Lies and deceptions. I know it’s a dramatic statement but it’s the truth. I’ll start by some good stuff. Tonight on our last walk of the day, Ollie and I enjoyed the brisk temperature (-15C/5F) with the almost full moon shining through the trees and bouncing off the crusty white snow. We are lucky enough to be far removed from any city per say and when there is no wind we can hear cars from miles away. Usually Ollie and I hit the woods but with my foot acting up from an old work accident and the deep snow in the woods makes it painful, so we hit the road instead. Ollie doesn’t get to sniff as much as in the woods but he’s happy none the less. He’s actually turned into quite a recycler! Yesterday after finding a water bottle on the side of the road, he took it upon himself to bring it right to our balcony to put in the bin (I made the bin part up, but he was close). Much to my surprise, this morning it was a Red Bull can. So what are the merits of having Ollie? As I’ve discussed previously he gets me moving. He makes me appreciate things that I had forgotten I liked, the outdoors, snow, that cold snap that takes your breath away but reminds you you’re alive among other things. Ollie’s great, well almost……. My first communication with the person who had Ollie up for adoption was on Dec 12 2013. I asked some basic questions since I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make a commitment yet. On the 18th I sent an e-mail asking if he was still available and was the reply was yes. Next day I sent another e-mail with a couple pertinent questions including these: And known health issues? Hips, allergies??? Does he have a special diet? (hopefully not cats..JOKE LOL) The reply: Hi Danny, Are u still planning to come tomorrow? If so, what time? His name is Ollie. He isnt on any special diet, just regular dog food. Doesnt seems any health problem. He is good with kids and cats, at least as far as I know. I picked Ollie up on the 27th ( I think) and hustled back home with him. If you have read any of my previous posts you know I’ve been battling a severe skin problem around his mouth. The vet said she knew what is was and prescribed… I’ll get back to that later. Would that be considered a health issue? Let me rephrase that, would you consider the skin around a dog’s mouth? looking like hamburger a health issue??? Sooo vet visits ensued $$ changed hands and the dog got better, not. I asked the opinion of the folks on this FB and I should have listened….. I’m, by nature, a trusting soul. Shame on me, but I’d like to think when it comes to animals changing hands for the greater good, people are honest. When I ask a question, the answer should be an honest one and in turn I make a decision based on the answer. Dog is healthy; I say great, I’ll take him. Dog has issues, I make an assessment whether I want to embark on a project or not. I have in the past and didn’t shy away from the fact the dog had special needs. The truth is steps. I ask the person I got the dog from when his last shots were. I promptly receive a copy of his shot report by e-mail. Great. But something is wrong. The date of the report is dated the day I receive it. So with the vet’s number in my hands I call up for information. The receptionist was super friendly so I asked about the report. So she grabbed his file and said “oh Ollie…” That prompted me to ask questions to which I received answers that left me extremely angry. His condition was ongoing since at least August 2013. So I asked for his file to be transferred to “my” vet, all 37 pages…. So this supposed “breeder” of BRTs had blatantly lied to me about Ollie and furthermore had neglected his condition altogether! Poor dog. After doing a little digging as well as other BRT owners contacting me, it’s clear that this “breeder” should not be permitted to have anything to do with K9’s. I’ve been told that Ollie is possibly the result of a inbreeding, which might explain some of his problems. The end of act one. Vets. Ah what a special breed, pardon the pun…. When I brought Ollie to the vet the day after saving him from the “breeder” I was told “it’s this and you need this and that and this” Antibiotics, antiseptic soap, drops for his skin. Armed to the hilt ready to do battle with his funky skin, NOTHING. Return to vet. Shave his face, let it breath, more pills keep washing. Next visit; looks at face about 40% better “let’s take a culture”, says the vet, a few pills to hold him over till the results are in and home we go. Up to now I believe we’re $700 in bills. Today we get a call with the results of the culture. The antibiotics he’s been taking have NO affect on what he has. It’s a bacteria that needs to be treated with people pills, oh did she say $200 (not included in the $700), and it MIGHT not work? The bacteria might be resistant to the pills? Holy good F**K will this ever end? I know some of you pointed out my error in not asking for her to take a culture (oh that was $96 by the way) in the first place. I repeat “I’m a trussing person by nature”. Should the vet feel in any way responsible for her blunder? Should the fact that I’ve been feeding my wonderful Ollie, the WRONG antibiotics be considered a case of negligence on the vets behalf? Yes you were right. Those of you who said the following “get a second opinion” “get a culture” “vets can be wrong” you were right. I now hate vets. So that is my sad story. Despite the fact that my dog might be a purebred inbred with some ailments we might never “fix”, he remains my Buddy Ollie in for the long haul…. I leave you with the $20 question you’re asking yourself, who the “breeder”? I’m pooped time for bed, thx for reading
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 05:03:39 +0000