the cost of vet bills

[Charlie08]

I have 4 cats, and I'm pretty good about bringing them to the vet anytime anything comes up, big or little but lately it has gotten to be a real struggle to afford. I don't make much money, and I had to have one cats teeth cleaned and am making payments on that, and wham! another cat has a spot under her chin that may be cancer! this was even more upsetting than normal since I had a cat die of cancer last year. I thought oh no not again. I can't lose her too.

I brought her to the vet, she took a sample I forget the word she used but it was not biopsy. she said depending on the results of this the biopsy would be next. thank God it showed no cancer cells! but in the meantime it still cost me over 200.00 so I am not able to make the payment this month, I got a bill from them and I am going to call them about it. I only have so much money and I love my cats but silly me I also like to have electricity and food in the house!

I am thinking about calling a vet school. does anyone know if they see pets ? wouldn't it be cheaper?? I don't know if such a thing can be done but something has got to give with the cost of vet bills. my cats are all middle age now, age 9, and 11. I can see there being more vet visits in the future, as they get older. I am really concerned about this, how do you care for your pet and not go into debt over it?

the vet clinics have just gotten ridiculous with the costs of this and that and something else. one cat is bad enough but if you have more than one that needs care at a one time... this one needs her teeth cleaned, and then so does the other one, oh whats that spot on that one? never mind trying to keep up with conditions that one may already have! does someone have to win the lottery to afford pet care?

any ideas? what do others here do when you have multiple pets?

[happylabs]

The cost has gone way up for vet care. I pretty much do the same thing you do, make payments. I wish there was a better answer. We have to take care of our kitties.

[chocolatepuppy]

I've taken one of my RB dogs to a vet school and it was cheaper, at least in my case. A 'real' vet oversees everything. My vet will take payments and I usually need to use a credit card if things get to be too expensive. I have five furkids, so I understand your concern.
Don't know your situation, but if the bills get out of hand, try selling things you no longer need on ebay or have a yard sale. Just a few suggestions. I've always said I'd sell my furniture if I have to to keep my furkids!

[sasvermont]

I have been fairly lucky with my vet bills, going usually once a year for a shot or two and a general check up. I stagger the pets so I don't have to pay a ton of money out in one month or two. I have found that the annual visit keeps a good check on teeth etc. I have switched their dry cat food to an expensive grain-free blend and their teeth have improved to the point that the vet thinks I brush their teeth. I don't. I do not give them wet food but do give them chicken and tuna from time to time. They love their dry food and plow through it quickly.

Have you considered learning to brush their teeth? I tried it and it was like wrestling alligators. I needed to put on hockey equipment gear to ready myself for the event. It wasn't worth it for me to try. It is hard enough to pill them when I have to....so no teeth cleaning for me. Just good dry food.

You may want to shop around for teeth cleaning prices. They also request that you have tests done before they do the cleaning....to see if the cat might have a condition that would complicate the cleaning. I always turn them down - to save money. I figure it costs around $500 a year, per pet, for food and vet. That is why I have 3 cats and 1 dog now. I cannot afford another pet. For awhile I had 2 bunnies and 4 cats and I was going broke. The bunnies were inexpensive to feed but had lots of health issues as they were rescue bunnies and came to me in bad shape. It went down hill from there.

My one visit for the dog, for a checkup is around $300. I have had a couple of emergency visits for mouth warts (that went away on their own ) that cost me $45 just to hear that they could do nothing! Oh well. Peace of mind.

I would set up a savings fund for them, or set aside a certain credit card, if you don't have a huge income to work with.

I have to admit that if it came to paying out thousands of dollars for cancer treatment or surgery, I would probably not opt for it. I have spent tons of money on former pets and in the long run, I was not happy with the quality of their lives while trying to save them. I wouldn't do it again. Treatment for regular ailments, surely, but nothing aggressive or unusual.

Maybe they have a sliding scale fee arrangement? Have you asked?

Good luck with this problem. You are not alone, that is for sure.

[Freedom]

I hear ya! With the crew of 15, oh wow do I hear ya!

I would have a long haul to the nearest vet school, so that isn't an option for me. I know of 2 low cost local places, one only does spay / neuters and related shots, not ongoing care. The other is a not for profit clinic. Bit of a drive and not something I could use for emergencies (too far), but I use them when I can.

I also take advantage of the deals my vet offers:
- take in at least 3 pets at a time and they discount the office exam fee, so basically it works out to 3 for 2. I take in 4 or 5 at least, lol.

- February and March each year, they offer a discount on dentals, so if any of mine need a dental due to tartar build up (not for an abcess, that is painful!) I wait and schedule it then.

- my vet practice has 3 vets: the owner and 2 others. One of the "others" gives me regular "deals" on the fees, she knows I did rescue, she knows I have stopped adding, she knows I take good care of them, so she helps me along. The "other" other one always costs me top dollar, so I avoid her whenever possible. The owner, well, he has 3 clinics and rotates, so I haven't seen him in a few years.

- I keep mine indoors, and I've read up on how much pets are now over vaccinated. So I only keep up with their rabies shots, not the distemper, etc. So they only "need" to go in every 3 years. HUGE help!

I suspect what was done was aspirate the spot, which is often done prior to a biopsy, and is cheaper. So the vet did what s/he could to give you a break on costs.

