This is just not good enough is it mate? So this place, is a teaching hospital is it? I can't get my head round the fact that lovely Zena came out smelling disgusting, I know you told me that on the phone last week. When Pops came out of the vet she smelled so sweet and was lovely and clean. I just can't begin to think what their recovery room is like. Is there a way perhaps that you can get in their to have a look for yourself or is that a 'no go area'? When you had your practice runs with Zena, did you actually go in the op room and recovery.
It's disgusting that they have the bladdy cheek to charge that much money too!!! I know she had the hernia done as well, but good God!!! that's robbery with violence that is.

If your feeling down ring me, I'm always here, well mostly
Sending big hugs (((((((((hugs))))))) to Zena and a hug to you too!!!

Elaine xx

Helena sorry too hear Zena is still not right.

When we had Zanta she was speyed at 6 months and had a hernia op at the same time it cost Gorden nearly £200 then and I am talking about nearly 41/2 years ago she will be 5 next March . The anesthetic costs a lot more for bigger dogs not that Zena is as big as Zanta but she is still a big dog then the hernia op adds a bit more on.

As too the internal stitches we had these with Zanta and I must say she was fine no infections just that she was a bit whiney and uncomfortable on her first night which was too be expected. The vets was clean and that was why we were lucky I would imagine.

Ollie when he was neutered needed a few stitches different vets but he still had internal stitches and came out leaping about and again not smelling at all disgusting only that disinfectant sort of smell you get. No problems with him either.

Sounds like they have a hygiene issue in there and poor Zena is suffering and along with how many other dogs I wonder ?

I think you have too complain but I think Dave is right you have too word that letter carefully in case you need them again, but it cannot be left as it will not get better.

(((Hugs))) for you, Zena and Georgie I hope his feet are feeling more comfortable.

Thanks guys, it's quite appalling isn't it, and glad you agree that I should never have received my dogs back in this condition!

I met a couple of my doggy friends when out walking this morning, and told them about it, and they were horrified and said they also had some stories to tell about this place of years ago, but they said they would leave telling me until Zena had fully recovered, and I agreed with that!

Talking of which Zena has been her normal, playful self all morning today, the wound is now back to being WHITE, not red and angry, which is probably due to my nursing skills of spraying the dry Savlon antisceptic on it yesterday and early this morning She has had two good walks, and if one good thing has come out of all of this, it's the fact that she now walks perfectly onheal, in fact, it's quite funny, coz when she pulls me from up ahead, and I just say "oi", she waits and boings in the air and jumps to my left side, and you can't argue with that can ya!!!! Bless her heart. She's eaten well, she's had two meals already today, we're back on kibble, although she will only eat it with roast lamb mixed in, so I've gone and bought some lamb steaks and they're in the slow cooker for the next couple of days, coz quite honestly, at the moment I desperately need her to eat, she's lost far too many meals of late, been through a heck of a lot, and I want to make up what her body has lost, and if it takes lamb, then so be it! I've had two absolutely, spot on normal poo's out of her this morning too, so I'm quite over the moon now! I just hope and pray that this continues for the entire week, and I know we will be well on the way to a good recovery, although I will still be taking things very slowly with the exercise.

Poor old Georgie, he can't come out with us coz he hasn't got his new boots yet and for the first time EVER, he sha* in the dining room when we went on our 2nd walk, and if that isn't telling me I don't know what is!!! Norty little man, he looked very sheepish when we walked in the door, oh he knew alright, and I bet he was sorry, but he just couldn't help himself from protesting like that!!!! Bless his heart, I bet he misses his walks, but I don't want his feet infected, he's gotta wear some boots for a few days.

Thanks again to each and every one of you for your fantastic support as always for my two, and I'm going to hang fire with that letter until I hear these horror stories, which will then depend on just how strong my letter is going to be to them! I won't be going back there that's for sure, but of course, because we're still post op for Zena, I have to bide my time just in case, coz as you know, just about anything can happen around here, but hopefully, we're on the mend now, Allellhuya (sp!!!!???) xxxxxx

The fact is Helena that if you bang of a tirade of anger and acusations it will invoke them into a cover up.

I think Dave has a point, what you need is a clear calm letter pointing out what you consider to be bad practice. It may not be but as I said in my PM just now it's not the condition that our two were returned in and we only have this one tiny vets. to go to, we don't have the choice of an animal hospital or any big practice to go to.

Also, no matter what you've heard from others, that's all it is hearsay and repeating any of that in a letter might do you more harm than good.

But do please keep us posted on the response you get. I think they have some questions to answer.

