Anybody frustrated at the cost of vet bills?

[oregonjen]

My dog needs to undergo allergy testing, ear flushing and various other procedures and it will cost $2000! I'm sitting here in a state of shock because that is so much money. I've called around to various clinics and they are all basically the same. Ack! I want to help our fur baby, but jeez, too much money!

[Lorien]

1. I feel your pain

call the Humane Society, and see if they have any low cost suggestions.

[flvegan]

2. What's the problem that your dog needs these things?

Let's start there...

[oregonjen]

3. she has Primary Secretory Otitis Media (middle ear infection)

She needs her ears flushed to deal with that, which will cost almost $700. She has an anal gland infection, meds for that, a yeast infection, meds for that, consultation fee, all which cost $370 for today's bill. Allergy testing and then shots for that, which I'm reconsidering which will cost over $500 for that. I've talked with her breeder and I think I will not do the allergy testing. So, take out the $500 and I'm at $1500. Still expensive!!!

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Yeast infection and allergies could be from her diet, I would change

to a better quality food and see how much of this disappears all by itself.
High quality, holistic food is vital to a healthy dog. What you spend on the food will be 1/10th of what you spend on the cost of vets' services.

Spend some time reading this site. It has a wealth of information about holistic ways to deal with your pets health.
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/healthypets.htm

Healthy dog foods that can help her live a healthier happier life.
www.waggintails.com

I use Wellness Super5mix for my dog, and have used it for 7 years. The only visit to vet was to have him neutered and for the legally required rabies shot every 3-4 years (which will not happen again now that he is 7.
I have used this or comparable food for over 15 years for my cats and dogs. My visits to veterinarians have been few and far between...and NEVER for any chronic diseases or allergy problems.

I mix it with the Merrick Thanksgiving Day canned food.
I also use Wellness Chicken for my cats and mix it with the Merrick Thanksgiving Day canned food for cats.

They have Vegetarian Brands, and brands that have Fish and other unique food bases that may be useful for dogs with allergies. You may have to stay away from the usual beef, poultry, lamb, etc protein sources. You may have to avoid wheat and other sources of allergens in your dog's food, as well.

(Merrick has dry food with buffalo, venison, and barley - no wheat)

http://www.waggintails.com/store/DisplayProduct.php?sku=MRDK-004
There are several other brands that are excellent, and they will deliver to your house. NEVER buy supermarket treats or food.

I believe there may be ways to deal with this without spending thousands at the vet...simply by changing your dogs diet to a more healthy one.

[oregonjen]

5. Thanks for the links. I will check them out.

The yeast infection I'm suspecting happened when she went on antibiotics for her first ear flushing 2 months ago. As far as the diet, I agree she needs better food. I've been feeding her Hill Science Diet-Sensitive Skin.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Try supplementing her with acidophilus as well..especially if she is on

antibiotics. This will replace the "good" flora that antibiotics kills when it kills that bad stuff. Antibiotics have such unforeseen side effects. They can really upset the stomach as well...another reason to get the acidophilus capsules at your local health food store and make sure she gets some supplementation. The Shirley's Wellness site has some info on this.

[oregonjen]

11. Oooh, thanks. I forgot about acidophilus.

[flvegan]

7. Dietary change...that's where I was going, too.

Well said.

[hobbit709]

6. You need to find a cheaper vet

We got eight dogs and we don't spend that kind of money. Stay away from any vet that has the emergency pet hospital-that doubles the price of everything. I can take 2 dogs in, get their annual checkups, get their shots, and get heartworm meds for about $120. when my aussie had an ear infection treatment meds and all was about $100.

[Phentex]

24. I have not been able to locate one either....

to be honest, the one we go to is very convenient and I like the three vets who work there. Their prices are high though.

[livetohike]

33. The best vet we have ever met was when we lived in Houston

We've lived all over the US in our 30 years of marriage and we have never found a vet better than our Dr. Senske in Houston, TX. He would give us info over the phone and just tell us to come down and pick up whatever meds were needed - hence no office charge.

He had a great way with dogs, too.

[RebelOne]

8. That's why I got pet insurance.

If your dog is not too old, I would advise that you get insurance.
Check out my.petinsurance.com.

