Last easter sunday, Tia gashed her leg. She got an emergency vet appt and the wound was stapled. Her follow-up was the following Monday, however on the saturday (I was away on a course), I got a phone call to say the wound had burst open. I asked my daughter to get an emergency vet appointment to sort it. Stupidly, I didnt phone back to check things. I arrived back late sunday night to find the vet had refused to see her, saying it wasnt an emergency. I was shocked as the wound was open and festering, but I couldnt get an appointment till Monday am. These are two of the pics I took.
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s119/niccimac/greys1/cosmondogs032.jpg
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s119/niccimac/greys1/cosmondogs031-2.jpg
The vet was dismissive and patronising when I complained and said it wasnt lifethreatening and wasnt hurting her. but she needed surgery that day to get rid of the dead tissue and stitch the wound properly. I picked her up at night, she could hardly stand up. I asked what was wrong with her, and was told it was the anaesthetic. I wasnt told she'd bled very heavily during the op. At home, she drank a huge bowl of water and was a bit brighter, but her leg was swelling and reddening below the bandage. Back to the vet! It was 'just disruption of the lymph vessels and might take a few weeks to clear'. Tia was becoming really ill and the red swelling spread up her leg and along her tummy and chest, so back to the vet on Thurs. I was told she was healing well but might have a bleeding disorder. The nurse suggested Vitamin K to the vet, so he gave her a single jab. These are Tia after the op.
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s119/niccimac/greys1/cosmondogs058.jpg
https://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s119/niccimac/greys1/cosmondogs062.jpg
By Friday, I didnt expect Tia to survive the night, she was so weak, and I'd totally lost confidence in the vet. On Sat morning, I took advice to call out a vet from another practice. Tia was rushed in and put on a drip for two days, and immediately started on high dose vitamin K - she was bleeding to death internally. By monday thankfully she'd turned the corner. She was on vit K for two months and required tow further ops to remove dead tissue and close the wound which by now had grown from around four inches to eight inches.
I think a good vet is worth their weight in pure gold, and will always make sure any vet is experienced with greys in future. Almost a year now, and every time I look at my lovely wee lass I thank God she survived.