senior cat vomiting

[Catlady711]

Buddy stopped throwing up & is holding his food down. Now he has a cold. Today is day 3. I was told that if he still has it by day 7 then to get him to a vet or the humaine society. I guess he had a stomach virus for 4 days but his appetite is back. You dont have to take your pet to the vet everytime he/she gets ill. The vets want you to so they can make money. Had i taken buddy to the vet for the throwing up it would of cost $33.50 + meds. I did ask the vet tech about giving me a break due to being broke but she said no. A vet charges anywhere from $50.00-$100.00 to put a cat or dog down. Yrs back i paid $30.00 to put my 12+ yr old cat put to sleep. Since then i have had 3 of my cats put to sleep at no charge at the humaine society of san bernardino, ca. They are terrific people. Its been almost 2 yrs since i was last their (bootsy/age-15).

Glad to hear Buddy's vomiting has stopped. If he's eating good now just keep an eye on him. If you see yellow or green discharge from his nose, drooling, not eating, raspy breathing sounds, unusual litterbox activity, or anything out of the ordinary, then don't wait to have Buddy looked at.

Vets (or at least good vets) don't tell you to bring the pet in just to make money. They do that because legally they cannot treat a pet they haven't seen, and there are many causes, and treatments, for things non-specific like vomiting. It would be unethical for them to dispense general medication for an unseen pet for something they have not properly diagnosed. If they gave the wrong medication for that particular illness they could cause harm to your cat, could be sued, and have their licenses suspended or revoked. They are simply doing what they need to do by law and those laws were set up to protect your pets.

I know that doesn't make you feel better when it's your pet that's suffering and finances aren't plentiful. But I did want you to understand that most vets aren't doing it to be mean or empty your pockets, they truely are doing it for the best interest of the pet.

Vet prices will vary all over the board based on the area you live in, the number of doctors and staff at the practice, the size of their building and the amount of equipment they have. In general a vet hospital is going to cost you more for the same thing than a vet clinic because of overhead costs. If there is a clinic in your area they'd most likely be less expensive. You might want to call around to different ones and get their pricing to compare.

Many vets don't take payment plans except with good, long standing clients. Too often many of them have been burned when unknown clients were given a break and offered payments but then didn't pay or wrote checks that bounced and incurred additional fees. The hospital still has to pay the bills from that themselves and wouldn't be able to stay in business if that happened very often. So many have opted to limit or accept no payment plans to keep the doors open for others. I know that has to be frustrating to some pet owners to understand when their pet needs help. From a hospital's point of view it's kinda like loaning money to a total stranger while you still have to pay your own bills.

Humane Societies can do things cheaper because they often have vets that volunteer their time, or work for cut rate to help out, and the H.S. get donations that help cover expenses that a vet hospital or clinic does not get. The biggest difference would be in the amount of equipment they have available to help your pet. Some H.S. are large and well funded some only have the basics.

[steel]

Buddy is looking better. Hes not weezing anymore & doesnt have watery eyes. He still sneezes time to time. My bro has multiple cats & his friend is a vet in colo. He told me to give buddy a lil bit of amoxicillin in his food. I opened the capsule & sprinkled a tiny amount in his small amount of tuna. Each capsule is 500 mg but i would never use the entire capsule. I lucked out cause i had a toothache & infection so my doctor gave me some amoxicillin last aug 2010. The prescription only drug works. I have 4 other cats so if they get buddys cold ill know what to do. I have 6 capsules left & they exp 8/4/11. My cats are strickly indoors & i dont plan to get anymore. Their ages are 4-14 (?) yrs. Thanks for all the advice. Cal davis did reply back to me & they are the only ones in the state of ca that offer free vet care to the homeless & poor.