Need Pet Help - Akron,OH

No offense, but if they haven't been able to find out anything yet from blood work or anything else, why do they want to do the ultrasound? What are they looking for? or is it just a stab in the dark to the tune of $1500? Has she had this dog a long time, or just a short time? How old is it?
I frankly can't afford $1500 to do an ultrasound on my dog and we've had her for years. In fact, just about a year and a half ago, we were faced with a similar situation. Our vet pretty much wrote her off, "unless we wanted to take her into the city and pay $2k for an MRI" to see if she had a tumor". Then what? Well there isn't much they could do if there is one, unless you want to invest a ton of $ in chemo. Ummm... no.
Went and got a 2nd opinion for our suffering dog. She spent the next weekend in in-patient care at the doggy hospital. They gave me a detailed expense sheet for everything they expected to do/try with her before I opted to have her treated. It was under $700... and she is back to her wonderful self again. Sure, she takes some meds daily and has regular bloodwork to check her levels nowadays... but there is no way I could have justified spending $2k for a virtually untreatable possibility just "so I'd know".

I'd have your mom check around for a 2nd or 3rd opinion somewhere else.

it would bother me that the vet wants to run expensive tests. If they have run blood work and can't find anything wrong - a $1500 ultra sound is going to tell them what?

I haven't lived in Los Angeles since 1989...I would contact a Chihuahua rescue in the LA area and ask them for vet recommendations. Explain to them the problem and see what they have to say.

I know our vet didn't do anything after blood tests were run on Grady when we took him in after his brother died as well as one other litter mate.

I know this isnt funny but my husband has a $250 rule...if the vet needs more than $250, he will tell the vet to put the dog down....EVERY TIME he says this the vet comes up with a cheaper option....EVERY TIME!

I have also started using my vet as a diagnostician. After I get a reasonable diagnosis or a couple of options I can go to the health store and spend a few dollars for something natural. There is always an option.

My lab is 16...the same age as my youngest daughter and still acts like a puppy. I don't believe that we were supposed to poke and prod our pets as much as the vets seem to think.

God bless!
M.

get a second opinion, my vet is awesome about discussing options and pros and cons and if money is an issue what can be done and in what order based on importance. This was an invaluable asset when we were nursing a sick kitten that we took in that was having seizures. We were in no boat to sink thousands of dollars into a sick kitten who might not make it...thanks to our competent vet we have an incredibly healthy young cat now who is completely seizure free, and a well loved fur baby as an additional family member= )
Ask around and see if there are any veterinary schools that do discounted work.

Los Angeles proper or in what area? I may have some ideas with clinics I have worked for. Ultrasounds are a diagnostic tool and can find problems that bloodwork didn't. $1,500 does seem high, they are pretty standard in clinics now thus the price should go down.