Keeping Pets?? $$$$

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Tony the tank

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Lately I have been noticing that medical care for our pets has been soaring...went to the Vet.. The young girl was limping.. Doctor did the initial check.. Took him about 15minutes.. Then off to X-rays for another 20 minutes... Was determined it might be growing pains... Got the meds and paid over $500.00..

Last month she needed some teeth Removed.. 4 to be exact.. Over a Thousand bucks after I picked up the meds....

And everyone wants payment before they do anything.....I'm really surprised people have money for this in this economy..

Is it like this everywhere or just Taxachusetts??
 

terryo

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I think it's worse here in NY. I cost me $1,200 for a liver biopsy with medication and 1 night stay in the hospital. Then I had two of my dogs spaded, and that cost me $900. I have three dogs, 2 Chihuahua's and a Yorkie. The Yorkie has to get groomed every 4 months and that cost $70.00. I think I'm going to look into medical insurance for mine. I have to ask my Vet about this and see if it's worth it.
 

dmmj

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Just a word about the medical insurance, it only covers certain things, please make sure you read the fine print and what it covers,.
Now to the costs, I don't pay anywhere near that much for visits and meds. I had to treat a russian for a RI about 2 years or so ago (was turned into me sick) and it ran around 200 to 250 that was for 2 visits and meds.
 

Yvonne G

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I think its a very good idea to set money aside every payday for future vet costs. You have to be very strong, though, and don't touch it until you need it for the vet.

Also, some vets will let you make payments. And sometimes you can put it on plastic (quite expensive, but helps in a pinch).
 

dmmj

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I do have a emergency vet account, just in case I put like 20 to 50 dollars in it every month.
 

oscar

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After recently getting zonked with a large vet bill, I thought it might be time for pet insurance then I went online and started checking the price for insurance for our 3 yr. old Basset hound. and it was 46 dollars a month which I still feel was unaffordable. I am not saying the cost that vets are charging is out of line cause I don't know there overhead and expenses, any way it is a very tough decision for me to make about pets when a vet bill gets into the thousands of dollars.
Wives work friend just had an emergency with her cavalier spaniel 5 years old, was in for 6 days got sent home today and bill so far is $5,900 they don't know what the outcome will be yet and she is taking the money out of her retirement to pay for it. Wonder what her financial planner would say
 

Yvonne G

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dmmj said:
I do have a emergency vet account, just in case I put like 20 to 50 dollars in it every month.

Chase Bank recently opened a branch office in my Savemart Grocery Store. Today in the mail I received a coupon telling me that if I open a personal Chase checking account they'll deposit $150 into it. All I have to do is start with $100 and leave it there for 90 days. Since I go for months, sometimes years without using the vet, I'm thinking of using my coupon and adding a few bucks every payday to the new account. (don't worry, I'll be sure to read the small print.)
 

exoticsdr

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PLEASE!!!!!!! Move to Southeast Texas!!!!! I could use some clients like you and will be much easier on your pocketbook. The eastern seaboard (as well as the western, I would imagine) are pretty hard on pet owners financially...my brother said that he brought his bird ( a cockatiel) in to get its wings clipped and they wanted $75.....I do it daily for $14....would rather do it for $75...but I do it for $14.
 

dmmj

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Sorry for going OT but chase charges a 10 dollar fee if you don't have 1500 in their bank, still 3 month fee of 10 dollars each for 150 in deposits from them is still a good deal.
 

CtTortoiseMom

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I agree with you and feel your pain. When I talk to my friends from other states they cannot believe how much I have to pay, even just to get my dog groomed. They tell me they pay $25 max and I pay $45 if I drop or off or $60 if I have someone come to the house.

Re: pet Insurance, I have VPI pet insurance for my dog. I have the plan that is for emergencies only. It has already paid for itself. My dog was all set to be spayed after her first heat, she had her heat was supposed to go in a week later when all of a sudden she was very sick, the vet said it was pyometra and she needed an emergency spay. Because it was "emergency" 80% of it was paid for by the insurance.
 

