflet and have a look here
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1752 
it gives an impartial view of the drug and probably by most people's standards, a fair assessment.

I personally won't use it but that is just my personal decision. No drug is bad but I feel that sometimes you don't get the whole story.

I hope that your Pup is now ok and that whatever problems you have had, clear up ASAP :)

I'm the other way. if the vet/doctor anyone professional tells me something or prescribes something then i believe them. I think researching only makes it worse. And i NEVER read the warnings that come with tablets. Used to take them away from my ex. If he was prescribed something then read the side effect could be sickness you could bet your life that he would start feeling sick!!!!

Funny story i read....a woman used to get annoyed that every time she was ill her husband always complained of having the same thing. If she had a headache, he had a migraine, if she felt sick he was being sick etc. She'd been feeling groggy for a while and told her husband she was going doctors. He said "yeah thats funny ive been feeling ill for a bit. think i may have caught what you've got". The lady went to the Doctors and told the Doctor her and her husband had the same symptoms although she doubted her husbands were genuine. The lady came home and said to her husband "well the doctor thinks you are a medical first" "why" he said "have i got something awful/untreatable/incurable?" "no" she said "you're pregnant"!!!!!!!!

LOL :)

Thanks for the link hairypooch :)

I agree that everything has it's pros & cons. So far Metacam has been fantastic for my pup, but it is still a worry him being on medication, so the more info I can get the better - fore-warned being fore-armed.

Freds Mum - I question EVERYTHING, I've even had my own Dr. drawing diagrams for me to fully explain why he had diagnosed such & such or how a particular medication works!!!!

lol I've heard about men getting the same symptoms as thier pregnant wives - pitty they can't feel wht's it's like to actually give birth ;)

actually some do! its a very rare condition where they feel the full effects of pregnancy and labour, including milk expression! weird huh? (saw it on house, must be true ;) )

i try and question my docs as well, not that it does me much good... i was presciribed steroids for my chrones disease and i really didn;t want to be on them so i asked if there were any other options we could discuss- she just said "no".

took them as directed and it mostly got worse!! lol, was nearly worth it for the stunned look when i told her what my symptoms had progressed to lol. though now they might be putting me on something that kills my white blood cells :( i'll need blood tests all the time to make sure i'm still functioning!

OMG I didn't know men could actually feel the labour pains too!!!!
Mind you twins are renound for feeling each others pain, my uncles are identical twins, as boys 1 was out playing, the other at home. The twin at home started crying with pain in his arm, but nothing appeared to be wrong with him. A little while later the other twin returned home after falling out of a tree & breaking his arm. They have quite a few stories like this going thourgh adult hood too.

That must be really frustrating when the Dr isn't willing to discuss things :( I hope they can get you on some medication that isn't too damaging, I don't know anything about Chrones disease but I imagine the new medication that kills white blood cells is a worry :(

aww thanks! frankly at this point i just wish they'd do something! my mum, who is a senior anesthetics staff nurse at the hospital, is coming with me next time i see my consultant so i image she won;t be letting us leave till somethings done about it.

yeah you hear stuff like that with twins all the time, weird huh?

My dog is ok on metacam and has used it off and on since she was a pup so I have no issues about it but only because I know she is ok on it.  she has never had rimadyl (sp) and as I don't know what her reaction to it is I would rather not take the chance when there is something I know she ok with that is effective.

>And i NEVER read the warnings that come with tablets. Used to take them away from my ex. If he was prescribed something then read the side effect could be sickness you could bet your life that he would start feeling sick!!!!

That's the problem and why Doctors like to keep us in the dark; the placebo can be very powerful.  Research is good if we can keep it in balance and act wisely with the information obtained.  

PS, when I research medical stuff for my family, they always get the positive, never the negative, and anything negitive is told in a positive way.  It makes a difference.  I was really peed off with a Cardiologist who told my Stepdad that he shouldn't still be alive because his heart was so bad.  Well, he did get worse after that.  He had a recent scan and the results were positive, strangely he's feeling so much better and hasn't had to go back into hospital for months when it used to be every other week.

>It must be a 'man thing'

Ugghh i would never send my OH to do anything important or to relay any info back to me. The words i use are 'emotionally retarded/stunted' and just plain Lazy when it comes to these things.He will sneeze and say he's got a rotten cold,and he truly believes that a cold will last one day as he will be back to normal the next.
I recently got a tooth pulled out(my first) and i was utterly panic stricken as he has had a couple pulled out and oh my god the pain and symptoms lasted for dayyyys,he couldn't get off the couch or talk properly and was popping pain pills like lollies.Well i got home and was waiting for the injection to wear off and the pain to start,but it never came,it didn't bother me once!
I don't know what's wrong with them

Back to topic,sorry :-o Antibiotics... My dog recently had liquid poops with blood sometimes dotted through.I took her in for a fecal and the vet said lets try antibiotics(Metronidazole) before going through the expensive tests,so we did,and the condition completely cleared up! Good or bad vet??

lol

> 'emotionally retarded/stunted' 

My OH  has so much stamina, I really don't know how he cain keep working so phyically hard all the time, bless him :) he also has a fantastic tolerance for pain, after falling 25ft off a ladder & hurting his arm (that fall should have killed him - he's so lucky), he was told AFTER XRAYS he had sprained his wrist, 4 weeks later, swelling gone, pain worse, he found out it was broken he had been working (using a hammer) with a broken wrist, but if he gets the sniffles he has the 'flu' and is a right winge-bag.

