Vet Bills

[Guest boardergurl]

Last week, a dog that a friend of mine owns got EXTREMELY sick.

She was told by her vet that they couldn't figure out what the problem was and her only choice was to take him to a Vet University that is a five hour drive from where we live. Without hesitation, she called in to work (I also work with her) and told our manager that it was an emergency and she had to rush her dog to the vet and that she would be taking the time as vacation (which she is entitled too).

Well, you should hear some of the things people at work are saying. They can't understand how she could spend that much money on a dog (we are talk THOUSANDS of dollars here). To me, I can't understand how these people can be so cruel. If my dog needed help and all that was stopping him from getting better was money I would do whatever it takes. What is she supposed to do, let him suffer!

Anyway, it got me curious, are we just crazy or are others out there willing to do whatever it takes?

Also, she got in quite a bit of trouble for taking the week off that got me REALLY ticked off because I know I would have done the same thing had it been me. She told our boss that family comes before work and if she had to write her up then that is what she had to do. I say good for her.....ARGH my work drives me nuts sometimes.

Edited September 5, 2005 by boardergurl

[Guest UGAKarl]

Tex's bill has been over 4k ... you do what you have to do! The evet cost as much as the orthapedic surgeon!

 

But how could you not do all in your power for these eyes

 

[Guest skinnydog]

It's a bit different for me - I work at a vet clinic, so my boss is great about that stuff. If I had to take time of to take one of the kids to a specialty centre, it wouldn't be a problem. If it's going to improve quality of life, I say have at 'er. If it's going to prolong suffering for the animal, then it's time to make some tough decisions.

[Guest boardergurl]

It's a bit different for me - I work at a vet clinic, so my boss is great about that stuff.  If I had to take time of to take one of the kids to a specialty centre, it wouldn't be a problem.  If it's going to improve quality of life, I say have at 'er.  If it's going to prolong suffering for the animal, then it's time to make some tough decisions.

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I definitely agree with you on that.

 

They knew it had something to do with his throat but didn't know exaclty what. It turned out to be a large abcess in his throat that had to be removed and drained. The dog just turned one. I think she did the right thing. The vets say he is doing fine now but he has to stay at the University for a few more days. Had she left it a few more days he may not have made it. The vets said the infection was VERY close to his Larnyx and appearantly that is not good.

[Guest UGAKarl]

Thank goodness they caught it in time! What a good mom

[HopeForHounds]

You know, I just don't understand why people have to comment on how someone else chooses to spend their money and time. Unless it directly impacts on their lives they should just butt out. All the comments do is hurt the feelings of a person in an already tough situation.

Prayers that your friends dog will recover quickly.

[Guest Becki]

August's vet bill was 450. I guess, as long as we know we are making progress toward improvement, and not prolonging suffering, we keep going forward. What else can you do?

 

Your friend isn't alone. OUr vet bills were in excess of 7k last year.

[GoPups]

Oh, lord. Thats a tough one. I can only relate to it one way. My toller, Julio, has thyroid cancer. We've had the tumor removed on the right side, but it is only a matter of time before the left side grows back. That was close to $2k. We have the option of taking him to UT and having a radioactive chip put in his neck. He'd have to be in a room with 6 foot thick concrete walls with virtually no human contact. I think that alone would kill him. It would be very expensive to do. He'd hate it, and it would most likely not get rid of all the cancer. Its too expensive to take that risk, knowing that he'd come out of it feeling terrible and probably still have the cancer. We just want him to be as happy as he can be right now, so we're not doing the treatment.

[Hubcitypam]

Let me say first of all that I find this poll offensive.

 

When my ~12 year old yorkie (from the pound) had two ruptured discs in his spine and I made $8.00 an hour the specialist said that he might be able to fix it for $1,200 with no promise that the next discs wouldn't then rupture....we both went through a lot of pain but I finally chose to help him to the bridge on my vets advice.

