So sorry to hear about Lil. And sorry the vet wasn't more helpful, kind and accommodating. I hope she recovers quickly. So scary.

PS I used homeopathics on our dog many years ago and he perked up after a stroke... Our vet who used and uses homeopathics and regular medicine gave it to us.

I'm so sorry mama. Is this your regular vet? How ridiculous that since you've taken her regularly to get her nails trimmed and no doubt for regular shots and anytime she's ill,that they won't work with you on payment. I would not hesitate to take her to another vet for a second opinion immediately. This happened to a coworker of mine. She dropped one of her dogs off to get her shots and a nail trim,and when she went to pick her up,she was dead with an iv in her leg. No explanation from the vet,nothing. Despite this,she continued going to this vet. She took her little westie in because he was acting funny,and he basically told her that the dog had a 40 to 60 percent chance that he was going to die,so there was no point in trying to treat him.(This without any tests) I sent her to my vet,and he is at least trying to save him,and he is already improving.

I would think that in this instance especially,since THEY caused the initial injury,they would be doing back flips to accommodate you. I will definitely say a prayer for Lil. Sweet baby. And I wouldn't give that vet any more of my business if I were you. Find one that gives a hoot.

Mama, I'm sorry. I know how worried you must be, but you haven't failed at anything so don't blame yourself. Many can't afford large vet bills, and with your giving heart and generosity to your children and grandchildren its no wonder you don't have much to spare.

There may be places near you who do vet care at reduced cost. You aren't looking for a bargain, just affordable so don't be too proud to check around. You might try calling Paws for advice if your own vet you've been using couldn't direct you, or the Humane Society has a list of reduced pet care in some areas of some states.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962

My SIL's stepdaughter is a vet. An expensive vet with a somewhat new business she's formed with two other young veterinarians. They don't provide 'compassionate care' or offer payment plans - truthfully I don't know why they aren't just a little more generous at least part of the time. But they do direct owners to a couple of less expensive clinics nearby who do reduce rates, or charge sliding scale according to income.

I'm wishing you the best, and just maybe Lil will surprise you tomorrow and be improved.

Sending prayers and good thoughts for you and Lil.

I am also thinking of you and Lil. Hope you had a good night's rest and will have a better day today.

I'm praying for Lil, mama. I know you love her with all your heart and believe me, she knows it!

Sending healing prayers your way for Lil. I know this is breaking your heart.

Morz thank you for the link I will check it out.

Thank all of you for your words of encouragement.

I've been taking Lil to this vet for over 7 years I've always paid my bill in full at time of service. Yes its time to move on.

Tomorrow when the vets are open im Going to start calling them...and the humane society.

So far this morning Lil is acting fairly good, but the pain shot was for 24 hours...so well see.

I keep telling myself a limp and pain most likely means injury...most injurys will heal...

They should have put her on a pain med when they clearly seen her limping and shaking the first day...what vet lets a dog suffer.

I don't know what that vet assistant did to her when she took her to the back to clip her nails, but for sure this girl will never tell. Thats another thing they have always clipped her nails in the examroom in front of me. This is the first time they ever took het to the back. For all I know Lil could have slid off those slippery stainless exam tables.

I'll keep you all informed and I really Thank You all for your kind words and good advice.

I keep telling myself a limp and pain most likely means injury...most injurys will heal...

******

It's like you're in my head! I say the same thing to myself, but it's torture to not be able to tell you dog that!

Hang in there and give Lil a hug for me.

mdln, a good point. A friend of mine visited her daughter at WSU, taking her little cairn with her. A medical emergency occurred with the dog while she was there and they scooted across campus to the vet building, received excellent and inexpensive care immediately.

Can you try a GoFundMe? I often donate for friends who need help with vet bills. I have a huge soft spot for animals.

I hope she is feeling better soon!

I'm praying for you and little Lil, don't ever ever feel guilty if she has to be released to the other side. A kind person will always choose the most painless path but their baby.

