Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

Vet bill limits?

The Menagerie
#41

We have CareCredit for our pooches. Less than a week, and we’re already up to $850 with my one dog. She has allergies so while she was boarded at her Vet’s kennel, we did some “immediate relief” treatments for her. 48 hours after picking her up (last Thursday,) we were at the Emergency Vet’s as she wasn’t acting right. $650 later and the Vet “thinks” she had the start of kennel cough or pneumonia even though her films came back clean.

I guess my limits depends on what’s going on with our finances. CareCredit does a deferred interest plan for six months on the limits we charged on it for our dog. We have also had a 12 month deferred interest plan on her surgery last year.

#42

[QUOTE=irkenequine;6449183]
I deal with back dogs all day long in referral surgery, as one of our major surgeries is the hemilaminectomy, and I would never have it done on a dog over 40ish pounds. The expressing, carrying around, pressure sores, urine scald, is something I am not willing to go through–EVEN after watching miracles and success stories, the failure rate and the PAIN it takes to get there, not worth it for me.[/QUOTE]

Really? I’m a little surprised to hear that - my 75 lb Weim had a hemi done a year ago today, and for sure, the first week was pretty rough, but after that it wasn’t so hard to help her outside in a sling. She was standing after 8 days, and could walk shortly thereafter. She was on gabapentin and tramadol for pain, and never once complained about pain or seemed depressed in any way.
Prior to her surgery, the vet was pretty optimistic about the procedure for her, and he was right - it turned out very well for us. I know every case is different, though.

#43

Setting Limits on Veterinary Care

Producers of a Canadian documentary for the long-running CBC series The Nature of Things are looking for on camera interviews for a film on advancements in veterinary care.

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/

We’re traveling in the Virginia area the week of August 10th, and looking for interviews.

In this film, we’re hoping to develop a discussion around ethical decisions to pursue veterinary care for domestic pets. While we look at the lengths some people will go to save their pets in this documentary, we also hope to explore the lines some refuse to cross. We’re looking for people who have VERY RECENTLY opted out of spending money on veterinary care, not because they can’t afford the cost but rather because they chose not to for moral, ethical or simply practical reasons.

Please contact researcher Donna Gabriel ASAP at donnagabriel@me.com

#44

We have spent thousands on our current dogs( 5 of them all together- small dogs under 60 lbs total). One pancreatic/hepatitis scare was $2200, i believe at the emerg clinic where treatement is better but costs more. Our one dog had leaky anal glands and we finally opted to have surgery for removal, About $2000. Things happen.

We are fortunate we have a good amount in savings and a great credit score, so we could save any of our pups. Would we? Depends on age/health of animal, how much would we be putting them through? Depends on total costs. We could come up with a lot, but It would depend a lot on probably prognosis.

#45

Oh, I feel y’all’s pain…Pets! Gotta love 'em but lord have mercy what they do to our wallets (to say nothing of our hearts) - yikes.

I have the $10k cat and his $3k brother - the bladder boys. I have the $5k eyeball girl and before he passed away, the $7k cat. Do I want to rip my hair out? Yes - hoo boy – yes. Do I regret any of these? No - a million times no.

I wish I could afford insurance. I love to read the UK cat mag - they seem to have a lot of different insurance companies over there and they all seem to be quite affordable. Unlike here with only a few very expensive choices.

#46

[QUOTE=dreamstreetpictures;8262811]
Producers of a Canadian documentary for the long-running CBC series The Nature of Things are looking for on camera interviews for a film on advancements in veterinary care.

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/

We’re traveling in the Virginia area the week of August 10th, and looking for interviews.

In this film, we’re hoping to develop a discussion around ethical decisions to pursue veterinary care for domestic pets. While we look at the lengths some people will go to save their pets in this documentary, we also hope to explore the lines some refuse to cross. We’re looking for people who have VERY RECENTLY opted out of spending money on veterinary care, not because they can’t afford the cost but rather because they chose not to for moral, ethical or simply practical reasons.

Please contact researcher Donna Gabriel ASAP at donnagabriel@me.com[/QUOTE]

I’m not sure I fit into this category (definitely not in VA), but I did recently spend a mind numbing small car sum on colic surgery and intensive care for 9 … ish days before we made a decision due to ileus. But to me this was the logical progression of the disease (just not the outcome I hoped for). I didn’t consider doing any “heroic” measures/treatments, unless you count the ones my wallet took. My horse coliced, had surgery, the surgery was in a very bad location (mesentary volvulus) but had the best possible outcome (no resection). But the patient sadly did not get the memo. But like I said, we tried all reasonable measures short of a second surgery (because I did not feel that was reasonable), and I constantly challenged the vets as to whether another day/treatment was reasonable AND in Robbie’s best interest, enough so that I started to feel like Debbie Deathknell. We did that up until the moment that reasonable/best interest threshold was not being met.

