Anybody ever go overboard in VET BILLS for their pet?

[miaheatlvr]

Well my cat SONIA hasn't been feeling well for about 3 days, She has not gone to the bathroom and not eaten in that time so I decided to take her to the VET, Well after a thorough diagnosis, she thinks my cat has MEGA-COLON which is a condition in older cats where the nerves controlling her bowel movements start to deteriorate slowly and sometimes cut off completely. SONIA is 14, But she is STILL even in this condition so alert, so full of life and purring like crazy. So the Vet comes back with an estimate of the services, I get a LOW estimate and a HIGH estimate. the low comes back at $600 and the high $850 OR euthanasia at some low fee of $25.. NOW I am very distraught because I have had SONIA since she has been a little kitty and we have been through so much together and always is there for unconditional love no matter what. SO what am I to do you say? SAVE SONIA no matter what! I figure she has cost me so little in these 14 years as far as medical maintenance but given me so much love back 10 fold that It is such a pleasure for me to give her the opportunity to live her life out as long as she can as long as it can be a prosperous, happy life for as long as she can. The only maintenance for her looking at it most optimistically is she need SPECIAL W SCIENCE DIET which is a prescription high fiber food and MAYBE some P ills once in a while to help her stimulate her bowel movements. Thanks for reading this! A very upset MiaHeatLvr

 

[miaheatlvr]

SORRY MODS... please delete this one..... I dont see a delete thread option anymore...

 

[crimzy]

Hey man, that sucks. Truly, it doesn't matter whether other people suggest that you should pay or not pay... untimately you have to do the right thing for you, your family and your pet.
As far as personal experiences, when my St. Bernard was 2 years old, he developed a blocked salivary gland. It got so swollen that he could not eat or pant, which is very dangerous for a large dog. To cure him, the vet would have to perform a surgical operation that would remove the jaw bone, remove the gland, and then wire the bone back in place. Pretty amazing procedure actually. Well, we did it. Cost was about $4,800.00.
That was a different time, I had no kids and my dog was a young 2 years old. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[cowfishrule]

there comes a time and place for everything. i would say, at age 4, no way.
at age 14, different story. she's had a lasting loving life, and as far as i can tell from what i know about you, a passionate owner.
at this point, especially with the stress of your wedding coming up shortly and whatnot, you may not have the time/place of mind for the extra care for her.
i say let her go peacefully.

 

[miaheatlvr]

Ahh my friend CRIMZY, Its such an attribute for a person who can be so caring and loving about his personal stories in one part of a post (much appreciated the way) and then finish the second part of the post with an obnoxious zinger.. Kudos to you! That is special!

To my Buddy CFR! You are a special Dude in these forums! Often imitated but never duplicated! Dont Change for anything!
BUT YOU PEOPLE ARE NOT READING!

I ALREADY PAID FOR THE TREATMENT ALREADY!

Next step SONIA needs to go into recovery and maintenance mode. I hope and im sure I can handle that.

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by MiaHeatLvr
http:///forum/post/2765323
Ahh my friend CRIMZY, Its such an attribute for a person who can be so caring and loving about his personal stories in one part of a post (much appreciated the way) and then finish the second part of the post with an obnoxious zinger.. Kudos to you! That is special!

To my Buddy CFR! You are a special Dude in these forums! Often imitated but never duplicated! Dont Change for anything!
BUT YOU PEOPLE ARE NOT READING!

I ALREADY PAID FOR THE TREATMENT ALREADY!

Next step SONIA needs to go into recovery and maintenance mode. I hope and im sure I can handle that.
Oops... that's what happens when you skim I guess. But I did edit the post. Now it's just all warm and fuzzy... the zinger will be added in a more appropriate thread.