I am only mentioning this, just in case. Has an X-Ray of your pup's neck been taken? I have been through a situation where the neck discs of our pup were calcified and surgery was required. It presented as a limp. Hopefully this is not the case, but as I said, I thought I would point it out.

thinking of you and hoping you get to the root of the problem., i am sure she will be fine!!

how old is Lil??

Mama... don't give up so soon! Don't even think about letting her "go" tomorrow please. I think it's awful of your vet not to work with you more since she was injured there, just awful! I also think you should take her to a different vet for a second opinion asap, like tomorrow. Do you have a heating pad she could lay on? I always keep a few jars of baby food on hand, the turkey w/gravy. My little dog will eat that right down when she won't eat anything else at all. When these little dogs won't eat it really messes with their blood sugar. I second the Go Fund Me!... I am not a vet but I'm not sure I agree with the stroke thing....

I don't know how big the town is you live in but here some vet's have Sunday hours....

N xrays on her neck, but food for thought at least its something to explore.

Closest vet school I can locate is in Philly which is very far from me. Thank you.

Currently she's walking around although slowly, no limp...but after the pain shot Friday her limp stopped...so interesting to see if the limp returns when last nights shot wears off. I have the front door open and she barked at a cat walking down the street...she drank a tiny bit and pee'd..she refuses all food today so far. I was given steroids last night..they gave her a steroid injection last night and told me to start the pills at noon today. I had to put it on the back of her tongue for her to swollow as she won't eat. Will be interesting to see if adding steroids helps. I know they can be a miricle if used only for a few days or so.

Thank You all. ...I much appricate your support.

Lil might have an upset tummy because of the meds. You might want to ask about Pepsid or Carafate to help her out.

She did have Cerenia last night for her tummy. But I agree.

Cute story. I gave her her baby a well loved furless stuffed Rudolph she didn't want it but I said Lily pick your baby up and put it in the toy box...I had to say it twice but she did pick it up and drop it in front of her toy box. Lol.

Is she on antibiotics? How is her rectal temperature? Hydration (tongue, gums, inner cheek moist)?

Yes she's on Enrofloxacin. Tongue, gums, inner cheek nice and moist. Temp today is 101...last night 103 and Friday 104.1.

Thank You

That is good news!

Yes it is.

I sure hope that she is doing a lot better tomorrow. I can't believe that the vet wouldn't work with you on the bill.

Poor you and poor puppy dog. I'm sorry this happened and personally would head back to that vet's office for a little chat about the fees. All was well when you took her in, then upon return, doggy is not right.

Anyway, if you're trying to get her to eat, (maybe not important now?) do try a scrambled egg. When dd's dog will eat nothing else, he will eat that. It may give her a little energy, if that is important. Much good luck to you, Mama.

I'm not giving up yet...she's doing better..at least some. Its now been 23 hours since her injections last night. I would think they've worn off by now. She just finially ate her chicken and took her antibotic. Shes no where near better but also no where near as sick as yesterday. She has had no limp all day.

As far as feeding her..its tricky as she has severe gastro issues.fats must be limited..preservitives make her very sick vomiting. Wish I could give her a egg, but I fear I'll just add to her sickness.

I hope she has a good peaceful night, and I will be calling Vets in the morning.

Thank you all...your encouraging words gave me back the strength I needed.

This is very good news. I know our bichon can take awhile to come around to eating, and it's the WORST!

For me, that is ;-)

I never relax until the appetite is back.

The last time I needed to coax him to eat, I made chicken thighs in the Instant Pot. A little chicken stock and a little butter and he was a happy camper.

I keep checking back for updates, mama, and am happy that things are looking up. I understand that she's still not all better, but it's going in the right direction. I'll be eager to hear tomorrow's update. Hugs to Lil and to you.

I expected last nights shot to wear off and her be just as bad..like what happened with Fridays shot. Would have been nice if they would just have sent her home with enough pain meds like Tramadol for a few days. Than on the other hand maybe its the addition of last nights steroids that's helping. I'm just glad I see improvement. The joy and heartache of our babies.