[Robeson]

12. I've been very interested in getting pet insurance for our cats....

...has it paid for itself for you, or have you ever had to use it?

Thanks for any input you may have on this.

[RebelOne]

14. I have had the insurance for only a few months

and not had to use it yet. I got it as a safeguard. My last Rottweiler became very ill with an immune deficiency blood disease and I spent a fortune trying to save her, but I lost her anyway. So I now have insurance on my present Rottie. It is more expensive for big dogs. But I think it is much less for cats. And they won't insure animals after a certain age. I think the cut-off date is 8 years for dogs. Check out the Web site in my first post.

[Kolesar]

9. I thought it only cost ~$500 /year to keep a dog

Those are what I recall from a website about planning to adopt. The point is that one should know what to expect before getting a dog.

It would be a shame for people of slender means not to be able to get a dog. $2000 is a big one time expense. That is like our natural gas and electric bill combined. In any case, I commiserate with you.

[China_cat]

15. Country wide average

is $1300/yr. You can barely get by with heartworm preventative for $500.

[oregonjen]

16. One cannot predict what health issues will happen

"The point is that one should know what to expect before getting a dog." Huh? :shrug:

Well, I don't have a crystal ball and I can't see what's in the future for my entire family. There's no way to know what anyone will need.

[Phentex]

26. Very true. Plus...

as I said in another post, $500 seems awfully low even for regular checkups and preventative care.

[Phentex]

25. That sounds very low to me and I have often wondered about people who

adopt. I worry that they don't realize how much it will cost JUST for maintenance.

[IndyOp]

13. My Golden Retriever Ben was given the same diagnosis...

He had terrible, terrible yeast infections in his ears. I scrubbed his ears twice daily and put in medication for 3 months - literally 3 months. His ears were bright red and sore and as soon as I stopped the infection would return. I considered the alergy testing and so forth and then talked to a friend who is a homeopathic consultant. She prescribed a $5 vial of a homeopathic remedy. I gave it to him daily for 1 week, then a few times week for the rest of the month and now it is gone. The type of remedy that will work depends on the personality and health history of the dog. I am *all* for alternative health treatments since that experience.

:kick:

[oregonjen]

17. You wouldn't happen to know what was in the vial?

Her ears are clean in regards to yeast, the skin in between her pads on her paws and her lips have a yeast infection.

[IndyOp]

19. I do not understand how flushing a dog's ears could cost $700!

It sounds smart to treat her infections with drugs from your vet - but I would not do $700 worth of ear flushing or allergy testing and shots without first systematically testing changes in her diet, food supplements, and alternative health care treatments.

As for the name of the remedy that helped Ben - I am sorry to hold out on you, but we can't expect the remedy that worked for my dog to necessarily work for yours. Homeopathic remedies are not prescribed to get rid of certain symptoms, they are prescribed to work with that individual's immune system so that they are healthier overall. Homeopaths take into account a huge number of factors - personality, diet, sleep/wake patterns and more - before suggesting a remedy.

If a remedy isn't the right one for the patient it often won't have any effect. Remedies can, however, sometimes intensify symptoms and if that were to happen you would want someone who could advise you as to whether you should keep treating or do something different. Example: A remedy I took when I was sick last month increased my temperature. After I was through those few hours I felt much better.

I would suggest that you check with other pet owners or Google or the phone book to see if there is someone in your area who provides alternative health care for pets and/or look for a homeopathic consultant who treats people who would be willing to talk with you about your dog.

In terms of dealing with allergies (and other chronic ailments) I believe alternative health care practioners are much more likely to be effective than Western practioners - in part, because they will work with you to go through all the issues that may be causing the problems - diet, food supplements, baths, herbs and/or remedies. Eliminating the cause of the problems means you don't have to treat the symptoms.

