How Much Do You Bankroll For Vet Bills?

[Sobriska]

I know this is going to be very varied.

Why am I asking?

Because I have a dear friend who would love a dog.
He is single, no companion.
Owns his home which has a large fenced yard.
He is great with dogs! He is my pet sitter when hubby and I go away. My dogs love him, and they are pretty picky!

He is one of those rare smart guys.
Wants a dog, but doesn’t make a lot of extra (as in able to put away much money after paying bills).

He can certainly afford basic needs,but knows that if a crisis occurs with the dog it could quickly come down to finances choosing if dog lives or dies, and that has scared him off from getting his own dog.

While I definately commend him for that, I would love for him to be able to have a dog. And quite honestly, I’d be willing to help contribute if a situation occurred.

But, I know he needs to be comfortable that he can provide for emergencies.

So, what do you COTHERs think he needs to have in savings for the just in case?

[Arbitrary]

$2000.00 minimum is what I keep available, figuring $500-1k for diagnostic purposes and the rest for treatment (or sad alternative).

What about fostering? Don’t some rescues pay vet bills for fosters? I don’t know much about dog rescue, so may be making this up.

Also - what about pet insurance? My mother got pet insurance for her dogs and said it has worked out well in her favor thus far. I think it’s $50/month? Though they reimburse her, so it begs the question of payment up front.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

I would rather not say the amount I have but it is a decent chunk of change and I have additional options at that.

HOWEVER.

Tell him to go get the damn dog. There are so many dogs out there who would be happy to have the bare minimum - a warm place to sleep, food and water, and a human to snuffle. He sounds like he would be an absolutely excellent home.

Yes. Emergencies happens. But you do not have to spend $$$$ to be a good pet owner - even if it means not doing all the expensive treatments and putting the dog down.

[GoForAGallop]

I have a $5k CareCredit card. My local emergency vet does 12 months at 0% interest. That’s my “safety net.” Actually paying it off requires some major budget shuffling, of course, but at least it’s there for the 5 minute snap decision to approve a $2000 deposit at 2am…

Then I put $100/mo aside in a savings account. That pays for the yearly checkup (~$175/dog, I have two) with a significant chunk left over every year to have as even more emergency fund. Or, last year, I spent $150 on a fancy dog bed and took it out of that account. :lol:

I then have other credit cards, of course, but not at 0% interest. They’re for dire, dire emergencies only. I’m not 100% sure I would spend over $5k on a dog, but you just never know. The most I’ve spent so far in my years of ownership is $1200 for a dog, and $2500 to remove a rabbit’s eye.

The horses then have their own emergency account.

[In_The_Gate]

This is what a good pet insurance company is for. Be sure to pick one that pays a percentage of the actual bill, not a set amount for a particular medical condition. Trupanion is one that is well respected. The downside to any pet insurance is that he will need to have a CC he can use up front and be paid after. (Many will preapprove the treatments to confirm they will reimburse the expenses). This will allow him to simply keep the insurance deductible on hand.

[littleum]

If he is concerned and not dead-set on ownership tell him to foster! Good rescues cover the vet bills, and some will even do food assistance too.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=In The Gate;7867206]
This is what a good pet insurance company is for. Be sure to pick one that pays a percentage of the actual bill, not a set amount for a particular medical condition. Trupanion is one that is well respected. The downside to any pet insurance is that he will need to have a CC he can use up front and be paid after. (Many will preapprove the treatments to confirm they will reimburse the expenses). This will allow him to simply keep the insurance deductible on hand.[/QUOTE]

I have to say that I am the first to jump in with “horse insurance is worth it!”. A $350/year policy is worth it when bills can easily jump to $5, $10, $15k in a day.

But I just checked out Trupanion, and quotes for both my dogs, one female and one male, one three and one six, both working breeds, was $50/dog a month. With a $300 deductible.