 

My greyhound Rex that I helped to the bridge in May had a disc that had ruptured into his spine. We spent almost a year and visits with almost ten specialists, chiro and other alternative measures. In the end the neuro(s) told me that they could do a mylogram and cat scan, but his problem was eith a smorles nodule (sp?) or GME. My vet said that it was academic and to not spend the money on the tests as the results would be academic and sadly the same. Am I a worse mother because I did not spend hundreds on tests that would both end in the same prognosis?

 

In a word, if I made $100,000 a year, money would not be an object. But I don't and it is. I am not trying to be mean. but this poll is VERY VERY upsetting to me and I would like to see it removed. It will just dredge up horrible memories for a lot of people.

 

We all love our dogs very much and sometimes doing the best we can for them. Love does not equate to amount of money spent. As much as I love my dogs, if I will not lose my house and the shelter for the other dogs over vet bills. Call me cruel. It;s been a long day.

[Guest mleg2001]

Let me say first of all that I find this poll offensive. 

 

When my ~12 year old yorkie (from the pound) had two ruptured discs in his spine and I made $8.00 an hour the specialist said that he might be able to fix it for $1,200 with no promise that the next discs wouldn't then rupture....we both went through a lot of pain but I finally chose to help him to the bridge on my vets advice. 

 

My greyhound Rex that I helped to the bridge in May had a disc that had ruptured into his spine.  We spent almost a year and visits with almost ten specialists, chiro and other alternative measures.  In the end the neuro(s) told me that they could do a mylogram and cat scan, but his problem was eith a smorles nodule (sp?) or GME.  My vet said that it was academic and to not spend the money on the tests as the results would be academic and sadly the same.  Am I a worse mother because I did not spend hundreds on tests that would both end in the same prognosis?

 

In a word, if I made $100,000 a year, money would not be an object.  But I don't and it is.  I am not trying to be mean. but this poll is VERY VERY upsetting to me and I would like to see it removed.  It will just dredge up horrible memories for a lot of people.

 

We all love our dogs very much and sometimes doing the best we can for them.  Love does not equate to amount of money spent.  As much as I love my dogs, if I will not lose my house and the shelter for the other dogs over vet bills.  Call me cruel.  It;s been a long day.

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Everyone of us on this board likely has limitations on what they can afford or what procedures they would be will to put their dogs thru, maybe one or two person here can financially manage an organ transplant(yes organ transplant are available for pets), does that mean they should do it, just because they may be financially able to management it, does that make them bad persons if they choose not to.

 

 

When I found out Callie had cancer in the upper part of her hind leg, there was discussion that part of her pelvis would probably need to be removed and at the time no idea just how far might be malignant, I did have access to enough cash using my retirement savings to pay for amputation, but I let her go to the bridge, because number 1 reason she had let me know she was ready, number 2 her other leg was becoming very weak so amputation was not necessarily going to help her mobility a lot anyway, third reason if I was luckily amputation would maybe give her only a few months extra not necessarily years, 4th reason was she was never a couch potato, she loved to run and loved being active, the lack of mobility was already causing her a deep depression, so the decision was made in her best interest not based on money.

 

Sunny has abnormal cells in his spleen, there is a possibility of cancer developing, so for now we keep testing him, if cancer develops surgery may be a good option but that decision will be decided upon reviewing the prognosis with an oncologist, factors on deciding could involve spread to other organs, the type of cancer again it is not solely based on if I can afford.

 

I have had people think I was crazy too for spending $2000 over a couple of weeks for vetting and suggested that I should just euthanize, but I think I had made my point pretty clear to them when I asked them if they would have their child euthanized if they needed a dental or broken the arm, and that the expenditure was not for keeping a terminal dog alive but to keep them healthy.

[Guest BleusysMom]

When I was working, and had the money....I spent it on Bleu....He got an infection of the foot called Nocardia...over the next 10 months it cost $8000 to get him well.....I Retired to be with him, and to care for him....BEST Decision I have EVER made!!!! I lost him 3 years later to Bone Cancer....

 

Money was of some consideration in determining the course of treatment with the Bone Cancer....but....Bleu would NOT have made a good canidate for amputation for many reasons....I pursued Holistic Treatment and Pain Control....and still spent a couple of thousand dollars....but.....I was comfortable in my decision for him....and My Beliefs of what was Best for Bleu led me to my course of action....

