Pets and vet bills......where do you draw the line?

[ang79]

We have three cats, all were strays that we took in. They stay inside all the time, but we do take them for yearly vet check ups, rabies shots, and other shots if needed. Normally all is well (other than the male has ongoing IBD issues, but we just deal with the messes). Took all three in today to our normal clinic but saw a different doctor. We were told last year that the youngest has a slight heart murmer and what symptoms of distress to look for, so I mentioned that. The vet today agrees that it is a low grade murmer and then recommended doing tests to get a baseline picture of the heart, roughly $300. Which is doable, but she is still very young and the problem is very mild, so we decided to take a wait and see approach. Then my 13 yr. male cat was diagnosed with several teeth that need to be extracted. And because he is elderly, they need to do additional bloodwork to ensure that his heart and liver can withstand the anesthesia needed for the oral surgery. Total estimate is $1300-$1600! Other than that he is healthy for his age (minus the IBD issues). He does not appear to be in pain and is still eating normally. I love my cat, but that's a lot of money! And I just found out that both of my kids need to start expanders at the orthodontist and we have no ortho coverage. And I also need ortho work because my teeth are shifting. At what point do decide a vet bill is too much? That is a huge bill but we could probably swing it, it would just mean holding off on our many house projects for awhile. But, he is 13 yrs. old, is it worth it? Any vets on here who can chime in with advice? I asked the tech what the outcome is if we choose to not extract the teeth and he just said the problem will worsen and get more expensive, but he couldn't really say how fast the problem would grow or how long til the cat is showing signs of pain.

[niccig]

I don't know. DH took our dog in as he peed multiple times in a short period of time all over the place and we worried about UTI. Several hundred dollars later, tests are normal, dog never peed that much again, then we found out he had eaten entire bag of salami DS had left out. So we're now taking a wait and see approach rather than rushing to vet.

Our previous dog had 2 root canals, but she was younger and had many years left. It's hard to know what to do.


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[lalasmama]

I suppose my first question is why they need extracted. Are they falling out? Causing severe pain? Affecting food intake? But, it would be a hard sell. Like I'd consider wet food first.

[ang79]

I suppose my first question is why they need extracted. Are they falling out? Causing severe pain? Affecting food intake? But, it would be a hard sell. Like I'd consider wet food first.

During the exam she mentioned that he had several loose teeth (not sure how loose). He also has very stinky breath all the time.

[HannaAddict]

I suppose my first question is why they need extracted. Are they falling out? Causing severe pain? Affecting food intake? But, it would be a hard sell. Like I'd consider wet food first.

Wet food won't help teeth problems. Pet dental care can help a cat or dog stay healthier longer and cats can live much longer than 13 years. But pet dental care is also has one of the widest price ranges and many people we know go to a lower cost vet for dental work. For OP, I would consider it but ask around and get another estimate. It is responsible and standard to do blood work before anesthesia. But prices can vary hugely for dental.


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[khalloc]

Yeah sorry, I would not be spending $1300+ on my cat to have teeth removed. I'd let it go and he'll probably be fine.

[bisous]

My brother was responsible for a kitten and he let it out by accident. It ended up getting terribly injured by falling. :( Locally EVERYONE said the kitten needed to be put down, that the surgery he'd need would cost thousands of dollars and it might not even work but my brother just couldn't let it go. He ended up finding a veterinary school 5 hours away that would do the surgery for a fraction of the cost because it was a learning opportunity. He paid the money, the surgery worked great and the cat has lived an active and happy life! I guess the moral is to look around if the cost is a lot. I'd be hard pressed not to treat a pet because of cost but cost would be very concerning for me. It is hard and I'm sorry OP!

ETA: 13 years old is really nothing for a cat! I had two cats growing up that lived to be over 20 years. They live much longer than dogs IME.

[minnie-zb]

Thirteen is not that old for a cat. I think it's a personal decision for everyone. Me, I would do it as I would not feel okay with being responsible for shortening the cat's lifespan. But that is my decision and I know not everyone feels the same way.

[Dream]

I don't think anyone can give you a direct answer here because its YOU that'll have to live with the decision. I will pay for it because I would feel horrible if something happened to my pet due to a decision I made. Believe me, I do understand that its hard to draw the line. I spent $8000 on my 10 year old labrador because I didn't want to make the decision to shorten his lifespan. He lived 2 more years and passed away peacefully at home, I was so happy that I coughed up the money. I must say DH nagged me so much about the money but I held ground. So I totally understand what you're going through. :hug5:

[carolinamama]

This is so personal and easy to think you know what you would do until you are in that position. I've paid big bucks for my dog to have emergency care and ICU stay (possible ibuprofen ingestion that probably wasn't) and I'd do it all over again to assure that he could sleep curled up on the couch on this rainy Tuesday morning. But really, it's something you and your DH have to decide based on a bigger picture than simply should we have the teeth pulled or not.

[carolinacool]

That amount would be a big bill for us right now. We would just have to wait it out, no questions asked really. When our cat was 2, she swallowed a button and the ensuing testing and surgery cost almost $3,000. We gladly paid it and then spent the next 18 months paying it all. My parents thought we were crazy.

