Budget Buster-The Vet

[smokeyblue]

My cat hadn't been acting himself and was getting sick every time he ate. Came home to bring him to the vet and discovered the problem . . . he had ate a whole mouse and he finally yacked it up. YUCK!!!! I brought him in anyways, they insisted on x-rays, blood work and a shot for nausea. $275 later I walked out the door. I was really thinking $150 tops for all of this, guess I'm a bit naive.

They also found a really bad tooth and another that is getting there. They'll be sending me an estimate to pull his tooth and clean the rest. Can anyone give me an idea of how much I can expect? The tooth looks awfully painful so it's a necessity.

I was hoping to get to Florida to visit my parents, but after this, then the dental surgery and an unexpected car insurance deductible a few months ago I think I'll be snuggling with my super-expensive kitty all winter instead of soaking up the sun.

 

[mousehockey37]

My cat hadn't been acting himself and was getting sick every time he ate. Came home to bring him to the vet and discovered the problem . . . he had ate a whole mouse and he finally yacked it up. YUCK!!!! I brought him in anyways, they insisted on x-rays, blood work and a shot for nausea. $275 later I walked out the door. I was really thinking $150 tops for all of this, guess I'm a bit naive.

They also found a really bad tooth and another that is getting there. They'll be sending me an estimate to pull his tooth and clean the rest. Can anyone give me an idea of how much I can expect? The tooth looks awfully painful so it's a necessity.

I was hoping to get to Florida to visit my parents, but after this, then the dental surgery and an unexpected car insurance deductible a few months ago I think I'll be snuggling with my super-expensive kitty all winter instead of soaking up the sun.

For getting a tooth pulled on your pet, it's going to depend on how much your cat weighs and such. They'll need a certain dose of stuff to knock the cat out to pull the tooth. For my 85 pound Lab, it was over $400 for the estimate.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Depends on your cat's age and health status. Since you just had bloodwork run hopefully all was well and won't need repeating. Anesthesia, dental prophy and extractions(s), surgical monitoring, antibiotic and pain medications, possible dental radiograph, day hospitalization... All varies with your cat's status and which teeth are extracted. At our hospital I would estimate at least $300-$450 uncomplicated; more if I.V. catheter/fluids and more extensive work needed.

It really does benefit cats and dogs so much to have dental care done. We do a lot of before and after photos for owners to appreciate what was done.

 

[Swimalie]

I have paid as much as $575 for a teeth cleaning. For just pulling a tooth, it was $200.

 

[scard192]

$920 worth of dental work on my 8 year old cat 2 weeks ago. He had lost several teeth that I did not know about, 2 fell out on their own during the cleaning and 2 extractions. That is a budget buster. I felt bad that he must of been in pain and i had no idea until he started hissing at his bowl and was not eating very much. Had lost 2 pounds too since his last vet visit in 2012 when they told me he needed dental work.

good thing no trip to WDW until 2016.

 

[KayW]

Our cat had her tooth pulled and the others cleaned in September. It was about $425.

 

[havaneselover]

I budget $600 for canine teeth cleaning. That includes possible extractions.

The vet is definitely a budget buster. My bichon has had 4 cystotomies ($4k total) and cataract surgery ($3k) plus 2 ER visits ($1K total).

I live in Richmond, VA and we have a low cost surgery option (includes teeth cleaning) that people come from far away to use. I wish there were more vets like this one.

 

[smokeyblue]

Wow! Guess I'm going to plan on about $400 from what everyone has said. The blood work is done so that's taken care of, but they wouldn't do shots because he was sick, so they'll do them when he goes for his teeth. He also has a little cyst that they'll snip off and they are going to needle biopsy a lump on his back. They aren't too worried about the lump, but since he will be under they're going to do it anyway.

Thank you all for the heads up on the pricing.

 

[tvguy]

DW and I decided after our last kitty passed away that she would be out last pet.
The $11,500 in vet bills that last 6 weeks of her life were a big part of that decision.

Some people can say "that estimate is too high, put them to sleep". We can't if there is ANY chance the procedure can be extend their lives.

 

[scard192]

Some people can say "that estimate is too high, put them to sleep".

My cat is only 8 years old, I hated to pay that much but there is no way I could put him to sleep over $900.

I had a 16 year old cat that was in failing health and the vet suggested a $400 CAT scan or MRI (can't remember which). That I had not problem saying no to at the age and I had to put her to sleep a few months later.

 

[kymom99]

My cat is only 8 years old, I hated to pay that much but there is no way I could put him to sleep over $900.

I had a 16 year old cat that was in failing health and the vet suggested a $400 CAT scan or MRI (can't remember which). That I had not problem saying no to at the age and I had to put her to sleep a few months later.

The 3 cats that I had to have put to sleep each had kidney failure. I had them do the blood work to confirm, but didn't do much beyond that. There isn't a lot that can be done in this situation, so I didn't have to make any huge financial decisions.

OP, is your cat older? I ask this because when I had dental work done on one of my cats, they had to do blood work before they could use anesthesia due to her age. So since they already did that, you kind of killed 2 birds with one stone. However, I will say this: It is up to you how much you will spend on your cat, obviously, but my vet has never insisted on any types of tests. They suggest, but don't push. I am not saying you shouldn't have the procedures done on your kitty, but if you feel that they are being too aggressive, you can always switch to a different vet. Different vets have different philosophies, and you have to find one to match yours.