 

IF Money could solve everything.....It would be nice....but Life does NOT Play Fair....other considerations for ourselves and our Babes MUST Dominate Many Decisions.....Our World is Far from Perfect....

[Guest claysmom]

I think each situation is unique. We all love our babies and do what we think is right, it is unfortunate that we don't all have millions of dollars to spend on veterinary care. Let's not condemn those that don't have it but praise them for loving their pets whethor they be greyhounds or others so much and doing what is best in a bad situation.

[Greylover97]

Been there done that with Jake. Who knew a cut on the pad would require surgery and to pick an e-vet that is into sucking the money right out of your wallet. I didn't even tally up the final bill for that but I'm sure it was well over $3,000.

[Guest boardergurl]

Sorry if you found this to be offensive, I certainly didn't mean it to be. When I was writing it, it never even crossed my mind that someone would find this offensive. I suppose I should be more careful on how I word things.

 

I know that evrey situation is different and I definitely agree that if it is going to prolong the suffering or if you just simply can't afford it then thats a different story.

 

The point of this post was to see what other people thought and would do in this situation. This dog is not critically ill. The vet knew it was not a matter of life and death, that this hospital would be able to fix him it was just a matter of money and this girl although by no means rich could in some fact afford this operation.

 

My point was to see if any others would be willing to fork out that much money for a dog because pretty much everyone here, that I know, besides myself and this girl have said nothing but rude and mean comments for someone spending that much money on a dog.

 

I hope this clearifies what the post was intended for and again, my apologies for being offensive to some.

Edited September 5, 2005 by boardergurl

[Guest sweetgsmom]

I don't think its offensive. But I do think how caring and loving we all are. It should always be to do what is best for the dog. Sometimes no matter how much you spend its not giving that pupper the quality of life he (she) deserves. I personally would spend any amount to get them well. My limit may vary from someone elses, but that does not make me a better mom.

[Guest OnecoRose]

My Chloe lost the battle of OC Dec. 3. She was diagnosed Oct 1, so we didn't have much time with her. I had taken her to an orthopedic vet immediately, he said "I am sorry I don't have good news for you" I can tell you how we felt, I was hoping for a good responce. My adoption group said you will know when it is time and we did, it was the worst experience of our lives helping her to the bridge. She was 12, our lst grey................you know. I adopted another immediately, and was the best thing we ever did. Over the years with Chloe and our other pets we have had plenty of vet bills, we did what we had to do. Financially, it is tough on people, but they are our children.

[Guest blastsmom]

I think each situation is unique.  We all love our babies and do what we think is right,  it is unfortunate that we don't all have millions of dollars to spend on veterinary care.  Let's not condemn those that don't have it but praise them for loving their pets whethor they be greyhounds or others  so much and doing what is best in a bad situation.

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I totally agree with Claysmom. I don't believe the poll was offensive, if you don't want to answer or read it, then maybe pass right by it. I know, for myself, there were many threads that I thought...ugh...... don't even want to touch it. I never even bother to read them. As for the money for the pup's care, I think, too, that each situation is different, as so are the owners and pups. I know one girl I work with would think it was awful to spend money on gas to do a GUR, when I find it an honor to help a hound in need get to their forever couch.

 

When I first found this site, I was thrilled There is so much info on here that has helped me not only with my puppers, but with a bunch of other things. It is really sad that so many people (nobody in particular please!!) get offended by other peoples opinions. I am not writing this to critisize anyone by any means, so PLEASE do not take it that way. It is just a bummer to see so many locked threads. We have people who have no homes, nothing..... and we are all basically "bickering" over petty things. Wish the site was what it was when I first joined. Like I say to my son's buddies.......can't we all just get along. We all have different opinions, but imagine the world if we all thought the same...aye

 

like I said...please don't anyone be offended... there was no intention to offend anyone with what I wrote.......

