Vets n docs

So I took my dog to the vet yesterday for her paw and shots. Actually it's her arm that she's been licking. The term is Gaucineroma or something like that which translates to "licks paw too much." He told me to use hydrocortisone cream and then prescribed me a $20 bottle spray of organic oatmeal and colodial silver something or other. I said, "Hold the horse!" and pulled out my prescriptions of Nystatin and generic hydrocortisone cream which by the way are much cheaper than dog prescriptions! He said Nystatin was even better which is what I had put on per paw this morning and did notice a difference. I decided to wait on the $10 head cone as well. My bill was $55 for all her shots including the visit (which I wasn't charged for but is normally $10) and a $5 nail trim; very worth it.

So I have to say I love my vet. NFAH for you LA locals. He only gives you the shots you need, not everything ever available. When I've had to have my dog's pad sewn back on his paw (twice!) because he literally licked it off (Yes, that black cushion thing) it was $106 for over the overnight surgery. And when my old dog got attacked by another dog and needed facial reconstruction, OK stitches in his face, all over his head and inside his mouth it was again only $300 and that was the entire bill, not just the surgery. If you are lucky you have a vet like this who will tell you when it is time to put your dog down, that he has lived a great life and not push expensive tests and procedures. Luckily I have always had a vet like this. Docs should do the same. (Even luckier for me my last dog took the decision out of the equation by getting my other dog to distract me and take me for a walk when he decided drop to drop dead.)

But my point is this, I was at a family dinner and they mentioned their tiny little dog being prescribed Tramadol as a pain killer at 50mg. I went home and realized I had a prescription for the same dose of Tramadol for my back pain! So I gave some to my dog for pain and well, she was freaked out pacing at being drugged out so maybe she didn't need it. The point is we can mostly take the same stuff. (Though don't give your dog antibiotics for humans. I did that once by accident and he really puffed up.)

So now my dog and I both have feet infections and I really wish I could pull out my foot at the vet and lay it on the table. Let's have a one-stop shop.