Roxy's VETERINARIANS

As we do everywhere we go... we write about the places/establishments we visit and recommend or point out their deficiencies, for the benefit of other travelers. So too, we thought we would write about ROXY's Veterinarians, so IF you need a good veterinarian in your travels, you'll know who you can count on, and who to avoid.

Shortly after adopting Roxy 02/24/2019, she started having loose stool, so we took her to All Creatures Great and Small in Benson, AZ, (where we lived), where it appeared that their only solution to every illness was 'ANTIBIOTICS'. However, one has to experience something to be able to judge it, so we gave her the antibiotics. They didn't help Roxy, so when we called them about it they issued a Rx to DOUBLE the dose. When that didn't help they said they would issue a RX to triple the dose. We said NO WAY. If you find yourselves in Benson, AZ (MM300-306 on I-10)STAY AWAY FROM THIS VET or don't complain if you go there.  

ACG&S VET SCORE:  1/5 💔

We had already planned our first RV travel since adopting Roxy, starting with a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and we were at the Thousand Trails Verde Valley RV Resort in Cottonwood, AZ, when Roxy's diarrhea started to get worse. So we looked for a veterinarian in the area and the best recommendation was the Anasazi Animal Clinic at 407 W Highway 260, Camp Verde, AZ 86322.   Dr. Pollock and his staff offered no different treatment than All Creatures Great and Small, claiming that antibiotics is the correct protocol for diarrhea, so we had no choice than to forego trying to fix the problem there, either. We cannot recommend them, and would go as far as to WARN against them.  ANASAZI VET SCORE: 2/5 💔

So we continued our trip to go see the North Rim and stayed at the Kaibab Camper Village on Forest Service Rd. in Fredonia. AZ. It is the only campground on the North Rim with full RV hookups, which is not really "roughing it", but then our name is Roughing It-GENTLY, after all. (Wink!).  It is about 25 minutes to the Grand Canyon North Rim entrance kiosk, and another 25 minutes to the Grand Canyon Lodge and the canyon rim. We were that close, for just a few days, but our main focus was our baby, So, we decided to suspend our trip to the North Rim (after all the Grand Canyon will always be there, and it it's not, then neither will we to worry about it). 

We called SPR for a recommendation as to a good VET to address Roxy's issues and treat it correctly. They recommended VetMED AZ Emergency and Specialty Veterinary Hospital. So we called them and made an appointment for within a few days, long enough for us to get back to the Thousand Trails Verde Valley RV Resort in Cottonwood, AZ, which is only about 80 miles from VetMED in Phoenix and where we could camp for FREE, while taking care of Roxy.    

At VetMED Emergency and Specialty Hospital at 20612 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix AZ 85024, we saw Dr. Brigham and Dr. Sluiter, which were both EXCELLENT vets, knowledgeable, thorough and caring. They kept Roxy overnight and did tests up the Ying-Yang, put her out and put a camera down her throat  to inspect her throat , esophagus, stomach and intestines. Unlike the Benson vet (All Creatures) and the Camp Verde vet (Anasazi) these guys didn't just prescribe antibiotics or anything without first knowing what they are treating.  They kept Roxy overnight, to do fecal labs, bloodwork, ultrasound and even to scope her stomach and intestines and took many small biopsies. Until getting the results of the biopsies they modified her diet prescribing just Chicken stock for 2 days and then prescription Hill’s Science Nutrition Digestive Care Diet i/d Low Fat (canned stew and dry kibbles). They suspect IBD (Irritable Bowel Disorder) but needed all these tests and procedures to rule out other issues and make sure it was not cancer or pancreatitis. Kudos to VetMED Emergency and Specialty Hospital and Drs. Brigham and Sluiter (although judging by the reviews and other SPR folks who have experience with other vets there, everyone there is top-notch.  The next day we got great news. Roxy's biopsies came back ruling out any cancer and confirming the preliminary diagnosis of IBD (Irritable Bowel Disorder), which though not curable, it is usually manageable with a special diet and steroids (in this case we are starting with Prednisone at 2x20mg daily and then see how it is to be adjusted or changed). By this date also, Roxy's diarrhea has started changing to being more formed, though still soft (but pick-upable), and mostly to the point that she can hold it all night, which means that we no longer have to stay up at night with her. However, after giving her 2-3 days of Prednisone we will again take turns to see how it goes, as a side-effect of Prednisone (in dogs) is that it makes them thirstier and subsequently need to pee more. The question is whether she will still be able to hold it all night... or not. Anyway, we are not leaving until June 25, 2019 so we'll have a week to see how it goes.  

  

 

However, as good as we thought we had it once Dr Sluiter prescribed the Hill's Prescription Diet formula food and Roxy started to get over her diarrhea and firm up her poop, the Doc changed her food again, to Natural Balance Limited Ingredients food, because according to her the biopsies showed that a protein that she is allergic to is also found in the Hill's formula. So, though we were happy with the improving results, like idiots we followed the doctor's advice and changed her food. Within days Roxy started getting looser evacuations again, until by the day we had to leave (on our way to Fort Running Bear in Mountain Home ID - 900 miles away). The trip was going to take two nights on the road with a dog that had diarrhea again and we would have to make pit stops with very little notice to let Roxy out. So, we had to override the veterinarian and get Roxy back on the Hill's Prescription diet. We arrived at Fort Running Bear in Mountain Home ID on the 27th so we could set up camp and drive into a PetSmart in Boise ID to get her the Hill's Prescription i/d Digestive Care that the vet said she was allergic to, However, apparently Roxy never got the memo on that and it was the only one that had worked. Within just a few days her diarrhea was corrected and her stool started being well-formed and if not always fully firm, at least always 'pick-upable'. Bill kept a record of how much of what was given on each feeding and how many pees and how many poos and what degree of firmness, etc., even with photos. We reported to the vet who concurred with our decisions and offered to reduce her steroid (Prednisone) from 2x 20mg  daily, to 1-1/2 20mg daily. One side effect of the steroid is that it makes her very hungry, so even though she is now back to her regular 4 cups daily (1 cup four times a day... 6am, 12noon, 6pm and midnight), she is still always starving.

