Emergency! Change Vets?

is it possible the dog simply doesn't like the taste of the medicine?
I think any vet, or human doctor for that matter, isn't going to go into detail unless questions are asked.
We all have to take responsbility for asking questions...even if you get home and think of something and have to call then. I would never assume my vet is going to think of every little thing to tell me...but I'm sure going to think of every little question to ask. We do that in regards to our own health, we also should with our pets.
My example...I had to rush one of my cats to the vet yesterday and they were literally swamped with emergencies - 10 year old English Sheepdog with pyromeria (I got to hear all about the infected uterus they removed from this dog), a dog hit by a car, a dog getting its first dose of chemo.
The 4 inhouse vets were all there dealing with appointments, surgeries, accidents - I still asked tons of questions. And called today to ask one I didn't think of.
My responsbility to ask things I need to know....vet's responsbility to have the answers.
I can understand the 2nd set of x-rays (although I don't think you should have been charged for the blotched ones...but again you should have insisted they not charge you the person doing the entry of billing may not even have known about the botched x-ray). When my former dog had UTIs she'd have to have a 2nd urinalysis to make sure the infection was cleared.

boscos_mom -- I'm SO glad Outdoorschik posted because altho I'm catching up after work the FIRST thing I thot of when I read your post was Oliver!!  And talk about a pup having a rough start!

My guess is it's a combination of things and this vet may not be the perfect one for you.  You're learning a LOT tho, and sometimes that's worth it's weight in gold!! 

Yeah -- you gotta ASK

"what med is this?  what does "cough tabs" mean and please make the label more clear"

"are we trying to suppress this cough or make him cough MORE up?"

"if two x-rays were 'bad' then why am I being charged?  can you work with me on this please?"

You don't have to walk into another vet and say "Vet A was bad" ... but you get your records and say to Vet B "Well, you know, I've got no loud complaints but somehow Vet A and I just didn't click -- I tend to be more of a hands-on owner and I'm inquisitive, so if I ask you what, when, why and where please don't think I'm questioning your judgment -- I just want to learn.  So check him over and tell me how we're coming."

Probably you will only be allowed to BORROW the x-rays -- and you may have to have Vet B's office call and ask for them.  Typically x-rays are regarded as the property of the clinic (and that goes for human ones as well unfortunately) but professional courtesy demands Vet B be allowed to borrow them. 

However, I constantly keep my own file on my dogs -- and I just plain make it a habit to get copies of any significant blood tests, results, etc. -- so asking for a copy of your file should be routine, particularly since this dog has been extremely ill.  You don't need to elaborate -- maybe you're going for a second opinion or a specialist and I wouldn't be any more complete in explaining than that!!  don't burn your bridges until you've crossed them.  The second vet won't appreciate a bad attitude from you -- they are all professionals so you don't want to start out on a sour grapes start with Vet B.  If they think the dog has not been treated properly you're gonna know it.

If you're supposed to suppress the cough I can give you the same recipe I gave Outdoorschik for Oliver (she's in the northeast and I"m in Floor-da *grin* but I'm Oliver's Aunt, right Outdoorschik?? He's MY BOY!!!!! well, one of them, but there's a special Oliver sized hole in Aunt Callie's heart, right??). 

You can get slippery elm in bulk in a lot of places -- or you can get it in capsules in any health store and just empty them. 

Local honey (from a produce stand -- you don't want it filtered -- the bee pollen is good for them).
Fresh lemon (RealLemon if you don't have access to real lemon is fine)

Start with like a half cup of honey and enough lemon juice to make it real runny -- then take a rounded teaspoon of slippery elm bark and add it to 1/3 cup of HOT water, then mix that into the honey and lemon.

IF IF IF You need to suppress the cough or if the cough is persistent you can add:

IF you can get licorice root capsules from a health store add 2-3 capsules to this mixture (empty the caps).  Licorice is a good anti-inflammatory and it's good for a cough.

