Giardia

Sounds like the Vet was trying to do the right thing and was taking it a step at a time. I certainly would rather be angry at the person  you got the pup from, rather than the vet, who is trying to help your dog.  .   

To be fair, Giardia can be very hard to diagnose.  At least she is being treated for it now.

Giardia can be tough to diagnose AND tough to get rid of.  It wouldn't be the first time it was 'missed'.  HOWEVER, a pup with bloody & runny poop *before* you went to the vet should have gotten more than just "use Pepto".  That, first off, should have been a big huge red flag that something was wrong.  Any brand new pup is likely going to need worming and frankly I would have expected the vet to have done that.  Did the vet DO a fecal the first time?

Kennel cough should have been evident last weekend. 

Is this a vet you know?  It's hard to tell but you have to put things together from a pattern that forms sometimes.  The first visit why did they call it as they did?  I probably would have asked -- first -- to try and discern why the vet made the call they did.  Were they concerned that it was something that might pass, but that since you were a new owner you might be "scared off" from going to the vet if there was a lot done and a big bill the first time??

Unfortunately some vets try to out psychoanalyze clients rather than just treating the dog.  I've seen vets dose antihistamine 'too low' because they're afraid the owner won't use it if the dog gets sleepy.  I've seen vets not suggest a fecal or other test because they are afraid to charge for things so they avoid tests (test that really OUGHT to be done to help figure out what really IS going on to *resolve* a problem fast) just so they can keep the overall bill 'down'.  So you wind up going back again and again and again to resolve something so it's like they get you on "quantity". 

Unfortunately some vets feel the need to be business people first -- rather than health care practitioners and sometimes they make decisions based on money (and that boils down to income opportunity).

HOWEVER, on the other paw, sometimes they just plain try to do the right thing and not over-medicate the dog, so they take the most conservative route first. 

My point is that you won't know which this vet is unless you talk to them at length.  Invest enough time and talk in them to see if they are someone you want to continue to do business with.  Is it a matter that the first vet 'missed' something -- in which case I *would* demand the second office visit be comp'd -- OR is it a matter of office policy to keep treatment extremely minmal with the idea that "you can come back for something stronger later" -- then you work your way thru "are they just trying to make office visits off me, OR are they really trying to minimize the meds my dog has to take for it's own benefit?

Ask them about their other policies.  What are their vaccine policies (twice a year? once a year ALWAYS?  will they do titers?  after puppy shots and immunity is achieved will they then work with you if you don't want to vaccinate every year?  or are they adamant it's their way or the highway?).  What are their policies regarding emergency visits and how easy it is to get the dog in?

If you called during the week and reported blood in the stool and got stonewalled by the receptionist -- was it because the vet never even knew you called?    In fact, last weekend when you had your first visit -- do you get the idea that the vet really even SAW the fecal and truly heard what you said about the fact that you thot *then* there was something wrong??  If you aren't getting TO the vet ... well again -- you have to re-think whether you want to do business there long term.

It's risky to demand now that they comp a visit -- what's that going to do ... longer term ... to your relationship with this vet?  I'm not saying 'no' -- I'm saying keep that in the front of your mind -- and if you really don't CARE because you are monumentally p.o.'d with these people then start now looking for a better vet.   I'm not telling you to, or not to, just helping you have the questions to evaluate the situation.  I would have been more than a bit put out as well!!
 
However it also sounds to me like the breeder is at least partly responsible -- you did the responsible thing reporting it, but frankly I wouldn't expect to adopt a pup from a breeder and have it come home with giardia AND kennel cough.

   Beth & Bob....understood, I just feel she should've been looked over WAY more thoroughly Mon already.
 
   Callie.....I do have issues with this place since I began going there...nothing to severe but enough that it unnerved me.
 
   -the vet tech came in the room, put her clipboard down, never acknowledged Madelynn, ( my Shepherd ) nothing, just PUSHED & I mean PUSHED on her hind end & said SITTT!! I jumped right up pushed her off my Moose & said DONT EVER push on her hind again...don'y you know what you could do to a shepherd by doing that????? She kept saying sorry & she didn't know, & I said how did you know???? you're a vet tech [8|] Needless to say, I was miffed.
- the SAME vet tech Mon with lil Gracie, after I already clipped them for her, decided to dremel my lil pups toenails. She took one of her nails down to the fur, I was like OMG!! @ that point I was scared what was wrong with Gracie & didn't say anything...I was thinking Parvo, & bad stuff. Chucky & I did discuss it though & he said, as did I,  she will NEVER touch our kids again. The vet that day felt around her , listened to her heart, told me her poop was negative, said her eyes looked good, her ears looked great, & her lungs sounded fine. UMMMM ok, she came home yesterday, less than a week later with....
  * Kennel Cough ( the vet yesterday said her lymphs were up & her throat was swollen & red )
   * eye infection ( she said Basset eyes are droopy, but there was a low grade infection starting in it )
   * the start of ear mites ( I cleaned her ears but was afraid to go in like I do the bigger girls....she said I'd rather be safe than sorry, took a swab, looked under the scope, they were starting she said &...they're not in the canal, let's take care of it now )
    *Giardia ( this she told me takes 3 weeks to show up & you guys told me it's hard to dx )
  I told the 1st vet EVERY symptom I told the last.....runny poop, sometimes bloody...bloated belly...she makes a hacking sound often, she grunts when you pick her up....she grunts when she poops.....she's gassy when she poops.
   I told Chucky I'm soon going to make an appt with my former vet ( 2 hrs away, & just get a motel room so the drive isn't so hard on them ) I'm for sure calling them & seeing if they can recommend 1 here....VERY dissapointed . When you find a vet you'd trust with your most precious things, it sucks to move 2 hrs away [] 