 

[hlcroghan]

I am really glad you decided to do it. I think everyone should have those credit cards for vet bills. They come in really handy when you need them. My mom had that very thing happen to her. Her prize doberman which was #1 in the country for female show dogs and #2 dog in the AKC (invited to Westminster but never went) about 6 years ago and all of her puppies have become champions. There are already onto her great grandchildren being champions. Beautiful dog, amazing temperment

. Anyway, after she had her two litters they were going to spay her to prevent unterine problems like cancer but she was a bleeder so the handler and my mom decided against it because they were afraid they would lose her on the operating table.
Well fast forward to a year ago. She is nine now. She stops eating and then she is running a fever. She had developed a unterine infection. The entire uterus was filled with pus. My mother paid 8000 (yes 8 grand) to save her life by getting her a hysterectomy and fluids. Her kidneys had shut down. She was doing better but crashed 24 hours later and died in my mother's arms at the vet's office. Talk about pain. My mother took a week off of work and couldn't function. She cried everytime someone said something about Jewel for about a month after that. I swear she loved that dog more than me (I am actually serious, sadly.....lol). But she did everything she could that is for sure. I miss Jewel alot. She was a beautiful sweet dog.

 

[maxalmon]

It's not even something we would have to discuss in our household, my 3 boxers are a part of the family and they will get the same medical attention as me or my other half.
We just went thru a serious (still dealing with).... A vet left a sponge inside of my Shadow when she had her c-section, fast forward 1 year and all of a sudden she's got a 105 temp, won't eat,...etc...Run her to the vet and thats when he did the x-ray and told me that there was "something inside her" and there was a 20% chance she would live as she had problems with sepsis. The sponge had become encrusted by a syst that was leaching toxins into her blood and destroying half of her kidney...We were a wreck, I had just started a new job, I told them that I had an emergency and needed some time off and that if they didn't like, then fire me. Vet told us the bill would be $2600 and I told them to "do whatever you have to do" Long story short, they ended up bringing in 2 other vets to assist and basically had to open her totally up, empty her insides out onto the table and clean and this puss filled sponge that was the size of a football. She survived the surgery, but my vet is not a 24 hour office and she needed to be monitored every hour, so she was picked up by a vet ambulance (yes they exist) and was transported to the emergency clinic for overnight observation, then she was brought back to my vets office in the morning, this was repeated for 4 days and nights all because my vet is the best in vegas and he wanted to personally be around her as much as possible incase of potential problems (blood bacteria) Final total for the bill was just south of 6k...I work in the pet industry here in vegas, nice thing is that my vet called the vet who did the c-section and told her she had a problem due to her leaving the sponge inside shadow, she stepped up to the plate and paid all the bills, (my main vet doesn't do c-sections) I didn't even have to ask....But I would have

 

[reefkprz]

cat hit by car reconstructive surgery on her jaw $3,000+ change
2 shar-pei eye surgerys $1500
flea treatment every month $250+
and incedental shots, spays, neuters, ETC.
its just part of having an animal in my book.
(20 cats and three dogs not counting the three puppies. OR the 5 kittens) plus our birds and reptiles..... vet bills are bigger than our house hold bills.

 

[beth]

Pets are an important part of our lives and our families. The last reef tank I had cost me upwards of $3000. So, I'd say a cat that has been a part of your life for 14 years is certainly worth the money.
I have 3 reptilian pets and I wouldn't bat an eye spending that kind of money if it meant saving their lives.
The only thing you should be saying is, "Thank goodness I had the money to spend on my furry friend". Too many pet owners in this circumstances, would have no choice but to go with the worst choice. One reason, I could never become a vet.
Hope Sonia pulls through.

 

[indigobluetc]

First off I would agree with the people saying to do it. (which you did) The other day my cat got cut on some glass! It was about an inch long and about 1/4" deep.. No way it was gonna heal on its own.. So after all the stitches and 5+ hrs she was all good.. 310.00 later.. Ya.. 310! for like 6 stitches.. First estimate was 460!!

A pet is a part of your family.. What are you going to tell your kids " You know we.. um.. just dont want to pay that..Sorry..." My moms dog has hip displesia and surgery is 3500+. If we had all the money I can tell you we would no questions asked spend it on the dog!

 

[jeanheckle]

Captain Neo had both ACL joints replaced at a cost of over 3000. It was never even an option. But, you also can't judge people who have no other option.

 

[gliderjohn]

Originally Posted by jeanheckle
http:///forum/post/2765836
Captain Neo had both ACL joints replaced at a cost of over 3000. It was never even an option. But, you also can't judge people who have no other option.
And that was two separate surgeries. When the 1st ACL went out, the vet told us that most likely the other one would go out within about a year. And it did. But, as Jeanheckle said, it was never an option. Neo is just too special to us. It was terrible watching him lame and miserable. But now he's as good as new. It was worth every penny...