In this instance, I think self-insuring is the way to go. $600/year put aside will add up quickly (or more, if you want to figure it’s more like $900/year factoring in the $300 deductible), and combined with a decent credit card, should be enough of a safety net. Even better if he starts putting that $$ away 3-4 months before getting the dog. While small animal bills do add up fast, they don’t add up quite as fast as equine bills do.

But, it is an option. I’ve heard good things about Trupanion by those who can’t self-insure, for whatever reason.

[In_The_Gate]

It depends a bit on where you live and the lengths you will go to for treatment. I am in an expensive area and regularly see pets reach $15-20k or more in bills. I’ve had a handful reach $40-50k. For the most part, these pets are feeling well and enjoying good quality of life so not a situation where we’re simply spending a fortune continuing treatment in the face of poor quality of life.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=In The Gate;7867241]
It depends a bit on where you live and the lengths you will go to for treatment. I am in an expensive area and regularly see pets reach $15-20k or more in bills. I’ve had a handful reach $40-50k. For the most part, these pets are feeling well and enjoying good quality of life so not a situation where we’re simply spending a fortune continuing treatment in the face of poor quality of life.[/QUOTE]

I live in an expensive area too and will go to some pretty great lengths for any of my animals (see previously mentioned $2500 eye removal for $10 pet bunny), but I have GOT to know…give me some examples of treatments that got to $40k…

[wendy]

A simple emergency vet visit for a laceration these days can hit $500 in the blink of an eye. Most of the people who talk about “self insurance” are kind of behind the times. We’re not talking about futile over- treatment when we say bills can easily hit $10k.
If he can’t afford a pet insurance plan or at least $5000 for an emergency, I’d say no pet for him. Let’s not encourage irresponsibility. Pets get dumped in the first place because they are thought to be disposable, and encouraging someone to take on a disposable pet doesn’t help with the problem.

[In_The_Gate]

A few examples - leptospirosis infection needing dialysis. These dogs can (though do not always) recover and go on to lead normal lives. A second - a dog with neck injury that was in ICU for 30 days on a ventilator before he regained the ability to breathe on his own (he recovered to be a perfectly happy, normal pet - though will probably always have some neurological deficits they in no way impact his ability to have a normal life). Third - a few dogs with cancer that have had bone marrow transplants and multiple rounds of chemotherapy.

I have insurance on my own as I never want the decisions I make to be about the money. That is NOT to say I would treat every severe illness in my own, however I want the option if I feel it’s the right thing for my pets.

[Horsegal984]

But we can totally support fostering! Seriously OP, if he’d be up for it let me know the area and we can totally set him up with some great rescues that need foster’s.

Also. If he has good/decent credit have him look into care credit. It’s a really nice, typically no interest card that can also help with his medical bills if needed. I will also say that while my ER can certainly be pricey, and some pets have racked up a $10k plus bill, in the majority of cases we can handle most anything emergent for $1-$1500. Often we can do a “band-aid” type deal if needed to get an owner to their regular vet in the morning.

[Horsegal984]

In The Gate- just to speak to your examples, most Lepto dogs do very well with IV fluids that can often be done at a regular vet (assuming they are progressive and UTD on treatment protocols). I absolutely do not think its ok to keep a dog alive on a vent for 30 days. Just speaking as an ICU tech, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do for the dog. Just like people they don’t just wake up one day and pick up where they left off.
I also don’t think its unacceptable to not spend a small fortune treating cancer to that extent. However as long as the dog is happy otherwise then to each their own.

But I certainly wouldn’t discourage the OPs friend from getting a dog unless they can afford the types of scenarios above.

[arapaloosa_lady]

[QUOTE=Horsegal984;7867289]
In The Gate- just to speak to your examples, most Lepto dogs do very well with IV fluids that can often be done at a regular vet (assuming they are progressive and UTD on treatment protocols). [/QUOTE]

The dogs that need hemodialysis are going to be more severe cases than those that are just managed on IV fluids. They’re not just running up the bill because they can ;). Those dogs would be euthanized for kidney failure if not on dialysis to support the dog until the kidneys regenerated. Thankfully most lepto cases aren’t that severe or they’d nearly all be dead!