MiMi, yep their blood sugars. When Lil was a baby it was problematic. The vet told me to keep a syringe of corn syrup and put drops on her tongue if needed. But nurishment is very important, well for all dogs, but being a toy or tea cup has a whole new set of challenges at times.

I'd be a nervous Nellie with a really small dog not eating! I get angst with a 20-pounder!

If not 100% confident with diagnosis, and there might be something else going on, you don't want to mask symptoms with pain meds.

If after the pain med wore off, she was just as bad, they would probably want to examine her again or do additional diagnostic testing. That may be the reason for not sending you home with pain meds.

Mama, do you have a Banfield near you? I take both of my cats to Banfield and we love it. They have a plan that you pay each month and certain things are included and you get a discount on things that are not included. I pay $50 a month and that covers both cats. Whenever we take them we are not charged for an office visit, all shots are included, our plan covers dental cleanings, and I'm not sure what else. This plan was a life saver when one of my cats had a bladder problem. In the span of 2 weeks we took him to the vet at least 6 times, if we would have had to pay for each office visit and full price for all the tests and medicine they gave him we would be broke. I also really like Banfield because they are open 7 days a week and have drop off appointments so I can drop the cats off before work and then pick them up after work. They call me multiple times during the day with updates.

Sorry for the long post. I know how expensive vet visits can get and just wanted to offer a suggestion.

Also, I forgot to mention. The first time I took my cats there the first office visit was free

Waiting to hear How Little Lil is doing.

I hope Little Lil is doing better, but I wanted to respond to Dakota's recommendation of Banfield. I recently read a news article https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-01-05/when-big-business-happens-to-your-pet  that said perhaps everyone ought to avoid Banfield Veterinary Clinics.

Basically they are consciously and determinedly putting business ahead of the welfare of pets, pushing the veterinarians to meet sales goals for procedures, tests and vaccines. The company financial report states the company’s business strategy is "to leverage our existing customer base by increasing the number and intensity of the services received during each visit."

Volunteered w/ shelter/rescues coordinating vet care (due to my medical background) that worked with numerous vets. Banfield is probably the last place I'd go; have seen what was described in the Bloomberg article posted above.

mama - what about Care Credit? I do know that you have to qualify for it but I am pretty sure it is offered in the U.S. - since we can get it in Canada. I know that payments must be made within the year but that no interest is charged. You are able to apply for it to be used exclusively for your pet.

I may have missed this part, but how old is Lil? I did note that she is a mix between a Chi and a Yorkie.

Personally, I do not think that Lil's current condition as caused by the cutting of her nails - UNLESS she fell - that would be different.

I would watch her closely. At this point I will tell you that our dog with the calcifying neck discs was seen by an emergency vet (our vet was closed for the day). He was prescribed pain meds (much the same as Lil) - because the emergency vet decided it was a sprain. It wasn't. The pain meds masked the symptoms and as soon as they ran out, he started limping again. I was only too aware of the back issues suffered by Dachshunds but at that time did not know about the neck discs.

I immediately took him to our regular vet and she requested the X-Rays from the emergency vet. It was very clear to her what the problem was and our dog met with a neuro that afternoon - actually his back discs went as well. While Dachshund disc disease is a bit different, many pets these days suffer from back/neck issues.

Emergency vet clinics have saved the lives of many pets, but there are good and bad vets everywhere. Fortunately, Toronto now has a very good 24 hour Vet Emergency Clinic - a lot of the board certified vets work out of there. We are currently seeing the eye specialist.

If you end up going to a pet University hospital (we have Guelph) you will likely need a referral. On the other hand, since you live in the U.S. you might not (people do in Ontario as well as pets).

Note though that while regular trips to see a pet specialist will cost more than emergency, middle of the night surgery performed by an on-call surgeon (been there, done that) the cost will be higher than for a regular vet. Also on an emergency basis, at least in Canada, we have to pay 50% upfront in cash or cash equivalent and the balance post the surgery/treatment.