 

edited cause my fingers are typing too fast for my head

Edited September 5, 2005 by blastsmom

[Guest vagreys]

There is no dollar limit on what I would do for my hounds, but there is a practical limit on how much I could afford to spend on my hounds' medical care. I don't know what that limit is, precisely; it would depend on my financial resources at the time. It is far more likely that the decision to put one of my hounds down would be based on quality of life rather than quantity of money. That said, and with no offense intended toward anyone, I'd have to say that anyone who says money is no object is either extremely wealthy or they are misleading themselves, because the vast majority of people have fiscal limitations they cannot ignore. I would not be too quick to judge those who know that their resources are not limitless.

[Guest sheila]

I can see why this poll would be upsetting to some ppl. It makes one feel that if they don't say they would remortgage their home or spend any amt in the world.....they are not good ppl.

Some ppl here don't HAVE a home to remortgage and for some of them 'no limit' is not reasonable. Vet bills in the area of $1000's could have them living in the streets...with their other pets and human family members.

Some vets and vet hospitals won't accept patients for these costly procedures w/o money up front. If the money isn't there.....there is no magic answer and they may have to make a painful decision. It's not like human health care that has welfare agencies who can step in to take care of the bills.

[RaineysMom]

I also do not find this post offensive -- and the fact that most voted for the 'no limit' makes my heart glad.

 

But 'no limit' has it's limits within every owner and every situation. Each has to be dealt with separately, and there's no right or wrong solution if love is the guiding factor.

 

We spent over $800 one weekend with Remy, our pointer. Over the years, thousands with all 3. With the loss of my 3 dogs this year I easily spent over $1500 just bringing them to the bridge and cremating them.

 

When Captain was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the neurologist told us it was 99% inoperable BUT there were 2 vets in the country that would do the operation and it would cost over $20,000. Did we do it? No. We weighed the prognosis (5% chance of survival), the cost, his age...lots of things -- and decided to keep him comfortable as long as we could. Even if I was Donald Trump I wouldn't have put him though the surgery.

 

After losing Rem and Chester, my sister and I had to make the same decision about my mom in June -- keep trying in vain to keep her going or just make her comfortable. It is a gut and heart wrenching experience.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is what's been voiced before -- that each person has to make the absolutely most difficult decision on their own, and for each situation. We do what we can for the ones we love, human, canine, feline or otherwise, and do the best we can. That's what makes us kind, caring humans and why our dogs love us for the people we are.

[Guest Greensleeves]

I think what the original poster was asking is why so many people are surprised at the lengths some dog owners are willing to go to for their pets. And that can apply to other pet owners, as well (we all know people who consider pets disposable, none of whom would ever think to find a board like Greytalk).

 

On another (non-pet-related) website, someone asked if we would risk our lives to save our pets, based on a news story about a woman who died in a fire trying to rescue her cat. The first ten or fifteen people posted, in *very* "Holier-than-thou" posts, that they would never do something like that, because a pet's life was not worth their own. The consensus was that this woman had done something stupid. (I was the only person to speak up and say, "absolutely, in a heartbeat. My dogs are my family, and their worth as living beings is not diminished because they don't happen to be human.")

 

It was pretty clear to me that Boardergurl's post was not meant to criticize people who haven't the means to spend fortunes on animal medical care. She was merely addressing--and fairly--a culture that sees making sacrifices for fellow humans as "heroic" and "noble," but doing the same for "just dogs" is "stupid," and considers anyone who would do so to be crazy.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Greensleeves

[Greytlady94]

I know the post was not meant to offend anyone, I took it more as frustration that people at the poster's place of employment were being critical of another employee over what she did for her dog.

 

I was one who did answer the "no limit" option. It's been my experience that the choices I have had to make with my dog's critical care ended up not being monetary choices but instead "what is right for the dog" choices. There have been several times that I would have certainly continued with costly care, but it was not going to change the outcome and the dog would suffer as a result. Those are the times when the kindest thing was to let them go in peace.

 

It's really unfortunate that anyone is offended by this thread. We all do the best we can, and we make decisions based on the information we have, and what is the right thing to do at that time for that dog.

