It has been a really tough week and a half in Phuket for our little family. Bella has unfortunately been to the vets twice in 5 days, initially due to ticks and then unfortunately due to the incompetence of the vet we trusted.
We had no clue how bad the ticks were here in Phuket until we arrived. The place we were staying had 2 dogs, one of which had short hair and this meant that you could really see the ticks. We checked Bella regularly and got a spot on treatment to try and help with the problem. The groomers we went to was at a vets and they offered an injection that would also help fight the ticks off, so we did that too. Anything that would help we did.
After having been in Thailand a month we noticed Bella didn't want to eat, hadn't been to the bathroom and was just not playing like she normally does. I took her to the beach and she didn't even get excited by the 6 horses or tiny crabs that she normally sprints after, the crabs not the horses. There is a vet really close to where we live called "Horse and Dog Vet Hospital", it's clean and the staff speak good English.
Bella had her temperature taken and showed a fever. Her blood showed two types of blood parasite were in her system and her white blood cells were practically non-existent. Bella was prescribed a huge amount of steriods, antibiotics and a liver supplement as well as having an injection to reduce her fever. Returning home Bella quickly made her way to the dental chew she had ignored for 2 days and then picked up a toy. We were really hopeful.
Fastforward to Thursday night and Bella is not wanting to eat, has become lethargic and is having some bathroom issues. I met a future colleague and they mentioned a concern that they had following using the vet I went to. They had taken their puppy to be de-sexed and when they returned the puppy they suggested that the she might have a heart problem and gave them some medication. They weren't too happy with this and went to another vet who ran an ECG, did not find a heart problem and recognised the drugs they had been given as human medication usually given to athletes to build muscle and burn fat. I then went on line and found the most horrific reviews of the "vet" I should not have trusted. I say "vet" as from other reviews it would appear that they have people without qualifications posing as vets, prescribing medication and performing surgery.
We were given a recommendation for PAWS Phuket. The place wasn't as sparkly as the Horse and Dog Vet, but they do charity work and have a good reputation. The vet called the previous vet to get the blood test results and told us straight away that there is no way Bella should be taking the amount of steroids prescribed. They took another blood test and found that her white blood cells were too high as was her liver function and gall bladder. The vet was concerned that Bella was at risk of septicemia and could potentially have long term liver damage. We had to leave Bella overnight on a drip in a crate in the OR surrounded by crates of kittens. Not her happy place at all.
The vet allowed us to bring Bella home the next day as she was eating. Unfortunately she can't take the antibiotics that are meant to be fighting the blood parasites and we have to wait an entire week to find out if there is permanent liver damage.
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