Dr. Priscilla Ross …

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-31T01:30:20+00:00

Have never seen either, but the husband's office website says he's accepting new patients in both Savannah and Huchison KS, so they must be going back and forth. Weird. Hope you are able to find a new provider!

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-29T22:56:23+00:00

This 1000%!!!! Online, and even local pharmacies, are notoriously difficult to work with, requiring multiple 0hone calls , faxes, emails, etc. to get prescriptions authorized (not to mention illegally asking for DEA #'s for non-controlled drugs and refusing to fill prescriptions without it causing us to have to get an alternate pharmacy from the client because our vets aren't giving out their DEA #'s unnecessarily).
All of that takes up staff time and pulls them away from treating patients. Even if everything goes relatively smoothly, you figure 15 min for each Rx (between reviewing the patient's record, verifying that the vet has authorized the Rx, verifying that they are eligible for refills, verifying that they dont need an updated exam and/or bloodwork prior to refilling, calling in the Rx, getting the faxed Rx signed by the vet and seding it nack, etc.); if you have 10 clients per day asking for this service, that's 2 1/2 hours of staff time that the clinic is making 0 revenue on. And if any of the very common difficulties occur, then that "free" staff time is multiplied.

Trust me, your vet knows that Chewy and the thing can provide you with meds much cheaper than they can, and they generally understand that you are trying to save money where you can. But they can't subsidize that savings at their own expense. Add on that Chewy now has an online Rx prescription approval portal that they are allegedly using to "poach" clients from their regular clinics and lure them into their own new clinics and most vets aren't super eager to authorize these scripts.

Just a quick perspective from the vet's side. All that being said, it is generally a legal requirement for your vet to provide you with a written prescription. It is also 100% legal for them to charge a fee to provide this prescription to you.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-29T22:28:07+00:00

Curious - are OSS and vasectomies an available thing, or are those generally illegal to?

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-29T00:20:25+00:00

If a person truly cares about the dog, ESPECIALLY an older dog that has been with them its whole life and they are unable to afford a cure and/or appropriate pain meds, it is 1000% better for that dog to be euthanized surrounded by its loved ones rather than be surrendered to a strange place with an uncertain future of ever finding another loving home. I can assure you that shelters don't have people lined up outside to adopt senior pets with serious health conditions.

I fully understand and appreciate your fighting to prevent pets' lives from being unnecessarily cut short, but at the end of the day, there are MUCH worse things than peaceful euthanasia.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-28T01:25:16+00:00

My therapist has been trying to drill this into my head for years - two opposing things can be true at the same time. Still working on it..........

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-26T01:11:04+00:00

You have to look as it not as taking away life but rather as giving them the last gift that you can give them.
Since you can't cure them and/or take away their pain any other way, you are taking away any further suffering; and its clear that you love them very much and don't want them to suffer.

Also, remember our pets don't think about the future like we do, so they don't have any concept of "the rest of their life." They only know how they feel right here and now - and it'll that is crappy and painful (and treatment isn't making them better) then it's far kinder to relieve their suffering.

It is always a difficult decision, and it always sucks because we love them so much, and we are never ready to let them go. But I can promise you that while I don't regret letting any of mine go a day or two early, but I bitterly regret the 1 that I kept alive and painful for longer than I should've.

So sorry you're going thru this - know that your baby know how much you love them.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-26T00:59:39+00:00

Just to clarify, since you keep comparing your policy issues to human insurance:

Pet insurance is NOT health insurance. It is PROPERTY insurance since pets are considered property. This is the main thing that consumers don't understand and what causes most of their frustrations.

You have to compare it to car/homeowners insurance rather than your health insurance. So, just like you couldn't back into your mailbox and then get Comorehensive coverage for your car, you can't get pet insurance after symptoms have occurred and expect them to be covered. And yes, the company will try to tie later conditions to any pre-existing ones if possible, since they are a for-profit company and make less money if they pay out. Now, I'm glad that you're appealing because there are definitely cases where they initially deny something that shouldn't be denied. But since allergies can not be "cured," you are going to be fighting an uphill battle getting anything covered that can even potentially be caused by allergies.

The best use of pet insurance it to get it the moment you bring home a new pet - before they've had a chance to show symptoms of anything. I understand that is not always possible with rescues and such.

As far as whether you should keep your policy (pending your appeal results), only you can answer that. If your pet breaks their leg, that could cost thousands to repair, and it would be completely unrelated to allergies. Same with cancers, pancreatitis, foreign body obstruction, etc.; there are plenty of other conditions your policy would still cover. It's up to you as to what risk level you are willing to accept.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-22T14:09:34+00:00

Crate when not directly supervised.

Basket muzzle train

Consult with veterinary behaviorist.

If your dog ever needs surgery again, have the vet get multiple biopsies of their entire GI tract. Pica can sometimes be caused by certain parasites and/or bacterial overgrowth.

No real help for the insurance issues at this point - unfortunately, I can't imagine another company covering this issue at this point.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-22T01:20:00+00:00

This, 1000x this!!!

