Bad Experience at the Vet

[cprice12]

So, I take my two dogs in to the vet to get their teeth cleaned yesterday morning.

I go back at lunch to pick them up and take them home...no big deal.

Later that night, my wife and I notice that our black lab isn't responding to our voices. It appears he has lost his hearing, and it looks to be because of the anesthesia used during the procedure because he was absolutely fine before the procedure. I called the vet today and he said to wait another 24 hours to see if it corrects itself, and he had never heard of a dog losing hearing because of a teeth cleaning procedure that involved anesthesia.

Our other dog (yellow lab) came out of it just fine. Although the vet said he fought the anesthesia like no other dog he had ever seen. He needed three shots to put him under. Weird.

I did some research online, and apparently it is indeed possible for dogs, cats, etc. to suffer hearing loss because of anesthesia.
And based on what I read, I'm not optimistic about him regaining his hearing.

How f'ing shitty is that?? 11 years old, seemingly perfect health, great attitude, friendly, very smart and loving dog...and we try to do the right thing and have his teel professionally cleaned so he is less likely to have problems down the road, and he loses his hearing during the f'ing procedure.

F that. I'm pissed...sad...irritated.
I feel really bad for him...although he seems fine otherwise. Perfectly happy, except he can't hear us anymore.

Has anyone heard of this kind of thing happening?

[Mellanby_equals_grit]

If only we had a resident veterinarian to chime in...

[glen a richter]

7 years ago we took our dog to the vet to board for thanksgiving while we went to visit my sister. We left very specific directions with the vet regarding his medicine dosages and times to give the meds. When we returned, we found that our dog and 7 others had died because they threw out the papers we'd all provided with medicine information and went based on a poorly created "big board" that they transferred all the information to--incorrectly.

I know a vet, personally, who said recently that when he got out of school, he had interviewed at that particular office and on the interview was told that the office policy was to "give animals vaccinations whether they need them or not because vaccinations bring in money." Some scumbag bastards at that office. Suffice to say he walked out of his interview and is now in private practice.

[Repeal-56a]

My brother in law took a 7 year old akita to the vet to kennel him while they were on vacation. two days into their vacation they get a call that the dog had died. They told that they thought he had injured himself and died from the injuries because of a thunderstorm the night before. Because they were on vacation the vet had to "dispose" of the dog before they could return, making it impossible to prove/disprove the reason why an otherwise young/healthy dog would pass.

[glen a richter]

We discovered, most unfortunately, that you can't sue a vet for malpractice resulting in death, at least in NY, because a dog is considered property.

Heartless.

[cprice12]

If only we had a resident veterinarian to chime in...

I emailed Dr_Blue and gave her a link to this thread. I asked if she would be kind enough to give her opinion on what happened.
She was kind enough to reply. Very informative.

In case anyone is interested, here's what she said:

On rare occasions, otherwise healthy dogs can develop hearing loss after general anesthesia. There are a number of theories as to why this happens. There may be pressure changes in the inner and middle ear due to intubation and gas anesthesia, pressure on the arteries that supply the hearing apparatus (cochlea), low blood pressure during anesthesia, adverse drug reactions, inner/middle ear infection, rupture of the ear drums (they heal!), or simply progression of ongoing hearing loss. Were your dog's ears examined or cleaned under anesthesia? Complications can develop secondary to cleaning, so you should talk to your vet about this if you have questions. Other concerns include unmasking of other disease - including brain tumors. This can happen with otherwise unremarkable anesthetic events, which then give the impression of an acute event. Does your dog have any other clinical signs, such as chronic ear infections, disorientation, circling, head tilt, or different sized pupils?

My recommendations would include thorough otoscopic and neurologic examinations by your vet, complete bloodwork and potentially a referral to a neurologist for advanced imaging and/or a BAER hearing test. I'm not sure if there are neurologists in the St. Louis area, but the Mizzou has some great people.

If there are no other underlying diseases found, it is my impression that unfortunately, these patients do not often regain their hearing. However, a neurologist would likely be better able to answer this question, as this problem is rare, and I do not have direct experience with these guys.

