My 13 yr old lab started limping badly last week with no apparent cause. He almost couldn't walk. We just moved back to NY from California last fall, and I thought maybe he had contracted lyme. I called the vets in the area to see who had the Snap 4DX test that tests for lyme (and three other tick-borne diseases) and chose East Hampton Vet Group because they had it, and weren't too far from home. I brought Bean to see Dr. Craig Fenwick.\r
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Dr. Fenwick is a nice man who obviously cares about animals. He was pretty sure it was lyme. We chatted for a few minutes while we waited for the test results. When, surprisingly, they came back negative, Dr. Fenwick took x-rays to see if Bean had injured his leg somehow. A little while later he presented the x-rays, along with his diagnosis: Bean had terminal bone cancer that had started in his toe and spread to his lungs. He suggested amputating the toe right away and said that the cancer in Bean's lungs ""wasn't the worst he had seen but was pretty close."" There would be nothing we could do for Bean except make him comfortable during his remaining days. Because I had fed Bean that morning, amputation wasn't an option that day, and I said I wanted to think it over and get a second opinion. Dr. Fenwick understood, saying twice he would bet his career that his diagnosis was right.\r
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I took Bean to the Animal Medical Center in NYC on Monday. They did their own x-rays and confirmed that what Bean actually has is arthritis and a non-cancerous growth in his chest cavity. No cancer. No amputation. Some meds for the arthritis and Bean is now himself again.\r
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I called Dr. Fenwick's office to let him know that his diagnosis was wrong (I got his voicemail). I'm posting this because you may want to think about it too. What if Bean hadn't eaten and Dr. Fenwick had amputated unnecessarily? And terminal cancer??? He's a nice guy, and I hope he takes this as a learning experience. And for what it's worth, the AMC is incredible.
Pros: Good location, nice office
Cons: The vet we saw was reckless (and wrong) in his diagnosis
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