However, I would be looking for a new vet. Unfortunately, even with the transfer of records you would be looking at paying for some services that have already taken place since the new vet would have to reassess Lil. Certainly many vets these days do not offer payment plans.

I hope Lil is feeling better today. You might try the flip the foot test when she seems to be better. It is easy, you just lightly put your finger under each paw and she should put her paw down properly.

I wouldn't be going to Banfield either - and I do not think we even have them here.

I hope all goes well with Lil - it is never easy seeing your our pets suffer. If only they could talk and tell us what is wrong.

bob_cville: Thank you for posting that article. I will have to read it later when i have more time.

You can also try baby food. I get the beechnut brand at walmart because it's just chicken and chicken broth I believe. You only want it to have chicken. Nothing like garlic. I keep some on hand in case one of my babies gets sick and isn't able to eat well. And remember when they aren't eating whatever they will eat is ok (as long as it's not bad for animals of course). I don't feed my pets commercial pet food but if one stopped eating and that's the only thing I could get them to eat then that's what they'll get. I'm glad your baby is improving.

Lil had a good night, and a normal bm. Today she's not limped at all. She ate today and is drinking well. Shes jumping on the couch and off again so I had to set my daughter as her guard. The door is open and shes looking out..tries to bark at things, she's barking but not as loudly as before. Shes following me around. Her temp is 101 so normal. She is for sure healing. I can't even express my relief. I can see in her eyes she's lost that look of pleading, you pet owners know the look I'm talking about. Her vet called me this morning to check on her, she still thinks Lil had a stroke.....maybe...but I think its possiable 2 things have been going on...an injury from the tech and a virus..remember she had a fever.

I called a ton of vets today..most would see her but payment in full at time of service.they told me the bill would be high as they would need to do blood work, xrays and possibly other testing...none would hold my cars title and allow payments. I ask them all. Hopefully Lil will continue improving.

I am so Thankful to all of you for your support and recommendations..some of which I'm still looking into..its nice to not feel so alone.Thank You.

Lil is a fighter!

I had no idea this was going on! Poor little baby, I'm glad she is feeling better. I only re-read this thread because of all the responses, which I think are wonderful. Such caring people on this forum.

I've been reading all these posts but haven't had a minute to write, but I'm so, so happy Little Lil is so much better today! You've been fighting her fight and caring for her so well, and you both have a bunch of cheerleaders on the sidelines cheering her on! So thankful things are looking up!

She's still doing well and ate again. when Dada came in from work she ran to the door to greet him. I know...Dada, and yes I'm Mama..Haha. I'm sure its the same with your babies.

Yup. When "Daddy" comes home, the bichon just shakes with excitement!

Happy to hear she is much improved. She looks like a little sweetie.

Glad to read that she's feeling better!

Elizabeth, she sure is a sweety and so good. Shes never chewed anything, does her business where she's supposed to, and follows simple commands such as sit, down, stay..her biggest fault is barking if she sees a cat walk by outside, but even than if I say Lil NO she stops. She has been spoiled with love and attention, and carried around like a baby...MiMi with her tiny baby will understand this lol. My boys 8&9 and Lil 7 so they don't remember life without Lil adore her. Yes she's greatly loved....being my first and only pet ever I know what I've missed in the past, yet I don't think I could ever love another like I love my Little Lil.

Mama, I am so happy to hear that Lil is doing better. You may be able to just see how she does now and if you are right that two things were going on, you may have addressed them both already with the treatment you have received.

One time my Fred stepped off the curb and started limping like he had broken his leg. So of course I took him to the emergency clinic. We waited such a long time to be seen and by the time we were, they could not find any limping any more but gave me some pain pills for just in case. So I probably jumped the gun, but you know how it is.

All this to say that if she isn't limping, she may have just pulled a muscle and had a chance to rest it and it's better now. I hope that is the case and that you don't have any further need at this time for any more vet care.