Doug & Moose Monday: New Vet

Over the summer we switched vets. Moose's chronic ear infections were getting to be more than my tender heart could handle. We figured there had to be something that our vet was missing. Over the course of time we also became very leery of our vet's business practices and figured it was just time to move on. I hopped on the good ol' Internet and found a vet that came very highly recommended. Not only did he have stellar reviews, but the comments people made touched on issues that were very important to us: honesty, compassion, knowledge, and cost.

Our first experience at the new vet was with Moose to address his ear issues. I'm going to save that story for another day, but suffice it to say, things turned out well.

Doug's first experience with the new vet was on Friday. I took him in because Doug has been peeing downstairs during the night on and off for a while. There is no need for Doug to do this since we wake up several times each night to let Doug and Moose out to go to the bathroom. Typically, we wake up to Moose's cries, but Doug always hops out of his bed to join his brother outside at 11PM, 1AM, and 3AM. You read that right. Our dogs own us.

Doug first started doing this when we had our old vet. At the time, I read that a bladder infection might be the culprit. I took him to the vet for a urinalysis and the results were negative. Our vet stated that Doug was simply asserting his dominance and his peeing in the house was clearly a behavioral issue. I felt this was somewhat bizarre since, in the first four years of his life, Doug never marked his territory in the house. But I trusted the vet's expertise. He suggested that we neuter Doug.

We have no qualms with neutering our dogs. Initially we thought about breeding them, but it never really panned out. So when the vet mentioned this, Nick and I felt that it was our only option. Sure, Doug's balls are really cute and sweet, but our furniture is really cute and sweet too. We made an appointment for Doug's castration, but I was having reservations about the vet and ended up canceling the appointment. I was a little scared at the thought of having someone I perceived to be dishonest cut my dog's balls off.

Fast forward to last week when I felt that I had had it up to my neck in dog urine. I was at my wit's end and made an appointment for Doug. When I explained Doug's issues, our new vet immediately said, "hmm... it sounds like it might be his prostate, so on second thought, I think I'd like to put my finger up his butt." (We were previously discussing Doug's anal glands!) The vet checked Doug's prostate by way of Doug's anus. When the vet pressed on Doug's prostate, Doug squealed. He pressed on it a second time to make sure, and Doug squealed again. "Yep, his prostate is inflamed," our vet declared.

He said that our old vet was right in that neutering would help to remedy Doug's peeing sprees. It wasn't a behavioral issue, though, it was a medical issue. The vet said that with Doug's symptoms (peeing in many different places and peeing four to five times per week rather than every day) it wasn't a bladder infection and he wasn't peeing to act out or show he was the boss. So we made an appointment for Doug's balls to be cut off TOMORROW since I cannot bear the thought of his little prostate all swollen.

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Fastiggi. If you're in the Sacramento area and are looking for a good vet, he's your man. He's our third vet, and I am astonished by his knowledge, his genuine love for animals, and his honesty. I'm just so happy that we have someone we trust with our dogs. I'm not a picky or difficult person by any means, but I'm glad that we had higher expectations for the person caring for our dogs.