But slippy elm, honey and lemon is an awesome cough syrup for dog or man.  You can give him all he wants of it (use a plastic spoon -- teach him to open his mouth and let you pour it in -- it's great fun and good for them). 

What outdoorschik said about the vaporizer and the hot shower steam is GREAT. 

I assume this little guy is on antibiotics??  Are you giving a probiotic?  I'd suggest just plain old yogurt (any flavor that doesn't have nutrasweet in it is fine) -- just make sure you give it 2 hours 'off' from the antibiotic so the antibiotic doesn't kill the friendly bacteria in the yogurt.

Good luck -- keep at it.  You're learning valuable stuff and you're building a great bond with this dog.  Teach him "this will help -- come get your messinine!!" - if he sees medicine as a good thing trust me -- some day you will be SOOOOO glad he takes it easy.  Try burying pills in butter or braunschweiger or even ricotta cheese.  EASY.

BUT don't try to hide it -- TELL him it's medicine and it's to 'help' him.  Teaching a pup to take meds is a good lifelong thing.  It teaches them to come to YOU for help and that is a very very GOOD thing. 

since having my dog i have been to a few different vets and found that most of them don't take the time to explain things, they kind of rush rush in and out without going into any details, and the one vet i really liked that was very thorough i had trouble understanding because he had an extremly heavy german accent.
 
my personal opinion on the matter, if you arent comfortable with the vet or his/her practices, try another one. i have never hesitated to do so with my childs pediatrician and i wouldn't with my dog either.

I'm so glad Callie posted ...she IS Oliver's Honorary Aunt!
I knew she'd have the exact recipe for the cough syrup idea she gave me for Oliver.
He LOVED it and it really helped... it soothed, but he was still able to cough, just not excessively. I didn't do the Licorice part.
Oliver would lick the honey, lemon and slippery elm (you can get that from just about any health food store, it's a finely ground powder) right off the spoon!!
I'm not sure if your vet mentioned this to you... but our vet suggested that we literally tap his sides sort of mid body on the mid ribs for several minute son each side a few times a day. This helped to dislodge the gunk in his lungs. It might be something you can ask if you should do.
As for the yogurt she suggested, Oliver LOVES the Banilla flavor from stoneyfield farms... they have live and active cultureswhich is what you need... he will take plain as well which is better for them What happened with us was that Oliver was on antibiotics for sooo long that it threw off the bacteria in his gut to the point that the vet actually had to prescribe ultraconcentrated good bacteria in a pump that we had to give him twice a day for a while... using yogurt should help you to avoid getting to that point.

I forgot to tell you this morning... we went through THREE vets and two e-vet visits before we wound up at this one that helped Oliver get better... I finally felt comfortable, it was a good fit, he answered all my questions and I could just tell he was doing his best for Oliver.

And to explain (and just cos I love talkin about Oll-vahhh *wink*) -- actually Outdoorschik and I have known each other for several years on another (much smaller) board, and when she got  Oliver, they tried to adopt thru Petfinder and get a needy dog from far away, and what she wound up getting (aside from a truly awesome dude!) was a deathly ill puppy with pneumonia who was literally at death's door when he arrived.  So trust me - this lady knows what she's talking about -- it was a good while before anyone was truly convinced Oliver would survive (aside from the good thots and prayers of a bunch of us).  But it was actually Outdoorschik who got me here!! (nice lady who has done some truly awesome things with this pup -- pneumonia was only the beginning of what they went thru).

it looks like you guys really rallied for oliver, he is lucky to have such a great caring support system! i would love to see a picture!
 for an update on bosco, i spoke with my vet, and he thinks that bosco definately had an allergic reaction to the "cough tabs" which turned out to be glyphenicin and dextramathorphium. i guess what gave it away was that he was scratching his face INCESSANTLY and when dogs are allergic, they develop rashes and hives on their face. either way, we are stopping it immediately. the vet was actually very good over the phone, answered all my questions patiently and showed great concern for bosco...i asked him if there were any home remedies we could try and he suggested the shower steam. outdoorschik, i went out and bought a humidifier, but i think i bought the wrong kind, because it doesnt make steam, and it blows cold air! anyway, am returning it, and getting exactly what you suggested.

