What do you do when your pet has an emergency? (expensive cost)

[ChristusG]

This past week we went out of town. I left our 13 year old diabetic dog with my parents, as I usually do when we leave town. Shortly after we dropped him off he began acting strange. Just not himself. He had already been peeing in the house for a few days and I was going to have my mom take him to the vet the next day. Well, that night, around 5 AM my parents heard a lot of noise coming from his cage. Then he began "screaming." My parents jumped up and found him having a seizure. They took him to the animal ER that's nearby. Turns out his blood sugar was 21!!!! My mom and I went over his schedule on the phone and nothing had changed. But even after the ER gave him glucose, his sugar only rose to around 45. They stabilized him at the ER and my mom transferred him to his regular vet when it opened at 7:30 AM. The vet did x-rays, took blood, ran tests, and monitored his sugar for several days. It rose and fell with no reason. Finally he seemed to stabilize on a lower dose of insulin and they sent him home.

 

The total bill, including both the ER and the regular vet was over $600.

 

How do you handle animal emergencies? We take care of our animals. We can afford their food (he's on an expensive prescription dry dog food), regular check ups, yearly shots, etc. But this $600 bill is not something we will be able to do again. My husband is not an animal lover. He doesn't mind us having one, but animals are an inconvenience to him. He's not mean to them....he just doesn't love them. He doesn't like spending so much money on an emergency for an animal. It's a lot of money. It could have been more than that but we got a discount.

 

So what do you do for animal emergencies? If our dog does this again, I'm quite sure we will need to put him down. He's nearly 14, as it is. I hate when animals get to this stage. I've never had an old dog before and it's so hard to make decisions. Our dog can't hear as well as he once could, he has warts everywhere, he had a bad disk in his neck (it only bothers him maybe once a year), and he was diagnosed with diabetes this past December. Now it seems like his sugar may be getting harder to control. And he's been peeing in the house (doctor checked this....it's not due to an infection nor his diabetes...he's just getting old). Now I'm possibly going to have to buy "diapers" for him to wear in the house. But now that his sugar is under control, he's happy. So he's not ready to be put down any time soon. I'm just worried about the cost. We can't do this again if he has another seizure. When does cost outweigh your pets life? Vet prices can go into the thousands and I know that everyone cannot afford that.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We had an old dog who got an insulinoma (a tumor that produces insulin).  I was able to control it for awhile at home by feeding him every 3 hours but after awhile that did not work anymore and we had to have him put to sleep.

 

As to your initial question of financing a pet emergency, when Libby was hit by a car we took out a Care Credit loan.  By paying off the loan within 6 months, we were not charged any interest on the loan.  

[mamajag]

We sucked it up and paid recently. My oldest daughter's cat had the toy box lid fall on its leg and snapped it. (Yes, we've taken it off for kids' sake.) I thought it would be maybe $300; it turned out to be $850 including surgery, pin placement, pin removal, etc. If my dd hadn't just lost her previous cat to complications from being neutered, we'd have had her put down. I just didn't have the heart for her to lose a second cat in 6 months. She knows we can't afford that often and another big bill like that will be impossible.

 

I also had a $200 bill for a pair of snake bites on my dog. She guards the kids and watches after them outside so that was a no brainer. She's a great dog.  If she got bit again we'd bail her out again.  She's a once in a lifetime type dog.

[NorthwestMom]

I hate to say this, but I don't think $600 is an unrealistic cost to pay for an unexpected pet disease or injury these days. It is just very expensive to have a pet.  It would be unrealistic to think that any pet will live their life with food and well-care checks at the vet; just like people they get sick and/or hurt, and at the end of their lives most will end up getting some kind of care or attention. So, assuming that is true, the only thing you can do is have some savings for these eventual expenses. I think your DH should expect these things to happen.

 

In your specific case, it sounds like your dog is reaching the end of life.  :grouphug:  :grouphug:   We had a dog that had seizures at the end of life; it's terrible, and there's not much you or the vet will be able to do to prevent them.  I think it's fair to come up with a list of benchmarks for what "time to be put down" might look like for your family.  Cost can be part of that.  You can plan a "hospice-like" approach with your vet in which you are only keeping your pet comfortable, but not aggressively treating something at the end of his life-span anyway.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Shellydon]

It depends.  We just paid$1500 to have a cat's leg amputated due to cancer.  We declined radiation and chemo though.  For diabetes in an older animal, I would likely have them put to sleep.

