Medical Cost Survey

[Guest greytloves]

Luckily we never have anything more then the occassional boo-boo, shots, maybe biannual teeth cleaning and an awesome vet.

 

But still $500 x 5 gets pricey!

 

I did not factor in heartworm meds.

[Guest Plygreygirl]

The first year nothing!!! Just the stanard stuff. Then $1,500.00 the second year - she detached the tendon and severed an artery! This year she sliced her toe open $600.00. And now it looks like I will be adding a second one and this one has bad teeth!!! Oh well like everyone says they are soo worth it!!!

[Guest ThunderPaws]

Knock on wood, I've been very lucky since adopting my first grey 13 years ago. Only yearly shots, dentals, some extractions, a tumor removal, UTI etc here and there. Even by the time two of my greys passed, they didn't show symptoms of cancer (osteo and hemangio) until it was already too late for treatment.

Three of my six dogs are blood donors at the NC vet school and get their exams, yearly bloodwork, tick titers, vaccines, HW meds and flea stuff for free!

I buy meds and flea stuff online, my vet also matches online prices.

Unfortunately, this could change in a heartbeat...

[Guest Swifthounds]

yearly shots

Edited September 8, 2010 by Swifthounds

[Guest ThunderPaws]

Yes, four of my dogs are still young and get yearly shots. The older ones do not.

[Guest greytglory]

I had two Greyhounds until last week. I lost my girl. I adopted her as a senior and I would do that again. I love them seniors! specially the broodies.

 

I wouls say the vet bills for each year I had her was under 500.00 dollars a year,well one year it was 4,000, she was pretty ill and they never could find out what was wrong. she had lots of tests and harbored a high fever for three days and it broks after the fourth day.

 

My male I have had just over two years and his cost has been approx 600.00 each year. We are going in for a dental the end of this month andhe has periodontal disease so who knows what this bill will be.

 

Judy,

Roseville, CA.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I'm not voting because my numbers for one dog are not typical of my other dog.

 

Until last month, I'd have said $500-$1000 (plus insurance).

 

Last month: $4,500 or so. And the vet insurance has reimbursed me a whopping $1,100. (I've canceled the insurance policies.)

[Guest IrskasMom]

So far this Year , I spend about $1500 just on the Optomologist and some give or take $ 500 on the regular Vet.

[carronstar]

Over the course of 20 years with only one grey at a time I have had $500 years and $15,000 years. Cost averaging with supplements, insurance, vet visits, ER visits, dentals brings it to about $1,500 per year. Worth every single penny.

[kickchick2000]

I voted $500- $1000 only because Milky Way had a weird illness bout this past spring requiring X-rays etc... In past years I would say he's averaged around $300-400 including heartworm meds.

 

I refuse to add up how much Sweet Pea our english bulldog costs, I'm having such a good day and I don't want to ruin it with her numbers.

[Guest cypselus]

Our Harrison has cost us a lot, especially in the last two years. I'd estimate around 1500-2000 or so per year the first five years, depending on how often he got into things he really shouldn't, like raisin bran, but the last two years it's been at least 3000 a year. I refuse to add it all up, though. Denial and a refusal to face facts are currently my only basis for hope with him.

[3greytjoys]

I like to say they're a steal compared to professional therapy and electric blankets.

 

Yes! Also, walking our hounds cuts our own human medical expenses, reduces weight, helps keep our bones stronger, and lengthens our lives for ourselves and our families!

[Guest june]

My vet bills have been pretty good through the years, but I now have one who just turned 9, one who will turn 9 soon and one who is 7.

 

I've been lucky that for the most part mine have been healthy but my 7 year old is accident-prone which has resulted in several trips to the vet: tore open the back of her front leg getting out of the van (stitches), ran into the corner of the shed door resulting in 3 (luckily)small corner tears on her hip needing stitches and most recently a broken toe. All this over the past two years. Yes, she is an ex-racer. Because of this: $500.

[Guest dobiegrey]

Well my Grey is very healthy aside for some tummy issues and her food is pricey, but my Dobie, he is a whole nother story! He has hypothyroid, chronic panreatitis AND diabetes!!! So his bills run about $1000+ yearly not even counting expensive food and meds but I love him so "I work for kibble" is my slogan!!!

[Sharpshot]

Hmmm, barring a medical emergency, I think my vet bills are pretty low.

 

I do my own teeth scaling at home, or, when a dog is completely uncooperative, my vet lets me go into the office and do the scaling there (I'm a dental hygienist) while she puts my dog under. My vet charges no more than 25-50 bucks for the anesthesia, and she does any needed extractions for about $5/tooth.

 

There's a great dentist I know who lets me bring my dogs in for any necessary digital x-rays (no charge), so I can email the x-rays to my vet for evaluation at no charge.

 

I use liquid ivermectin for heartworm, so the cost is about 50 cents/dose. I buy Frontline spray through my vet by the case, and it works out to about $4/dog/treatment. I haven't seen a flea here in 12 years, and ticks are scarce because my peafowl eat them, so I only dose each dog 2- 3 times a summer.

 

3-year rabies vaccine - $15. I do my own distemper vaccines, but keep them to a minimum. They cost about $4 each.

 

I staple or stitch my own wounds if necessary. Usually I just let the wounds heal on their own.

 

When I have had an emergency after hours, I've driven my dogs to my vet's house and she's treated them in her driveway. She's a large animal vet, too, so has her mobile vet truck at her home. Her house is about 3 miles away, her clinic is 5. No emergency charge either way.

 

Once I had a dog pierce its lip with its own canine tooth. I couldn't release the lip from the tooth. It was a Sunday evening. Called my vet at home. She met me at the clinic, put the dog under, un-pierced the lip, stitched it up, gave an injection of antibiotics, and sent me home with oral antibiotics, just in case my stash at home was inadequate. Total charge: $90.

 

I love living in a small town, and I love my vet!!! Taking home-baked goodies into the office on a regular basis does an awful lot to keep my costs down, and, the folks at my vet's office understand if they find a dog hair in their cupcake or cookie

 

For situations beyond my vet's capabilities, I've had some bigger bills: $1500 for a dog with aspiration pneumonia, $1500 for emergency bloat surgery at a vet school, etc. But at least I save so much on general vetting that the bigger bills are not such a shock.

 

Life is good!!!

[Feisty49]

I estimated my vet bills at $500 to $1,000 based on my owning Annie for just two months. Vet bills in the Albany, NY, area are on the high side of average, IMO, and in the 2 months I've had Annie, I've spent slightly over $400, which amount includes the initial introductory visit, nail cutting (to show me how to do it), the cost of two rounds of Metronidazole, two fecal testings, worm meds, probiotics and special food for the diarrhea. I doubt this is something I look at every year, but it is the way it is.

 

As someone said, anybody reading this board would think our wonderful Greyhounds are always sick or hurt and in need of medical attention. We all know this isn't true, but as with people, sometimes things just happen.

 

I wonder how many people of any type of dog forgo vet visits because they don't have the financial means?