Veterinary Care

[MissS]

My poor smart beautiful girl Murphy is in the hospital tonight. She has been vomiting for 4 days now and can't keep any food down but she seems to be able to keep water down. She hasn't been drinking much though. Since it was a holiday weekend and she wasn't dehydrated, I waited to take her to the vet until today. I called my vet at 1:00 pm after Murphy threw u p her breakfast of chicken breast and they were booked. They gave me an appointment for tomorrow but recommended that we go to the emergency vet. We went to the emergency place. They looked at her and saw that she was jaundiced and lethargic. They wanted to keep her for two days, do blood work an ultrasound and an abdominal x-ray to start. The estimate was for $6,100.00 which they required you to pay up front! OUCH!!! They would not treat the dog until it was paid.

How do people afford to have pets these days? I understand that the vets have been through a lot of school but most vets are making so much money that they are only working 2-3 days a week. Years ago the vets cared about the pets and didn't push for all of this money. Is it because nobody paid their bills or is it this new generation of make the most that you can for the least amount of work?

Murphy.jpg

[Rockporter]

Awe, what a bummer about your baby. Vets are just like human medicine, I think it is mostly all about the pocket money for all involved. There are pet insurances you can by that pay a big portion of the bills for you. You might do a search for pet insurance and read the reviews. I hope your baby gets better.

[peebee]

Patti, my dog had to undergo the exact same procedures yours did, last October. The only difference is she's a 10 lbs mini dachshund so the $ was a bit lower. Our neighbor's dog, a much larger Portuguese water dog, also coincidentally had to do the same around the same time at the same emergency place, for about $1k more so I know it's partly based on size, no surprise.
My little Jazzy only had to stay 1 night. We were initially quoted over 4k, but they refunded about 1 k upon checkout. It was explained to me that they quote the worst case scenario price just in case, fortunately we didn't need to use all we paid for.

No one I know here can get a same day appt with their vet anymore. We're told to try urgent care if available or emergency. Reason is, there's a national shortage of vets & the pandemic created many new pet owners as so many worked from home.

I hope your precious pup recovers. I also don't know how we can afford pet care these days. I consider myself fortunate that I could, but that really hurt our budget for a while. We cut back on some things & consoled ourselves that Jazzy is worth it plus she's never cost us much money so far. The woman next to me in the waiting room was obviously unable to pay anything at all but she told me that many bills are covered by generous donors, to be used at the facility's discretion. She not only got her dog treated at no cost, she also was given so much free dog food & treats that I had to help her carry it all to her van. I didn't resent the difference in our payments at all. I was grateful that I wasn't in her situation & glad her beloved dog wasn't turned away.

[LindaJean]

My poor smart beautiful girl Murphy is in the hospital tonight. She has been vomiting for 4 days now and can't keep any food down but she seems to be able to keep water down. She hasn't been drinking much though. Since it was a holiday weekend and she wasn't dehydrated, I waited to take her to the vet until today. I called my vet at 1:00 pm after Murphy threw u p her breakfast of chicken breast and they were booked. They gave me an appointment for tomorrow but recommended that we go to the emergency vet. We went to the emergency place. They looked at her and saw that she was jaundiced and lethargic. They wanted to keep her for two days, do blood work an ultrasound and an abdominal x-ray to start. The estimate was for $6,100.00 which they required you to pay up front! OUCH!!! They would not treat the dog until it was paid.

How do people afford to have pets these days? I understand that the vets have been through a lot of school but most vets are making so much money that they are only working 2-3 days a week. Years ago the vets cared about the pets and didn't push for all of this money. Is it because nobody paid their bills or is it this new generation of make the most that you can for the least amount of work?Murphy.jpg

That's such a scary stressful situation , I'm so sorry for Murphy and you. I don't know what to do in those circumstances but pray the right answer comes and comes quick. Her photo is beautiful.
It wasn't too long ago we had a very sick boy, our 13 year old Amstaff. My son did some reading on internet and came to the same conclusion it took the Vet a week to figure out.

[bower]

My best wishes to the beloved pooch!
Vet bill insanity is the same here in Canada.
Friends of mine recently paid $2K for an operation on a house cat that foolishly chewed off and swallowed a piece of foam from a cushion.
Even the cost of initially buying a pet with the usual vaccinations is now sky high, even if it's a stray or a mongrel. Then your cat does something dangerous before a year has passed and suddenly you're investing thousands in keeping it alive.
Since animal shelters also screen new pet owners to make sure they are suitable, I suppose they must be screening to see if you can afford the madness of vet care. I was speechless when I heard about the cost of care.
Pets really are for the rich now, it seems.