I treat my pets as family members, and I have no hesitation spending money to get them top care. I respect that’s not the perspective of every dog owner, and I also set limits for treatment within my budget. I waited until I had a significant emergency fund before adopting a dog. I’d say the average pet owner doesn’t do that, but I think it’s smart for him to wait.

The decision to euthanize a dog because you can’t afford treatment for a curable disease is a very terrible decision to make.

[In_The_Gate]

I’m in no way implying that is typical or something most owners would do. I do feel being prepared for a $1500-$2000 bill (in most areas, probably closer to $5k in mine)… is important as many minor emergencies can run that easily. What makes me sad is euthanizing totally healthy animals for simple problems like a broken leg. In all of the situations I referenced euthanasia is a perfectly reasonable and acceptable option. However, we also don’t know how sick we can fix things if we never try. I’ve had owners continue to treat when I tell them < 5% chance the animal will go home from the hospital (where to be honest I’d probably have euthanized my own) and have them recover. I’m so glad in those cases we did not give up; however it’s critical to make sure everyone understands the odds are low we will be successful.

[MsM]

Although I have probably spent over $6,000 in vet bills this year, I would encourage this guy to get a shelter dog if he has any reasonable cushion. IME it is pretty unusual to have a large vet bill like that and I cannot see depriving a dog of a good home for that kind of “what if?”

I believe he needs to have enough for basic vet care and a minor problem or two as cash on hand (The amount varies widely with area) and the ability to have credit for at least a moderate problem, then he has enough.

Sure he may not be able to afford all the best treatments available and may have to think about finances when deciding on treatments. But what is the alternative? The guy doesn’t have a dog and another shelter dog doesn’t have a home and is euthanized. So if he would be able to treat for, say, a simple broken leg with care credit or the like without bankrupting himself, then I think he can afford a dog!

[Pancakes]

I’d say keept $2k set aside for vet bills and/or get a Care Credit card to have on hand for emergencies.
Most orthopedic surgeries are going to be $2k-$4k depending on how serious they are, and in my hospital, most medical emergencies end up being $800-$2k for stabilization and supportive care for a few days plus some diagnostics (bloodwork, radiographs +/- ultrasound).
Having that on hand will likely prevent your friend from having to make a life-or-death decision on the spot. Even just getting an animal stable for a night or two until you can get to the primary vet will be your goal and will probably run you <$2k.

If he can swing that, get the dog.

[Pancakes]

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7867254]
I live in an expensive area too and will go to some pretty great lengths for any of my animals (see previously mentioned $2500 eye removal for $10 pet bunny), but I have GOT to know…give me some examples of treatments that got to $40k…[/QUOTE]

I’ve had a few of these in my clinic.

One was an old Golden who had a brain tumor, underwent successful surgery, then developed 2 other different types of cancer requiring multiple surgeries and chemo. And he was as happy as a clam the entire time and lived to be 13 or 14 I think. Money well spent according to his family.

Puppy hit by car, suffered neuro trauma, septic abdomen, and numerous fractures requiring several weeks hospitalization with several surgeries. That one was expensive. But he’s a happy camper. This bill wasn’t close to $40k, but it was about half that.

Dog who had primary lung tumor removed, all good, underwent chemo, then mysteriously developed spontaneous pnuemothorax that required several weeks of treatments, chest tubes, CT scans, etc. Dog ended up doing OK for a while then was PTS because pneumo kept recurring despite every treatment option available. That one was sad.

[Sobriska]

You know, I never thought of it from the point of view of getting a dog from the shelter and IF some huge bill arises its OK to PTS. Because really, most of those dogs will wind up PTS at the county shelter.
He can afford basic care, such as food and the normal shots etc. And I would actually be more than happy to help if there was some emergency

[Sobriska]

Oh, and if he is concerned, obviously he is not one that would discard a pet