2-3 grand for surgery on the dog

[PabloCruise]

Understood.

Why wouldn't they pay?

Who was covering your mom's dog?

 

[Fly Rod]

Like most insurance, if there is a preexisting condition you are out of luck. You can be sure they will be checking the vets records if you have a claim and will say that foxtail they pulled before the dog was insured caused the cancer. Well maybe not that bad but its close.

 

[macneill]

As a newbie dog owner, I can say that I wouldn't think twice about spending that kind of money. We got insurance when we got him.

He means the world to us.

 

[mancinator]

Understood.

Why wouldn't they pay?

Who was covering your mom's dog?

my last dog, storm which was also a rottie that we had rescued as a pup from the pound, had slipped while down at the river one day and tore some cartilage in his knee. nothign major but he wasnt able to walk without pain and a serious limp. the surgery was like 1200-1500 canadian if i remember and the insurance didnt cover it. he had to have the surgery twice if i remember and they didnt cover it the first or second time.
anyways, i relaize every situation is different but that was the background on that.
i guess the whole point of this thread is for me to just vent a little bit about all these insane expenses that seem to pop out of the blue the last few years for us. if we hadnt had all these "accidents" and whatnot, wed be debt free, id have school covered and with extra to spare. instead we are like 6 grand in the hole with no savings left and basically paycheque to paycheque. i dont need a financial lecture as we are somewhat tight as it is, its just a rant and thats all.
once again thanx for the support. it helps to know we are not the only crazy people out therre that would drop this kind of coin on a crazy demon

 

[PabloCruise]

Mac,

I am sorry. I would be curious to know more about your situation, who insured you, why denied, etc. PM me?

Hereditary conditions do not get much coverage. Also, my co. is not licensed in Canada.

There was an article on calculating the true cost of pet ownership on the front page of the Money section in today's Wall Street Journal. Anyone wants a pdf of it can PM me...

 

[PabloCruise]

Our dog was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer back in January. Since then I have spent about $8,000 on chemo and other vet bills to keep him going. Eventually the chemo will fail and he will lose (likely another 2-3 months) as the cancer stops responding to the chemo. In the meantime my wife, myself, and my son continue to have a great friend, who remains happy, loyal and patient. The $ I have spent pale in comparison to the the companionship he has provided over the last 6 years. He would have and continues to do anything necessary to protect and be a companion. The least I can do is provide him with the best care possible and make him as comfortable as possible. Here is a picture of him in July up in Yosemite.

I love that pic! Nothing beats a GSD, esp with the family!

Sorry about the lymphoma - enjoy the time you have now!!!!

 

[Degnol]

Mac,I wish I had illness insurance for my pets when they had gotten sick.I HIGHLY recomend you read up on insurance for your animals.
Depending on what state you live in, you can even enroll online. Accident insurance would start at 12:01 AM the next morning, illness in 14 days.

QUOTE]



Uhh, do they cover....EarBug?



Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, costs for the best healthcare on animals is very expensive. The vet spends as much time in school as an MD in many cases and the same technologies that are available to humans are also available for animals. An X-ray machine in a vet's office is no less expensive than one in a hospital, ditto on labwork, surgeries, etc. The only big difference would be liability insurance. Plus the vets many times employ Vet Techs who spend a similar amount of time in school as RNs.
It all depends on your value of your pet to you. A pet is a luxury, really. If you were a cattleman and you had a cow or steer, you would not spend any more than "replacement cost". Large animal vets have the market decide what their time is worth(with the exception of horses). Small animal...whole 'nuther story. My wife thinks of out pets as our kids and treats them accordingly.
Tough call. Personal decision. If you want to do it and can make the $$'s work, then you already know what you are going to do. I'll support whatever you decide. Not that my opinion is important to you, but you have my support.

In any case you have my sympathy.


