Budget killer...dog needs surgery...again

[NeverlandClub23]

I looked into pet insurance when I first got my dog. It seems like most places cover very little of annual checkups and once the dog gets older (when they're more likely to have problems) premiums skyrocket. A lot of them also were very picky with what they did cover. I decided to just take $50 a month and save it from the time I got her (2 years ago). That way hopefully it'll be enough to cover anything that should happen and if nothing does I'll still have the money. We've never had any problems medically with any of our dogs so I'm keeping my fingers crossed with this one and try to give her lots of exercise and feed her the best food to try and prevent some of the issues she may have in the future.

OP, I feel for you and I hope you get a solution that works best for you.

 

[buzz5985]

My dog Bonnie had a fattie deposit on the back of her thigh. My Vet just kept an eye on it. The vet showed us how to watch that we could get our fingers around it, if we couldn't, bring her in. As she got older, she developed about 3 more. She lived to be 2 months shy of 18. Poodle/terrier mix.

Janis

 

[labdogs42]

My Chocolate Lab is covered in fatty lumps. We had four removed a couple of years ago and since all of those were found to be lipomas and not cancer, and the ones he has now all feel like those other ones, we are leaving them alone. I think it is more stressful for the dog to be anesthetized and hospitalized than it is for him to live with some fatty lumps. Of course, if yours might interfere with the dog's movement, I can understand looking at removal, but I'd also consider getting a second opinion.

Story -- we took our beagle puppy to the emergency vet for an abscess on his face. That vet recommended $1800 worth of treatment and tests. We couldn't afford that and also didn't think all of what he was recommending was necessary. We declined most of his recommendations and asked for only antibiotics and we walked out of there for a "mere" $160. Our puppy was fine by the time we took him to the regular vet on Monday (emerg visit was on a Saturday). Sometimes the cheap way is the way to go!

 

[Jockaroo]

Called the vet for advice said & she's not sure what it is-could be a burst cyst, could be a malignancy. DH must have heard wrong. It has shrunk to about 1/2 the size it was, since he's on antibiotics. We're going in a 1/2 hr before the scheduled surgery to speak to the vet to see what/if they can work something out for us. The secretary advised us to apply for the Care Credit before we see if the vet will work something out for us....why would I want to apply for another card if we won't need it?

Did the vet do a fine needle aspiration of the mass? If not, please have this done before the surgery. This is when the vet withdraws cells from the area and examines them under a microscope. Sometimes this needs to be sent off to a lab. I had this done several times with dogs and for the in office examination/scope it was around $50. This isn't always conclusive, however.

If the place is malignant, you may get an idea of what type of cells it contains and if it is an invasive, rapidly growing cancer, or something that is slow-growing. If it is invasive, you may wish to consider a chest X-ray to see if the cancer has spread to the lungs/organs, before proceeding with surgery. If it has, you may wish to not do surgery, but treat for comfort measures.

Given your dog's age, he will need pre-surgical bloodwork to see if he is strong enough for the surgery. Anesthesia gets more risky as they age. Hopefully your vet is willing to work with you. Trust me when I say I really understand vet bills and how quickly they can add up. I wish you luck.

VLee, you asked about pet insurance. My research has shown that it is a good option for young animals who may be injured in an accident, but that is about all it is good for. Many have a reimbursement plan where you pay 100% up front to the vet, then file a claim. As the dog ages and gets to the point where real health issues arise, the premiums get astronomical. Also, certain conditions are excluded based on breed or pre-existing conditions. Many begin the premium increases around age 7. When my dog had an emergency spleen removal at age 10, I was told that insurance would probably have denied any coverage had we taken a policy and paid the very large premiums throughout her life. The best thing to do is have a designated savings plan with set monthly contributions for your pets.

 

[mamalle]

our 14 year old springer spaniel has quite a few fatty tumors.. I wouldnt think of doing surgery at all.. He has a large one that looks to be right in his sternum. He still eats, plays, hangs out and never looks to be in pain.. My feeling is if you remove one- another one will pop up..

 

[VLee]

Thanks for the input on pet insurance. I had felt the premiums would be too high, especially as they age. Good idea to open a "separate" pet vet account . . . I knew since we had 4 dogs over 14 and one 13 that once the senior expense began, it would be substantial.