I just have to rant, guys!

[thewolfplush]

Disclaimer: These people are extremely nice people who do care about their animals, but - I don't know. They're awesome, but sometimes I sincerely disagree with them. Really. Sincerely. Disagree.

The Story: They got a puppy from a petstore. ARGH, I know. I don't know why - their previous animals have all been rescues. Weird, huh? Apparently, some dumb woman with a rescue organization told them that THERE ARE NO MUTTS ANYWHERE, AT ALL, PERIOD. They're called 'designer dogs'. It makes my head hurt to think that such imbeciles can be part of a rescue organization. I suggested the pound, they wanted a puppy. I suggested craigslist, they wanted a puppy. I said there are tons of puppies out there waiting for a home.

Next thing I know, they paid a few thousand dollars for a yellow lab who has proven she has the worst genetic background possible.

This dog is sweet, loving, gentle with their new puppy (who they got from a friend backyard breeder...what the H-E-double hockey sticks!?), and pretty much the regular ol' lab puppy.

Except she's not even six months old.

And she has elbow dysplasia.

Plan of action?

If the two-bit hack of a vet can't do anything to help her, they're going to put her down.

Put. Her. Down.

She's still growing! She's not even an adult! I mean, as long as she isn't in utter, abject pain (she is not, her quality of life is still very good), then do everything you can! If the vet can't help, then study on your own! I know it isn't recommended, but there are so many vets out there who would just do corrective surgery and painkillers and that's it. Try a better food! Hydrotherapy! Glucosamine supplements! HELP HER LOSE WEIGHT TO BEGIN WITH.

I'm sure there are holistic vets out there who can give a second opinion. Or even non-holistic vets who are willing to do more. BUT, in the extreme case that there isn't, take it into your own hands. Try to help her! Like I said, I know it isn't recommended, but there were a lot of medical treatments 'not recommended' that we use today. Nostradamus was ahead of his time during the bubonic plague. Lorenzo's oil. Even Penicillin was an accident. Modern medicine is a forefront, yes - but if that doesn't step up to the plate or do anything at all and there is still a chance, you do what YOU can.

The vet told me my kitten with pneumonia would not eat. Guess what? I hand-fed her. With a dropper. She tasted. She ate. She recovered. The vet told me he'd rather 'wait and see' if my dog's kennel cough cleared up before testing for/or treating distemper. DISTEMPER. THAT is a matter of TIME before anything can be done!  A puppy that sickly would cave under distemper in two week's time! He had the discolored nose discharge, the bubblegum-chewing fits, the thickening of the pawpads and nose. If I took the vet's advice on both cases and just threw up my hands and said 'Oh, well, there's nothing I can do because the vet SAID SO', they'd both either be really sick right now or DEAD.

Sad as it is, the practice of medicine in the US is the BUSINESS of medicine in the US. Just LOOK at the pathetic nutritional knowledge the average vet has! If they knew better (or cared less about their Science Diet kickbacks, either or *grumble*), they wouldn't be selling the crap food they do in their offices! Oh my god, I'm getting so mad just thinking about it. I'm always so glad when I read about vet students who are gonna open up a can of intellectual whoop-butt on Iams representatives at their school and promote healthful living in their practices. It isn't even a holistic approach. It's a common sense approach!

Sickly dog? GIVE HIM THE NUTRIENTS HE NEEDS, FOR STARTERS. AND AVOID IT, OR MINIMIZE IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, LATER ON WITH HEATHFUL LIVING.

Joint problems? TAKE SOME WEIGHT OFF HIM, FOR STARTERS.

I mean, I'm not vet, but I have studied and what I know is a decent launching-pad. I have a ten-year-old lab. Ten. She acts like a puppy and, guess what? Not a single medical issue - not a single one - except for two injuries in her LIFETIME. She ate a spider once and had an allergic reaction when she was a puppy. She got bit by a stray dog (Long story, I kicked the dog's tail-end, bad choice, I know, but I panicked and now we can't walk in our own neighborhood. :S). That's it. Both times she had a miraculous recovery. She goes hiking. She goes swimming. She plays. She has NO joint problems, and last vet visit she got a clean bil of health. A low blood cell count (NOT anemic, far from it), but that was fixed straightaway with a higher protein and iron diet.

I just feel sick to the stomach at the thought of that loving, happy puppy dying because of some vet's imbecile knowledge, some disempowering whatever with the family, and some stupid puppymill's lack of caring. Their lab mix of so many years, an incredibly sweet dog, died of cancer recently too. I KNOW the family can't take another blow like that. And why did the lab die so suddenly of cancer?

BECAUSE THE IDIOT VET WAITED TOO LONG TO BEGIN TREATMENT.

Elbow dysplasia. At six months! Good lord.

I fear for when the backyard breeder puppy gets older, honestly.

Anyway. Guys. Tips or suggestions I can pass on, let me know.

Thanks for the rant opportunity.

God, this is terrible!

DISCLAMER 2: I'm not knocking going to the vet. I go to the vet. You go to the vet. We all go to the vet. The vet's there for a reason. The vet has helped immensely with my dog's few accidents. But I'm also not enough of an idiot to have a totally hands-off approach to the treatment of my animals. I want to know what they are doing, why they are doing it, what the side effects are, every-darn-thing. Then I will go to the library, bookstore, and online and find out more on my own. Vets = Very good thing to have. Vets, however, are not all-knowing, allmighty Powers That Be. No doctor is. They are HUMAN, and the way I see it, two human brains (or more), as long as cautious and educated, are better than one.