Mineral deposit in the shoulder???? - Page 4

@hundmutter - exactly. And it's mostly illegal for a veterinarian to give medical advice online or even on the phone without seeing the animal unless there are extreme extenuating circumstances. So we won't see veterinarians weighing in on these types of things (and they're probably sick to death of the nuttery anyway. Why would a vet want to respond to the accusation of "soaking" a client when they are trying to do their job?).

Hundmutter, i was lucky enough to have very little experience in dealing with vets.
last time i'd walk into vet clinic was 11 or 12 years ago. my, young at that time dog, got some kind ears infection and i went to clinic, because it seems in Canada nothing can be purchased without prescription.
well, i was asked, before seeing the vet, to pay $80. of course first question raised - what for?
answer was - dog's examination.
well, just walked out, went to local Polish store and for 2 bucks bought small bottle of brilliant green which we used in past for similar symptoms. sure, for sometime dog did have drawing attention weird funny green ears but it did the job.
the point of this story - i don't believe that vets does care about animals more than about their income.

I repeat what I wrote earlier, Val - for much of the reason why vets' basics have become so expensive over the past couple of decades, take a look at how the pet insurance industry functions. And how that has driven vets' prices up.

But in any case, you would not expect to take your car to a mechanic and not pay for the time & labour (and overheads of the garage) as well as for any necessary replacement parts, would you ? So why expect a vet to provide their time and facilities and nursing staff, for next to nothing, and only really charge you for actual medicines or surgery ?

of course i don't expect free service but 80 bucks (perhaps today the cost for same over 100) for writing few words on piece of paper - it's outrageous and perfectly shows where vet's interest lays.
even if examination have been involved, proceed would last 5 minutes or less.

@valk - you seriously think $80 for 30 minutes of a licensed professional's time and expertise, plus the operation and upkeep of the clinic and all related accoutrements to ensure your dog is appropriately treated is "outrageous?" Really?

I could readily turn the tables on you and say that you seem to have your pocketbook in mind over the welfare of your dogs.

as i mentioned above, i was lucky with health of my dogs. the issues i did have with them was mainly an injuries/wounds from time to time but nothing major.
nevertheless, i'm absolutely sure, if i got the dog with some genetic illnesses, i would rather let that dog go than sustain his vegetable condition and suffering.
but sure, you can blame me of care for pocketbook over the welfare of the dog.

jillmissal - Might want to "educate" yourself about Dr. Karen Becker (bio from her website):

Karen Shaw Becker is the most followed veterinarian in the world, and for good reason. Dr Becker believes in a deliberate, common sense approach to creating and maintaining vibrant health for companion animals and an unconventional, integrative approach to addressing disease and re-establishing wellbeing in ill pets. This refreshing, proactive approach that intentionally focuses on creating or restoring wellbeing has been embraced by millions of pet lovers around the world.

Karen Shaw Becker received her degree in veterinary medicine from the Iowa State School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Becker completed exotic animal internships in California and at the Berlin Zoo, Germany. She is certified in animal acupuncture, homeopathy and rehabilitation (physical therapy for pets). Dr. Becker founded the first proactive animal hospital in the Midwest in 1999, opened an exotic animal clinic in 2006 and a rehabilitation and pain management clinic in 2011. Since then, thousands of patients have benefitted from Dr. Becker’s unique approach to medicine. Her integrative approach to internal medicine and her passion for clinical pathology (tracking disease processes in the body), as well as her array of progressive diagnostics and innovative treatment protocols have earned her recognition as one of Chicago’s Top Vets (according to Chicago Magazine), and a special place in her clients’ hearts.

Dr. Becker is passionate about protecting and preserving wildlife and their natural environment. She became a federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator in 1989. She is also licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rehabilitate injured and orphaned endangered species through her non-profit organization, Covenant Wildlife.

Dr. Becker lectures internationally and writes about species appropriate nutrition on many platforms. She has co-authored the Whole Dog Journal’s Best Homemade Diet Book of All Time award, “Real Food for Healthy Pets.” Dr. Becker consults for a variety of health and wellness companies, including www.healthypets.mercola.com, the largest pet wellness website on the internet. In her spare time she enjoys formulating fresh pet food recipes for transparent, ethical pet food companies and developing pet health products to improve the wellbeing of companion animals worldwide.

Dr. Becker’s central philosophy revolves around her belief that the foundation of good health and longevity is species-appropriate nutrition. She believes what we feed our pets matters. A lot. Out of desperation, Dr. Becker wrote her first pet food cookbook in 1999 after realizing many people want to feed their pets the best food possible, but are unable to find suitable pet food choices where they live and needed a nutritionally balanced recipe (most recipes aren’t!!).

Dr. Becker consults with pet lovers around the world (and yes, the waiting list has grown to maximum capacity as well), and her award winning cookbook has been invaluable not only to pet owners in the U.S., but also to international clients who don’t always have access to integrative vets in their area.

Dr. Becker has also created an online video archive, with hundreds of informative videos about addressing disease ailments, proactive living, how to make the best food and lifestyle choices and expert interviews with the top professionals in the animal health and positive training fields. She also has a daily health and wellness article that over 2 million pet parents enjoy, free of charge.

Dr. Becker is a member of these organizations:

American Veterinary Medical Association
American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association
Association of Avian Veterinarians
Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians
Association of Wildlife Veterinarians
International Veterinary Acupuncture Society
American Association of Veterinary Acupuncturists
Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy
National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care
International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management

Oh, my sweet summer child.

Wow this thread has gotten way off topic. To the OP, I actually have 2 dogs that have had this type of mass, both of them developed before 1 year old. The dogs are related though a few generations separate them, I don't know if that has any factor into it. We also have well water that has some heavy minerals, though it's supposedly safe to drink, could be a factor too. The first dog had it on her hind leg just above the foot pads around the region a rear dewclaw would be, only on the outside of the leg. Just giving that as a reference point. The vet had never seen that before, when we aspirated it the stuff that came out looked like chalk, we surgically removed it and sent for biopsy and it was confirmed as a calcinosis circumscripta. We ran bloodwork just to make sure there wasn't too much calcium in the bloodstream, everything was normal. That was several years ago. The other dog who I'm dealing with now has it at the point of her pelvis, next to her tail. Hers is much larger and oddly shaped. I took her to the vet for an aspirate, chalky stuff came out and the vet looked stumped. I told her about the other dog, she went to her office to do a little research and agreed that's what it looked like. I plan to have it removed in the near future. Apparently these types of masses are common in young dogs, where bony points may be exposed to trauma, so they often appear on the legs. In the case of my current dog she likes to spin and bang around in her crate when she's excited and I imagine she hits that point of her pelvis when she flips around. Apparently they can also be in the mouth under the tongue, that sounds just awful to me. As far as diet, my first dog that had it was kibble fed, the current dog is raw fed.

Oh please
hexe yes that have. (No one said anything about owners not educating themselves)Jillmissal said exactly that. Please read before you type.
Why do you think I am talking about it. Just to piss you off?