thank you all for your advice, because i can tend to be quick to judge and be distrustful, and you all reminded me how difficult x rays can be, and how getting angry will not help the situation, or bosco at all! i think the lines of communication between me and the vet are opening, and it probably wasnt really his fault in the first place.
callie, i will try the cough recipe if his cough gets worse, right now, it seems to be very very sparse, like once a day or so...but i will DEFINATELY give him yogurt, because i am worried about all these antibiotics he is taking...outdoorschik, how long was oliver on antibiotics for? bosco is going on 2 weeks...

oh one more question about the yogurt, should i mix it in with his food, or just feed it to him straight? i dont want to get him off his puppy food with too many yummy goodies. also, how much is appropriate to feed a 6 lb puppy?

Some people put it on the food and I just feed a table spoon seperately.

Bosco's mom... sorry it took me so long to get back to this to answer your question... I'm crazy with grad school and internship! To answer your question, Oliver was on antibiotics for several months, but that's not the norm, we jsut had a really tough case on our hands. As for yogurt, when he was a pupy and sick I gave him the yogurt on a spoon. I actually still do give it to him at a year and a half, but now he gets a big bowl of his Solid Gold food/plus some canned, salmon oil, yogurt on the side, and supplements! You asked how much to feed him... it really depends on the food. Nutrition is important when they are developing/growing and sick, what are you feeding him now? IMHO I'd go with one of the premium foods... I started with Solid Gold Puppy and the guidelines on the bag were great for the amount. If you've got food questions, the nutrition section is awesome and they can tell you what foods are good and which to avoid.
As for the vaporizer... the ones that say warm mist and take a Vicks or Kaz insert/liquid are great. The ones that blow the cool mist are ok, but a warm mist plus the vicks insert makes the difference. Vicks makes one but there are several others.... do you have a super walmart near you? I tend to avoid those but yesterday I was in there looking at the humidfier sections and they have a range of selection.
I'll try and post a before (sick puppy) and after (current) pic for you when I get home tonight.

Man, I oughta let Billy answer this one *grin*. 
 
It takes a wee bit of training but he'll catch on fast.  Use a plastic spoon -- have him sit in front of you (yep, this IS training *grin*), and just put a bit on a spoon and after the first blop hits him in the mouth he'll get the "open your mouth" part.  I kinda roll the spoon in their mouth and turn it over so they can lick it off.
 
Just remember to give it 2-3 hours OFF from the antibiotic.  So if you're giving the antibiotic at supper do the yogurt before bed.  (twice a day is best if you can swing it schedule-wise). 
 
You will find that there are a LOT of foods that truly help ... please don't get the mindset that food is somehow evil for dogs.  It's not.  good food IS food.  A couple of spoons of yogurt won't upset his diet and teaching him to take things from a spoon comes in super handy. 
 
I equate the term "medicine" with all such stuff -- it teaches the dog that all medicine does NOT suck.  Teaching a pup to be ok with meds will help you a zillion times in the future. 
 
There ARE probiotics you can buy at a health store, BUT don't overdo it -- a child's probiotic will do and a minimal dose (like a 'baby' dose and no more) for such a small baby as yours. 
 
But yogurt is a great antibiotic and it's good for them.  Mine think it's a sublime treat. 
 
Outdoorschik is right -- Stoneyfield makes an awesome yogurt -- organic and yummy.  Where her's like Banilla (and Callie and banana don't mix so mine aren't ever exposed to it -- I can't handle the smell of banana [sm=uhoh.gif]) mine like Strawberry vanilla and Rockin Raspberry.  My Billy has decided that Rockin Raspberry is just plain Heavenly!!  That one brings mine running from all points in the yard LOL.  But I'll give them any flavor and they like them all.  Each fruit has it's own positive aspect
 
Good luck