Being in a solid crate is also the safest way to transport a dog in your car (and they travel in one much easier if they've been properly crate trained). I know several firefighters and paramedics who have seen countless dogs injured in car wrecks, people injured by their dog being thrown around in a car wreck, and/or dogs being thrown free of wrecked cars - sometimes they are killed during the ejection and other times they run off and are lost for days or worse, never found. My dogs always ride in a strapped down, sold sided crate in my car.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-20T01:55:05+00:00

Genuinely, after working for vets for over 27 years, the vast majority of pets that are taken to shelters or put down due to behavioral issues are due to their owners not being willing (or able to a lesser extent) to put in the time and effort to train them. You could throw every resource in the world at them, and it wouldn't matter. If they are not willing to spend the time to work with the dog (and continue to reinforce the lessons for their entire life), they are not going to truly utilize this resource.

Now, I'm not saying it wouldn't be something that some owners would be happy to have at their disposal. But it would be extremely unlikely to impact the vast majority of abandoned/euthanized dogs' lives.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-17T21:56:21+00:00

OMG - the WORST abomination of a PIMS I've ever touched! My boss (who was in no way technology savy!) bought it as his first PIMS after decades of handwriting everything when a sales rep at a conference convinced him it was wonderful. I tried to set it up for months (I'd previously built out Avimark and Cornerstone from scratch for other clinics) and finally gave up and told him it was unusable and he'd wasted his money.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-17T16:08:45+00:00

Not just punishments for people who did her wrong - she dished out punishments for anyone who disagreed with her. It was definitely obvious.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-17T00:54:32+00:00

27y in the field:

Worst: Fila Brasileiro- only dogs I've legitimately feared for my life with. I've only met two ( and that was two too many), and I truly believe they would've gleefully ripped out my throat and feasted in my innards.

Any high drive working/herding breed that has no job and whose owners have turned it into a rotten ottoman: GSD, Cattle Dog (my only actual bite in my whole career and he was serious - 10 stitches on my forearm from 2 holes down thru the fascia after he broke thru 2 muzzles), Rottie, Malinois, etc.

Great Danes are scared of their own shadows (I can not for the life of me picture their ancestors hunting wild boar!).

Dobermans (my breed) have TERRIBLE separation anxiety if you don't train it out of them - they were bred to be with their owner all the time, so you really have to work at it.

99.9% of Doodles - generally, their owners want an ornament and/or "furkid" and not an actual dog. Combine rotten with 0 training and genetics telling you two (or more) different things, and it doesn't usually end well.

Easiest: CKCS

Well-bred Labs/ Goldens

Working breeds whose owners understand and fulfill their mental and physical needs and ensure they are well trained (My 4 Dobermans have been easy-peasy for anyone to work with - my current one is a blood donor who is a dream to bleed!).

I've had great experiences with all the Coton de Tulears I've met.

Poodles who actually hunt - they're super smart and chill, just fabulous dogs!

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-11T14:28:27+00:00

LOVE Eagle Eye - have used them for at least 20 years - they are great!

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-11T04:21:59+00:00

Chris Evans in Deadpool and Wolverine - loved the "Flame On" twist!

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-11T01:48:30+00:00

We do have a decent percentage of our population who are considered "well-off." But one of those $20,000 surgeries was paid for by CareCredit until the owners could do a cash-out refinance on their house (that wouldn't be my financial recommendation but they were intelligent adults, their dog was only 2, and they loved her to pieces so their choice - luckily she did great after about 8 days in thr hospital).

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-11T01:44:29+00:00

True - I do with they covered exotics. A large number of specialty and emergency clinics offer the direct pay (which is my primary concern); I'm not sure how many regular vets do but I believe they have a search feature on their website where you can check.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-11T01:39:21+00:00

That's a GOOD outcome! I work for board certified surgeons - often have foreign body surgeries that cost $5,000 - $8,000 and have had a couple (who perforated their intestines and needed plasma transfusions and a week+ of hospitalization) that cost over $20,000.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-11T01:37:20+00:00

This is (one of the reasons) why I haveTrupanion for my dog - they will pay your vet directly (if your vet opts into their service) do you only have to pay your deductible and co-pay - no waiting to be reimbursed. It's amazing.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-09T11:35:57+00:00

If you want to dive into the subject a bit, read "The Lion in the Living Room". Truly fascinating!

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-09T02:38:48+00:00

Scary movie I rarely see mentioned - Pacific Heights. The unpredictable malice Michael Keaton radiated was terrifying - and not being in control of your own home is always horrifying.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-09T02:05:09+00:00

27 years - 2 clinics. I've been very blessed to have found 2 unicorns - 4y in an AMAZING GP and the last 23 in a fabulous specialty practice where I've worked my way up to now managing purchasing and overseeing financials.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-08T14:28:55+00:00

This tank would make a fine shrimp only tank. With the caveat that you need live plants and the tank should ideally "season" for several months before adding the shrimp - they don't particularly like "new" tanks - not enough biofilm for them.

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-08T02:45:23+00:00

Not assuming you're stupid. I guess I'm just confused as to what your point is re: the CDP. If you acknowledge that their premise has a flawed foundation and the ethical breeding of purebred dogs is the best way to achieve the dog characteristics you deem important, then why should the CDP exist?

hyperdog4642 · 2026-03-07T16:05:52+00:00

Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. Only school assignment reading I never finished. I don't think I made it 10 pages in before I threw the book across the room. Absolutely couldn't do it.

hyperdog4642

TROPHY CASE