At some point in the future, Dr. Sluiter was still not comfortable with Roxy being back on the Hill's food, due to the possibility of that dastardly protein creating a problem for Roxy in her future, so she researched it and switched her to Royal Canin Veterinary Rx Low Fat Chicken flavor food and had us keep tabs on her stools. Roxy seemed to tolerate Royal Canin as well as the Hill's, so we kept her on the Royal Canin food from that point on, until her death.  

VETMED SCORE:  5/5 💓

Everything went well (well, at least manageable) until August 2021 when Roxy's stool started getting 'loose' again. We were at the Star Valley Ranch RV Park in Star Valley Ranch, WY, so we took her to the most recommended local Vet, Bridger Animal Hospital & Haystack Pet Resort, which was also the closest to us. There she started seeing one vet and then another, Drs. Wilson and Ashley. Both were very young and apparently recently graduated from Vet School, but when in one lives out in the country (90 miles away from a major city) on has to use what is available and most recommended. However, sort of like it was at All Creatures Great and Small in Benson, AZ and at Anasazi Animal Hospital in Camp Verde AZ, they started treating her with one thing and then changing to another, and then when out of ideas, one of the young(er) and less experienced Vets said, "I would recommend doing a liver biopsy to see if it shows anything." We said not only "NO, but Hell, NO", and opted to make the trip to Idaho Falls, hoping to find a more experienced and professional Vet who would only do a biopsy IF it is to confirm a particular finding, rather than just to see if it tells you what you have no idea what it may be; and if it does not... Oh, well,  (poor dog, cat or horse). 

Later we found out that Dr. Pachie the practice owner IS that more experienced and more professional voice of reason, who had we had the benefit of her experience and professionalism, we may have continued with treating Roxy there, as we are fairly certain that she would not have recommended a biopsy, just to see if it found anything, while not knowing what was suspected. But that is life. You live it and you learn from your experiences. Still, they are all very conscientious with trying to care for your pets, and for what the options are in Star Valley, they are among the best.

BRIDGER VET SCORE: 5/5 💓

In Idaho Falls we were referred to the Countryside Veterinary Hospital and there we dealt primarily with Dr. Shoemaker who was very professional and very thorough.  From that point on Dr. Shoemaker was Roxy's Vet and we would coordinate her appointments with days we had to go shopping in Idaho Falls, like the V.A., Costco, Albertsons, etc. We also kept Bridger Animal Hospital for her vaccinations and ordering her food, which they were always very prompt with ordering. For the rest of time until she started getting sick again and was losing her strength, Dr. Shoemaker said that she had done all she could for Roxy and that anything else would require a Specialty Hospital (like VedMED), but that the closest was near Boise ID (345 mile, 5-1/2 hr. drive) and given Roxy's health condition it may not be feasible, if our main concern is having given her as best a life as we could, BUT also keeping her from suffering as her end of life stage approaches. COUNTRYSIDE VET SCORE:  5/5 💓

 

By August 9, 2023, her health started to nose dive. We hoped we would have had at least a week longer, so we could spoil her with indulging her with all the things that she has absolutely loved doing (riding on a golf cart, sleeping on our bed with us, etc.), but her health declined so fast. For a more in depth accounting of how her last week went, check out our blog post at:  http://www.roughingitgently.com/2023/08/roxy-201-2023-we-could-not-have-asked.html (click link).

To avoid her suffering any further we opted to put her down on Sunday, August 13, 2023, but did so in the back of our Ford Explorer where she was at ease, since it was her favorite vehicle to ride in. We called Bridger Animal Hospital in Thayne; Dr. Lisa Pachie (the practice owner) was on emergency duty, and was already taking care of a dog with a broken leg, another injured in a dog fight, and another that was also injured, but agreed to also see us to end Roxy's suffering. We had never dealt with Dr. Pachie, but both agreed that IF we had her as Roxy's Vet (instead of the two young inexperienced Vet, Wilson and Ashley, we might not have felt a need to seek a different Vet.  So we would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU, DR. PACHIE for your experience and humanity, making Roxy's last minutes at ease for her and with absolutely no fear, dying in our arms while we loved on her. Her ashes will now travel with us and Mary's other GSD (Kaiser) in our motorhome and be with us until it is our time to go as well. 

Unfortunately, while seeking and insuring that she would not suffer any longer, now we are the ones suffering, without her in our loves. She was such a GREAT dog and will forever be missed, having left a huge void in us. There is not a single day that we don't shed a tear thinking of her.

Before closing this post, we want to thank Dr. Sluiter and all the staff at Vet MED in Phoenix AZ; Dr. Kathy Shoemaker and all the staff at Countryside Veterinary Hospital; as well as Dr. Pachie and all the staff at Bridger Animal Hospital & Haystack Pet Resort for your ongoing care and attention to Roxy. And thank you Bridger Animal Hospital for your donation to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree in honor of Roxy. as well as the Sympathy Card signed by all your staff. We have added a lock of her hair and a cut swatch of her favorite pink blanket that came with her from the Saving Paws Rescue in Phoenix AZ. She will now continue to travel with us for the rest of our days in our motorhome alongside her brother, Kaiser (2000 - 2010)  

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