 

[Pawz4me]

I hate to say this, but I don't think $600 is an unrealistic cost to pay for an unexpected pet disease or injury these days. It is just very expensive to have a pet.  It would be unrealistic to think that any pet will live their life with food and well-care checks at the vet; just like people they get sick and/or hurt, and at the end of their lives most will end up getting some kind of care or attention. So, assuming that is true, the only thing you can do is have some savings for these eventual expenses. I think your DH should expect these things to happen.

 

I agree.  I would consider $600 to be a relatively small emergency.

 

We keep a pet emergency fund.  It's not a separate account, just money in our regular savings that we know is there for pet stuff.

 

My DH knew when he married me that pets, and usually multiple pets, were part of the deal.  He knows better than to *ever* say anything about the money I spend on them.  It's never really been a contentious issue, because he's an animal lover, although not quite to the extent that I am.  However, I have promised him that I'll never go to extraordinary lengths to extend the life of an elderly pet.  That was an easy thing for me to agree to, because it's not something I would choose to do anyway.  I agree with Northwest Mom that it seems that your dog is nearing the end of life.  I wouldn't spend a huge amount of money (however you define that).  I'm sorry.  It know it's hard. :grouphug:

[Pen]

It is a really hard situation sometimes to know what to do.  Some of it I think is very dependent on the animal and what it can or cannot tolerate, as well as the human situation.   I think having people with different feelings about animals in the same family also makes it hard.

 

I have a very different feeling about dogs (who I love and to me are part of the family) and chickens (who we do not have right now, but who, however close to them I feel, and I have been very fond of several, it is still not the same level quite as dogs).  I have never sought special vet care for an injured chicken--I do my best with it, and it makes it or not.  Maybe my feelings about chickens are more like your husband's feelings about animals, and my feelings about dogs more like yours.

 

We also have an old 13 year old dog.  She has not had an emergency recently, but she is having troubles of various sorts--sight, walking, etc.-- also she is a giant size dog so hard to deal with if she is having an emergency.  Earlier this summer she fell in the creek while trying to drink and could not get out by herself.  I got hurt trying to get her out. I was worried it might happen again and was reluctant to take her that way, but recently we went berry picking in that direction and she went along, but stayed well clear of the creek.

 

She no longer goes up to the bedroom floor, after falling on the stairs twice (but not seriously  hurt luckily), and I got her a ramp to get on/off the porch--to try to use some prevention to stop what looked like it could easily become a fall with serious injury--but she mostly avoids the ramp unless lured with treats.

 

I am not sure what I will do if she has some big emergency--if she falls and breaks a bone, I will probably try to get her surgically  fixed up if the vet thinks she can handle anaesthetic at this stage.   The sorts of emergencies she used to have like porcupine quills are no longer likely, but the emergencies of older age are.  I am not sure I could even get her to a vet if she were having a seizure.  My last dog to die had seizures near the end of his life and (also being giant) needed a house call, but then the vet said nothing could be done anyway, though I ended up feeling glad I had at least tried in case it was something that would be easily fixed--and he was not so old probably though not certain since he was an adopted adult rescue.

 

I have some books on natural home care of dogs, home vet manual, and learned a good bit about herbals and homeopathy, so I do whatever I can for the dogs myself or with consulting help from a holistic vet, and it often has helped amazingly.  This dog mentioned above had a huge swelling in her neck that probably came from a punctured salivary gland, and would normally be dealt with by surgery (said the vet), but using homeopathy it went down without surgery -- maybe it would have anyway, I do not know.

 

There are also pet health insurance plans, but I have never gotten one. 

 

ETA:  I also agree that $600 is low for a dog emergency, but again it depends on situation, and you did say you got a discount.    I like the pet emergency fund idea. 

[zoobie]

We just spent a mind-numbing amount on our 4 year old pup who was in ICU for 10 days and didn't make it. It was gut-wrenching emotionally and financially. :(

 

I would talk with your regular vet. A 14 year old pup with pain, deafness, diabetes, and incontinence may be reaching the point where quality of life concerns would be more worrisome than cost. I'm sorry. It does suck. We also had to make the decision with our 12 year old (large breed mix) baby last year. She wasn't herself any more and was in pain, losing control of her bladder and bowels, and having spinal issues. It had nothing to do with finances; it was just time.

