Vet clinics closing

[MorganMaresVT]

@GoodTimes

Every week I see a post bashing greedy vets, or a Go Fund Me for someone trying to save their dog/cat/horse/you name it. And it all boils down to people not being prepared.

Or, having a realistic idea in advance of catastrophe about what you are willing to pay in an emergency. I lost a wonderful mare a year ago to a horrific torsion colic. She was not a surgical candidate for a variety of reasons that presented themselves that night, but even if she had a better prognosis, the cost would have exceeded what I would be willing to pay. I miss her every day, but wouldn’t have made a different financial decision.

I think people need to have an honest conversation with themselves (and any partner with shared finances) about what you are willing to do well before you are facing a difficult emergency moment. I love my animals, but I have a clear line in my head when it comes to finances. Not jeopardizing my family’s future for an excessive vet bill.

[tabula_rashah]

Yes, this. I have a hard limit for each animal. I just can’t do more insurances- I already pay more in insurances per month than I do for my mortgage which is completely insane

[Incantation]

Mastiffs. We have had them since the late 90’s and were lucky enough to only have mobility issues when they got older (~10). My last show dog was larger than our first ones. She was 180lbs. I think that is why she was injured, trying to keep up with a lab and GSD before her growth plates were closed. We kept 3 puppies for the litter when we bred her. The male was a lean 250 and the girls are 180 and 190.
The mistake we made with these pups was too much rough play and not enough fitness. One of the girls (bilateral TPLO) has a lot of drive and was going to be my rally/obedience dog. Between training for that and being a high energy dog in her off time, she blew both knees.

[Mosey_2003]

Awwwwww

I do stay away from the giants, despite liking them in general.

[Texarkana]

@MorganMaresVT

@GoodTimes

Every week I see a post bashing greedy vets, or a Go Fund Me for someone trying to save their dog/cat/horse/you name it. And it all boils down to people not being prepared.

Or, having a realistic idea in advance of catastrophe about what you are willing to pay in an emergency. I lost a wonderful mare a year ago to a horrific torsion colic. She was not a surgical candidate for a variety of reasons that presented themselves that night, but even if she had a better prognosis, the cost would have exceeded what I would be willing to pay. I miss her every day, but wouldn’t have made a different financial decision.

I think people need to have an honest conversation with themselves (and any partner with shared finances) about what you are willing to do well before you are facing a difficult emergency moment. I love my animals, but I have a clear line in my head when it comes to finances. Not jeopardizing my family’s future for an excessive vet bill.

To be fair though, sometimes it’s not easy to set a hard limit. Some situations are “easier” to say you will or won’t pursue, like a surgical colic or severe fracture. But other events come with a lot of uncertainty where expenses creep up over the course of weeks or months.

You might say, “I will only spend $XXXX treating this.” But if you hit that limit and the horse is improving but not yet fully recovered, do you quit and euthanize? Or kick them out in the field and stop treating, potentially wasting all that money you just spent? For me, that answer has always been no… you keep going… try that one more thing… and next thing you know you’ve spent far more than you ever intended.

[Aussie_2020]

My expenses have always been a hard line in the sand. I remember telling my accident prone mare on many occasions that she’s only got a couple hundred left in her account. I loved her to the moon and back but I had to set a boundary. If in the case they were showing improvement but needed more treatment, well, pasture rest would be that cure or not. I’m not going into debt in the hopes of a full recovery.

[MorganMaresVT]

@Texarkana

But if you hit that limit and the horse is improving but not yet fully recovered, do you quit and euthanize? Or kick them out in the field and stop treating, potentially wasting all that money you just spent? For me, that answer has always been no

I think as long as you’ve contemplated and come up with an answer that works for you, that’s what matters!

[Incantation]

My mother and sister co-owned an Arab gelding. He was already retired when he coliced and they decided to do surgery and split the cost. $8k at the time. He had a strangulating lipoma, but he was in surgery fast enough that they didn’t have to resect any intestine. When the clinic started to feed him again, he kept colicing. They thought he “wasn’t repacked quite right”.
He was doing really good otherwise so they didn’t have the heart to put him down at that point and ended up spending another $8k for another surgery. Then he ended up with an infection and surgical hernia which took a year and $$$ antibiotics to heal.

[LCDR]

One of my vets, who practiced equine surgery for some time, commented how stressful it was to know that he would be able to save a horse by a procedure that would cost several thousand dollars, but the owner would choose euthanasia. He decided to leave surgical practice, so his years of surgical training and experience are now lost to horse owners.

[Texarkana]

@Incantation

My mother and sister co-owned an Arab gelding. He was already retired when he coliced and they decided to do surgery and split the cost. $8k at the time. He had a strangulating lipoma, but he was in surgery fast enough that they didn’t have to resect any intestine. When the clinic started to feed him again, he kept colicing. They thought he “wasn’t repacked quite right”.
He was doing really good otherwise so they didn’t have the heart to put him down at that point and ended up spending another $8k for another surgery. Then he ended up with an infection and surgical hernia which took a year and $$$ antibiotics to heal.

I’m so sorry.

But that’s how it often goes. It might cost X amount to treat something, and you decide that is within budget. But then complications arise that no one could have anticipated. Next thing you know, the bill is significantly more and it’s no one’s “fault” per se. And a lot of people say, “well I would just stop treating,” but that’s easier said than done when the horse is recovering.

I’ve been in this cycle too many times to count, but a lot of people don’t seem to get it until they experience it. One of my horse friends, who was always critical of my vet bills, recently had it happen to her. What should have been a straightforward medical situation drug on longer than anyone could have anticipated. She was overwhelmed at how the cost snowballed. It took a lot of willpower to avoid any “I told you so” statements knowing how frequently she blamed me for similar expenditures.