Over $250 Vet Bill!

[MomToOne]

You don't want to know how much my cat's "stomach ache" a few years ago cost. Let's just say barium enemas aren't cheap for cats.

 

[gracie1]

I only wish my vet bills were that cheap! I sat on the bed the other night and calculated how much I have spent on my 2 dogs in the past 3 years. Not counting all the food and dog toys that I buy them, I have spent almost $8k. Yes, it is a huge amount, but that includes surgeries and they are my babies!

 

[The Moonk's Mom]

Our lab mix baby tore his ACL and had surgery for it a few weeks ago to the tune of $3600 and we're not done yet so I feel your vet pain!

Ironically we just got a postcard reminding us that it's time for his shots and check up so we'll be back again soon....it's a good thing he's so cute because our summer vacation fund is what paid for the surgery!! It's going to be a long summer

WOW! I was going to say my dog tore his ACL and complain too...but we only had to pay $1000! I am now thinking we got off cheap! He tore it last year while we were at WDW and he had his surgery the week we got back. He is doing great now and he lost almost 25 pounds! Need to ask why he tore his ACL? He is in great shape now...hope all goes well with your's recovery too...I remember that first week being really hard.

 

[crjack]

WOW! I was going to say my dog tore his ACL and complain too...but we only had to pay $1000! I am now thinking we got off cheap! He tore it last year while we were at WDW and he had his surgery the week we got back. He is doing great now and he lost almost 25 pounds! Need to ask why he tore his ACL? He is in great shape now...hope all goes well with your's recovery too...I remember that first week being really hard.

I swear I jinxed us by reading some posts on the Community Board about pets and ACL surgery....I should have known!

I live in Boston and usually prices don't surprise me but this one did...even higher than I thought and I had a $300 credit applied to that total! He did have the TPLO procedure though which I understand is a little more involved.

He goes back in for a 1/2 day re-check where he will have x-rays, etc. to make sure all has healed well. (For an additional charge of course!) We are about half-way through the rehab period and it is easier now but boy those first few weeks were tough.

Our dog is a lab mix with some border collie in him and is in very good shape....turning 8 in a few weeks. Always been very active though. I've read about re-injury or damaging the other leg and I can't even think about that....too scary I'll be raiding the kids college fund if that happens!

 

[marthachick]

You don't want to know how much my cat's "stomach ache" a few years ago cost. Let's just say barium enemas aren't cheap for cats.

If YOU had to do a Barium enema on a cat would you do it for cheap? Not on your life if she's anything like our Delilah! She's a small 7 lb. cat but blows up like a mountain lion once she's in her carrier!

 

[ceecee]

I took 1 of my dogs last week for her wellness exam. When it was said and done, it was $325! $70 was for deramaxx meds, but Holy cow! I still have to go back for the heartworm meds!

And next month, I have to take our other dogs! Ugh, Ugh, Ugh!

Heartworm meds our much cheaper at 800Petmeds than the vet usually. Our vet charges double petmed's cost. So I just ask for a Rx and they give it to me.

 

[MaryKLady]

I hear ya' it's a fortune...I took my dog in for an incontence problem last year. The vet ran all kinds of tests then said, well she's an older female who was fixed at a late age, it happens, here are some pills. $400 later she's fine.

I take her in for her teeth 3 months later and her pre-op labs come back bad. $300 later and some more pills she's tested again. Labs are worse, she needs an ultrasound. I spent the $800 for ultrasound for them to tell me they now need to do a liver biopsy to the tune of $1600. Forget it! She's a standard poodle who's almost 11. And that procedure is way to invasive and painful.

After spending $1500 for almost nothing I brought her home. I took her off ALL her pills and started cooking from scratch for her. She's now completely asymptomatic. She's not even incontinent anymore I refuse to take her back to that vet unless there is buckets of blood or brain matter.

My next puppy will have doggie insurance and a new vet.

 

[Pakey]

It was $4000 a few weeks ago for my Chinese crested who ate a toothpick. In his defense, toothpick was in a bacon wrapped appetizer. I hope he enjoyed it. The toothpick was removed during surgery still in one piece so my husband put the pick in a vial and is now calling it a piece of art since it cost so much.