Tony the tank

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Oh..I forgot to mention..if the young ladies limp doesn't improve in the next few weeks with the meds.. They would like to do a MRI...For a reasonable $1100.00 and what ever other incidental are needed...

I also hate the fact that the small vet practices are disappearing.... Turning into VCA hospitals... Or group practices... And some of those places seem more interested in billable charges more than doing the right thing...
 

wellington

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I have pet insurance for my bull terrier. She was 4 in July and I have already spent over $15,000.00 to get an ACL fixed and two surgeries to have a foreign object removed. Her insurance is through the ASPCA and is not that expensive, 200.00 plus but they will only pay upto $1500.00 per incident and only 80% of covered costs. It's not much but every little bit helps when your spending a lot. Our office visits are $59.00 to walk in the door and if you have to go to the emergency vet, like we had to, twice, it's $99.00 to walk in the door. I used to work for a vet when I lived in Michigan, what a shock when I moved to Chicago and had to pay their prices. I used to do stool samples for worms, etc. myself and we charged $15.00, in Chicago it's $38.00, ouch, really hurts when I used to do it myself. Our love for our animals are not cheap, but I wouldn't have it any other way, and my husband was warned about what I would spend, anything it takes to save my pets.
 

exoticsdr

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As far as I can tell, it would be cheaper for all of you to drive to Texas and let me do your surgeries. You can stay at the house, play with roos and after a day or two drive home and still be a couple hundred richer than you are now.
 

CtTortoiseMom

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When my daughter was 10 she had her ACL repaired and I only paid a $250 copay but her surgery came to around $15,000 as well.
 

dmmj

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Ok who is for a mass exodus to texas? hos is the job market there? and the taxes?
 

Tony the tank

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exoticsdr said:
As far as I can tell, it would be cheaper for all of you to drive to Texas and let me do your surgeries. You can stay at the house, play with roos and after a day or two drive home and still be a couple hundred richer than you are now.

I might do that..arrange a mini vacation in Texas if the young lady needs surgery... And since we never go any place without the dogs...It might work out...You have a pool?:D
 

exoticsdr

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Tony the tank said:
exoticsdr said:
As far as I can tell, it would be cheaper for all of you to drive to Texas and let me do your surgeries. You can stay at the house, play with roos and after a day or two drive home and still be a couple hundred richer than you are now.

I might do that..arrange a mini vacation in Texas if the young lady needs surgery... And since we never go any place without the dogs...It might work out...You have a pool?:D

Pool? No pool....not until I can get a few "Coasters" to come and let me do some surgeries....hahahaha

Doc


Seriously though, please feel free to contact me if you need to.
 

Tony the tank

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wellington said:
I have pet insurance for my bull terrier. She was 4 in July and I have already spent over $15,000.00 to get an ACL fixed and two surgeries to have a foreign object removed. Her insurance is through the ASPCA and is not that expensive, 200.00 plus but they will only pay upto $1500.00 per incident and only 80% of covered costs. It's not much but every little bit helps when your spending a lot. Our office visits are $59.00 to walk in the door and if you have to go to the emergency vet, like we had to, twice, it's $99.00 to walk in the door. I used to work for a vet when I lived in Michigan, what a shock when I moved to Chicago and had to pay their prices. I used to do stool samples for worms, etc. myself and we charged $15.00, in Chicago it's $38.00, ouch, really hurts when I used to do it myself. Our love for our animals are not cheap, but I wouldn't have it any other way, and my husband was warned about what I would spend, anything it takes to save my pets.


Don't get me going on fecal test.. $59 bucks to have Tonys stool sample Checked :rolleyes::rolleyes:..
 

oscar

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exoticsdr said:
As far as I can tell, it would be cheaper for all of you to drive to Texas and let me do your surgeries. You can stay at the house, play with roos and after a day or two drive home and still be a couple hundred richer than you are now.

Thinking that some of us will be making a road trip someday. But do we have to play with the roos, I think they kick and box or is that only in the cartoons.
 
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