Jackie
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Hi, My Dog Chevy Is A 16 Year Old Shih Tzu. He Is Fully Blind. His Left …
Hi,
My Dog Chevy is a 16 year old Shih Tzu. He is fully blind. His Left Eye is bulging and it is recommended to enoculate the eye. My question is several parts. Fist, he seems to be healthy and happy. He sleeps alot but doesn’t seem to be bothered by the eye. But I do think it needs to come out. It could pop out, get invected etc.
I got a quote from a specialist that is $4320 – $5087.
Then his regular vet sent me a quote $2297 – $2700.
How do I decide what to do. That’s a HUGE difference. My vet sent me to the specialist.
Next question, Assuming he passes all the pretesting, should I do this at all?
1 Response
Hello,
We know that most dogs with an enlarged eye have pain. The reason that it is not evident to the pet parents is that the pain is slow and progressive. In most cases the eye gets larger because of an increase in the pressure within the eye, or a tumor in the eye.
An enucleation is recommended when the eye is no longer functional as a way to remove the pain from the pressure.
I always recommend the enucleation to these patients if they are expected to be able to tolerate anesthesia.
At my practice it is about $1,000.
If the question is why there is such a price difference I think it is a bit of expertise and greed. The specialists feel they “deserve” a higher price, the corporate owners of the practices demand a profit higher than most private practices expect and medicine (vetmed esp) has no qualms about asking a high price and not caring if your pet suffers because you cannot afford it.
You should chose the practitioner you trust.
You might be surprised to see how much better your pup feels after the surgery.