Here is a description of a dog allergy case that has some similarity to yours. I found it by following the link BrklynLiberal provided above:

Sometimes, infections are secondary to the underlying cause of the allergies. Tommy, a 9 1/2-year-old golden retriever, was suffering terribly from allergies. He had itchy skin and ears, scabs, open sores, hair loss and impacted anal glands. While his problems used to be seasonal, he now scratched throughout the year. He was on medication for hypothyroidism (which is often an underlying cause of various skin problems) and Panalog for his ears. I changed his diet to raw meat and vegetables with no grains and added a multi-vitamin supplement as well as digestive enzymes, probiotics, homeopathic remedies for support and detoxification and a natural enzyme based ear drop (Zymox) for the secondary infection in his ears. After two to three weeks, his condition was not improved and his guardians were worried. At four weeks, I received a phone call to let me know Tommy's turnaround was absolute; he stopped scratching and his skin started healing.
<http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/ahealth3.htm#allergy>

You mentioned that your dog is on Science Diet-Sensitive Skin and that you are considering changing. Good! I used to consider Science Diet a premium food until I heard that they were bought out by Purina. Purina dog foods are toxic. I suspect that Science Diet is also.

I read on the site above (and have seen elsewhere) that virtually all allergic dogs will show a dramatic drop in symptoms if fasted for a few days with constant access to fresh water. (Maybe if Tommy had been fasted it would not have taken so long for him to get some relief.) If I were going to change to a new food/supplement/treatment regimen I would consider fasting my dog if my health care practitioner agreed that this was a good idea and supervised. Also - I think part of the logic with allergies is to switch them away from whatever they have been eating. If she has been eating beef with soy - switch to lamb & rice. If she has been eating lamb & rice; switch to fish & barley. Also, foods with only one meat and one grain are less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

Good foods: I know a long-time Golden Retriever rescue person who won't feed her dogs anything but California Natural - contains no dies, no artificial flavors. My dogs eat Sensible Choice lamb & rice (nothing artificial; contains only one grain and one meat). BrklynLiberal mentioned Wellness Super5 Mix - it also has an excellent reputation. BrklynLiberal also mentioned Waggintails.com - and it has lot of varieties and Merrick is now available in dry formulas.

The delightful part of making this switch is that most of these premium diets smell and taste delicious! Wellness smells like stew to me. And, if you aren't willing to taste your dog's food, what does that mean about the quality of the food?

Acidophilis and other supplements could help a lot too.

I would be resistant to changing 4-6 things at once - but could decide what 1-2-3 things to change/add with an alternative health care practioner and then move on from there if not completely satisfied with the results.

Best of luck!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[oregonjen]

20. What a nice reply!

An ear flushing is not just an ear flushing. You need to anesthetize and have an otoscope to perform a myringotomy. Behind the tympanic membrane (ear drum) is puss that needs to be extracted. Otitis Media can be caused by allergies, so that is why I'm considering changing food.

So, if the vet is going to use anesthesia, it is more costly and more involved. That is why it costs so much.

Thanks for your suggestions. This is why I love DU, so much help and support from everyone! :hi:

[IndyOp]

21. I am glad to hear that you thought my reply was nice -

I was afraid it was so long that you wouldn't read it. :)

This is Ben, by the way:


Okay, the ear flushing is $700 because it is surgery.

Because of the possibility of hearing loss and damage to the vestibular apparatus, long-term (3-6 wk) systemic antibacterial therapy should be instituted as soon as the diagnosis is made. <snip>

In animals with otitis media and interna in which the external ear is clean and normal, but the tympanum is bulging or discolored, it may be advantageous to perforate the tympanum (perform a myringotomy) to permit culture of the fluid, to relieve the pressure (and thus the pain) within the middle ear, and to permit removal of the inflammatory exudate; however, perforation of the tympanum could result in permanent hearing loss. Systemic antibiotic therapy based on sensitivity testing should be continued for 3-4 wk and possibly up to 6 wk if otitis interna exists. In chronic otitis media, if radiographic changes are consistent with osteomyelitis or fluid in the tympanic bulla, a bulla osteotomy may be necessary. <http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/31000.htm>

You have obviously talked to your vet about this extensively. If your vet says that the antibiotics are working and you have some time before you must do the procedure, maybe you could contact an alternative practitioner and work to bring the allergies under control so that the fluid drains from the middle ear naturally? Stay in touch with your vet so that you know that things are stable or getting better while you try new food, treatment, etcetera...


