Vet bill....

AKgirl · 12-13-2005, 06:52 PM

I have to vent my frustration. I took my cat to the vet this morning because he wasn't urinating. He had this problem 5 years ago and it came down to the fact that I was buying cheap catfood that caused crystals in his urinary tract. Needless to say, for the past 5 years he's been on $30 catfood. After a catheter, night in the hospital and a $400 vet bill it all came down to his kitty treats. Discovered that everyone in the house was giving him kitty treats. They kitty treats don't have urinary tract preventive ingredients like the catfood does... Yikes, just what I needed around the holidays.....

Duckwheat · 12-13-2005, 08:52 PM

I can top that. Mo, my yellow lab, had her second ACL repair done. The vet agreed to do it at the same price as the first one 3 years ago. $1,600.

I really love that Dog.

Duckwheat

Abalone · 12-14-2005, 10:55 AM

"I really love that Dog"

That's what the Vets are counting on when they make out the bill.

I can remember in the old days when the dog got old and sick you would just take them for a nice afternoon walk with a shovel.

Love doesn't come cheap anymore.

RODACTION · 12-14-2005, 12:55 PM

Those long walks still happen out there

If you want to protect your pocket book over large unforeseen vet bills you can look into pet insurance.......the Vets love that type of love

earlybird007 · 12-14-2005, 01:03 PM

Reminds me of the time I came home to find my favorite cat had got hit by a car and broke his leg. 380$ and a month later and he got hit again and didnt survive...

:whazzup:

Now I have two....so Ill always have one when the other gets biffed.......

roguesteelheader · 12-14-2005, 01:59 PM

We know your pain our black Lab also had both ACL's done at the tune of over 3 grand. But it was well worth it!!!!!!

Cool Texan · 12-14-2005, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Now I have two....so Ill always have one when the other gets biffed.......

BrianH · 12-14-2005, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Now I have two....so Ill always have one when the other gets biffed.......

OH MY GAWD!!!!

biederboat · 12-14-2005, 07:37 PM

I feel for you. Aside from the fact that I think this is getting out of hand, pet insurance is a rip off. They don't cover much on a high vet bill (high deductible and low ceiling limit), at least our policy didn't.

Biederboat

matttheduck · 12-14-2005, 08:40 PM

each time i see a dog on the television who is earning living (acting, racing, hunting), i turn to my wife and point out that our dog is asleep (on the chair, on the hassock, on the floor).

judyfish99 · 12-14-2005, 09:43 PM

If you truly love your pet, the $$$ doesn't really matter.
My fat cat had been injured as a kitten and her leg tip was broken off in the hip socket. Fixed like new by Companion Pet Clinic in West Linn.

Now she is my four legged furball alarm and a very caring, unopinionated (most of the time)companion.

Sometimes she keeps me in line with a swipe of her needle sharp nails to my ankles. :tongue:

Abalone · 12-15-2005, 06:29 AM

What if you cat or dog wanted a breast implant ?

Would you love it enough the pay for it so it could feel confindent and be happy or would you just let the poor critter suffer ?

Smj · 12-15-2005, 07:04 AM

Geez...Hate to be a highjacker, but Abalone's comment on breast implants made me think of "Neuticles".

http://www.neuticles.com/index1.html

The things we do to/for our pets!

Smj

Abalone · 12-15-2005, 08:12 AM

Heay ! I wonder if they do that for Humans ?

Neuticals

That's a good one.

crabbait · 12-15-2005, 08:34 AM

Enough hijacking, guys.

Duckwheat · 12-15-2005, 07:03 PM

Re the walk and a shovel. You obviously have not had the relationship with a dog that I have enjoyed. This current lab has retrieved about 700 ducks in her 5 years.

I was there for the first one. I was there for the one that went under in the middle of the Snake only to see her do a flip and disappear under the water. A few minutes later up she comes with duck in tow.

I am sorry you have not experienced that. I have certainly met a number of people in my life that I could take the shovel and walk with. But not your bird dog

It is also about commitment. Meeting them. Maybe you can get the opportunity expereince one or the other before your time is done.

Duckwheat, aka Big Softy

Abalone · 12-16-2005, 10:30 AM

My Apologies to you.

All I am trying to say is YES Vets charge a lot of money.
You pay almost as much as you would if your pet was a human.

My last dog that I loved was Pedigree Springer Spaniel that I loved. I paid the vet fees but didn't really provide the training and the kennel that I should have. The dog got out of the fenced area I had for it and got killed. I vowed never to own another pet while I live in the City.

Friends of mine invest large sums of money into their animals for training. They value their pets almost as they would a human as they should.

If it were me I would say. Vet bills are expensive but so what. Look at the wonderfull care they get. Not too long ago they would have put the dog to sleep.

I love dogs and wish I could own one. But I feel it is best for the animals sake that I don't own one If I cannot care for it properly. We have a cat and he stays in the house.
He is part of the family.

Merry Merry Christmas.

jimh · 12-16-2005, 10:36 AM

How about $2000 for a broken leg? The problem was the dog is so small it required special surgery!

jvp · 12-16-2005, 11:45 AM

Quote:

each time i see a dog on the television who is earning living (acting, racing, hunting), i turn to my wife and point out that our dog is asleep (on the chair, on the hassock, on the floor).

What your dog doesn't sleep in your bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fool4FishnHuntn · 12-16-2005, 11:17 PM

As a member of the veterinary profession I have to rant some. Our profession for the most part still doesn't receive the respect it so highly deserves. I have to admit that opinions are much better than they used to be. Going through veterinary school is very demanding. Getting accepted into veterinary school is highly competitive, but it is easier today than it was 20 years ago. The majority of people are very respectful and we (veterinarians) appreciate it. I do admit that $$$ controls or limits us to a great degree. Most people truly deserve to have pets as they know what it takes to care for them properly. Unfortunately, there are people out there that shouldn't own animals. I apologize for hijacking the thread, but wanted to give my

. The owners of the cat I repaired two broken legs on the day before Thanksgiving are sure appreciative of this veterinarian though!

Birdnest · 12-17-2005, 07:16 AM

Quote:

I can top that. Mo, my yellow lab, had her second ACL repair done. The vet agreed to do it at the same price as the first one 3 years ago. $1,600.

I really love that Dog.

Duckwheat

Yup. Both ACL's on our lab within 8 months of each other. :blush: After that I told her that anymore of this action and we were going on a long hunting trip...

Just kidding, I love that big overgrown pup.

Joe

sinker · 12-17-2005, 11:49 AM

When I was a kid my mom brought home a cat from the Safeway parking lot. Was running all over the parking lot so she "rescued" it so it wouldn't get hit.

Takes it to the vet to get checked out and spayed (not sure that the total was on that). About 2 days later we're backing out of the driveway and feel a bump. Yup, sure enough the cat she rescued from getting hit was the one she ran over and killed.

I still remember getting in trouble for chuckling over the whole thing. Not because the cat died but for the irony of it all.

AKgirl · 12-21-2005, 05:36 PM

Update: Spooky is recovering well. We got such a laugh out of this recent picture that we had to share it with all of you pet lovers. His foot is shaved because of the I.V. but he's obviously feeling much better!!

uhmw · 12-22-2005, 10:27 AM

When my yellow lab was two years old the vet said He needed knee surgery(big money). A doctor told me the same thing in collage , but being the slefish athlete who wanted to play I ignored their advice. Im 40 and still very active, I ski,wake board and elk hunt, knee works fine. My dog boomer never got the surgery cause of other selfish reasons $- now hes 8 years old and still flags down chucker in devils cannon. Go figure.