bad month for dog and vet bills

[naperdog]

4 weeks ago - brought our dog to the vet so he could get on hear worm preventitive $130

2 weeks ago - Came home from work and when I entered the house, was welcomed by an incredible smell. Looked in the dog cage and saw a dog covered in diarrhea. Trip to vet, antibiotics and prescription dog food $180.

Last night - Dog got a hold of tv remote. Battery fell out and he punctured a hole in the battery, dog had mouth full of battery acid. Called emergency vet number and we were instructed to call the pet poison center. $60 phone call to find out he would be ok. After hanging up the phone I noticed a sore in the dogs mouth, where he was burned by the battery acid. Now have a vet appointment this evening to have it checked out and get more antibiotics. Anohter $100 or so?

I am sure many of you have spent alot more money than this to fix problems, but grrrrrrr.... That pup is lucky I like him so much or would be out the door with him!!

[postoakshorthairs]

If it makes you feel better i've spent that in one visit. I know, I know it doesn't make you feel any better. It is aggravating but i guess it's part of the deal. The dogs just lucky your understanding because scenarios like that are why we end up with so many in shelters.

[Elroy's Bandit]

I feel you pain x2! I was surprised after years of thinking that vets all charged similar prices. I figured a couple dollars here or there isn't going to make a big difference. I would take the time to research alternative offices. Not sure where you are from, but a little shopping can save big money. City to burbs is 35-50% savings. burbs to country is insane! Check around. Obviously in an emergency, time is the factor , and you do what you have to do. Routine things and planned procedures , exames, shots, etc, can be a huge savings.
Example: Blood panel -Ticktitus. I payed $360.00 once, found another vet 40 minutes away from the city $200.00. Now it's a 1.5 hour drive and I now pay $135.00. Since it's done at least once a year, it adds up, multiply that one test times 2 dogs, and it is huge!! Look around and price shop. Use the things you have had done as a "test" question on pricing and see what you come up with. You should check out the facility to make sure it's up to snuff also.
Bill L.

[wems2371]

I am sure many of you have spent alot more money than this to fix problems, but grrrrrrr.... That pup is lucky I like him so much or would be out the door with him!!

Is it your avatar dog? If so how could anyone refuse that mug? (He is a lucky pup too!)

[naperdog]

Yes the guy in my avatar is the little trouble maker. His face does get him quite a bit around our house. He has made me awful mad a few times, but that face of his gets me over it pretty fast. Overall we have been very luck with him and he hasn't caused too many headaches compared with what some dogs do.

I actually did recently switch vet offices and the new one is signficatnly cheaper than the old, not to mention I really like the vets compared to the old office. I will continue to keep my eye open for anything cheaper where the service is as good.

Good news is we are going hunting this weekend! There is a club still open around us and this could be our last time out this season.

[ezzy333]

Naper, what club do you hunt? Due to all the bad weather there are still a lot of birds around.

Ezzy

[naperdog]

Ezzy,

I'll hunt at Erienna Hunt Club in Morris, IL. When you say that there are still alot of birds around, are you saying that the clubs still have quite a few left?

[ezzy333]

Naper,

Thats what I am hearing. A club here close to us is offering 7 birds for 100 dollars to members and 125 to non-members. They get their birds from McFarlands and they have a lot to get rid of yet due to the weather.

Ezzy

[naperdog]

wow that is pretty good. i have been wanting to try some new places out, but they are all so pricey. Now might be the time to do it. Guess i'll have to squeeze one more hunt in

[ezzy333]

Give me a holler if you decide to come out this way.

Ezzy

[Dave Quindt]

Naper,

Thats what I am hearing. A club here close to us is offering 7 birds for 100 dollars to members and 125 to non-members. They get their birds from McFarlands and they have a lot to get rid of yet due to the weather.

Ezzy

Ezzy,

What club is that? Got any contact info?

I've got an older dog I'd like to shoot a few birds for this month.

Naperdog,

I got to think that Erienna is got to be pretty wet by now; and getting worse by the moment. Any word on what the conditions are like out there?

Thanks,
Dave

[naperdog]

I am guessing that it is pretty much un-huntable right now, if you have been there i am sure you know their drainage is pretty bad. Hopefully the forecast holds and we don't get another drop of rain between now and Saturday. It might dry just enough to be able to actually hunt. though i am sure everything/one will be covered in mud.

I am going to give them a call on Thursday or Friday to see how its looking.

[ezzy333]

Dave, The Morrison Hunt Club is north of Morrison. Good grounds and the birds have been real good. I normally just hunt cleanup during the week and the birds react pretty normal or at least a lot better than planted. Contact--http://onpointhuntclub.com/. If any of you are interested let me know if you can get out and I'll have a cup of coffee with ya. Talk to Jim Felts. The other one involved is Jamie Sheridan and I just wouldn't put much faith in him. Tell them I sent you.

Ezzy

[shellymb]

I feel your Pain.
End of April I hear a loud yipe and all of my dogs come flying into living room.. one dog bleeding. They where just playing chase and the vet says Maggie tore her chest over her rib cage. Of course this was at 10:30 pm on a Sat. Deep wound in chest had to be evalutated and repaired to the tune of 550$ at the emergency vet office. So almost a month since then Maggie the dumb one comes to me while we are hiking in a wooded area with a 3 foot wide mulched path and she has a 6 inch wide gash on her back leg this one much deeper and just ugly.
Another vet bill - this time during normal hours and my normal vet 240$ which was a good price considering the extensive repair. The absolute worst part about Maggie's problems are the recommended 7-10 days crate rest. You know any GSP 's who want to rest, "no running, no jumping" for a week and half??