Please keep in mind that dental disease is a serious condition in dogs, and YOU DID THE RIGHT THING by having a dental cleaning performed. I see many dogs who endure needless suffering with dental pain. I don't know your vet, but I'm sure he or she did their very best, and feels very badly that this happened. If your dog's hearing loss is permanent, try to find a silver lining by using this as a training opportunity. You'll have to be extra careful if your dog is off-leash (probably not recommended for a deaf dog anyway), so training with high-value food rewards can be a lot of fun! Talk to your vet about options.

And then she sent another email:

I just found a reference from a neurologist stating that acute hearing loss secondary to anesthesia can take up to 2-4 weeks to return, if it is going to. If there is no other underlying problem, then there really isn't a way to accurately predict which dogs will regain hearing and which ones won't.

[Rohan]

Wow. Sounds like you spent a shit load of cash on these dogs. I suggest going for a fish or a hampster next time.

Something happends to those, you can flush 'em down the toilet. No need for a vet.

[marco]

I grew up with a black lab who spent the better part of her life scared of water.

If the dog goes def just reinforce good behavior to hand signals with food. It might suck at first but you can still have a handicapped dog that is otherwise pretty normal for a dog.

[WaukeeBlues]

Do vet's have to do anything like human doctor's do in regards to that moral code pledge they have to swear by? My guess would be no, but to hear about a vet practice who vaccinates for the f*ck of it to make money, I don't know, just seems like you would wonder where the hell those people went to vet school and what they learned there.

[section319]

Do vet's have to do anything like human doctor's do in regards to that moral code pledge they have to swear by? My guess would be no, but to hear about a vet practice who vaccinates for the f*ck of it to make money, I don't know, just seems like you would wonder where the hell those people went to vet school and what they learned there.

Yeah, I mean I am no expert but I would expect they have a code of ethics similar to a doctors.

[big d note]

I grew up with a black lab who spent the better part of her life scared of water.

If the dog goes def just reinforce good behavior to hand signals with food. It might suck at first but you can still have a handicapped dog that is otherwise pretty normal for a dog.

[Blueline29]

I grew up with a black lab who spent the better part of her life scared of water.

If the dog goes def just reinforce good behavior to hand signals with food. It might suck at first but you can still have a handicapped dog that is otherwise pretty normal for a dog.

Best of luck with your dog, Curt! At least it's nice to know that there's still a possibility that his hearing could come back. And I'd like to second the testimonial for the Mizzou vets...they were really great with my brother's Lab after she developed bone cancer.

[Dr_Blue]

"Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.

I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.

I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence."

[Dr_Blue]

There is a certain large corporation who is notorious for vaccinating for everything under the sun, but even they are coming around due to increased scrutiny and awareness. Most vaccines these days are valid for 3 years (some rabies vaccs are still 1 year). If you're still getting vaccines every year, ask your vet why. But remember that yearly wellness exams are still really, really important to your pet's health!! They age so much faster than we do, and even if your pet doesn't need a vaccine, he or she still needs to get checked out!

[cprice12]

Wow. Sounds like you spent a shit load of cash on these dogs. I suggest going for a fish or a hampster next time.

Something happends to those, you can flush 'em down the toilet. No need for a vet.

It wasn't that much money. $310 total...which is a good price.
And it is worth it to lessen the chance of having teeth issues down the road...which can be very expensive.
Our dogs are in really good health for older dogs. I wouldn't want them to start having problems with their teeth, which needed a good cleaning.

On the bright side, their teeth look very good.

[OS]

$310? Dogs are more expensive than kids.

[cprice12]

$310? Dogs are more expensive than kids.

They have to put them under to do the procedure...which is why it costs more. Believe me, that is a good price. A lot of places will charge that for one dog.

[stinkdified]

Wow. Sounds like you spent a shit load of cash on these dogs. I suggest going for a fish or a hampster next time.

Something happends to those, you can flush 'em down the toilet. No need for a vet.

It wasn't that much money. $310 total...which is a good price.
And it is worth it to lessen the chance of having teeth issues down the road...which can be very expensive.
Our dogs are in really good health for older dogs. I wouldn't want them to start having problems with their teeth, which needed a good cleaning.

On the bright side, their teeth look very good.

[WaukeeBlues]

"Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.

I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.

I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence."

thanks Dr. Blue.

So in your opinion, would unnecessary vaccinations fall into conflict with this pledge?

[stinkdified]