health update

"From the outside, you have a goodlooking 12 year old dog," Dr. Hilinski said. It was within my budget to pay for the exam--he was much more thorough than any of the other six vets we've seen in California!--and the (surprise!) tapeworms medication.

But from the inside... well he recommended a comprehensive "Senior Wellness Screening" for flipping $210!

Teeth cleaning--her teeth are at the halfway point in illustrations of dental decay--is a procedure done under anesthesia and costs a whopping $240!

The "tumor removal routine x2" is only $160. That blows my mind because all the calls i made for quotes-- to simply aspirate (take needle full of sample tissue) &test to determine what IS the lump-- were $130+.

Like what??? why pay to figure out what it is--with an estimated 50% accuracy--when for a bit more you can just get the damn thing removed???

Personally, i'd rather avoid the knife on my dog, the attending drugs and trauma. The statistic 50% makes me feel like "do it." =('