What up with this dog. She is my 3rd GSP and while I had occasional pad/nail injuries with the other ones from running/hunting she seems to not look where she is running..

how to keep yourself relatively free of huge vet bills???

[BigShooter]

Knock on wood. In the past seven years one dog unzipped a two and a half inch opening in her back going under a barb wire fence. That's it for injuries other than the usual cuts and scrapes.

On the other hand one brother's pup jumped off a high wall a year ago at a young age and damaged both forelegs. The examining vet took x-rays, did nothing and said the dog would be fine. Now, the dog will always be a cripple as no one in his right mind is going to pay $3,000-$3500 per leg for corrective orthopaedic surgery. His seven year old male had something hit near his eye last fall while hunting. The same vet examined the dog, said it was okay. Now the dog tilts its head while going through doorways and appears to be partially blind or have poor vision in one eye.

If you own enough working dogs over a long enough period of time you will likely see your share of injuries.

Sorry to hear your time was this past month.

[PrairieGoat]

.... The absolute worst part about Maggie's problems are the recommended 7-10 days crate rest. You know any GSP 's who want to rest, "no running, no jumping" for a week and half??

What up with this dog. She is my 3rd GSP and while I had occasional pad/nail injuries with the other ones from running/hunting she seems to not look where she is running..

how to keep yourself relatively free of huge vet bills???

I've got one that is just like that....he has two speeds; stopped and going full blast through whatever is in his way! To answer your last question first; I am currently using PetPlan insurance with a $200 deductible. Thus far it has been pretty good on the basis of one smallish claim. The real test is going to be whether they pay my $2500 claim that I filed a few weeks back. It was for the orthroscopic surgery for OCD (cartlidge tear in shoulder) on my pup several months back. You think 7-10 days in a crate is bad....before they did surgery, they wanted me to keep him crated almost 8 weeks to see if the OCD would clear itself up (which it didn't and seldom does). This was bordering on cruel and unusual punishment on a 6 month-old (at the time) GSP puppy! I wish I had gone to the orthopedic specialist as soon as it happened. He would have been back to normal in less than a month (actually he was back to normal the day after the surgery...but just to be safe we kept him confined for a couple of weeks and then eased him back into his routine).

Randy

[fuzznut]

I hate when one dogs gets hurt and has to go to the vet. At our house, it always seems that one trip to the vet, always turns into 3 somehow. One dog does something stupid, then 2nd dog does something, and it never fails that a 3rd will follow suit... all within a week or so! It's become a running joke at my vets office. I think they time their mortgage payments on us.

Couple of months ago, little BT puppy decided to taste test some mouse poison...rushed to vet- $450 (turned out fine!)
2 days later older BT decided to take on an adult groundhog and got the worse of the fight.... $250
3 days later goofy GWP decides to jump the fence and gets her hind leg caught.... not a pretty site and cost us almost $600 for repairs.
All dogs are fine and dandy... I'm just a bit poorer.

I think after owning dogs for a whole lotta years, you begin to know what things have to be vet checked, other things will heal just fine with a little home remedy and some TLC. It also helps to co- own dogs with your vet. Best thing I ever did was give a puppy to my vet! Lost the money from selling that little one, but saved me a ton over the next 10 yrs!
Fuzz

[snips]

I am wondering if that jump the fence thing is a wirehair thing????

[fuzznut]

Brenda.... Yuppers. 6 ft from a stand still. If they want out, they will figure a way out. Mine never go anywhere, except to sneak into the house to be with us. That's why GWP's make rotten kennel dogs! Ya can't keep in one.
Fuzz

[snips]

Thats my guy, flat footed goes 6 ft over the run without lid:( Opens sliding doors if he wants in or out, so gotta lock everything upon leaving. ugh. :roll:

[Georgia Boy]

Thats why my kennels have tops and locks on them.

[kylenicholas02]

Went to the vet for my yearly shots.. $593.10 later, we were allowed to leave... and I get a 20% discount.

[vzkennels]

That's why most of us give our own shots.

[nj gsp]

Let's see... In the last 30 days, we've had to go through the rounds of vaccinations for licensing, heartworm tests, my shorthair tests positive for lyme, so we go for the full lyme panel on that one (turned out negative) and a "misunderstanding" between a few of the boys that led to a trip to the vet and some stitches & antibiotics. Frontline for everybody, Rimadyl for the old girl, Heartgard for almost everybody and Revolution for my GSP. So lessee... I'd say we racked up a couple thousand in vet bills in the last thirty days.

[BigShooter]

. So lessee... I'd say we racked up a couple thousand in vet bills in the last thirty days.

Good thing somebody's helping them earn a living so the vets are around and available when we have emergencies!

[ezzy333]

Hang in there. I am sure you will get help as soon as they get through screwing up the automobile and health care areas. Probably have to have insurance for all pets.

Ezzy

[Reech]

I take my vet hunting with me. He enjoys hunting over my dog. This year he gets to go twice!

My vet does not charge an office visit when its time for annual shots. When my dog came up lame last New Years Eve Day It was decided to shut her down for the summer and evaluate her. Even tho there was a visible mass on the x-ray he was not in a hurry to operate. He never charged me for any office visits or revisits while we tried to diagnose why she would be lame one day after running hard and not the next day. Took 5 months - multiple office visits and he only charged me for Rymadyl. I get my Revolution flea and tick at a good price for 2 dogs.

When it was decided to do exploritory surgery it cost 259.00 for the total bill, pain meds, IV and for her to be put under antibiotics and some more rymadyl. Re-visit 2 times after surgery - Zero Dollars.

He found a half inch piece of corn stalk made its way to the back of her right leg and a cyst formed around it. I am fortunate, I found a vet that likes what he does very much.

Me