[*Michelle*]

We're making the call for both of our dogs on Monday. They're 12 and 13. Both are now incontinent. They don't move from their beds most of the time. One is deaf. She is also becoming aggressive towards the kids. I can't justify prolonging their lives via costly measures. They are simply old dogs. :(

[StephanieZ]

The best idea is to have a specific account set aside for pet emergencies. Put $50 or more per month in it, and don't touch it for routine expenses. Once the balance gets to $3000 (or whatever top end is for you), then you can stop adding to it if you like. If you have more than one pet, then I'd suggest $30-$50 per month per pet for unexpected emergency expenses. As a minimum. 

 

BTW, $600 for both vets' bills sounds like a screaming deal to me. Screaming.

[mommymilkies]

I've never had a pet emergency cost over $135, but even then, that was a cost we prepared for and chose (tumor/cyst on ear that grew huge).  When my cat had his strokes and needed put down in June, it cost less than that, total.  He had medication at ~$20-30 a month before that.  Luckily in all my years and all my animals (currently 6 of them), it's never been an issue.  But if it was...I would suck it up and pay and hope that I could afford to, even if I had to get a part time job.  My pets are a huge priority for me.  If my dog or cat had such extreme medical problems like you talked about, OP, I would talk to the vet and probably choose to put him down.  That's a horrible choice to make, but I think the right one if the quality of life is poor. I can't imagine letting them continue on too long with deteriorating life circumstances.  It almost killed me when my cat was euthanized.  I still cry about it, but it was the right thing to do. :(

[nukeswife]

That's a hard decision to make.  When we had to decide with our dog it was easier because she had some sort of internal bleeding/tumor.  It was still hard, but easier than it would have been if in your situation.  I agree with those that said $600 seems like a huge deal for both and emergency and regular vet.  

 

Back in Dec we found out our 8 year old cat had no hip socket and he had surgery to fix it to the tune of $1300.  We too used care credit for that, and then when the same cat got an infected tooth that had to be extracted we had the Care Credit to use.  A few months later our pug had to have a lot of dental work (have you ever tried to brush the teeth of a dog with no snout to hold onto, it's hard) again the car credit was a real relief to have. 

[gingersmom]

Sorry about your dog. 

 

I have pet insurance for my dog and two cats. 

[Laurie]

We had a huge vet bill when our cat was first diagnosed with diabetes and had to spend several days at the emergency animal hospital.  

 

What do you need to do to manage your dog's diabetes?  Do you have to give him insulin shots at home?   Do you check his blood sugar levels daily?   I'm not sure if dogs get insulin shots once or twice a day, but cats get two.  I have to check her blood sugar level before each shot because she doesn't always need the same amount of insulin, and sometimes her blood sugar is low enough so that she doesn't need a shot and to give her one would be dangerous. 

Maybe you're already doing home testing, but if not this would maybe help to prevent another seizure and vet visit. 

 

 

[ChristusG]

Laurie , I have to give my dog insulin twice per day. The doctor has never mentioned anything about home testing at all.

 

I do realize that $600 is very good but it's still not pocket change. I can't see putting our dog down just yet. It's been a week and he hasn't had another seizure. If he begins to have them frequently then I'll definitely have to consider it. He's peed in the house twice tonight within only a few hours....that's no fun.

[quark]

I just paid $800+ to have my rescue's broken tooth pulled out. We were told it could be a problem down the road and I was saving up to have it done before Christmas. Then he developed an abscess and was obviously in so much pain. Even my normally very tight-fisted DH agreed we needed to get it done sooner and we did. :grouphug:  I really feel for you...both from the dog health POV and the $$ POV. Vet bills are ridiculously expensive here in the US. Where I used to live (in Asia), it was a fraction of the cost for about the same quality of care.

[Melissa in Australia]

For a dog that old I would have him put down. We spent close to $800 for our  1 year old dog to be hospitalized for paralyses tick treatment. A few months late  the silly thing got out of our closed yard and took himself for a walk to the beach and drowned.