 

[al mc]

Originally Posted by MiaHeatLvr
http:///forum/post/2765268
Well my cat SONIA hasn't been feeling well for about 3 days, She has not gone to the bathroom and not eaten in that time so I decided to take her to the VET, Well after a thorough diagnosis, she is thinks my cat has MEGA-COLON which is a condition in older cats where the nerves controlling her bowel movements start to deteriorate slowly and sometimes cut off completely. SONIA is 14, But she is STILL even in this condition so alert, so full of life and purring like crazy. So the Vet comes back with an estimate of the services, I get a LOW estimate and a HIGH estimate. the low comes back at $600 and the high $850 OR euthanasia at some low fee of $25.. NOW I am very distraught because I have had SONIA since she has been a little kitty and we have been through so much together and always is there for unconditional love no matter what. SO what am I to do you say? SAVE SONIA no matter what! I figure she has cost me so little in these 14 years as far as medical maintenance but given me so much love back 10 fold that It is such a pleasure for me to give her the opportunity to live her life out as long as she can as long as it can be a prosperous, happy life for as long as she can. The only maintenance for her looking at it most optimistically is she need SPECIAL W SCIENCE DIET which is a prescription high fiber food and MAYBE some P ills once in a while to help her stimulate her bowel movements. Thanks for reading this! A very upset MiaHeatLvr

Megacolon is fairly common in aging cats but it does not have to be a 'death sentence'. The general principles in treatment:
1. Soften: High fiber foods. W/D is good but some cats actually like canned pumpkin which is a great way to add fiber ( 1 tablesppon divided over the day is helpful).
2. Lubricate: 1/2 teaspoon of mineral oil or vaseline (yup that is right) in each meal. Basically the cat laxatives you buy in the toothpaste tube like container are malt flavored vaseline.
3. Stimulate: Cisapride (also known as propulsid) is a good drug for this. Unfortunately your vet will probably have to write you a 'script' for a compounding P h a r m a c y

[hr]
as it is no longer used much in human medicine.
Good luck...

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by Al Mc
http:///forum/post/2765993
Megacolon is fairly common in aging cats but it does not have to be a 'death sentence'. The general principles in treatment:
1. Soften: High fiber foods. W/D is good but some cats actually like canned pumpkin which is a great way to add fiber ( 1 tablesppon divided over the day is helpful).
2. Lubricate: 1/2 teaspoon of mineral oil or vaseline (yup that is right) in each meal. Basically the cat laxatives you buy in the toothpaste tube like container are malt flavored vaseline.
3. Stimulate: Cisapride (also known as propulsid) is a good drug for this. Unfortunately your vet will probably have to write you a 'script' for a compounding P h a r m a c y

[hr]
as it is no longer used much in human medicine.
Good luck...

AL the Vet, You are always out there to give a helping hand to ANY member of FREE, QUALITY, MEANINGFUL, CORRECT advice. You are a gentleman and a scholar and such an asset to these boards. Thank You Again!

 

[keri]

Originally Posted by Al Mc
http:///forum/post/2765993
Megacolon is fairly common in aging cats but it does not have to be a 'death sentence'. The general principles in treatment:
1. Soften: High fiber foods. W/D is good but some cats actually like canned pumpkin which is a great way to add fiber ( 1 tablesppon divided over the day is helpful).
2. Lubricate: 1/2 teaspoon of mineral oil or vaseline (yup that is right) in each meal. Basically the cat laxatives you buy in the toothpaste tube like container are malt flavored vaseline.
3. Stimulate: Cisapride (also known as propulsid) is a good drug for this. Unfortunately your vet will probably have to write you a 'script' for a compounding P h a r m a c y

[hr]
as it is no longer used much in human medicine.
Good luck...

