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AIBU?

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Original poster

The vets keep charging me

34 replies

ledla · 25/05/2025 11:04

My 9 year old German shepherd had a large lump removed on the front of her chest a month ago. She had surgery, was stitched up and given antibiotics. She was wearing a head cone so couldn’t touch the wound, and also wasn’t allowed in the garden. A few days later the stitches burst open, so back to the vets we went. £200 later she’s stitched back up and given more antibiotics. A week later the same thing happened. Another £200. Two weeks later and the stitches have burst back open again to expose the nasty wound. I spoke to the vets and they have said she needs to come back in for the same thing again (another £200).

AIBU to think they need to find another solution? Am I in any position to complain? I don’t know where to go from here. She’s had a head cone on for a month, and only been out in the garden on a lead, so hasn’t caused the stitches to pop open. She’s obviously in pain, the stitches aren’t working and I don’t have any unlimited amount of money 🙁

OP posts:
justasking111 · 25/05/2025 11:20

My Labrador had the same issue chest lump removed. Fluid built up behind it. Spectacular rupture. The chest is a known area for this. Keep on lead don't allow to jump. Sedation perhaps to slow down.

faerietales · 25/05/2025 11:19

ledla · 25/05/2025 11:15

@faerietalesthank you, I’ll ask them about staples!

Good luck - I totally get how frustrating it is. The final vet we saw (who stapled her on a Sunday morning!) refused to charge us and was actually really annoyed that she'd been stitched three times without anyone suggesting staples.

She healed really quickly once the staples were in :)

Original poster
ledla · 25/05/2025 11:15

@faerietalesthank you, I’ll ask them about staples!

OP posts:
Original poster
ledla · 25/05/2025 11:15

Just a quick point - I’m not looking for free treatment from the vets. My dog has arthritis and isn’t particularly mobile so isn’t doing anything for the stitches to keep bursting open. I was looking more for opinions on whether I’d be unreasonable to tell the vets that they need to do something different to what they have been doing!

OP posts:
faerietales · 25/05/2025 11:14

We had this with our cat - she had stitches three times (they burst every time despite us using a cone) - eventually they stapled her and she healed fine - can you ask them to do that instead (depending on the location)?

Gustavo77 · 25/05/2025 11:11

Maybe try a post op body suit which will protect it and possibly give it a bit of pressure to let it heal. It won't heal if there's an infection though so I'd ask them to do a wound swab and culture to make sure if there is an infection, she's on the correct antibiotics. I think this might be at the root of the problem.

Communitywebbing · 25/05/2025 11:11

You might try another vet who might spot what is going on with the stitches or suggest some kind of dressing to support them.

LandSharksAnonymous · 25/05/2025 11:10

Vets are a business. Stitches rarely rupture unless there’s an outside ‘force’ at work. Perhaps once. Not twice. Definitely not four times.

Put it like this - there’s a one in a million (or less) chance that your vets have made the same error with the stitches four times. More likely you or your dog are doing something, possibly inadvertently, to cause this.

So, yes you either need to find another solution - or you ask your vets to proscribe some meds to make your dogs drousy, like they do with breaks etc, until she is healed.

But no. You have no recourse to complain. They are a business - they’re not going to give you free treatment.

bridgetreilly · 25/05/2025 11:09

Talk to them and ask for something more effective. Clearly the stitches aren’t working.