Ed

 

[cruiserman]

my last dog, storm which was also a rottie that we had rescued as a pup from the pound, had slipped while down at the river one day and tore some cartilage in his knee. nothign major but he wasnt able to walk without pain and a serious limp. the surgery was like 1200-1500 canadian if i remember and the insurance didnt cover it. he had to have the surgery twice if i remember and they didnt cover it the first or second time.
anyways, i relaize every situation is different but that was the background on that.

Side point, but given the cost of that knee surgery, it was more than likely ligament replacement. They rarely work for any dog larger than a lap dog. TPLO is the way to go, but it costs a lot.

I'm a dog owner, and I've spent a lot of money on my worthless dogs. Now that I've had kids (and grown up a little), I would not get a student loan in order to provide surgery for my dog. It's your money. The worst thing about graduating from school was taking years to pay off my school loans. If you can avoid it, I recommend you do so.

 

[BOUNDER]

i have two worthless small dogs one is a min pin/chihuahua mix and the other is a full blooded chihuahua. They are worthless and knock on wood but we haven't had to spend anything on them yet except the cost to buy the chihuahua. but if the chihuahua keeps falling off the bed like he did this morning we will be fixing him up with a body cast.

Back home i have a great pyranees/white lab mix. When i gave him to my uncle(college) he weighed 125 but he was fat now he weighs about 120 all muscle now. Never had a problem with him and he is 11 almost 12 years old now. He is still king of the town though. He got into a fight with a bullmastiff/pit mix and if his teeth wouldn't have been rounded off he would have whooped that dog. But when he bit it didn't hurt.

enough of my story though,

lunyou

1. What the blazes is "white lab mix?
2. Why the blazes are you telling us your dog is a) all muscle, b) king of the town and c) let you dog get into fights with other dogs and now bragging about it?

You sound like a bullmastiff/rottie or pitbull type owner - good grief

 

[BOUNDER]

Karma works in ways you haven't considered. This is your opportunity to do something good for your dog. That will set you on the right track. Don't jepordize your schooling. Keep your priorities strait and don't worry about what other people think, including the vets. The dog will always love you.

Seriously, my two purebred labs are working dogs. They are an $ and emotional investment and I absolutely love them, yet: I am about to be a dad of twins and my house is torn apart for a remodel. I don't have enough $ for the remodel as is. In my case I would have the leg of one of my working dogs amputated before extending myself any further. I know of one retriever that does the work of two dogs yet only has three legs. The dog still loves its owner as much as when it had four legs.

Just my $.02.

Yeti

Dude, people who truly care about thier dogs DO NOT READILY PROCLAIM THEY WILL AMPUTATE THEIR DOGS LEGS. Would you say the same about your kids???!!

 

[BOUNDER]

Wow, you must have some serious disposable income. (edit, I just went and read your post, you're going to blow your college savings on a f*cking animal?!?) There is no animal worth that much money.
QUOTE]
I used to think the same way...... until I got my Black Lab.
Macinator-
I was in the same boat as you last year. Found out my lab needed a new knee at a cost of $3,500. At the time I was a year away from finishing my PhD (i.e., NO disposable income). I decided to look into it since he no longer had use of one of his rear legs. Come to find out, I was able to get credit through the Vet for a one-year, no-interstest loan, then after that I was able to transfer the remaining balance to a low-rate credit card (3.9%).
I had told myself I would never spend that much on an animal, but it is the best thing I have ever done. He is a totally different dog now. If he hadn't been so young (3 years old), I probably wouldn't have spent the money, but I'm glad I did. In the end it comes down to what your dog means to you. I didn't have the money, but I made it work. Your call......
If you want details on the loan info, drop me a PM......

Hey, a man's TRUE character is revealed on how he treats his dog - nowhere on this Earth can you get such loyalty or unconditional love - nowhere. Money is only a tool - if there's a will there's a way to pay.

 

[cruiserman]

Dude, people who truly care about thier dogs DO NOT READILY PROCLAIM THEY WILL AMPUTATE THEIR DOGS LEGS. Would you say the same about your kids???!!

dog.NE.kids