About the only thing mildly different about his case was a) that he didn’t respond, even though the odds were in his favor, especially if the person paying the bills had the luxury of allowing some time (ileus is horrifically expensive to treat, but is also likely to resolve given time) and b) I was fortunate enough that I didn’t have to make the decision due to $$$.

But I don’t know how that is any different than a person who spends $500 and the decision to not continue is made because it is not in the best interest of the patient. And there has to be a thousand of those stories out there…

#47

[QUOTE=dreamstreetpictures;8262811]
Producers of a Canadian documentary for the long-running CBC series The Nature of Things are looking for on camera interviews for a film on advancements in veterinary care.

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/

We’re traveling in the Virginia area the week of August 10th, and looking for interviews.

In this film, we’re hoping to develop a discussion around ethical decisions to pursue veterinary care for domestic pets. While we look at the lengths some people will go to save their pets in this documentary, we also hope to explore the lines some refuse to cross. We’re looking for people who have VERY RECENTLY opted out of spending money on veterinary care, not because they can’t afford the cost but rather because they chose not to for moral, ethical or simply practical reasons.

Please contact researcher Donna Gabriel ASAP at donnagabriel@me.com[/QUOTE]

I’m not in VA, but last fall my DH and I made the terrible, difficult decision to euthanize one of our Dobermans rather than pursue further veterinary treatment. Flynn had just turned 5 and while under anesthesia for MRI, in preparation for surgery for his worsening Wobblers, it was discovered that he also had DCM. Flynn had a 50/50 chance of making it through the neurosurgery to repair his spine; even if he made it, he had an 80-90% chance of being dead in less than 2 years of sudden cardiac arrest.

We didn’t want to put him through the pain, confusion and potential secondary issues with the neurosurgery and then watch him succumb to DCM. We chose to say goodbye a few short days after the cardiac issue was discovered.

Close to 10 months later, it is a decision I still struggle with every day, and it was a decision that had nothing to do with finances and everything to do with his quality of life.

#48

I don’t put a limit on veterinary care. I beg, borrow and sell things if I don’t have the money. I’d do anything for my dog.
Massive jingles for Zane! Hope he comes through okay!

#49

dreamstreetpictures – I am also not in VA, but have made an even harsher decision based on prior experience.

We are no longer having tumors removed at all in cats and dogs. I am struggling with this right now as I have a cat who has had a slow-growing tumor explode and become fast-growing. I can tell by his coat and body condition that he’s sliding downhill fast at this point.

We got here, though, as over the years we’ve had many initial and repeat surgeries done on multiple dogs and cats. In 100% of the cases, the tumors returned and spread. So … I guess we got to the point that we thought the trauma of repeated surgery isn’t worth the extra year or so that it buys.

But still, it’s hard to look upon a failing kitty and know the outcome is inevitable both ways and just let it be. I think there’s something in human nature that forces us to fight against the greater force that is nature itself.

#50

Now that vets use care credit, try that approach.
Or try a gofundme account. I know of a fire dept member in Miami-Dade who rescued a small dog who had been crushed by a car, and a Cother down there told me about the gofundme account. I donated.

I never had a limit on vet bills for my animals. I was fortunate to have parents who paid for bills when I was growing up for horses and dogs and cats. When I started working, I had vets who allowed me to make monthly payments on my animals. In the 1980s, I had the “crypto kitty” as the vets called her when she got sick, and she cost me 20,000. But she recovered and lived another 5 yrs, dying at the age of 18 yoa of heart failure. My vet hospital allowed me to pay on that bill for more than those 5 yrs. I finally paid it off a couple of years after my cat died.

With care credit now, I’d use that for any of my animals now if the bill was too high.

PM me your paypal addy and I’ll send you a dribble to apply to the dog’s vet bill. Your dog might need surgery to remove the blockage. Hopefully it will pass thru with treatment.

#51

[QUOTE=dreamstreetpictures;8262811]

.

In this film, we’re hoping to develop a discussion around ethical decisions to pursue veterinary care for domestic pets. While we look at the lengths some people will go to save their pets in this documentary, we also hope to explore the lines some refuse to cross. We’re looking for people who have VERY RECENTLY opted out of spending money on veterinary care, not because they can’t afford the cost but rather because they chose not to for moral, ethical or simply practical reasons.