Its the unplanned things - like that spot you mentioned - which kill me fee wise. Not only do I need to get the pet in, but sometimes, it is the day the one I don't care for is the only one working. Tasha had impacted anal glands 2 weeks back, on a Thursday. Guess who is the only vet in on Thursdays? Cost me a small fortune! Crystal is my "fat cat," hence she can't groom herself. I do what I can, but her hair got matted on her back and we won't even discuss her butt. So I made an appt for the vet I prefer. Well, Crystal hadn't been in for over a year, so the person taking the appt. insisted I have the office visit for the annual, etc. Thank goodness it was the vet I prefer; she did check Crystal over, but she only charged me for the groom! Phew!

Building a relationship w/ a vet is so important! Finding safe ways to cut costs is also key. Now if I could just get the pets to "time" their emergencies, lol!

[pomtzu]

I don't know where you live - big city? - suburbia?? - rural??, but perhaps if you are going to a larger vet clinic that has all the bells and whistles, you might want to consider a smaller vet practice. The vet I take my fur kids to, is a single vet, small office with one vet only and a couple of techs. She doesn't have tons of fancy stuff - just the basics - 2 exam rooms - surgery and lab. If she feels the necessity for an animal to have more than she is equipped for, then she will recommend another vet specializing in whatever the issue is. Her prices are very reasonable as compared to other vets in the area that have a fancy modern building and a huge staff. I've been going to her for about 20 years and have been very satisfied with the care she gives my kids (past and present), and wouldn't switch for anything. She is loved by everyone in this area and has a huge number of patients.
And the vet a couple of miles across town??? - she has the big fancy building and all that goes with it - including big fancy prices. She is also arrogant, insulting, and not a very nice person in general, and as far as I'm concerned, the worst vet I've ever had an experience with. Lots of others think the same and I don't know how she keeps the practice running. Bigger isn't always better.

[Charlie08]

thanks for the ideas. yes a yard sale is a good idea.I will take them to the vet one way or another, that's for sure. good to know I can try a vet school.
yes I have considered, and tried , to brush their teeth but I kind of wanted to keep my hands, and didn't want to end up looking like the face of freddy krugar or something like that!

sasvermont--what brand of food is that you use?

freedom--yes I have a fat cat too so I know just whatyou mean about the grooming! and yes-aspirate-thats the word!thank you.

Im in phoenix so it's pretty big. the vet I go to has 3 or 4 vets, but I like them. I may have to look around tho, yes I think I have to and will check out their website for deals.

all good ideas. thanks tons to all.

[Grace]

The University of Arizona, in Tucson, has a school of Veterinary Medicine.

We use Michigan State - costs about half what a regular Vet does - at least for emergencies. The reason being, we pay taxes that support the school.

We had a cat with a badly fractured leg. He had hardware inserted up at MSU - spent about 48 hours there, and the bill was exactly half what it would have cost at the fancy conglomerate near Detroit. The fracture was too bad to be fixed by a 'regular' Vet.

Vet schools do routine care also, so check it out.

[Sowa]

The vet college here costs more then the clinics.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I know all to well about the high prices of vets. I currently have 6 cats and I usually bring them in 2 at a time for their annual exams. This way I usually get a price break on the exam. I love my vet and she's given me many discounts in the past and she always comments on how well I care for my cats. She does work in a brand new vet hospital with all of the bells and whistles so it is pricey but it's also an emergency hosptial so it's open all of the time. I've been to other smaller clinics and they charged almost as much but I just didn't get good customer service from them so I changed to this hospital.

I do brush my cats teeth once a week. They don't like it but it's for their own good. I also feed 4 of them grain free diets and this helps to control their weight and has improved their overall health. I feed them Wellness Core dry and Wellness grain free canned food. My oldest cat Storm had urinary crystals and became blocked 2 times and had to have the PU surgery. He also used to get UTI's sometimes. Now since he's been on a grain free diet he hasn't had any more urinary problems. He does need plenty of canned food though.

If a vet bill is too expensive I have no choice but to use a credit card and pay it off later. Lately I've been able to use my debit card for most vet visits though. I also will not put an animal through a lot of expensive treatments that I know that I can't afford. I also lost a my RB Sunny to cancer.Good luck.

[Charlie08]

going to look around and check out websites etc. and vet websites for deals.I have gone from using a 24 hr vet to a regular clinic, and back and forth for a few years. when I first got the cats, the first cat, and then more..I went to the same clinic for years till I got mad at that vet for not doing something and treating me like she couldn't be bothered. then i switched around every once in a while, now I have found one I like but like I posted before, going to have to re-think that.

my Charlie was only 8 years old when he was diagnosed with cancer. I feel guilty because I was not home alot around that time. but did see them daily. one day I came home, and petted him, oh my god whats wrong? he was just skin and bones! how did I not see it earlier? it's like it just popped up so sudden! lymphoma. too advanced. nothing they could do, and I had a friend who had cancer at the time (has passed away) and she told me it would be wrong to put him thru the chemo treatments. I didn't have alot of money for it but I was going to try anyway, maybe. I wasn't sure. I did not want him to suffer. turned out they said it was too advanced to do any good. how did I not see it sooner?? anyway now I have the 4 and will look up vet schools to take them for check ups .

[BitsyNaceyDog]

We have a "pet budget" we add to each week. For the most part it covers our pet expenses. Emergencies often come out of our savings account or put on a credit card.

One evening, back in March, my dog Nova ripped her stomach open. A loose nail on our back porch had popped up and we hadn't noticed it. Nova's belly got caught on the nail and really did some damage. She spent the night in the emergency clinic and was transferred to our regular vet the next morning. It was a full 2 months, and more than $4000 before she was better. That really drained us. She's doing great now though!