Just Bleeding Money Over Here.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

All three hounds have been to the doctor in the last four weeks and all have cost $400+.

 

Charlie for his checkup and arthritis and growth. Got bloodwork and the whole nine.

 

Sherry, got nipped on the neck and it tore and tore and ended up with 10 stitches.

 

And now Magic, who got clipped on the shoulder by Sherry's nail while playing....which required being cut more and then stitched up along with a fabulous no bite collar or something like that. He is in a pitiful state.

 

Boy they weren't lying when they said paper thin skin! We love these pups and they are well worth it but between the vet bills and the damn medical wrap we go through, we're gonna be a ramen eating family!

[Guest Downtownhoundz]

Oh gosh, I'm sorry! My beloved Kylie went to the bridge three years ago and I am STILL paying on my charge card for her illness. I would still do it again in a heart beat though! Hang in there!

[LBass]

I'm so sorry your crew has had such a time recently and hope this is the last of vet visits for a while.

 

I so feel your pain. 2011 was rough...Piper's final illness and the meds, specialists, and MRI...repeated efforts to help MoMo with her corn...MoMo's broken leg and the orthopedic surgeon required for that. I had so hoped that 2012 would be better. Unfortunately, my cat has been diagnosed with a difficult-to-manage form of IBD. Expensive meds, frequent vet visits, costly prescription food.

 

Perhaps 2013 will indeed be easier on us all.

[winnie]

I feel your pain. We've spent well over $2,500 in vet bills between my horse and 2 of our 3 greyhounds in the past month alone.

[NevadasMom]

Unfortunately, that's why I only have a single hound. I know that I could not afford the Vet bills for more.

[JohnF]

Certainly my currrent hound is proving to be the 'highest-maintenance' I've had for a long long time. I keep her insured for serious things like broken limbs and long-term illnesses. The usual scrapes and bug treatments come in just under the Insurer's excess payment level of course.

 

And just like I don't feed bones, neither do i let her off leash in woods and unknown fields (as others often do here in the UK). She damaged her knee back in January chasing a damn squirrel in the park ($600), so she's not being let lose in that part of the park either. On the beach I always go well away from any rocks before I let her run. It's a constant nannying job once you know their fragility. Muzzle on all dogs if running free with any greys i don't know too.

 

I see it sometimes too that there are a few difficult weeks when people add hounds to their family but then things settle down.

 

Grey mixes, Lurchers, are much more robust especially if, like my last one, they have a double coat. My Borzois never got into scrapes either.

[Charlies_Dad]

Feel your pain. We went through the same in 2010, 2011 and half of 2012. It can be expensive to have multiple pups and when it all happens at once it's tough. Hope everyone heals and the bills subside.

[3DogNite]

Add me to the prayer list of lower vet bills for 2013.

With Lazer, the last 18 months have been life changing in so many ways!

We wouldn't do anything differently, had we to do it over..

 

Sounds like many of us could use a break ---

[kudzu]

Ugh, Frankie. Poor pups & your poor wallet, all have my sympathies. With 5 dogs here there seems to be a new vet bill every month. Occasionally I wonder if I should just have my paycheck direct deposited to the vet's account!

 

Hope things settle down & all recover well. How is Charlie doing? Does he seem to be improving?

[RaineysMom]

I feel for ya! Between Rainey and Nube we spent close to $15,000 on the 2 of them since 2005. worth every penny though.

[rascalsmom]

I, too, feel your pain. We have spent right around $3000 in the past month, on Jack.

But what can you do? When something is wrong, you have to figure it out. It's frustrating, surely, but just part of our commitment to our pets.

[PatricksMom]

Been there--I stopped looking at the bills when they went over $5,000 this spring, I really don't want to know. Are you buying your vet wrap at a pet store? It's a small savings, but I've found it cheaper there than at the vet's or a human pharmacy.

[kudzu]

Are you buying your vet wrap at a pet store? It's a small savings, but I've found it cheaper there than at the vet's or a human pharmacy.

Also look to livestock supply places for cheap vetwrap. It's usually sold in 4 inch rolls. I buy that & when 2" will do I just cut it down the middle. Online is cheapest if buying in bulk but I've found my local livestock place to be very competitive. Tractor Supply is a good source as well but head to the horse section, not the pet area.