Your dog is one lucky pup and you deserve :applause:

[oregonjen]

22. It actually took 2 years to get a diagnosis!

For over a year, I thought she had Syringomyelia. A malformation in the skull, that was causing her discomfort. We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the huge issue facing this breed is SM. So, through lots of research on the internet, I found Otitis Media. The symptoms of both present the same, so it is easy to confuse the two. Anyway, through lots of communication with my vet, it turns out she has Otitis Media. She had her first ear flushing with the vet, but her ear canal in one ear was too narrow for him to flush properly. We now have gone to a specialist, a dermatologist to fix the problem. She charges more because she can!

Long story, but boy, I'm relieved at being able to help our little girl. The shocker is the price.

[IndyOp]

23. Wow - at this point you sound like a veterinarian!

Let us know how it goes - and post pics when your girl is feeling better!

:bounce:

[China_cat]

28. We recently had it done on our Bailey

and the cost was $175. We've been fighting his ear infection for almost all of his 12 years. Or at least the 10 we've had him. That included the anesthesia which is a bit trickier for an older, large breed dog.

So far the only thing that has really helped at all has been prednisone. We had exhausted just about everything else (I don't do quack remedies) and we were at the point where he was in so much chronic pain that we had to consider putting him down. The prednisone allows him to function without pain and he's back to his silly, goofy self again.



Bailey is on the left. The other 2 are Rosie and Dot.

[Eurobabe]

27. Oh my, my best friend has a golden he's 6

with same problems. She is going crazy trying to figure out where to start with Sammy. He chews his paws (vet says allergic to timothy, grasses, just great) his eyes and ears are goopy all the time.

We believe poor Sam is a victim of bad breeding (another long story) but I sent her your email and the site for her to check out, maybe she will see something there that will be of help.

BTW, Sammy IS on thyroid medication, there are loads of connections between hypothyroidism and allergies. (Ironically my friend and I are both hypos too, go figure?)

[China_cat]

29. Corn is one of the biggest offenders

in allergies in dogs. Check your food for ground yellow corn and other corn in the food. I'll bet you'll find at least 4 other instances.

There are several forms of food that don't use corn at all. You'll have to read labels and find one that fits your budget. Don't expect to find it at the grocery store, though. Your dog will have to eat its weight in the food before you see improvement but if corn is the problem, you WILL see a change.

[mopinko]

18. be glad it is not a bird

avian vets are crazy. i feel for them, it takes almost as much to be a vet as an m.d., but since few pets have insurance, and that is usually limited, there is a real cap on what they can do. and yet everyone wants to take care of their pets.
my bird vet worked for a clinic. he used to give me discounts, and was very reasonable, then he got his own practice. oouuuccchh. to make matters worse bank and permit problems made the whole thing take a year to get off the ground. but when the clinic found out what he was doing, they fired him. so he started out so in the hole. i am hoping that he will not have to raise his rates for a long time, and it will even out. but oy.

[superconnected]

30. we have a value vet in my area. It would be under $100.

I didn't want to go there at first but had to when I needed 4 cats fixed a few months ago and couldn't afford the regular vet.

I'm glad I went, I really like the vetranarians there and I feel good about them now.

Don't dismiss it unless you try it. My momma kitty was $70 to fix, her male kitten $60 to neuter, and her other two kittens $60 each instead of $70 because I brought them in before they were 6 months old. My regular vet would have charged around $300 per cat.

[Phentex]

31. That sounds interesting. How did you find them?

I wouldn't even know where to start.

[superconnected]

32. through my sister.

Perhaps if you look in the phone book. Also, Look at other areas close to you and not just your city.

My city of Everett, WA is 100 thousand people. I never heard of Value Vet before I needed them.

[Samurai_Writer]

34. I just spent almost $2000 on my dog...

a week staying at the vet's, blood and urine tests, IV fluids, ultrasound, and other tests. Then the euthanasia and cremation. Luckily my vet didn't require me to pay the entire thing upfront. I still owe her about $600, which I'll pay within the next two months. My dog did have the pet insurance, and I will file claims, but don't know how much they will cover.

[oregonjen]

35. I am sorry to read about Magic

You had a great bond and you were able to spend his last day together. A great gift for the two of you. Not only that, you were there to comfort him as he left this earth.

I'm glad the vet is working with you regarding your bills. :hug: