skipping blood work at the vet

[CandleontheWater]

Hi everyone!

I have my cats annual vet appointment tomorrow and I was considering declining the blood tests they always ask me to run. My cat is older (11 years) and at my vet a yearly blood test is standard after a pet reaches 10 years. These blood tests are very expensive, usually run about $250, and I personally do not believe in heroic measures for pets. If the test comes back that my cat has cancer or some other disease, I am not going to put him through the agony of cat chemo- or anything along those lines. I do love my cat very much, which is why I wouldn't want him to unduly suffer because I want him with me longer.

That being said, does anyone else refuse the blood exam for older pets at the vet? I don't want to seem too cheap, but $250 is a lot of money. I am a SAHM, and I'm with my cats all day, every day, so I would know if there was any change in behavior that would signal something treatable, like diabetes. If they were exhibiting any out of ordinary behavior, I would take them in for blood tests, but since he is acting completely fine, I don't see a problem in skipping the test.

I know the vet is going to make me feel guilty and like a bad pet parent, so I'm preparing myself, but I figured I'd ask if anyone had any input about this situation.

 

[Swimalie]

I can relate. But, here is my story. My husband and I had a cat that was, at the time, 8 years old. I had a vet recommend the blood test and I declined thinking they were just after more money. I switched vets and about a year later our cat started to get really sick. Turns out he had acute kidney failure. If I had had the blood test done a year earlier, we probably would have caught the kidney failure and saved a night in the emergency vet clinic and 5 days in an internal medicine vet at a cost of over $1200. After that, we tried, at a cost of over $500 to keep the cat around but he had another attack 2.5 months later and we decided not to put him through the acute care and had him put down. It was a horrible 2.5 months that, looking back on it, we might have been able to prevent with that original offer for a blood test.

Now we have a cat that is 8 and we will be getting the blood tests.

 

[lucyem]

We never have blood tests done on our cats unless there was an issue. My vet has never suggested it. Both my cats are 12+. Honestly I would refuse if it was suggested.

 

[bettymae1121]

Well, I had a dog but for us, my vet recommended a blood test when my dog turned 8, just to get an idea of how things were going and to get a base line if down the road more blood tests were needed. It wasn't much (less than $100 I think) so I said yes. Turned out she had low thyroid levels which were likely causing the 2 to 3 times a year seizures she'd been having (they were infrequent and mild so the vet and I both agreed she didn't need anti-seizure meds). I got her on meds and the seizures all but stopped.

I don't think I'd do yearly blood tests unless something is wrong and needs to be monitored. But a one-time test once a pet becomes a "senior" isn't a bad way to go, IMO.

 

[MEM]

I'm a dog person but still, I would not refuse blood work if the vet recommends it. As a previous poster said, there are treatable illnesses that can be detected via blood tests and if caught early, the illness can be treated successfully. There may not be symptoms that even an observant pet owner would notice...once the cat starts to exhibit what you call "out of the ordinary behavior" it might be too late, or the cost to treat it much higher than the original blood work. Also consider that if you refuse recommended tests, the vet can refuse to treat your cat. Think of the $250as $20 a month annual maintenance on your cat. Also, 11 years old does not seem old, to me. I know plenty of cats who lived to be 18.

 

[Happiest mommy]

I would not refuse the test either with my previouse experience it's better to be safe than sorry I would do it.

 

[kacaju]

Did you have the bloodwork done last year? If so were the results normal? If so, I would skip a year, maybe do it every other year.
My Vet wants to see my pets every 6 months for *Wellness* visits. Sorry...no way. I take them in once a year...unless of course they are sick.
I have and do refuse bloodwork.

 

[hopemax]

Think of the $250as $20 a month annual maintenance on your cat.

This. I know I spend that on food for my kitty. A blood test, I would just consider part of the cost of being a pet owner. It looks like a big chunk of money all in a lump sum, but it doesn't sound like a lot compared to other costs if calculated annually, instead of the $5, $10, $20 chunks they normally show up with, and the budget can absorb.

 

[bumbershoot]

I know the vet is going to make me feel guilty and like a bad pet parent, so I'm preparing myself, but I figured I'd ask if anyone had any input about this situation.

What a lovely vet. Man do I hate healthcare providers like that!

We never have blood tests done on our cats unless there was an issue. My vet has never suggested it. Both my cats are 12+. Honestly I would refuse if it was suggested.

Find a vet like lucyem has!

 

[MrsPete]

If you're a bad pet owner, so am I. And I'm not feeling badly about it. My dog is 12 years old, and IF she were to have some sort of major illness, I wouldn't spend large amounts of money on her. We love her, but she's a dog.

 

[tzuhouse]

Having worked as a Registered Veterinary Technician for over 15 years, bloodwork in an older pet is a good idea simply because you might be able to catch something early and be able to remedy future complications/illnesses with a medication or even just a new food in some circumstances. I do not know where you live, but $250.00 for a blood panel is very expensive. It runs about $90.00 at our clinic and even if we add on something like a thyroid test, it's not going to add that much to it.

I would call around to other local clinics and ask them what their fee is for a geriatric blood panel on a cat. If you find that they are less, you might be able to get exams and vaccinations for less there, also. I know I have many friends who live here in the Woodlands, TX that take their animals to my boss in Houston. I've saved $800 plus dollars for friends by recommending they go elsewhere because the amount being quoted in the Woodlands for dental procedures was outrageous.

Mary

 

[kacaju]

I do not know where you live, but $250.00 for a blood panel is very expensive. It runs about $90.00 at our clinic and even if we add on something like a thyroid test, it's not going to add that much to it.

I don't know where the op lives, but here in the NJ/NY area the $250 is very normal

 

[hipchickie]

Did you have the bloodwork done last year? If so were the results normal? If so, I would skip a year, maybe do it every other year.
My Vet wants to see my pets every 6 months for *Wellness* visits. Sorry...no way. I take them in once a year...unless of course they are sick.
I have and do refuse bloodwork.

ITA Our current vet practice is corporate owned, and I always feel like they are trying to get me to do a lot of excessive testing. unfortunately, I have not been able to find another vet in a reasonable distance that is taking patients

For the amt. of bloodtests that have been run on all my animals over the years, I can't think of a single one that caught a treatable illnes....but a couple that did come up with false positives that ended up costing us worry and money needlessly

 

[Happiest mommy]

yup $250+ here too.

 

[CandleontheWater]

We live in the DC area, so unfortunately $250 is pretty standard

We did get the blood work done last year and it all came up normal. Yes, I agree it doesn't seem much when split per month, and if they had a payment plan that would definately take the sting out the whole deal.

You all do raise many good points about catching things before they arise, and I know that cats will frequently "hide" that they aren't feeling well and wouldn't show any outward signs.

Maybe I will skip this year and then do it again next year. I just dread going there, I wish my husband would go for me. I know that not only am I going to be guilted about the blood work if I choose to not have it done, but I'm going to get the hard sell about microchipping and teeth cleaning.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I can relate. But, here is my story. My husband and I had a cat that was, at the time, 8 years old. I had a vet recommend the blood test and I declined thinking they were just after more money. I switched vets and about a year later our cat started to get really sick. Turns out he had acute kidney failure. If I had had the blood test done a year earlier, we probably would have caught the kidney failure and saved a night in the emergency vet clinic and 5 days in an internal medicine vet at a cost of over $1200. After that, we tried, at a cost of over $500 to keep the cat around but he had another attack 2.5 months later and we decided not to put him through the acute care and had him put down. It was a horrible 2.5 months that, looking back on it, we might have been able to prevent with that original offer for a blood test.

Now we have a cat that is 8 and we will be getting the blood tests.

I'm curious, did you vet say what could have been done about the kiddney failure if they did catch it earlier? Would it have been treatable with medication?

I'm sorry about the loss of your pet, I know it must have been very hard to see it suffer!.

 

[deedeetoo]

We've never had blood work done on our dog. Maybe if he developed a problem we would, but when they suggest routine bloodwork I think they are just trying to increase their profit.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

You know your cat better then anyone else. If something seems wrong then id do it but if not i wouldnt worry about it.

 

[Swimalie]

I'm curious, did you vet say what could have been done about the kiddney failure if they did catch it earlier? Would it have been treatable with medication?

I'm sorry about the loss of your pet, I know it must have been very hard to see it suffer!.

We could have put him on a maintenance diet and medication instead of his kidneys being so far gone that we had to give him saline injections twice a day. It would have helped but we didn't know that before he got really sick. Thank you for the kind words. He was a great cat.

By the way I'm in the DC area, too and I can relate to the expensive vets around here.

 

[Fyrefly]

If you're bad pet parents my family must be the worst! Our cats are all indoors so frankly they never go to the vet unless something is wrong. We don't do yearly check-ups or shots, because they never go anywhere and don't get sick.

That being said we know our cats well and will have them in the moment they are doing anything odd. Over my life we've had our oldest make it to 18 before she passed, and our current older one is 18 now and doing fantastically, so I don't think we're doing anything wrong.

But if you're in the DC area there are about a million vets. Our normal one started getting very pushy about lots of tests over the past year or two and we just moved. Like our new kitten had ears that were bright red and was ripping out his own fur. They did a bunch of bloodwork, barely looked at the cat and said they'd get back to us in a few weeks. We took him down to another vet we used that was further away (we left when the other opened as it was closer) and that vet actually gave him a proper examination and said it could be an allergic reaction, and to remove all food and start reintroducing it. He also gave him an antihistamine to make him feel a little more comfortable.

There are far too many vets in the area to waste your time with some office that tries to upsell you for every little thing.