[GoDawgs]

@MissS, I really hope Murphy pulls through. She's a beautiful dog!

Vet practices have gone quite high tech. Having recently lost a dear cat, Herman, I know how a lot of us will do just about anything to keep our beloved pets well. But the cost of vet care these days is outrageous. We spent $1000 on Herman for two visits over not quite three weeks before we found him dead out in the yard.

Last year xrays were $35 each and now they are $55. They use the latest greatest drugs which are as expensive for pets as they are for humans. A shot of Convenia, a two week antibiotic, was $75. The shot of Solensia that they gave Herman for his osteoarthritis was $115 and would last four weeks and would be needed every month on top of his insulin ($62 a vial for 25 days worth). I recently saw Solensia advertised on tv so that tells you right there the cost is high. That alone had us looking hard at the possibility of putting down a 12 year old diabetic cat whose quality of life was only going to worsen. Herman made the decision himself.

One of the vets that saw Herman recommended one of those contraptions that people attach to their bodies to monitor their sugar levels, which would be another hundred dollars or so periodically. No way THAT was going to happen. Herman would have that off in a minute. Another suggested an inhaler for Herman's possible asthma. A cone over his face to administer it. Like that was really going to happen amid a flurry of claws!

Our vet clinic has rotating vets. I don't know if it's because they all want to just work part time or what the deal is. It's aggravating when you can't get the same vet for a pet that needs returning visits. No continuity of care. Yes, there is a vet shortage but the industry as a whole has gravitated to high class care, preying on our willingness to spend just about anything for our furry family members like we would for human members. That is going to leave a lot of pet owners with hard decisions to make.

Once Lester is gone there will be no more pets here. If the good Lord sends a stray this way and IF we decide to keep it, the animal will get rabies shots at the fire station where low cost shots for pets are available certain times of the year. That's it unless it needs getting sewn up after a bad fight or whatever. And as crass as it sounds, the vet will always be asked right up front how much anything is going to cost. They need to be asked for generic drugs that will do the same thing as the new high priced, bigger profit margin stuff they push. They need to know there are limits to cost of care.

[AZGardener]

I'm so sorry to hear your dog is ill and hope by now she is on the road to recovery. This is just my observation so take it with a grain of salt. I've noticed big corporations buying up vet clinics and once that happens the price goes up and service goes down. No after hours care anymore, you have to go to the ER clinic. My experience with those (most times) has been they haven't helped my dogs much, and when I get to my regular vet the problem is solved. Another thing, (my vet told me) is since 2020 there has been a shortage of veterinarians and vet technicians.

VCA, Banfield (in petsmart), PetVet, are some of the corporations I know of, I'm sure there are more.

Have you changed foods, started new meds, treats for Murphy? Even a new bag/can of food same brand? That is where I'd look first as possible
issue. Anything in the yard (plants) that could cause her to be so sick.

She's in my thoughts.

[worth1]

I'm sorry to hear about your puppy.
My old vet was a WWII veteran.
He's retired now and possibly not around anymore.
He didn't believe in fancy lab coats and was really down to earth and honest.
One time I did some electrical work for him at the clinic and he asked what do I owe you.
I replied shots for the cat's and dogs.
He said sounds good to me.

[GoDawgs]

I'm sorry to hear about your puppy.
My old vet was a WWII veteran.
He's retired now and possibly not around anymore.
He didn't believe in fancy lab coats and was really down to earth and honest.
One time I did some electrical work for him at the clinic and he asked what do I owe you.
I replied shots for the cat's and dogs.
He said sounds good to me.

@worth1 , that sounds like our old vet. No lab coat, an old country vet. Some thought he was too rough in his manner and speech but although his bedside manner may not have been smooth, he was very, very good and just told the plain truth with no sugar coating. Having terminal cancer, he sold the practice to his head vet tech, It was a sad day when the vet passed away. It seemed after the tech settled in, prices started jumping. I'm not comfortable with the whole set-up there now but the other vet in town is under investigation so I guess I stay where I am for a while.

[GoDawgs]

@MissS, how's Murphy today? Prayers for a complete recovery!

[MissS]

The vet called at 6 am for an update. Miss Murphy kept her food down and they gave her some more at midnight. She did eat part of it for them and has kept it down. This is great news! She hasn't kept a meal down in a week. The bad news is that her fever has continued to rise. She is on IV antibiotics and they are going to switch to a different one and see how it works. If all goes well, then they will try her on an oral dose tonight and if she keeps that down and the fever drops, then they will consider sending her home.

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing if I visit her. She is happy to see me but gets so upset when they take her away. Sigh... I just wonder if it is confusing her or reassuring her.

