Hello everyone, @Dr. Jeff , @Dr. Christina
I had a recent experience at a veterinary clinic with my dog, Jude, that I would love some suggestions on how to handle. Jude is a 10 year old German Shepherd (neutered male), approx 79 lbs. I took Jude to see a specialist to get an ultrasound done based on a recommendation from his regular vet.
When requesting the appointment with the specialist, they asked for a reason for booking the appointment and here’s what I wrote -
I had a recent experience at a veterinary clinic with my dog, Jude, that I would love some suggestions on how to handle. Jude is a 10 year old German Shepherd (neutered male), approx 79 lbs. I took Jude to see a specialist to get an ultrasound done based on a recommendation from his regular vet.
When requesting the appointment with the specialist, they asked for a reason for booking the appointment and here’s what I wrote -
| I took Jude to see his regular vet to have a mass evaluated (in left axilla). From the vet’s notes - "During Jude's exam, we appreciated a soft tissue density in his left axillary region, which felt consistent with a fatty accumulation. We can't be 100% sure of what type of mass it is without a fine needle aspirate and cytology. We also noticed a firmer area deep under the soft tissue which could be normal conformation or a secondary mass that is not a lipoma." We discussed having an ultrasound guided fine needle aspirate to the firmer tissue to evaluate the type of cells involved depending upon what is seen on the ultrasound. Also because Jude has had chronic GI issues while an ultrasound is being performed I wanted to see about the possibility of checking the abdominal area as well to rule out any potential issues there. At the appointment with the specialist I only met with a tech before the ultrasound to check in and talk about the process for the ultrasound. I thought from the discussion and the notes i included when making the appointment that they were clear about what area to do the ultrasound in, but later at home that day when Jude rolled on his side, I noticed they hadn’t shaved the left axillary region and the shaving was more in the center and right side. I sent the office a picture, and a tech later followed up with me by email later and said “we apologize for the non symmetrical shaving but we definitely did focus on that left side. I hope this report clears things up.” The report does say they looked at the left side but the fact that they didn’t shave that side is really confusing. They also noted on the report that the ultrasound was brief for this area and “a small subcutaneous nodule was identified which displayed normal fat density.” What I wanted to come from this ultrasound more than anything was peace of mind and I don’t have that. I know they are saying they did the left, but it’s confusing that that side isn’t shaved, but the other side is, so I’m wondering what to do. Do I go back and question the veterinary team again or do I just take their word? It’s not my intention to question their competency, but I do know mistakes can happen and I want to be sure that my dog got the care he needed. I also don’t have the answer to whether what was seen on ultrasound was the primary mass or potentially the secondary mass noted by the original vet and whether to go forward with a further evaluation through an aspirate. I would love any suggestions or recommendations on how to navigate this, particularly ways to ask for additional information without coming across as insulting the veterinary team as that is not my intention. I just want to make sure what the initial vet originally noted as looked at and fully evaluated |
