Vet bills - Why? $$$$$$$$

[kathryn]

I think a lot of vet offices have been bought up by larger companies, and the atmosphere often changes. When my local vet, which used to be privately owned, was bought up by a chain, the first thing the receptionist started asking was "how are you going to pay?" After a while, things got more back to normal and it seemed friendlier again.

It's a hard situation. Vets do deserve the money, but it's tough to get socked with a $600 vet bill (like I was last year for my oldest cat) all at once. Luckily, now that things have loosened up again at my vets, they let me pay that whopper in installements (which I don't think would have been possible when it was first bought out).

I think that most people would do almost anything to help their beloved companions, but it's easy to see how one can get into the situation of having to choose between paying a huge vet bill or euthanisia. It's sad that sometimes their lives come down to a matter of dollars and cents. I'm not just talking the expected exams and shots and yearly teeth cleaning and regular costs: no matter how much we would want to do to help them, what if you are faced with the possibility of thousands of dollars of debt from veterinarian care? Especially when there is a chance that whatever intervention they try might not work?

 

[LauraMax]

My dog is 90 lbs & over 15 years, & the one thing I dread is having to make that kind of decision. All I can say is I'll pay whatever I have to if I can keep her around & she's comfortable. I mean, that dog has been with me through every single major event in my life--college, grad school, marriage, divorce, moving to like 4 different states--I simply cannot put a price on her life.

On the other hand, if she's suffering, I guess it would be selfish of me to not euthanize. I'm not religious, but I do say a little prayer every day that it'll be a peaceful, in her sleep kind of thing so I don't have to make that decision.

Crap, now I'm upsetting myself. Stop it Laura! :-(

 

[JeanneMarie]

Thanks to those of you who have voiced support for Vets, and have realized how hard they work, and how tough their job is.

My DH is an equine Vet. He owns his own practice. He is the only Vet, so that means he is on call 24/7. (He handles over 900 clients by himself!) His clients expect it. They also expect him to get out of bed at 2 or 3am when their horse has an emergency and drive however many miles (he travels 10 counties) to see it. And he does.

While many of them appreciate him, there are those who just don't get it. They call our home at any time of the day or night, neglecting to go through the business number. They don't see anything wrong with calling here with questions. These same people would never dream of disturbing their MD, or their dentist for instance, at home. They don't pay. They pay with bad checks. They wait 6 months to pay. We have a small business (like the above poster) and it is not within our means to take credit cards, or track down debtors. Our health and malpractice insurance is through the roof.

Also, someone above posted that they heard that it's tougher to be a Vet than an MD. Well, it's true. No slight to the smart, hard working MDs out there, but Vets have an extra challenge when they are learning their profession. Think how many different animals they have to learn, as opposed to the one human body. Also, as someone mentioned, animals can't tell you what's wrong like a human can. Vets are special people.... they have that knack with animals, but they also have to be a "people person" to deal with the owners.

My DH applied to Med School and Vet School, was accepted at both, but chose to be a Veterinarian. He has never regreted it, and is a much loved and respected Vet in our area. I never pass up the chance to champion him and his profession. Thanks for listening!

 

[kathryn]

>I do
>say a little prayer every day that it'll be a peaceful, in her
>sleep kind of thing so I don't have to make that decision.

I'm at that point with Scooter, my 16-year-old diabetic kitty. I'm just hoping that his heart will give out in his sleep so I don't have to be the one to decide when he goes. His body is in bad shape (scrawny as can be!) but his little soul is so strong, and he is so full of love. The other night, I woke up and he wasn't with me (he sleeps with me most of the night) so I called him. A couple other cats came, but he didn't. In my half-awake state, I was kind of hoping that maybe he'd passed on in his sleep (he seemed to be really worn out that day...was outside with me for an hour, and when he came in, was very tired), but the next day, he was back to (his) normal.

 

[bjbowers]

I appreciate my new vet sooooo much, and am another who would do anything for my pets, but I also am thinking I need to take up a 2nd job to cover my vet bills.

I have 3 pets and all 3 are constantly at the vet. I just found out my golden has to have shoulder surgery (probably around $3000), my 15 year old poodle mix has epileptic seizures and a bad thyroid, and my cat (female) has crystals that DO NOT EVER go away. We've had surgery, used drops to try to dissolve them, changed food, etc, and nothing works. So she has to be on these drops her whole life.

Like I said, I took Jack to a new vet today, and he was wonderful, and worth every penny (or should I say, every several thousand pennies!!)



Brandi

http://www.picturetrail.com/jackieboy

 

[eminenz2]

I know how hard vets work. I also own a horse, and understand the money involved in their upkeep. My first horse had EPM, not the cheapest disease in the book, and my second horse died of a gastrointestinal disease, possibly cancer (it was never determined).

I can afford my pets. I am not poor, and I don't skimp on my animals' care. However, there are limits to one's budget.

When I bought my first horse, one of my fellow riders gave me some very good advice. He told me to think of a dollar amount I would be willing to spend (or go into debt) on my horse if something catastrophic happened, like colic. He said to write that number on a piece of paper and put it in the horse's file. Then, God forbid, if something should happen, I would've already thought about it and not get into making decisions with my emotions all in a tangle over my lovely horse and risk just keep going and going with the bills, desperately trying to save the horse, until it got completely out of control.

I was not intending to berate vets or how hard they work. I am not the only person who has ever waited in the dark on the coldest day in November waiting for my vet to show up and help my colicky horse. I've seen how hard she works with my own eyes. And how calmly she deals with owners on the edge of an all out panic!

But generally, it seems that anybody involved in a service industry does not get paid their worth.

My horse is insured, my little animals ones are not.

At least animals aren't as expensive as children!

-Susan L.G.

 

[40something]

Susan...I had to LOL at your comment that animals aren't as expensive as children!!

I beg to differ! We have two horses, four dogs and three cats. Last fall the kids' pony went off feed for absolutely no reason and 6 days later I had a pony dead from unexplainable renal failure and a $900 bill from our Veterinarian. A few years ago we had another perfectly healthy horse suddenly go off feed and waste away. We were using the services of our regular Vet plus I called in two other equine specialists to consult on this horse...we had major dollars in medical bills/tests run on that horse and the opinions boiled down to, he was experiencing heart failure and renal failure for some unknown reason. He continued to waste for 3 weeks because I couldn't put him down. But, it finally came to that so we posted him afterwards and he was full of cancer. We paid a premium price for that horse and his medical bills paid for him twice over.

One of my dogs has problems with urinary stones. She has had one surgery to remove a stone too large for her to pass, that was $450. She is on prescription diet for eternity.

Animals not as expensive as children...not at my house!!

Oh, and I do have my eye out for a new pony. The cycle never ends.