I have issues with my current vet but I've got to give the man credit - I had Prancer to his office 3 times within the first 2 weeks we adopted her and he only charged me for one office visit.    There wasn't anything really wrong with her (I was being a hypocondriac mostly LOL), and he could have taken advantage of that or tried to "teach me a lesson" by charging me each time, but he didn't.
 
Hope Gracie is feeling all better real soon !

I hope that Gracie comes through quickly!!  I too, would think long and hard about your current Vet!

Kennel cough should have been evident last weekend

Kennel cough can incubate in a dog for up to two weeks - this could be why the vet did not pick it up right away.
Giardia is easy to cure - but you MUST thoroughly clean your backyard - bleach it - or the parasite will get into your grass your dogs will keep on getting it.

  How does one go about bleaching a yard??? Just dump gallons of pure bleach? dilute it ? Thank you....the vet never even told me it could live in the yard & to clean it thoroughly. I was told though, & I find it hard to believe....that since my older girls are currently innoculated, they can't get it. Anyone know the validity of that? TIA

I was told though, & I find it hard to believe....that since my older girls are currently innoculated, they can't get it.

I would not trust that vaccine.  The quote below is from the University of California - Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
 
[linkwww.vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/clientinfo/info/genmed/vaccinproto.html[/link]>http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/clientinfo/info/genmed/vaccinproto.html]www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/clientinfo/info/genmed/vaccinproto.html[/link]

These are vaccines for canine coronavirus, Giardia spp., canine adenovirus-1, and rattlesnake envenomation. The reports of the AVMA and the AAHA canine vaccine task force have listed the first three vaccines as not generally recommended, because 'the diseases are either of little clinical significance or respond readily to treatment', evidence for efficacy of these vaccines is minimal, and they may 'produce adverse events with limited benefit'. Currently, information regarding the efficacy of the canine rattlesnake vaccine is insufficient. The UC Davis VMTH does not stock or routinely recommend use of these four vaccines. 

How does one go about bleaching a yard

 
 
You are going to want to dilute it, but I am not sure what the ratio is. We mix it a sprayer, like you would to spray your yard for bugs. I believe there are other products out there that you can get from your vet, but we always just bleached at the shelter. I will try to find out the ratio for you.
You also want to make sure that you keep the dogs out of the yard after you bleach it - you don't want them to get bleach burns on their paws!

I'm sorry..but I hate to say this...but your vet is CHEAP!!  Dirt cheap compared to what I pay for lousy service. (Looking for a new vet as well.)
 
I got CoCo from a BYB, so she was also very sick when I took her in.
 
I described her symptoms exactly like yours, and a $40 exam, $20 for fecal, not to mention wormers, shots etc, the bill was over a hundred bucks.
 
First vet visit she had kennel cough and her first fecal tested positive for coccidia.  She eats her own poop, so she kept reinfesting herself.  So every 2 weeks I had to pay another $20 bucks for a fecal, not to mention for her meds.  It finally tested neg for coccidia, but then positive for giardia.  The meds were really expensive, but I was VERY vigilant about her not getting close to her fecal and it cleared up after one round of treatment...but I think I paid well over $100 just for fecal tests alone....
 
But then again... my vet also charged me, when CoCo got spayed and her hernia repaired, $27 for a microchip...and get this.. $29 to PLACE it.  Even if I came in to get just a booster shot, they will charge me $40 for the office visit.... even though we were just there 3 weeks prior.... [8|]
 
Good luck with it though... it's frusturatiing...but hopefully will get better!
 

We almost lost our puppy to Giardia due to a misdiagnosis. It was a similar story and I've decided that anytime there's something wrong with my pups I will take a stool sample and insist that they check it, no matter what. It can't hurt. I'm not going to go into all the details, but it was an extremely emotional time for us and I don't ever want to go through anything like that again!!!!! We as pet owners have to be proactive to a certain extent because, even though we may love our vets..........things can happen and I don't want my dog to be hurt as a result of it. That's why I love this site.......so much great info!!!!!!!!!

My 8 month old German Shepherd has had Giardia basically for the last 4 months and we can't get rid of it. He's been given meds twice, not sure what they gave him, but my biggest concern is getting it out of the environment. We clean up his stool as soon as possible and spray the grass with a mixture of bleach and water and  have been washing his bedding and crate often with disinfectant and we still can't get it out of the environment and he keeps getting sick. It's becoming a problem to pick up liquid poop and I'm looking for suggestions on 1.) how to get it out of the environment  2.) How to pick up liquid poop so that it leaves little behind in the grass, and 3.) Besides medicine is their anything I can give my dog to help him recover from Giardia????