 

[doggydoc]

I hear ya' it's a fortune...I took my dog in for an incontence problem last year. The vet ran all kinds of tests then said, well she's an older female who was fixed at a late age, it happens, here are some pills. $400 later she's fine.

I take her in for her teeth 3 months later and her pre-op labs come back bad. $300 later and some more pills she's tested again. Labs are worse, she needs an ultrasound. I spent the $800 for ultrasound for them to tell me they now need to do a liver biopsy to the tune of $1600. Forget it! She's a standard poodle who's almost 11. And that procedure is way to invasive and painful.

After spending $1500 for almost nothing I brought her home. I took her off ALL her pills and started cooking from scratch for her. She's now completely asymptomatic. She's not even incontinent anymore I refuse to take her back to that vet unless there is buckets of blood or brain matter.

My next puppy will have doggie insurance and a new vet.

I love this type of comment. People should really look at what the cost of their own healthcare would be without insurance or at least compare what they pay in premiums to what they spend on their pets. Veterinarians are the lowest paid of any profession with comparable length and expense of education. There are always bad apples in any bunch, however DVM's are consistently rated as the most trusted and ethical of professions.

I guess your dog should have been more careful in explaining her symptoms to the Doctor so that tests could have been more tailored to the specific disease process. MD's spend a great deal of time in Medical School just learning how to attain and evaluate a medical history. A DVM doesn't have that luxury, they HAVE to rely on testing.

Canine adult onset female incontinence can be sporadic and often temporarily remits. It also often resolves after treatment because the medications which tighten the urethral sphinter help to strengthen the muscle and neural pathways. Again this can be only temporary.

As for your home cooked diet I hope you put a great deal of research into your menu. Dogs often cannot tolerate a varied diet and because of this require supplementation of home cooked meals to insure they get all the required nutrients.

 

[winniedapooh]

Heartworm meds our much cheaper at 800Petmeds than the vet usually. Our vet charges double petmed's cost. So I just ask for a Rx and they give it to me.

I agree with this. I order it, they contact my vet and viola a week later medications with free shipping! I feel your pain...my big furbabies are a 141 pound Great Dane--and she is a small one AND a 124 pound English Mastiff who thinks she is a lap dog!

 

[winniedapooh]

It was $4000 a few weeks ago for my Chinese crested who ate a toothpick. In his defense, toothpick was in a bacon wrapped appetizer. I hope he enjoyed it. The toothpick was removed during surgery still in one piece so my husband put the pick in a vial and is now calling it a piece of art since it cost so much.

Thank you I needed this today...it has been a nutty week!

 

[buzzlady]

My cat spent a week at the vet hospital (and subsequently passed on last Saturday). The total bill was $1,500!

While I was in the vet office, I overheard the receptionist saying a visit was $49 and a rabies shot would be $49. So I guess about $125 would be the going rate.

Sorry about your cat.

This is exactly where we are now with our dog. She has been at the vet since yesterday. As of this a.m. no changes. I doubt she will make it either. We took her in on Tues. $330. Got blood work back yesterday and had to take her in with a deposit of $400.

 

[OregonGirl]

It's simply the price you pay for owning a pet, really.

We have four Scottish terriers, ten cats (they get their own indoor/outdoor cattery with some access to the house), and two horses, all of which we consider members of the family and who get treated as such.

One of our dogs has a thyroid condition and was recently diagnosed with Cushing's Disease, another one of our dogs has cerebellar abiotrophy, ALL of our cats are on a special low Ph food for urine problems, our horses get senior feed as well as grain and hay. You wouldn't believe how much money we spend each year on food, meds, litter, suppliments, shavings, vet visits, dentals, shots, tests, toys, treats... but in return we get an awful lot of unconditional love and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I agree with DoggyDoc - pets can't tell you their symptoms, and I believe it that vets are one of the lowest paid professions in relation to how much schooling they have to have. I'm sure I'll get shot down for this, but if you don’t think you can afford a pet, then simply don't get a pet.

Just my opinion...