Please contact researcher Donna Gabriel ASAP at donnagabriel@me.com[/QUOTE]

I’m located in NC … This last Wednesday, I buried the most gentle and kind Doberman I ever had. He was the best behaved and trained Doberman (of four) through 30 years.
Eighteen months ago, We spent $1800 to pull him through a kidney failure event. He was only 6 years old. Since then $90 a bag prescription dog food or boiled & handpicked chicken/rice. Tuesday, two hours after the evening meal, we were headed to the emergency clinic with Bloat. All the classic signs, confirmed via internet search. It was $500 just to be seen. After x-rays, exam, CBC, etc. The surgery estimate was $4500 to $6000. After care was extra $$ in another clinic. X-rays showed a twisted stomach, enlarged spleen. His heart was shrunken likely due to shock.
Vet gave him a 50/50% chance of surviving the surgery to untwist the stomach & remove the spleen.
The decision was extra difficult because we could afford the surgery. The money amount while painful could be done. The decision to euthanize was centered on the future. If he survived, the chances of kidney failure were increased. He would have to go through weeks of recovery. Even after the surgery the chances of complications, infections, kidney failure, etc. were significant. Plus, he would have to bear the “cone of shame” for weeks.

We took on the emotional pain & grief to spare him the physical pain and indignity of the cone.

My dear; good & faithful Leef, Rest in Peace.

#52

[QUOTE=SuperOtto;6456894]
Really? I’m a little surprised to hear that - my 75 lb Weim had a hemi done a year ago today, and for sure, the first week was pretty rough, but after that it wasn’t so hard to help her outside in a sling. She was standing after 8 days, and could walk shortly thereafter. She was on gabapentin and tramadol for pain, and never once complained about pain or seemed depressed in any way.
Prior to her surgery, the vet was pretty optimistic about the procedure for her, and he was right - it turned out very well for us. I know every case is different, though.[/QUOTE]

A lot of the outcome depends on the onset of symptoms. Faster they go down, the sooner they’re cut, the faster they’re up. The ones that were a chronic or slow decline, or if the owners waited and tried medical management for months before surgery, those dogs don’t do as well.

I know of a police K9 that had a mid-lumbar hemilaminectomy done and was cleared for all duty, including bite work, about 18 months afterwards. He’s now been retired (he’s about 10 now) but was 5 when he had the surgery.

I would have to take that on a case by case basis.

#53

To answer your question OP, my limits vary by pet. My 11yo ACD female with bad hips and now a bum elbow? Not going to do major surgery on her. The 7yo ACD male that absolutely adores my 5yo DD however, I would do a lot more for, in part because of his age but also because I know how heartbroken my DD would be. If the prognosis was bad then I’m not putting him through hell, DD can comprehend that sometimes we can’t save everything but I’m not going to break her heart over money. My youngest ACD is training to be my service dog, so again I’d spend a pretty good amount on him because replacing him wouldn’t be cheap (I wouldn’t go the owner/trainer route again, I’d look for a fully trained dog).

My cats? The one we call the “indoor feral” isn’t getting much, he has corona and a history of urinary problems. The other three I’d do more for but nothing extravagant, probably $500-600. However that’s after my discount at work so it would cover a couple days of treatment.

One of my coworkers has a rule of threes. Three days in the hospital to improve, three medications (long term) and three issues. You go over one of the threes and she reevaluates the decision to proceed. And because I like to harass her, things like joint supplements, fish oils, etc don’t count as part of the three medications.

#54

I don’t have any set limit for the animals but would make a decision based on the age/heath/prognosis for each.

Vet care is pretty expensive here and you pretty much need to be able to drop $500 just for walking in the door. Last year when my dog had a lump on his leg, it was $400 just for the vet visit, aspirate the lump and send us home saying they don’t know what it was, but here are some antibiotics to try.

I think I spent close to $700 this spring for vaccines and flea/tick/heartworm for my 2 dogs.

#55

It’s highly dependent on the age / condition of the pet and the likely outcome. When my husband’s cat slowly declined over the course of a couple of weeks and we didn’t notice (been on a cruise, death in the family, etc), we were given a list of pretty bad differentials with no good prognosis and a pretty high price tag. We euthanized.

When our otherwise perfectly healthy 7 year old lab mix tore her ACL sprinting after a rabbit in the yard, I called the next day for radiographs and scheduled her surgery the same day. We ended up spending close to $3000 when it was all said and done. She’s still getting around just fine four years later. If she tore the other one right now, we’d probably pursue medical management over surgery.

#56

It’s hard to have a pre-determined limit when the expenses come in a little at a time. I had a situation like yours. She racked up $400 at the vet, who then sent us to the emergency vet, where they thought maybe they could remove the object from her stomach through her throat. That didn’t sound so bad so I said okay. She’s put under, then I get a call that they can’t get it that way, do I want to do surgery? Well, at that point I was already into it for $1000 or more, so why not keep going? It ended up being a total of $2800 and the dog was 13 years old (but lived another 2.5 years).

