Okay, so fiance takes kitty into the vet last night because he's really really sick. Congested, sleepy, not eating for a couple days. So she takes him in, and the vet says based on his congestion, and the fact that he has "balance issues" he might have cancer and a bunch of tests are needed. Basically, he's had some minor balance problems. Bottom line, they need to keep him overnight and run a shitload of tests. Tests come back, and of course he doesn't have cancer, he just has "a virus". A $433 virus with all the tests and medication. Additionally, for our other cat, a vet recommended a heart ultrasound to diagnose a heart murmur and recommend long-term medication, so we have to take our OTHER cat in for $500 ultrasound based on a vet's recommendation for "preventative" procedures.

I swear to god, I think these people are in business to MAKE MONEY primarily in many ways. I know this is a shitty thing to say, but these people have consistently OVERPRESCRIBED medication and OVERTESTED my cats forever. I just unfortunately had to put our third cat down in September because of kidney failure and so we're naturally sensative to doing "whatever it takes" but $1,000 later, with no clear benefit in the short term other than antibiotics which only should've cost $60-$100 is BULLSHIT.

Thanks for letting me rant.

we've (read:fiance) spent somewhere around 5k on our cat because of a liver disease, a broken hip and the fact that my fiance has money.

dude, i feel yr pain.
i think we've spent more on our cat in the last year than we've spent on ourselves.
but he has crf, and he's only 6, so what can you do...

Wow. I'm (still) never getting a cat.

I thought cats were disposable.

(Matt, did you say fiance? I didn't know this bit of information! Congratulations!)

Edit: My kid doesn't cost that much to take care of.

thanks, timmy!

hello?
congrats, matt.

Thanks Laura. I guess it's time to make a thread about that!

you should have gone to a kitty chiropractor!

we went through 3 vets and a load of tests, one operation, several mis-diagnosis, a popped lung due to overprescribed steroids, and paid what ended up being the price of a brand new small car just to find out from the 4th vet that he has a simple, common thyroid disorder which can be treated with a daily pill at a cost of about $18/month to refill.

fuck shitty vets! you gotta look around. our vet now kicks ass.

We had similar issues over the summer with our eldest cat. Too many probs. She had been breathing inadequately for a long time and her regular doctor said she had asthma.

So one week she keeps getting worse and worse, keeps throwing up, and I tell Josh she has blood coming from her eyes, he thinks it's just gunk and goes to work. Then a short while later I notice she really DOES have a little blood coming from her eyes and I call josh and then take her to the emergency vet as it's a saturday afternoon.

Turns out our cat has pneumonia and bronchitis and has to be kept in an oxygen chamber overnight and pumped with meds. The next day they transfer her to ANOTHER hospital where she's kept overnight. Oy.

All to the tune of a couple grand.

She still has a lot of probs, turns out she has really bad asthma after all and she's on two inhalers each day.

But she's a sweetie and we'd do it again in a heartbeat to keep her alive.

unfortunately, sometimes we folks with pets get to experience this kind of ineptitude... right now, I'm pretty happy with my vet, although he veers a bit on the lackadaisical side (I get freaked out about stuff with my dogs, and he just blows it off). Luckily he doesn't charge us out the ass for tests and whatnot.... actually his practice is fairly modest and small.

I would ask your friends to see where they take their pets. Also, your local emergency animal hospital might have a good idea of who are the better vets in your area. I know in Georgia, UGA is a reputable veterinary school, and if there are colleges that specialize in veterinary medicine in your area, it might also be worth a call.

The only thing I can say in the vet's defense is-- it's hard to tell what's wrong with a creature when they can't tell you what's wrong. Oftentimes, it is a guessing game, but at the same time, it sucks that you had to pay so much for it.

I'm glad your kitty is okay though... that's what really matters!

My dog is getting on in years so it's becoming a tough call as to how much we really want to spend when her vet visits come up.

On the one hand, the average life expectancy of a Golden is 11, so as much as it hurts we've got to be realistic about things.

However, we love her soooo much and want to do right by her. We don't want to find out that something could have been prevented if only we had sprung for that test 9 months ago.

A year ago we were guilted in to getting her teeth cleaned. Expensive stuff.

She's due for a visit soon. Just have to play it by ear I guess.

Steve

This is all making me want to get rid of my kitten before he becomes a monetary issue. I didn't consider the possibility of any of above complications. I won't spend money like that on him, no way.

Spade,

The things you mentioned are one of the main reasons I don't intend to own a pet.

I will always own a pet regardless of the vet fees. The first thing I do after I graduate is adopt a doggie and let it play with my birdie.

I know...I'm an insensitive bastard when it comes to pets. [/u]

You know, they have pet insurance now.

this should solve your problems.

I'm sorry, but if your pets ill, you put it in it's basket and if still alive in the morning there's nothing wrong with it and if it's dead you bury it in an old Doctor Martens shoe box.

My last cat lived to be 19 years old so don't give me any of this "oh your cruel" nonsense!