Look for a new vet or stay and risk it again?

 Oh dear, how sad.  I am so sorry for your loss.

 I would find another vet.

 

I'm so sorry about the loss of your dog.  The bottom line is that you've lost confidence in him and that alone is reason enough to find someone else.  I changed vets after an experience with one of my dogs (diagnosed with cancer) that caused me to lose faith in her.  I don't think she's a bad vet but for me and my dogs, she wasn't the right vet.  I've been happy with the new clinic.  Sometimes it takes a serious illness to really find out if a vet is willing to listen and respond to your concerns.  I've learned one thing and that's not to let any vet sway me if I feel they're missing something. 

(((hugs)))

Of course I can't tell for sure, but that sounds so similar to what happens to dogs with IMHA -- they suddenly "crash" and if the vet doesn't do bloodwork right away to find the low hematacrit (altho they should see it when they look in their mouth) ... and even sometimes if they do -- they get some prednisone and are told to come back "in a few days".

With IMHA that's insane. With a very very low hematacrit that is ... insane. When a dog comes in with the kind of distress you're talking about (all severe symptoms -- particularly the breathing problems) -- more diagnostics should have been done on the FIRST visit -- that saying that the vet felt they could DO such diagnostics which do cost money.

All that said -- and it could be totally irrelevant because not enough diagnostic work was done to know exactly what was wrong with your dog -- but as Jackie says you have lost faith in that vet and THAT ALONE is absolutely sufficient to find a different vet. If it was something severe like IMHA or something else (it could have been several different things) then it was likely beyond that vet to treat it anyway -- BUT if the vet felt it was something severe/terminal like that either the vet should have told you, or sent you on to a vet school or specialist.

You're now left with grief and questions. If it is something like IMHA or organ failure or .... whatever ... you don't even have closure enough to know what happened -- when should you have brought the dog in? What was wrong? How can you prevent it from happening again.

I am so very very sorry. I work a lot with people with IMHA dogs and the sad fact is a lot of vets just really don't have the equipment and training to treat something like IMHA. My own vet was NOT equal to the task 7+ years ago.

But that's when he said to me "Mrs. K -- what we're doing is NOT working -- can you go to Gainesville to the Vet School ... NOW?" (4 hour trip).

It wasn't me who saved my dog. Ultimately it was the vet school, but the first one to help him was MY VET who said "I don't know this ... go where they WILL know and can do it better than I can"

Did I look down on him because he couldn't treat him? Absolutely not -- because he was honest and sent me elsewhere.

To me he was a hero that day ... Joanne - it is never wrong to go for a second opinion ... even if you have to drive a long long ways to someplace like a vet school or specialist. We are their advocates. Often ... you may be the only one who knows your dog isn't well.

My deepest sympathies to you -- what a horrible horrible thing to have happen, and now you are left feeling ... wronged.

Yep, I would witch vets. It doesn't do you any good at this point to play the what if game because you just don't know. However if you don't trust the vet then find another. I have switched vets over a lot less.

Jewlieee

It doesn't do you any good at this point to play the what if game because you just don't know

 

That's the truth ^ and no one on the internet can diagnose or even make an educated guess about what might have been wrong with your dog, so don't feel like you let your dog down by not doing this or that.