[GoDawgs]

One step at a time. At least there's some positive progress. It might be interesting to get the name of the drugs they're giving her. Did they make any guess at all about the possible causes like poisoning from munching something or if it's a viral or bacterial cause?

[rxkeith]

veterinary care like everything else health related is becoming more costly.
someone has to pay for the high tech equipment. even for something minor, it
can run a couple hundred bucks. my dog had a bladder infection last winter, pretty
obvious, bloody urine in the snow was hard to miss. i called the vet for an antibiotic.
well, no they weren't comfortable doing that. she hadn't been seen in over a year. there
wasn't any thing wrong with her is why. vet visit, plus urine culture, plus antibiotic was a couple
hundred bucks. i can see the sense of a urine culture which i had brought in. all my dog needed was
an antibiotic, an inexpensive antibiotic to clear up the problem. i blew off the follow up appointment.

hopefully your pooch is on the mend. they have probably by now ruled out any problems requiring surgery.
that should keep the cost down. one of my partners dogs needed surgery that cost three grand. he was a
young dog, so she said they would do it one time. paid up front of course.
answers regarding cause of illness would be nice to know. i can maybe help with info on meds, but you can
find most of what you need to know on google.


keith

[habitat-gardener]

MissS, I hope Murphy is getting better!

On the topic of vet bills...

A couple years ago, our cat was coughing pretty regularly. We finally took him to the vet and my partner decided to pay for all the tests they recommended -- iirc, about $700! The vet decided he might have asthma or maybe an infection and recommended an antibiotic as well as steroids and maybe an inhaler. This was in the days of wait-in-the-car, no-contact appointments. We talked to the vet on the phone. So I asked the vet if steroids were a good thing because they also wanted our cat to lose weight. (Also, I had the impression this vet was newly out of vet school and maybe a bit too focused on tests and drugs, and did not have a firm diagnosis but just wanted to try everything at once.) And I told my partner that we could try one thing at a time, not the whole shebang. I also said that the antibiotic might be the thing to try first, provided that I was not the person trying to make the cat take the pills. So we got the pills, which were never used. And soon after, iirc, the cat stopped coughing. Maybe it was the smoke from all the fires? A seasonal thing? Maybe the cat got a shot at the office and that was enough to clear up whatever it was? Anyway, the cough never came back.

I remember looking at inhaler contraptions for feline asthma on the internet and wondering if there were any cats who would tolerate those things!

[MissS]

Murphy has a liver infection. Her liver numbers were sky high along with a fever and vomiting. She has jaundice. Her liver numbers are coming down but her fever is still around 103.5. They have switched antibiotics and and if her fever comes down they will try oral antibiotics and see if she can keep them down. If she does, then she can come home and continue treatment here with visits to the vet as required. She has also been tested for Leptospirosis and the results are not in yet. An ultrasound was done and there are no cysts or tumors on her liver so that is good. They are just thinking that it's an infection. It could be caused by several reasons including something that she ate. I'm just hoping that she gets better soon. She is not very happy about being at the hospital. I'm also hoping that whatever this is doesn't leave her with any permanent damage.

Thank you all for your kindness and support. It means a lot to me!

[Cranraspberry]

@MissS best wishes to both of you! What a beautiful dog, I’m sure she will be so relieved to be back at home when this is all over.

[GoDawgs]

Still sending those smoke signals up to the Great Healer for Murphy. At least they have a diagnosis now. Sure hope it isn't Leptospirosis.

[LindaJean]

Hope there will be some encouraging progress for Murphy today.

[MissS]

SHE'S HOME!!!

Murphy was just not thriving too well at the hospital. She was scared, hated her cone and the kennel. Even though she was left out of her kennel for most of the time she was very unhappy. They called me and said that she had kept food down so no longer needed the ICU and that they thought that she would do better at home and to just bring her in for appointments. She is a very calm sweet natured dog that is a social butterfly but they had her on two different anti-depressants/sedatives since she was so nervous there. I'm not giving them to her anymore. Maybe save them for the 4th of July.

She is still very sick. Her ALT blood test is supposed to be 17-115. When she was admitted hers was 1837! Way high and the same goes with the rest of the numbers on her liver panel. Today her ALT is still high but coming down, it's 1747, so she still is quite sick. She is on a soft food low protein diet until her numbers improve a bit more. She is very happy to be home and I sure am happy to have her here too.

So this is one really good day for me so far other than the water heater is leaking and the air-conditioning seems to be broken too...

[Labradors]

Glad to hear that she's home. Milk Thistle is great for the liver. I had a lab with high ALT levels, and it was recommended.......

They say things come in threes. Good luck!

Linda