SchnauzerMax

Yes, but the magic words on your claim were 'abcess' and 'trauma'.

It will depend in part, on how your vet describes it on the claim form. If they consider the procedure 'cosmetic' or for removal of a deciduous (sp) tooth then they won't pay. They are more likely to pay if the tooth is fractured or there is an infection and yes it ultimately depends on the claims assessor.

Imagine what he would do if his girlfriend/boyfriend died

Wow! What a transformation. he loks so much happier now.

Yes! Thank you :D

Except that liver shunts don't often show up on blood results - the liver enzymes can be normal in dogs with liver shunts so often they don't show up until they become more sick with other problems. And it is possible that the dog wasn't showing as obvious signs of spinal pain at the time of the first visit when the OP thought it was the mouth. I was told by a vet that one symptom of a liver shunt can be a dog smaller in size than its litter mates but the diagnosis is tricky (and costs $$) unless the dog is showing active signs of liver problems.

a what!? x 2

Awful news. I'm so sorry.

My little guy Max had an abdominal infection (gall bladder, liver, pancreas) and ended up at SASH in critical shape. The infection was massive and his blood pressure was really low. He was on 15 minute observations. The thing that saved his life was a plasma transfusion. Expensive but worth it. He's as healthy as a very tiny horse now. I'm not sure if it would be indicated in your case but perhaps something to consider/ask about. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery

I'm so sorry ScratchCat. I was so hoping for better news. Keep him comfortable and spoil him rotten!

Max (our mini schnauzer in my avatar) started on 4 meals a day but we put it back to 3 meals a day after a couple of weeks. Where's the piccies?:D

Glad to hear there were no dramas!

Small donation made via Paypal. Schanuzer rescue have a mini schnauzer in care at the moment in a similar condition. I've only seen pictures but boy it breaks my heart to see such cruelty.

Generally soft or clueless owners will get walked over by any schnauzer - mini, standard or giant.

Scratchcat, After all my experiences, I am a big fan of ultrasound because it shows what's happening with the soft tissues, the stuff that x-rays and blood tests don't show. Ultrasound can show inflammation e.g. a bile duct that is enlarged due to infection or it can show if something (soft tissue) is growing in there that shouldn't. Vets are often reluctant to use ultrasound. I don't know why this is so but with humans one of the first diagnostic ports of call is often ultrasound.

Scratchcat, when you say vomiting water do you mean vomiting up a clear or slightly tinged liquid? Whenever my dogs (past and present) have done this it is has been a precursor to what has turned into pancreatitis. One occasion was triggered by rimadyl, another by previcoxx, both as long term treatments for arthritis. The third occasion was a gall bladder infection which turned really nasty. Ultrasound of the abdomen mght show if there is a problem in that area.

The membership form has room for 2 names. maybe you can ring them up and add hubby to yours?

No, you are not blind. It looks like they haven't created the 2012 results page yet. There is only the option to review past results (2011 and before).

Apparently Petplan had mail stolen/ gone missing over Christmas which has meant a huge backlog of claims which they are still trying to overcome. My claim with them has taken 7 weeks since I first sent it in and I still don't have any money back. Part of their process is the claim gets reviewed twice by their experts which means 2 sets of bottlenecks when there are a lot of claims being processed.

But not illegal in New Zealand .

Petplan requires the vets to describe in copious detail the illness/injury plus tick off a whole bunch of yes/no questions and sign the form (as well as you). If ANYTHING is missed, the form is sent back to you without any sort of processing and the clock restarts on the claim when they receive it back. Vets these days factor time to fill in the forms. It is common to leave the form with them and colect it the next day or get them to post it to you.

I have heard of this. I thought it was with a specific brand of vaccine (I can't remember which one).

I think people don't like them because they are artificial but if I remember correctly, they were originally made for dogs who couldn't eat bones. My guys go crazy for Dentastixs but previous dogs have loved them (Greenies) with no ill effects.

If she is drinking twice her normal amount of water and her urine analysis comes back in the normal range then there is quite possible a problem which will need further investigation. I too hope it's something simple.

Yes and No. Often times the retained testicle is hard to find, so there's some hunting around to find it. That means longer under anaesthetic which means it costs more. Also if it is really hard to find they can end up with a "zipper" on their tummy. it is abdominal surgery so recovery is longer but often it depends on the individual dog as well. My dog who had a retained one was much less trouble that the other one that was "normal" - stoic nature versus "boy prima donna".