+1 to the smart man !
Good for you! Megacolon doesn't have to be a death sentance and 14 isn't aincent for a cat - she very well could live another 5 or 6 years.
I tallied up my bill, so far, this year at work (I work in a vet clinic) and i have spent over a thousand dollars on my pets in 9 months...
Scary thing is:
1) no one has had any Major surgery except Delilah's jaw wire which was'nt much
2) I get 66% off of services so really, that's $3,000 to anyone else
3) they are worth every penny, discount or not - to me my pets are my family and if I can afford it I will do it - I took them into my life and feel responsible for them I don't have kids, I'm not saying pets are more important but if I have the money it will go to my pets as right now they Are my kids.
I'm pretty sure my dog would never turn me down if I asked her for something.
(and no disrespect to those people who think of a pet as "just" a pet and not worth the money - we'll just agree to disagree )

edit: I also understand that not everyone has the money to fix a broken pet

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally Posted by MiaHeatLvr
http:///forum/post/2765323
To my Buddy CFR! You are a special Dude in these forums! Often imitated but never duplicated! Dont Change for anything!
BUT YOU PEOPLE ARE NOT READING!

I ALREADY PAID FOR THE TREATMENT ALREADY!

The way it was worded, i took it as a rhetorical answer. upon re-reading, i see now. hey, at least i took the time to read/respond to your thread. its gotta count for something, right?
Originally Posted by Keri
http:///forum/post/2766036
edit: I also understand that not everyone has the money to fix a broken pet
this is very true. i would go a week without food so that my kid can eat. but i wouldnt let my kid go a week without food so my cat can eat, if you can follow this.
i've had 3 dogs in my life time.
first was a large German Shepard that had a rapid case of cancer. i was 3, and my parents had just bought a house when the dog was diagnosed. my parents were trying to get off the food stamps at the time, so there was no $ for treament. Satan was euthed. our latest dog just had hip surgery. she's 11, and it cost around $2800. Of course, my parents had the money, so it was a no-brainer.
regardless, MIA, good luck with the kitty.. hope she pulls through.

 

[oceanlover]

Sonia is a very pretty kitty and it is nice you love her so. Keep her comfortable as long as you can. As her friend, you owe it to Sonia to not just keep her alive. She must have a reasonable quality of life. If the time comes where she has no quality of life and she doesn't die, but just becomes a vegetable, do the right thing and have her gently euthanized. Our beloved pets don't have to suffer the indignities of pain.
I have a huge collection of pets. None of them ever die. They just slowly fade away until I have to make the painful decision to help them on their way. The toughest was my 19 year old Burmese cat who had been on insulin for 9 years, but eventually she went into a coma so I let her go.
I just plonked down $6000 this year to have one knee (ACL) repaired on my golden retriever, Jack Daniels. He was just 4 years old when he tore the knee. Boy I wish I lived where Jean Heckle lived- they paid a lot less for the ACL. But the surgery was a great success and after 4 months of recovery he is now out running daily with our border collie and yorkie!

 

[al mc]

Amazing...the cost of living differences between areas of the country! You could have had both ACLs corrected at the animal hospital I co-own for about $3,500 total by a board certified orthopedic surgeon who's day job is doing surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Vet School.

 

[stdreb27]

lol, well once when I was about 10 we found a kitten beautiful cat. To make a long story short she developed a liking to sleeping in the pickup. To be exact right next to the radiator fan. We never thought anything about it. Till one day my little brother went head over the handlebars on the bike was was bleeding all over. So I ran home to get mom to pick him up. (he ended up being told we should have given him about 10 stitches.) Well, I got my mom and hopped into the pickup to get my brother. We went to started the car. And the dogs went friggen nuts. They knew where she was. Anyway, my mom started the car. Right then a cloud of fur came out of the hood. And my dang mom, made me a little 10 year old boy open the hood. I expected to see what I imaged a cat in a really big blender would look like. So I opened the hood. Tears coming down my cheeks. Fortunately the cat just lost an ear, and had a small gash in its side. So I reached in there. Acquired some scars from the cat, still visible today. And put him in a carrier. That vet bill was 300 dollars worth of stitches and pain relievers. And she still didn't have an ear.
Then later my brother decided it would be a good idea to introduce her to the the neighbors retriever. Unfortunately that resulted in the retriever getting scratched, then attempting to destroy the cat. Mauling her. We took her to the vet again. And $300 more of stitches. That time however, the vet said she had a broken back. He could do surgery, but we'd be out $5000 and he didn't think she'd survive. so we took her home, to talk my dad out of the money. Well the next day, she stopped clicking, and was running around like nothing had happened.
But to make a loong story short
Cat - free
2 vet bills- $600 dollars.
1 dead cat, she got pregnant before we could fix her, and she died during kitten birth.
2 years of one lucky cat.