I hope your baby is okay, and that costs don't cause you hardship.

 

[scard192]

The 3 cats that I had to have put to sleep each had kidney failure. I had them do the blood work to confirm, but didn't do much beyond that. There isn't a lot that can be done in this situation, so I didn't have to make any huge financial decisions.

OP, is your cat older? I ask this because when I had dental work done on one of my cats, they had to do blood work before they could use anesthesia due to her age. So since they already did that, you kind of killed 2 birds with one stone. However, I will say this: It is up to you how much you will spend on your cat, obviously, but my vet has never insisted on any types of tests. They suggest, but don't push. I am not saying you shouldn't have the procedures done on your kitty, but if you feel that they are being too aggressive, you can always switch to a different vet. Different vets have different philosophies, and you have to find one to match yours.
I hope your baby is okay, and that costs don't cause you hardship.

the cat is 8.5 years old. they did some blood work when I brought him in for the first consultation (saved $30 by not doing it on day of surgery). tests came back fine, no other health issues.

when I heard that he had already lost some teeth and that 2 fell out during the cleaning I felt bad. The cost was a hit to the budget, but I will use my tax return to pay for it. Put the charges on my Disney Visa card until I get my tax return back.

Thanks for the kind words, Brady (the cat) is recovering fine and had his post op visit last week. He is back on dry food which he prefers and has figured out how to eat it with quite a few teeth gone.

 

[smokeyblue]

OP, is your cat older? I ask this because when I had dental work done on one of my cats, they had to do blood work before they could use anesthesia due to her age. So since they already did that, you kind of killed 2 birds with one stone. However, I will say this: It is up to you how much you will spend on your cat, obviously, but my vet has never insisted on any types of tests. They suggest, but don't push. I am not saying you shouldn't have the procedures done on your kitty, but if you feel that they are being too aggressive, you can always switch to a different vet. Different vets have different philosophies, and you have to find one to match yours.

I hope your baby is okay, and that costs don't cause you hardship.

Sam is roughly 8 or 9 yrs old and is in otherwise good health the 3 1/2 years I've had him. He is almost back to his normal self. I did think about calling around for pricing. I think there are 3 other practices in town and I haven't heard a bad thing about any of them. I guess I will see what kind of quote they send.

My boyfriend and I do maintain separate households and I do run on a small income and scrutinize every purchase so putting out this kind of money is a big deal. I do usually get a small tax refund of$300 or $400 so that will help.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Sam is roughly 8 or 9 yrs old and is in otherwise good health the 3 1/2 years I've had him. He is almost back to his normal self. I did think about calling around for pricing. I think there are 3 other practices in town and I haven't heard a bad thing about any of them. I guess I will see what kind of quote they send.

My boyfriend and I do maintain separate households and I do run on a small income and scrutinize every purchase so putting out this kind of money is a big deal. I do usually get a small tax refund of$300 or $400 so that will help.

Just wanted to point out it would be difficult for other practices to accurately quote you a price without an exam/office visit so you could rack up more costs. Hope all goes well for both of you.

 

[McKelly]

I hear you. We lovingly call our dog, the "Million Dollar Mutt".....after 2 ACL surgeries and teeth cleaning all within two years.

 

[havaneselover]

Just wanted to point out it would be difficult for other practices to accurately quote you a price without an exam/office visit so you could rack up more costs. Hope all goes well for both of you.

I agree. In 2005, we had just moved to Tampa and our Bichon needed her first cystotomy. It was right around New Year's Eve and the vet basically scared us by telling us she could die if she didn't get the stones out of her bladder right away. The cost of the surgery was $2,000. We called our old vet in Virginia but they would not give us a cost to help us know if that was reAsonable. We have since moved back to virginia and the vet we called has performed 3 cystotomies for a total of $2,000. Wish we had known we were getting ripped off.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My collie needed teeth pulled and our previous vet gave us an estimate of a little over $1000. I thought that was nuts.

Some of my neighbors recommended another vet and I took our collie in , their estimate $400 with bloodwork. Her teeth were very bad. I should have got it done sooner but the previous vet kept telling us she was ok until I insisted.

Poor baby had 14, yes 14 teeth pulled.

 

[yoopermom]

If you have a good working relationship with your vet, I see nothing wrong with saying, "we're on a budget, can you give us an estimate on this, and tell us where we could possibly save some $$".

Personally, I would NEVER give shots on the same day as a surgery. Just me. With any of our pets over the age of 3, we have a titer pulled, and rarely do they need yearly shots (at least in our state only rabies has to be legally given, and that's every three years). I know some people will say that vaccinations aren't a stress to the body, but why would you take a chance on a day when major surgery is being done?

Terri

 

[SC Minnie]

OP talk to you vet. My mom was taking care of one of our cats (he didn't do well when we moved to a new house so she took him) but I paid for all his expenses. He needed a tooth pulled and her vet said it was going to be over $300 for the extraction and cleaning. She went back and talked to the other vet in the practice and he charged her just under $100.