[silverfish]

I know what you mean. We hardly seem to have had a month this year without a vet visit for something. We've had two lots of teeth, complications, antibiotic reactions, broken toe (amputated later), cuts, and now a skin problem which is proving fun to diagnose and treat. Oh and a thorough, on-going gut/bowel investigation that set us back around £1000 GB to find out ... nothing. Nothing is sometimes a good thing, of course, but in the end it seems to be down to anxiety!! I could have cured it myself with a DAP, which I later pretty much did. he still throws up occasionally when he gets too stressed but not like he used to.

 

And now Jeffie has mysteriously scraped holes in the back of both his rear legs. Heaven knows how, because he's not had an accident in my presence and I can't think of anything in the garden which would have done it.

 

I hope things settle down for you soon.

[Guest RICHandJUDE]

We went through a ton of money also in the last 3 years. Lost a greyhound (Mike)to Osteo in 2009 and Santa had his amputation and chemo in 2010. Santa just celebrated his 25 month check-up since amputation. He is still cancer free. I found a good price on vet tape. The drug store wants 3 or 4 dollars for a roll. I buy mine at Tractor-Supply-Plus. I get vet tape used for horses then cut it in half. I end up with about 2 times the amount of tape for a little over $2.

[Riverhound]

$900 on Brees in less than two months. The last injury was mainly reimbursed through pet insurance, but not sure this week's will be. I'm thinking about getting her some chainmail!

[krissn333]

Right there with you! Hope your pups all heal up soon!

 

In the last year I have spent probably close to $10,000 between Pinky's amp and chemo, Carrie's back problem, Ace's mystery muscle problem (which thankfully resolved!), two surgeries for skin tumors on her thigh, and Skimmie having part of his tail amputated. Now Pinky is basically on hospice, but her latest issues have cost roughly $2,000 between an ER visit and a couple of regular visits with X-rays and testing. I'd pay any amount of money to ensure that she'll be with me a lot longer, but that's sadly not the case

[Guest patterpaws]

Feeling your pain here too. Tristan's cost us about $9000 during his osteo shenanigans. Way more than I ever expected to pay for a pet! D: I love the knucklehead... but sheesh!

[KF_in_Georgia]

Jacey was $4,500 in four days. And I lost her anyway. That was 14 months ago, and I'm just now crawling out of that debt.

 

Silver has been over $1,000 to investigate and treat a 5-inch patch of itchy skin on one leg over the past year. The latest $720 is on the Care Credit card--payment due by April.

 

Sam is about $50/month in drugs, not counting heartworm, flea/tick preventative, Pepcid, and Soloxine. And there's another $4/week in sliced turkey so that His Fussiness will take his pills.

 

Silver's leg is getting better, but we have another visit to the dermatologist just before Thanksgiving ($58 for an office visit), and there's going to be more lab work.

 

And Sam's breathing is much worse in just the past week.

[Feisty49]

Unfortunately, that's why I only have a single hound. I know that I could not afford the Vet bills for more.

 

Me too. I yearn to have another Greyhound but realistically it would be more than I can, or want to, afford. I'm thankful that Annie B likes being an only dog.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Charlie is doing great!!! He has dropped several pounds (need to weigh him) and the cosequin seems to be helping. He still has his ornery periods so we are still considering a full thyroid panel.

 

I am SO SO SO thankful that none of our vet trips have been life threatening or disease based. No amount of money would keep me from taking the best care of these pups as possible. But sometimes we discuss looking in to insurance since we have three. Not sure if it would benefit us or not.

 

 

[RedHead]

I have always been amazingly lucky with all of my dogs (knock on wood) but I still feel your pain because I know when things happen in bunches it can be very expensive. If it makes you feel any better, just getting the one set of stitches here would probably be about $400 I think I paid over $400 a few years ago to get 3 or 4 stitches in a little puncture in Karma's leg. I would probably have to pay closer to a thousand here for all the stuff you got done. I am getting insurance for Teague, I will have peace of mind knowing if I need thousands, I can actually do it.

[TheFullHouse]

Tell me about it. Mike and I realized with excitement last night that it's been a whole month since we were at the vet last!