[HooversMom]

No one dies of inconvenience on my watch... nor would they die from lack of finances. If expensive treatment would give any of my babies more quality time, then cable TV, dinners out, vacations, and other little luxuries would just have to wait. As a religious person, I tend to believe that God will provide, and so far it's been true for us. I put a second mortgage on my house to pay for treatment when my horse got sick (even better that my ex whined and screamed, insisting he HAD to get the house in the divorce, and he got stuck with a big chunk of that cost ) and I wouldn't hesitate to borrow money again.

 

I don't mean to appear "holier than thou"... I know many others aren't as fortunate as we are to have relatively secure financial situations and therefore more options. You can only do the best you can do at any given time, and I'd NEVER judge someone for doing their best. It does bug me, however, when I get a student in my class who insists his family can't afford to buy him pencils and a notebook, only to have him turn around and talk about their big-screen TV, multiple cell phones and video game systems. I may be just another nutty animal lover, but I think lives ought to come before "stuff" no matter what.

 

We're looking at this right now with Miss Sissy and her cancer. As long as the treatments are keeping her comfortable and she wants to continue fighting her disease, we'll find a way. It's a quality of life issue, really. I would never keep her here just because it is hard for me to let her go. It's her call, and will be so for any of my critters.

 

I wish humans had the option of euthanasia when all hope is gone and nothing remains but pain....but then that's a whole new can of ugly little worms, isn't it? I won't go there.

Edited September 8, 2005 by HooversMom

[Guest MySkye]

Having been on both sides of the "almighty dollar" (not having enough to take care of me and finally having enough to take care of me) I can see how this would touch the heart strings of each of us.

 

We have a brood of seven between cats and dogs and the vet bills annually are probably near 10K, including all the accidents and such that happen along the way.

 

I just had to put my Skye down last month to OS. I had the option to amputate and have chemo, but it was so far along that might have gotten me a month and she was in so much pain. The money was not a consideration in this case as was her quality of life. Throwing money at this situation would not have helped her.

 

I would and do make every decision to spend $1 or $1000 on these animals with thought and concern for them. I hope I make the best decision for them taking the reality of my life into consideration as well.

 

I would do anything financially that I was able to at the time to give them the healthiest and happiest life possible. Would I go without for them? Absolutely. Do we tighten our budgets after an expensive vet bill? Absolutely. This is the decision that works best for us.

 

Not everyone can or will be able to answer this in the same way. Don't feel badly if the right decision for one family is not the right one for yours. Be the best dog momma that you can be because in the long run, that is all that each of us is hoping to be.

 

Have a good evening.

[HooversMom]

Oh, lord. Thats a tough one. I can only relate to it one way. My toller, Julio, has thyroid cancer. We've had the tumor removed on the right side, but it is only a matter of time before the left side grows back. That was close to $2k. We have the option of taking him to UT and having a radioactive chip put in his neck. He'd have to be in a room with 6 foot thick concrete walls with virtually no human contact. I think that alone would kill him. It would be very expensive to do. He'd hate it, and it would most likely not get rid of all the cancer. Its too expensive to take that risk, knowing that he'd come out of it feeling terrible and probably still have the cancer. We just want him to be as happy as he can be right now, so we're not doing the treatment.

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Oh, dear...I'm so sorry to hear that Julio has cancer

 

We made the same decision for Sissy. It was recommended that she have radiation after her mast cell tumor was removed. This would mean traveling hundreds of miles away to a clinic that had the equipment, leaving her there for weeks, and giving her general anesthesia several times a week. Sissy doesn't do well in strange places, hates being away from her people, despises long car rides, and has a hard time recovering from anesthesia. It might have given her more time and there was even a tiny chance it would kill all the cancer, but it wouldn't be worth it for her. We easily could have lost her from the stress, so we chose chemo instead. It isn't working as well as we'd like, and of course I've kicked myself a thousand times for not doing "the best thing," but it just didn't seem like "the best thing" for Sissy. If it were a different dog, we'd probably make a different choice. I pray every day to make the right decisions for each individual case...it's all we can do, y'know?

 

Sigh. Sometimes the best I can do isn't enough, and it breaks my heart. But life will go on one way or another, and if the best we can do is provide love and comfort, then we'll all be OK.

 

Prayers and good thoughts for Julio...

 

Hooversmom