[fourcatmom]

We have have had only one major pet emergency and it was pricey, but it happened over time (about two months)  which helped a little. The first couple hundred we paid for out of pocket and then used the care credit for the next $500. I think when it went up another $500 they let us make a payment plan. At that point it was obvious he would need surgery or he wasn't going to make it. The surgery was estimated at over $1,000. We reached out to an organization to help with the surgery given that we had used the care option and were already making payments. In part, our decision was based on his age, he was only 3 at the time and once the surgery was done he wouldn't have any more problems. He had a urinary blockage and the surgery was able to fix it so it will never happen again. He's on prescription food and special cat litter still 3 years later but other then 1 infection after the surgery (because I took him off his prescription food) he has been fine. I think if his problems, even at his age were going to be continuous then we would have had to make a different choice. Overall, he was blocked 3 times before his surgery so we knew it was only a matter of time and he would have blocked again. He still does have some emotional issues around peeing to this day and I almost always have to take him to the box and sit with him for him to go. It's like potty training that goes on forever! :scared:

 

I hated that I had to even think about putting him down due to money so I can image how you must feel. Even though my DH was attached to our cat and had to give him IV injections to keep him peeing prior to surgery, there was a limit he was willing to spend to save him. I "think" you will know when it's the right decision but I am sorry that you are going through this. Pets had so much to our lives and making these kinds of decisions are not easy, at least for me. :grouphug:

[Heather in Neverland]

It's hard to say. Choosing an "amount" you are willing to spend makes you feel like a terrible person. Choosing an age or a disease feels bad, too. I think it is a case by case situation. We spent a few hundred dollars have our new kitty spayed and vaccinated. I was willing to spend that as preventative care. But if the vet told me she had a disease that would include a lot of ongoing expense, I don't think I would do it. Our budget can't afford it. We love her but in the end she is a cat, not a person, and we can't jeopardize our children's welfare for a cat. 

[Laurie]

Laurie , I have to give my dog insulin twice per day. The doctor has never mentioned anything about home testing at all.

 

 

 

I'm lucky because our vet is very supportive.  I don't have to leave our cat at the vet for the day so that they can do a glucose "curve" because I can do this at home and email the numbers to the dr.  You do have to spend money on the testing supplies, but I know a lot of people with diabetic cats get their glucose strips and meters at Walmart (the Relion brand sold at Walmart isn't as expensive of some of the other brands for humans, and it's definitely more reasonable than the meters/strips that vets use).   

There's a website for diabetic cats that has helped me, and I found one for diabetic dogs that you might want to take a look at:  http://www.k9diabetes.com/monitoring.html

 

I'm sorry for being pushy about the idea of home testing, but I'm sure your parents would agree that witnessing a seizure is scary.  It's probably a blessing that it happened while your dog was staying with them so your kids didn't witness it.  Has your vet given you any instructions for what to do if another seizure happens?  I keep a bottle of Karo corn syrup for an emergency...you can rub this on the gums where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream if there's a severe hypoglycemic attack and then you rush to the animal hospital.   Fortunately I haven't had to do this since I always know what our cat's numbers are before giving insulin.  A few times she has thrown up shortly after a meal and her shot...then I monitor more closely because her numbers can drop too quickly without food in her system.  But this doesn't happen often...and we've been at this for over two years. 

 

If there's anything I can do to help, please, please, please let me know!   

 

[Spryte]

I think this varies by household, too. We have spent a fortune on our pets, and I won't share the amounts. But we could afford it, and it was important to us. FWIW, that was for my 16 yr old doggy soul mate, who had been with me through college days and all my single days. I still have a hole in my heart for him. :(

 

Talk about it ahead of time, and decide on an amount that is reasonable for your family. Agree that anything that will require ongoing expensive care will be discussed by you and DH.

 

A savings account for pet care is smart, if you can afford it. Care Credit is a good option, too.

 

Unfortunately, as our furry friends age, their expenses do go up.

 

I hope you have a kind vet, who does not pressure you to do more care than you can afford, too.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

can relate-luckily for us if we have emergencies come up our vet will do a payment plan--it's hard when things like that come up....

[Pen]

He's peed in the house twice tonight within only a few hours....that's no fun.

 

I've used dog diapers in past.