Screw Pearl Will Do All They Can.

Screw Pearl
They’ll figure it out I promise.
-HOWEVER-
The tests are often run in order, and NOT in a sequence based on diagnostic likelihood.
That means that the bloodwork and a urinalysis will be submitted, but may not be the most likely to produce the diagnosis, but may simply be required.
The urinalysis results could be rolling off the fax machine, hours after the echocardiogram has already revealed a heart base tumor.
-BUT-
If you are there to know exactly what’s going on, you are in the right place. No sarcasm.
-TO WIT-
They have a diagnostic barrage capable of showing you an actual flipbook of whatever is wrong. The problem is, there is no difference at that level of practice, between ferreting out minutia on terminal disorders or just limiting spending to seeking out treatable ones.
Consumer alert:
Any questions that you ask regarding ‘the process’ over there, from costs to prognosis – will be answered with the following phrase: “We’re hoping we will know the answer to that question with the results of the next test.”
Which means that if they find a metastatic hepato-biliary tumor, and, you ask them whether you should just ‘throw in the towel’. You will get the the answer:
“We’re hoping we will know the answer to that question with the results of the next test.”
You: “ I kind of get that, but how many of these animals actually survive once this particular diagnosis has been made?“
BP: “We’re hoping we will know the answer to that question with the results of the next test.”
You: OK I get that, but like if it really is a cancer, and you figure out what the name of it is, how much would probably cost to treat something like that?”
BP: “We’re hoping we will know the answer to that question with the results of the next test.”
YOU: “OK I kind of understand you need to know exactly how many tumors there are, what their names are, But what’s the prognosis for a dog like this?”
BP: ““We’re hoping we will know the answer to that question with the results of the next test.”
YOU: “I can appreciate you need to know a mitotic-index to help establish a prognosis but you haven’t answered a single one of my questions so far. Are you on track to get your 15% bonus at the end of the year doctor?”
BP: “We’re hoping we will know the answer to that question with the results of the next test.”
Any *treatable* disease that could be diagnosed by CT or MRI could ALSO be diagnosed (more affordably) with x-ray plus or minus labs plus or minus ultrasonic imaging (echo-abdo). You have the patient’s-right to ask the doctor the reasoning behind the diagnostic modality.
By the time you are talking about ‘only knowing’ via CT or MRI, you have pretty much departed the category of practically-treatable disorders.
Although, hopefully someday somebody will pleasantly surprise me.

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