Last year my dog had a partially torn cruciate ligament. (Reader FYI: torn cruciate ligament is like a torn ACL--painful and will cause a severe limp) When symptoms first appeared, I made an appointment at the close by Hillsborough Vet Clinic. The first vet we saw there was very nice and recommended an XRay of her knee, even though he indicated it was probably a torn ligament. (X-rays do not show any damage to soft tissue--a wasted $150). We went back for a 2nd visit, since the x-ray was ""inconclusive"". We saw a different vet this time, who suggested that my dog probably had an insect borne disease--so she ordered a bunch of expensive blood work (and scared the living-bejesus out of me). When those tests came back inconclusive, I brought my dog back a third time--for the lyme disease specific blood test that this doctor kept insisting must be the problem. Though I was under the impression the lyme disease titer would be performed, the doctor repeated the same expensive tests she had done on the last visit--we were now up to almost $200 in blood work. Our visit became an even bigger nightmare after that. The receptionist indicated the clinic would give my dog her rabbies vaccine, since it was due ""soon"". After a quick peek at her chart, I said No (to receptionist, tech and vet) to the vaccine because she wasn't due for another 8 months. My mistake was leaving the exam room to go to the bathroom. Upon my return, the vet was in the process of vaccinating my dog. NEVER have I heard of a vet doing this after a client specifically says no. The icing on the cake? They charged me for the vaccine (oh yeah, another $80). Don't risk your pets' health with this group. Over $400 later, I still had no solution to my dog's ailment. (to put this in perspective, this was ~20% of the total cost to have the leg fixed by top-notch surgeons in Cary)
My solution? Dr. Szabo, Hidden Valley Animal Hospital in Raleigh. In 20 min and $45, he determined the cause of her limping (partial tear of her C. ligament), offered us several methods to manage her pain, and told us what to look for if/when the ligament tore fully. He was worth every bit of the 45 min drive from Hillsborough.
Pros: pros....?
Cons: Unnessary testing, vaccinating after told not to
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