 

[buzz2400]

For those who posted their cats had crystals in urine. My cat kept getting the crystals (happens to boys more than girls). Anyway the time between problems got very narrow to a once a month. It was getting very costly because they had to put the tube in his ____. Did research and option was to basically make him a "girl". It was called Perinael urethromy (not really sure of the spelling). Got three estimates, 1,000 to 3,000. Went with the $1,000 surgery. He had the surgery in october and has not had a blockage since. Just warning you that if cat keeps getting blocked you might just want to get the surgery. He would not eat the special food. He had to wear the elizabethean collor for a few weeks but relatively no blood, no problems, etc. I think he is glad I did it.

On another note, my sister does go to petco when they have the clinics and it is a lot cheaper.

 

[doggydoc]

It was called Perinael urethromy (not really sure of the spelling). Got three estimates, 1,000 to 3,000. Went with the $1,000 surgery.

Very close! It's a Perineal Urethrostomy or simply PU and your description is right on target. The male parts are removed and the urethra diverted to avoid the most common area of blockage. It is a very effective alternative for chronic FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease) in applicable cases. I don't know about your exact situation but the price difference is often between a boarded surgeon and a GP doing the surgery. A boarded surgeon is of course specially trained in their field of practice however this is a fairly common and straightforward procedure that many GP's are readily capable of.

On another note, my sister does go to petco when they have the clinics and it is a lot cheaper.

I have no problem with vaccination clinics, I used to operate one. I would say that I never felt capable of performing a complete exam under the typical conditions you find in these. It's one of the reasons I no longer do them. I mention this because your pets can't tell you if they are sick or hurting and that exam, and periodic bloodwork or x-rays is possibly the only thing between them and chronic illness or suffering. Please make sure your furry kids are getting a full snout to tail exam. I can't tell you how often I find heart conditions, arthritis, ear infections etc. on "routine" annual exams.

 

[buzz2400]

The prices were all from vets. It turned out that the vet that I went with was a vet I had used a long time ago when i lived in that area and she does these surgeries a lot. The higher priced surgery was a vet that is open 24 hours a day and the middle price quoted was just another vet in a "more affluent" area. Anyway the two higher priced places only did this surgery like once a month. All I would recommend is to call a few vets to get a feel if you need this surgery.

Regarding the clinic, I am not opposed to the clinics but I like to have a relationship with someone who will be treated my fur babies. I trust my vet even though I end up paying an arm and a leg but it is worth it.

 

[donald&daisy]

For simple things like shots you might try your city's animal shelter. Our city's shelter has a low cost shot clinic once a month (rabies, boosters, kennel cough)--this program has no income guidelines. We also have a low cost spay/neuter clinic that you have to be low income to qualify for, but our Humane Society has a spay/neuter program with no income guidelines. Just something that you might want to look into.

 

[disneydiva1313]

I can definitely relate to this! My cat is diabetic...syringes, insulin, prescription food, insulin curve check-ups, regular check-ups, etc. Too bad my health insurance doesn't cover my cat...who is part of my family.

 

[ShannonMB]

I agree with this. I order it, they contact my vet and viola a week later medications with free shipping! I feel your pain...my big furbabies are a 141 pound Great Dane--and she is a small one AND a 124 pound English Mastiff who thinks she is a lap dog!

My doggies' vet won't do prescriptions for Petmeds. They say it's because they don't know the origin or age of the product and therefore will not write for what might be an inferior product. I don't care for that policy, as I would LOVE to order my Interceptor and Frontline online and have it delivered!!!! They do price match, at least, but you have to print out the prices, etc, which is a pain.

I like the idea of the shot clinics, but my thing is, I feel like I need to have a relationship with a vet I trust for when the unforseen happens. My vet's office is also an emergency hospital, but only if your pet is an existing patient. It's also less than 2 miles from my house, so extremely convenient! I wish I could get shots and such at the clinics, but still use them for more serious matters -- but I'd feel like I was cheating on them!

I also feel your pain about the cost, OP (even though yours seems a little cheaper than mine ). And nothing at all against vets and their ability to make a living. It still does make me cringe a bit, but we do LOVE our furbabies in this house so we pay.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Our 2 Beagles AND out tubby tabby cat all need their yearly checkups scheduled and shots.

I am NOT looking forward to spending that money!

We have paid thousands of dollars on our pets within the last 4 years. And just about all $$ has been in the "unexpected expense" column.

At least we have a month to save up for their visits.