Ever heard of something this rediculous?

[thefrogprincess]

So the cat got a urinary blockage. I guess when a cat gets a UTI their pee litterally turns to crystals and can block the urethra. So I take him to the vet. Of course this was at midnight on Saturday so its the emergency vet. I know its going to be expensive, but I figure I'll deal with it.

They had to put in a catheter (which they have to sedated him for) put him on a special diet and all these meds. They wanted over $600 UP FRONT!!!!!!!!! Never mind the sign on the counter says "Payment due when services rendered" and they haven't done anything yet. I had gotten a draw from work but all I could get at that time of day was $200. That's coming out of my check on Friday. I almost had a fit! Where was I supposed to come up with that kind of money in the middle of the night???

Long story short when all is said and done they made me feel lower than dirt because I didn't have it all. Plus he had to stay longer than they originally thought so this is going to be around $1000 by the time I get to bring him home (hopefully tonight). How do they expect people to come up with that kind of money all at once. The only reason they treated him is because Brian is in the military and will get in huge trouble if the bill is not paid. They were seriously going to send us home with a cat that could not pee and could die because of it! How can people be so cruel to an animal???

 

[Diane]

I had the exact same thing happen with my one cat. Same dilemma as you, had to go to the emergency vets, catheter, overnight stay, the whole works and by the end of it , the bill was absurd. I borrowed my moms credit card, but what if i wasnt able to? My cat went thru the same scenerio a few more times till they finally had top do surgery and remove his you know what ( poor guy). That was the only option to allow urine to pass thru with the crystals so he doesnt get blocked again. Its been years since and he is now 16 and still doing well <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> I agree with you on the idea that these people that work for these places only think of the money. I think thats horrible, and they have NO business being in the vet business if all they care about is money. I hope your kitty is ok <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> >^..^<

 

[JazzysMom]

Isnt it amazing how things associated with animals are so crooked for lack of better words. They know you are in a jam & love your animal so they can price outragiously. Too bad it cant be like human ERs where they have to accept you regardless of your ability to pay! I hope Kitty feels PURRfect soon!

 

[kybert]

you should find a better vet. one that offers a payment plan instead of immediate payment. i refuse to go to a vet that does not offer a payment plan because like you say people just cant come up with that kind of money instantly, not even if they are well off too.

 

[blindhearted]

I had that happen to my cat (14yrs old), but I caught it before it got to the catheter and overnight stay. The vet saw her on Sunday morning. He was gonna see us on Saturday night, but said it would cost more at 1am and was positive she would be okay until 10am Sunday, specially since she just started with the problem. 10-15 mins on Sunday morning, a few diurutic pills and antibiotic cost close to $200 (that included at wellness discount since we are regular customers which took a good $70 or so off). My mom and I split the cost.

He did tell us that cats are not "designed" to eat/digest fish, they love it, but it can cause UTIs since their bodies cant break it down easily. Their cat food at the time was tuna flavor. So we changed our cats to food with chicken, turkey or beef....no more fish. She has been doing good so far is we did the diet change.

 

[anonymous]

i have three cats and everyone of them is insured. do you have pet insurance in usa?

 

[julie]

I'm sorry to hear about your kitty froggy. We've never had a bill quite that high but my parents have. Their cat ate some string that got caught on the back of his throat (what's that hangey thing called????). It was stuck in his small intestine trying to be digested but caught in the back of his throat so he was throwing up all over the place, not eating, diarrhea.... They took him to the emergency vet... minor surgery and three days later.... $3200 for that damn cat. My parents said it was worth every penny (and I think so too) but what a freaking rip off. I feel your pain.


Yes in the US we do have pet insurance available. I just don't know many people who utilize it. We thought about it with our purebread, but then thought we'd treat all of our animals if they were sick/needed surgery regardless and we couldn't afford $25.00 a month PER animal. That's why we don't have it, but there is something available.

 

[thefrogprincess]

I looked into pet insurance after the last time we took him to the vet (different problem then). It really isn't worth it. They don't usually cover emergencies or if they do its a small percentage and some only reimberse you so you still have to pay up front. Its rediculous. Brian and I are just going to put aside some money in case it ever happens again. We'll have an account that will have at least $1000 in it for emergencies and I will not take him back to that vet. They took great care of him but they treated me like I was the inhumane one because I didn't have the money right NOW!

My kitty will be fine. He's on kitty valume so he doesn't have to strain so hard to pee and antibiotics. He's glad to be home. He gave me and Brain lots of kisses last night.

 

[julie]

Good to hear froggy. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">.

Same reason Mark and I didn't get pet insurance, aside from shelling out $100 a month for our zoo.

 

[anonymous]

just for your info my two youngest cats ' insurance is £10 per month. not bad is it ?

 

[anonymous]

I used to be a veterinary technician and there is a reason for money up front. People would drop their pets off and then never come back and pay and we'd be left with abandoned pets all the time. (That's how I got 2 of my cats!) WE had huge debts because we weren't making any money so finally we had to stop taking people on their word and taking payment up front. yes it's very expensive and usually unexpected but they are NOT making any profit off you, I promise!

 

[anonymous]

My Dusty had the same issue

It was a sunday night so we rushed him to the local vet hospital. This is one of the largest here. Also the only one with emergency hours.

Dusty was there from Sunday night to either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon and the bill was only like $350!

They tried something new with him, giving a cocktail of medicine, one experimental for that and it turned him around without surgery...and he was really sick! I've not heard much about that particular treatment routine though.

Dusty had issues for about six months after that. Turns out he had an infection that wasn't clearing up and they gave him 21 days of antibiotics(clavamox) and cosequin and put him on a special diet. Almost 2 years later and he is eating regular cat food again and hasn't had any issues in over a year!

Dusty was a really rare case because he was only 6 months old at the time and its something seen almost exclusively in adult cats

 

[catboogie]

this happened to one of my mom's cats--he nearly died. he recovered and we put him on the urinary tract food and he was fine after that. guess this mainly happens to male cats.