TOPIC :)

I think the OP didn't have a problem with the anti-biotics, I think she was annoyed the vet presrcibed them without knowing if they were needed and without knowing what was wrong with the dog & also found it frustrating that this vet has givven a wrong diagnosis in the past. I can understand why the vet did this, I wouldn't say the vet was 'bad', but I also get annoyed with a 'try this & see' diagnosis, I would much rather know EXACTLY whats wrong with my dog ang give the specificic treatment, the trouble is, the vets often use treament to elliminate = if the AB didn't work, the vet would have done further test etc. Very frustrating for those of us that just HAVE to know the ins & 'outs of a ducks bum' :)

I see where you're coming from Spender, but i think if you need to question your vet/doctor then you shouldnt be seeing them if you dont trust them 100%.

One morning i had terrible tummy pains like nothing i had ever felt before. Couldnt work out what it was. By lunchtime the pains had gone. Literally went just like that. A short while later i got a phonecall to say my sister had her baby that morning. We're not twins but im sure it was something to do with that :-)

I can see how frustrating it is for you.  I too have had times where my vet will do something that I think is totally off, but hey, I didnt go to school to be a vet, so you gotta leave it in their hands.

When I first got my pup (at 13 wks of age) for the first three months I had her, she had runny poos.  She was only 2lbs at the time, so of course I got real worried.  They kept perscribing Tylosin to help with her runny poos.  I must have spent thousands of dollars on her!  When we had the puppy check up (within the first 48 hours of her being with me), they told me I shouldnt have her on the food that she was on, and to switch to their food (at of course 60 dollars a bag).  I did, and then the poos started.  She was tested for everything, parasites, parvo, you name it.  I kept saying it must be the food, but they assured me that it was the best on the market, and there was no way it was the food doing it.  Eventually, my bank account started running low, and so I switched foods to see if that was the true problem.  I put her on Wellness and she was fine. 

Vets have the worst jobs, as far as medical diagnosis goes.  They have to deal with us, the worried parents, and then they have this dog (or other animal) infront of them who cant tell them what is wrong. 

You have a dog, that has cronic UTIs and they assumed based on what you and your OH were telling them, that it was yet another UTI.  So they ran with it.

About the antibiotics, waiting a week for a test to come back, without treatment with a broad spectrum AB, means the condition is getting worse over that week, therefor when the tests come back, its a lot harder to treat.  I can see why they did it.

But I can too also understand your frustration, and it is good that you have now got a vet that thinks like you do, and you can work well together for the best possible treatment for you pet. 

Crespin

> I didnt go to school to be a vet, so you gotta leave it in their hands.
>

yet you whent against your vets diagnosis of 'it isn't the food' & changed your pups food which resulted in the runs stopping - it just goes to show that allthough they are quallified they don't know everything and they don't always get it right.

Vets are human beings too, and regardless of what they have learnt it is down to thier personal interpretation how they diagnose & when to prescribe medications. If the vets way of doing things is not liked by an animals owner it is up to the owner to find a vet they deem suitable.

The OP was not happy with the vet, she made her feelings known to no avail. I don't think the vet was 'wrong', but the resopnse to her complaint was not very understanding I think she has done the best thing for her dogs & herself by finding a different vet that sees eye to eye.

>But I think if you need to question your vet/doctor then you shouldn't be seeing them if you don't trust them 100%.

I don't agree that one has to trust anyone 100% just to see them, and I could never be accused of having blind faith.  Just because someone may wish to question things does not mean they do not trust.  They may wish to play an active role in getting better which is in everyone's interest, doc included.

Docs/Vets are human not super human, and I'm fully aware of the limitations of the human brain.  Humans can and often do make mistakes, miss things etc, etc and 2 minds or more on one thing can be more effective than one.

Its better the devil you know in my view; there is nothing worse than the fear of fear.    

>but i think if you need to question your vet/doctor then you shouldnt be seeing them if you dont trust them 100%.<

So what do you suggest F/M? That we all take the same attitude as you, suffer in silence and don't question anything? or that we all train as Vet's/Dr's, so that we can be assured that the treatment we take is right for us because of scientific research and training?

>Docs/Vets are human not super human, and I'm fully aware of the limitations of the human brain.  Humans can and often do make mistakes, miss things etc, etc and 2 minds or more on one thing can be more effective than one.<

Couldn't agree more Spender :)

To my cost I have learnt that to trust any 'professional human being' is not wise. In fact it can end in death and all that 'they' will say is sorry!! That doesn't bring the animal or person back does it? Information is knowledge - Accurate knowlege is power

It seems to me that there are some very naive and narrow minded statements on this topic - also some very wise ones ;) - I am the first to agree that as this is an information exchange forum we all have the right to opine - but please, unless you have had first hand experience of something like this then please, keep an open mind - IMHO - this is advice that should be followed generally on all subjects ;)

Well, I confess I haven't read the whole thread, but just wanted to say that coming to a diagnosis is not always easy, and can indeed be a process of elimination in humans, much less in animals that are unable to communicate symptoms.  Doctors and vets certainly don't known it all, but they do know a lot more than a lay person. I have seen a number of vets over the years, from those who immediately think they know what the problem is (they may or may not) to those who automatically want to do every test in the book.  It can't be easy, because some clients will prefer to every test done and come to a firm diagnoisis (usually at great expense), others would go down the route of ,say, try her antibiotics and if that doesn't work, we'll do further tests, and there are owners that are reluctant, or cannot pay for expensive tests that may be completely unnecessary. 

Personally, I am happy to have found a vet who will discuss all possibilities with me and although she may make recommendations for any treatment/tests, the final decision is mine.  She does not claim to have all the answers and if she is not sure on something and will give a colleagues (or specialists) a call to discuss.  She is worth her weight in gold.