u/stopdioproll

Thank you so much for your responses the first go round. I’m trying to pro and con my way through this. I need to know if I’m being too much or if I have reasonable concerns if were to move forward with my dogs treatment.

I posted recently asking whether I should continue my senior dog’s rehab. I’m wondering if my concerns about the clinic are reasonable.

First, I think they’re a great practice. Everyone has been kind and professional, and I believe they care about their patients.

What has bothered me is that we chose this specialty rehab clinic because the website only features two veterinarians with extensive biographies, and virtually every review we read praised those same doctors. I researched ad nauseam.

Since this is specialty care and a significant financial commitment, we naturally expected T-Bone’s initial evaluation to be with one of them. Instead, it was with a different veterinarian, and that wasn’t explained beforehand.

The veterinarian who saw him was thorough and answered our questions, so this isn’t about competence. She just felt very disengaged and quick. We were quoted for some supps, radio graphs, accu, and PT.

After rehab all of the discussion focused on what T-Bone wouldn’t do rather than what they learned from the session. I was told someone was going to come back after discussing the case and explain the plan, but that never happened.
We have a visit scheduled on Wed for extensive x rays requiring 600mg gaba and 100mg traz (not too fun for dog)

My fiancée and I are both teachers, so once school starts it’s difficult to miss work for appointments. If we’re going to continue rehab, we need to leave each visit understanding what was accomplished, what the goals are, and why continuing treatment is recommended.

Am I being unreasonable for feeling like my expectations weren’t managed, or would it be fair to ask if one of the two veterinarians we originally chose the practice for could personally reevaluate T-Bone and as for clear collaboration before we commit to a long-term plans

Sorry to bother. It’s just tugging at me, and I don’t feel like they are treating the case in earnest.

My dog is almost 13 years old, about 60 pounds, and I’m struggling with a decision.

He was recently evaluated at a renowned veterinary rehabilitation and sports medicine hospital because he’s developed a very stiff posture and changes in his gait. During the neurologic exam, the veterinarian flipped his back paws over, and she noted that he was somewhat slow to correct them. He also occasionally crosses his front feet, sometimes slips on hardwood floors, and has days where his rear end seems weaker. His stiffness and weakness are usually worse in the mornings and in the heat.

He eats well, loves his walks, gets excited for treats, enjoys being with us, and still has bursts of energy. He’s not constantly painful or miserable, but he’s just clearly aging and has mobility issues.

We already went for our first rehabilitation/acupuncture appointment. During the rehab portion, he became extremely stressed and resisted the handling. They told me that if we continue rehab, he’ll likely need gabapentin and/or trazodone beforehand so they can safely work with him.
Now they’re recommending extensive orthopedic x-rays before moving forward with treatment.

My dilemma is whether I should keep going down this road at all.

Part of me thinks the x-rays could identify exactly what’s going on and lead to a rehab plan that genuinely improves his comfort and mobility. The other part of me wonders if I’m turning the last years of an old dog’s life into a series of appointments, diagnostics, and treatments when maybe I should just keep him comfortable and let him enjoy being a dog.

The cost isn’t the deciding factor. I’m really trying to weigh the potential physical benefit against the stress of repeated veterinary visits for an almost 13-year-old dog.

If this were your dog, would you go through with the x-rays and rehabilitation, or would you focus on comfort care, reasonable exercise, and letting him enjoy his remaining years?

I wanted to ask the people who have gone through having a geriatric dog how you managed your own stress and anxiety around it.
My dog is getting older and has hip dysplasia and some mobility issues. He still eats great, enjoys his walks, loves his Kong, wants to be around me, and is still very much himself. But every little thing sends my brain into overdrive. If he slips a little on the hardwood while he’s working on his Kong, I immediately jump to wondering if this means the end is coming. If he has a stiff day or seems a little slower, my mind goes straight to worst-case scenarios.
I feel like I’ve gone from being his owner to constantly monitoring him and trying to interpret every movement and every bad day. It’s exhausting and takes away from enjoying the time I have with him because I’m so busy worrying about what everything means.
For those of you who have been through this with older dogs, did you deal with this too? How did you keep yourself grounded? Were there things you told yourself or ways you reframed things that helped you get through the uncertainty that comes with having an old dog?
I think I need advice as much on handling my own brain as I do on handling the dog stuff.
Thank you all so much!