About a month ago, with 24 hours of emergency vet care with an IV, I spent $800 on a barn cat. The original estimate was half that.

#57

I only took insurance on one dog eons ago. He ate something (lab !!) and needed vet visit and meds… the following year, my premium had increased by the exact amount of my claim and any stomach issue would not be covered… so I did not renew and had no other problems with that dog.
Next dog was a rescue and no idea of age, etc. Should have insured her because she cost me thousands in surgery/meds/another surgery… but after the first surgery, second one would probably not have been covered anyway IF I could have had insurance on her.
Next dog… nope, did not take insurance and we went 7 years without any problems until he ruptured his ACL. Ok, so roughly $4000 in surgery/meds/dx/xrays… so, at maybe $40/month x 12 x 7 = $3360… Frankly, I would not have been that much ahead! and this is assuming $40/month with no increase in 7 years!
Same with our mare. I did take insurance for a few years and did not renew. When she needed abscessed tooth removal, she was 18 and would not have been covered any longer… So again $4000 including vet visits, meds, surgery, trailering, etc. (which would not have been covered anyway) $4000/10 years w/o insurance = $400/yr. How much would have insurance cost me… not to be able to use it anyway?
I am very reluctant and very sceptic (it is not the word I am looking for, but it is not coming to me right now) about insurance… just like with car/home insurance… you need it/have to have it/pay for it but then do not put the claim through because the next premium will reflect your claims…
I try to keep a healthy savings account and can pay what I feel is needed!

#58

[QUOTE=Mango20;8265922]
About a month ago, with 24 hours of emergency vet care with an IV, I spent $800 on a barn cat. The original estimate was half that.[/QUOTE]

I am getting so SOUR on the emergency/specialty animal clinic in our area, so sour. A lady calls doc the other night and explains she has brought her Dobby home from the emergency clinic with a large laceration that they wrapped. The dog cut it’s shoulder on something in their fenced back yard at 6:30 p.m. The clinic cleaned the wound, provided IV pain meds and said the repair to stitch closed the 7" skin wound- there was NO muscle cut- would be $1000. She couldn’t afford that so took her bandaged dog home by 8:00 p.m. and called my boss. Boss said "bring the dog in first thing in the morning.

Dog and owner arrive the next morning, the bandage is removed, laceration examined. Owner given a quote of $200-$250 to anesthetize dog and repair laceration. Owner agrees, the effin 20 minute repair is done and the dog goes home at lunch time.

There is so much GOOD that happens at specialty clinics and there is a bunch of bull shit passed off to owners who don’t know any better. That owner was one of the smart ones.

#59

[QUOTE=SLW;8274381]
I am getting so SOUR on the emergency/specialty animal clinic in our area, so sour. A lady calls doc the other night and explains she has brought her Dobby home from the emergency clinic with a large laceration that they wrapped. The dog cut it’s shoulder on something in their fenced back yard at 6:30 p.m. The clinic cleaned the wound, provided IV pain meds and said the repair to stitch closed the 7" skin wound- there was NO muscle cut- would be $1000. She couldn’t afford that so took her bandaged dog home by 8:00 p.m. and called my boss. Boss said "bring the dog in first thing in the morning.

Dog and owner arrive the next morning, the bandage is removed, laceration examined. Owner given a quote of $200-$250 to anesthetize dog and repair laceration. Owner agrees, the effin 20 minute repair is done and the dog goes home at lunch time.

There is so much GOOD that happens at specialty clinics and there is a bunch of bull shit passed off to owners who don’t know any better. That owner was one of the smart ones.[/QUOTE]

A friend of mine took a cat in to a local vet a few years ago… I forget what the symptoms were, but they did an exam, kept the cat overnight for observation, and sent kitty home the next day saying they didn’t really know what was wrong but to keep an eye on her. Vet bill $1500.

For years I would travel to the USA to get vet work done because it’s so much cheaper. Then I had a border guard be a real jerk to me “Why are you coming here? Don’t they have vets in Canada?” who actually brought me to tears so now I’m just prepared to pay double on this side of the border.

#60

Please keep in mind that you’re paying for having someone available after hours. Just as the human ER costs vastly more than seeing your GP, the same applies on the companion animal side. Just as you would expect to get paid more for working the crap hours and giving up normal life and time with your family, the same is true for those who do ER work. I worked Friday overnight, I lost track of how many I saw, though most had a tab of under $350 and many of those were under $200. Mostly urgent care vs critical care patients. But earlier in the week, I worked a shift and nobody came in. My tech and I still get paid. It’s often feast or famine. But the overhead to keep the small ER I work at (only one doctor on at a time) comes in at 150k per month.

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $21.95 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse