I dropped him off at about 9am this morning at the vet with the understanding that I'd be able to pick him up at about 2pm or so this afternoon. So I returned home, waited for my parents to arrive and we headed into New Glasgow(not before my Dad found an extra $400 in taxes back for me!) and at about 2:30pm stopped in to pick up Archer.He's still asleep.
WTF does that mean? Why is he asleep?
So apparently not only did they gas him to get his muscles nice and relaxed for a good x-ray, they *really* knocked his socks off. When Halo had her c-section and spay it took her about 45 minutes to be road worthy - Archer's recovery was about 2 1/2 hours and even when we left the vet office he was still terribly wibbly. It wouldn't have been so difficult to do the x-ray with a light sedative - it's not like they were doing OFA hips - they were just looking at the bone density. Perhaps this is their protocol? 
I was prepared for the bill but only because I knew they intended to knock him out and that always eats the pennies up. I asked for a quote and she told me $75 for the first x-ray and $50 for each one after that if required. No mention of the cost of anaesthesia. X-rays came to $125. Plus tack on $120 for Isoflurane. That doubles the bill. Yay me. Plus the meds at $14 - big whoop. So the idea that Raimi needs to have his OFA hips and elbows done is a bit horrifying since anaesthetic is based on weight. I mean, I'm not saying I wouldn't pay or get these things done because of the cost ... I'm simply questioning whether the cost needs to exist. Aneasthetic is dangerous enough without using it willy nilly on things that could be done under light sedation. 
So I have to take Archer back to my 'regular' vet, Dr. Brenda, in a week to see what his progress is and I will ask her about the necessity of making my puppy comatose. I'd even stop in to help hold if they wanted, I'm no stranger to manipulating dogs for various procedures. My mom uses a vet an hour away and there was no dropping off for the day - it was an in and out procedure for hip x-rays using light sedation. Maybe next time I'll go there!
I was prepared for the bill but only because I knew they intended to knock him out and that always eats the pennies up. I asked for a quote and she told me $75 for the first x-ray and $50 for each one after that if required. No mention of the cost of anaesthesia. X-rays came to $125. Plus tack on $120 for Isoflurane. That doubles the bill. Yay me. Plus the meds at $14 - big whoop. So the idea that Raimi needs to have his OFA hips and elbows done is a bit horrifying since anaesthetic is based on weight. I mean, I'm not saying I wouldn't pay or get these things done because of the cost ... I'm simply questioning whether the cost needs to exist. Aneasthetic is dangerous enough without using it willy nilly on things that could be done under light sedation. So I have to take Archer back to my 'regular' vet, Dr. Brenda, in a week to see what his progress is and I will ask her about the necessity of making my puppy comatose. I'd even stop in to help hold if they wanted, I'm no stranger to manipulating dogs for various procedures. My mom uses a vet an hour away and there was no dropping off for the day - it was an in and out procedure for hip x-rays using light sedation. Maybe next time I'll go there!Anyway, they confirmed pano as the culprit and since it is a self limiting issue he is on pain meds for a week and bed rest. Hopefully it won't take much longer for him to get better. I am skeptical about the show in 2 1/2 weeks but am also cautiously optimistic as pano can resolve quite suddenly. As for the rest of the dogs, they think being kept out of the livingroom is incredibly unfair.
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