Oh no H, I wouldn't dream of actually quoting anything I heard, not to them or anybody quite honestly, it's purely for my OWN benefit that I want to hear all these stories, just so that I feel a bit better when actually writing my letter if you know what I mean? It gives me a kind of back up in my own mind, that what I am writing, my actual complaint, is in fact justified, be it a small one compared to maybe some of these stories I'm going to hear and have heard! It will make me feel more justified in doing a pretty stern letter one which I will feel confident in slipping in the post box! Can't wait, but too tied up atm with Dave's problems, but it'll come don't you worry!

OMG H - I am so shocked that you had to take her back again. Here's me thinking you had it all sorted back in post 102!!

I am disgusted that a teaching hospital should give you your dogs back in such poor condition, that you felt like wretching. What the hell is that about? As you say, how could they possibly ensure wounds don't get infected if they don't even keep the animals clean whilst there? I, like you would be livid

Poor Zena - I am so pleased to hear her wound is now white and not angry looking any longer. I also want to say I really hope gorgeous Georgie feels better soon, poor soul, his paws must be so sore Great idea to get him boots

I certainly would be writing a complaint - it sounds to me like you should get your money back for some of the treatment. After all, if her wound hadn't got infected you wouldn't have had to take her back again

As for charging that for a Spay- OMG That sounds well overpriced to me!!

Thanks Am, I'm getting angrier by the day quite honestly, but still haven't done my letter coz things still aren't right here

I knew she wasn't right this morning when I came downstairs, no ball, no ott greeting, and she just sloped off back into her bed Dave said she's ok, but I knew different. I got out a yoghurt, coz that always tells me whether she's feeling ok or not, as to whether she walks away in disgust or relishes a couple of mouthfuls, and needless to say, she walked away in disgust, so that only confirmed my own thoughts I then looked at the wound, it's still half red, and considering today is day 9, tomorrow the stitches would be coming out if she had them, and all should be fine! I've had bitches speyed, numerous bitches speyed and THIS is not right, but I'm beggered if I'm gonna take her back down there yet again just for them to look at it, stress her out again in the process and send me back home with "it's fine" coz the vet told me yesterday or the day before, that I am to accept it like that if needs be for another week, so what is the point

I went out coz I had an appointment, didn't take her out coz I didn't want to tire her out if she felt c*ap, and it was raining so I didn't want that wound getting wet again I came home 2 hours later. Poor Georgie had no breakfast so he had his, then I tempted her with just about everything I had, but she sniffed everything like it was poison The strange thing about this is, she can eat a hard biscuit, and yet when you give her something soft like a piece of chicken, she can't actually eat it without great difficulty???? Then I think back to the day I picked her up, the left side of her mouth seemed very swollen and strange to me, like it was flopping down, the top lip??? So again I go in her mouth and check her teeth and gums, and I notice her gums are half black????!!!! So I Google and google, and there's no way this dog has a tooth problem not only at one year of age, a fit and healthy dog, but also the fact that she can eat anything hard you give her, she's even chewing away on her massive big, solid bone in the lounge in the evenings so nobody can tell me she has a tooth problem!!!! So then I get to thinking, am I going mad, are they normally black like this then??? So half an hour later, she picks up the ball and seems perky and fine again, so I fill her big ball with a handfull of kibble, she pushes it around the floor and eats the kibble like she's starving!!!! I then give her a couple of bits of chicken, so that at least she's had a proper(ish) meal, and I decide to take another look at those gums....... and they're PINK again, so I'm NOT going mad!!!! WTF?????

No, I haven't phoned the vet coz they're gonna say "you'll have to bring her in"!!!! I really am at my wit's end with this and I'm beginning to wish I never had this done

I think it just takes time for them to get back to normal. As I said Tala was not really herself for a couple of weeks but she has certainly got her bounce back now (she's trying to help me type this at the moment ). She only had a couple of small wounds but again they were a little bit red for several days as the skin is busy knitting itself together.

If Zena is eating and playing I wouldn't worry that her behaviour is not exactly the same as before.

Thanks Talassie, but it's so hard for me to see a young bouncy dog, one day bright as a button, back to normal, only to find her the next day wanting to just lie and stare, not interested in much and not wanting to eat, and to ME that's not right, but maybe I'm overworrying as I always do, and I'll just have to sit it out until next Monday and take her back like the vet said if that wound is still half red and bulgy, it just doesn't seem right to me somehow

Hey ho, at least I got my Christmas haircut in before the next barrage of doggy ailments keep my busy huh??!!!! Thanks anyway, I'm probably worrying too much and she'll perk up when she's ready

I think perhaps they get tired quicker, not having so much energy to fall back on. Tala would have a run on the field and then take to the bean bag to sleep when she got back.

TBH looking back I quite enjoyed that period of calmness although to be truthful at the time I was a little bit concerned.