She's now 15. She's been on an expensive prescription food for the past 10 years because of UTI issues and she's taking medicine for allergies. She's also diabetic, and that involves brand-name insulin and syringes. Every time we go out of town, we pay $40 a day for a pet sitter to come give her shots. Our vacation next month - not even quite a week long - comes with a $250 pet sitting fee. So we are at a line simply maintaining. Pet ownership comes with costs, but this is costing more than we though.

That said, I agree with a couple of PP who suggested a second opinion. I know for certain that our vet practice is one of the more expensive in town, but we really like the doctors. But if there was a major, major issue, I would probably look around for someone who didn't charge as much.

[baymom]

It's a difficult question for anyone to answer but you and I'm so sorry that you are facing it. We live in a very HCOL area and our vet is expensive but we love her. She suggested that our dog get her teeth cleaned (which required general anesthesia) and it costs in the ballpark of $1500 at her practice. We were shocked it was that much, but I made calls to other vets in our town and they were ALL in that range. I started a thread on Nextdoor asking for recommendations and was surprised to learn how many neighbors took their pets to a practice across the bay (about 15-20 miles from our house) where things aren't quite as expensive and it cost a fraction of what I was being quoted. This other practice was phenomenal and I wish it were closer, but I know for the big things, we'll always make the trek over to go to them. It's not practical for regular visits, but definitely worth the drive for more expensive procedures. All this to say, maybe you could research if costs go down in surrounding towns from you?

[mackmama]

This is such a personal decision. Our dog just needed his teeth cleaned due to very stinky breath, and we were told one extraction was likely necessary (our total was going to be $2500). We really debated doing it. But the vet explained to us that the loose tooth was due to decay and that a more serious infection could occur if we didn't clean it/treat it (still not sure if this was true or just a sales pitch, but we didn't want to risk an infection). They cleaned the teeth and decided the extraction wasn't necessary. Apparently they irrigated it will and applied a topical antibiotic to it in addition to some sort of sealant or something that we were told would tighten the tooth back up. He was also put on oral antibiotics. So you might want to ask if a cleaning/sealant could suffice.

[doberbrat]

the problem with bad teeth is they can abscess and cause severe pain. I had a tooth abscess and it was seriously more painful then when I had natural childbirth! And the infection can travel via the blood and damage heart muscle.

That being said, 1500 for us right now would be out of the question for teeth. I guess we'd do what we had to but I doubt we honestly could make it work for dental on a 13yo animal. .... and this is from a person who spent 5000 for back surgery + rehab and chiropractic appts for the next 7 years on a dog. We were simply in a different financial position then and could manage it.

So do what you can live with and dont be afraid to shop around.

[HannaAddict]

It's a difficult question for anyone to answer but you and I'm so sorry that you are facing it. We live in a very HCOL area and our vet is expensive but we love her. She suggested that our dog get her teeth cleaned (which required general anesthesia) and it costs in the ballpark of $1500 at her practice. We were shocked it was that much, but I made calls to other vets in our town and they were ALL in that range. I started a thread on Nextdoor asking for recommendations and was surprised to learn how many neighbors took their pets to a practice across the bay (about 15-20 miles from our house) where things aren't quite as expensive and it cost a fraction of what I was being quoted. This other practice was phenomenal and I wish it were closer, but I know for the big things, we'll always make the trek over to go to them. It's not practical for regular visits, but definitely worth the drive for more expensive procedures. All this to say, maybe you could research if costs go down in surrounding towns from you?

That is what people do in our HCOL area and for dentistry primarily (though a friend went 60 miles to a rural vet for a surgery her husband wouldn't agree to at the cost quoted at their regular vet). In our area, even 6-10 miles away in neighborhoods with lower rents so the vets aren't as pressured to charge as much. This is a regular topic on our neighborhood list serve and FB group.


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[sunshiney]

Yeah sorry that is definitely too much for me. I would have to find another solution.

[123LuckyMom]

I do think if you can find someone to do the procedure for less, you should have it done now. Dental care really can extend your cat's life and save you from an emergency situation where your cat is in terrible pain or has a bad infection. It certainly is worth shopping around, because prices do vary wildly. But if you can't afford it, you can always start saving now and put it off until you have the money. People do come before pets, and if the pet is not suffering, it's hard to justify a big bill, but I do believe dental care is just as important as other veterinary care and should be done the same way you would pay for vaccines or the like. I'd shop around and gather more information.


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[Percycat]

Have you checked with the University of Missouri, Columbia - College of Veterinary Medicine?

I would get a second opinion and also check the college. As far as the IBD, I would ask for recommendations for new cat food. I'm sorry you are having to make these choices.

[DualvansMommy]

You have to decide what's in your family best interest and the line you're comfortable to draw at. Growing up with pets my entire life, save for college away years and post graduate work, I've never been without a pet. So I get it, pet bills can get very expensive very fast! This is coming from me who spend thousands and more on our two boxers, but we felt they were worth it and I felt a responsibility to them since they're members of the family. Definitely shop around as dental care really vary from practice to practice, even town to town! But I remember spending 1800 on a simple cleaning and extraction for our elderly boxer few years ago. Blood work is the norm as it can be a concern for elderly pets to withstand surgery.

It's one of main reasons when our second boxer died back in 2015, we decided to hold off from adopting another boxer in few years time. We had expensive private preschool tuition and renovation work on our kitchen and knew if something were to come up with our new pet, it may be a struggle to pay. Do your best. It's a tough choice!


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