Attention pet owners
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18,098
Likes: 1
From: Lake Stevens, WA
Attention pet owners
My record: $2,991.54
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in August, I noticed my cat Soichiro seemed withdrawn. He was sitting on a chair in the backyard and wouldn’t come inside. I went and picked him up and noticed he was very lethargic. Brought him in, and put food and water in front of him and he wouldn’t eat. Of course, all this happens at 3 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon when my normal vet is closed. I search the internet and a find a place that is open on a Sunday. I call ahead and let them know I’m coming since they closed in an hour. I drop $430 on an exam, blood work and xrays. They tell me he’s severely dehydrated and anemic with a red blood cell count at 14; normal being around 40-50 with anything below 35 considered severe. They tell me he needs to go to an emergency room and will likely need a blood transfusion.
Take him to the hospital and the news just got worse from there. He tested positive for feline leukemia using an in-house test which meant he probably wouldn't recover and even if he did, he would likely die within 2 years. To make matters worse, feline leukemia is highly contagious which meant my other cat Buster likely had it too. I get this news shortly after hearing that it would be anywhere from $1,600 to $3,000 to try and save him. That's on top of the $430 I had already spent. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night. The news did change for the better. Buster tested negative for leukemia and a lab test for Soichiro came back negative as well. Apparently false positives are not that uncommon for in-house leukemia tests. After several tests, a blood transfusion ($730 alone... ever heard of cat blood bank? Neither have I which is why it costs so damn much
) IV fluids and other stuff, it turns out he had Feline Mycoplasma which is an infection from either a flea, mosquito or another cat. About a month of anti-biotics and steroids fixed him of that. He did require a few follow up blood tests to confirm the infection was gone and he's doing well. So, with the initial vet visit, the hospitalization and follow up care, my total came to $2,991.54. At least I kept it under 3 grand. 
I figure if he has a good chance at a full recovery and I can afford it, I'll do it. I know I'm not the only one out there! Anybody else take a financial beating for their pet?
Here's the big one for the hospitalization...
Here's the lucky bastard himself.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in August, I noticed my cat Soichiro seemed withdrawn. He was sitting on a chair in the backyard and wouldn’t come inside. I went and picked him up and noticed he was very lethargic. Brought him in, and put food and water in front of him and he wouldn’t eat. Of course, all this happens at 3 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon when my normal vet is closed. I search the internet and a find a place that is open on a Sunday. I call ahead and let them know I’m coming since they closed in an hour. I drop $430 on an exam, blood work and xrays. They tell me he’s severely dehydrated and anemic with a red blood cell count at 14; normal being around 40-50 with anything below 35 considered severe. They tell me he needs to go to an emergency room and will likely need a blood transfusion.
Take him to the hospital and the news just got worse from there. He tested positive for feline leukemia using an in-house test which meant he probably wouldn't recover and even if he did, he would likely die within 2 years. To make matters worse, feline leukemia is highly contagious which meant my other cat Buster likely had it too. I get this news shortly after hearing that it would be anywhere from $1,600 to $3,000 to try and save him. That's on top of the $430 I had already spent. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night. The news did change for the better. Buster tested negative for leukemia and a lab test for Soichiro came back negative as well. Apparently false positives are not that uncommon for in-house leukemia tests. After several tests, a blood transfusion ($730 alone... ever heard of cat blood bank? Neither have I which is why it costs so damn much
) IV fluids and other stuff, it turns out he had Feline Mycoplasma which is an infection from either a flea, mosquito or another cat. About a month of anti-biotics and steroids fixed him of that. He did require a few follow up blood tests to confirm the infection was gone and he's doing well. So, with the initial vet visit, the hospitalization and follow up care, my total came to $2,991.54. At least I kept it under 3 grand. I figure if he has a good chance at a full recovery and I can afford it, I'll do it. I know I'm not the only one out there! Anybody else take a financial beating for their pet? Here's the big one for the hospitalization...
Here's the lucky bastard himself.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,792
Likes: 1
From: New Market, AL
Ouch. Emergency Vets make a killing in most places, especially if they are the only game in town. I have 4 dogs, 2 cats and 1 bird and I have had to go to my local emergency vet a few times. Luckily the bill was able to stay belwo $500, but my wife had a client that was charged over $1000 for some fluids and a dose of chalk.
The things we do for the pets we love!
The things we do for the pets we love!
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 59,369
Likes: 1,615
From: La Crescenta, CA
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,867
Likes: 3
From: The South
Yikes! My largest pet bill was just under $500. Our dog was really dehydrated once and needed an IV. The ER vet wanted to keep him overnight to see if he had any mental issues, which would have cost around $1400. We said no to that and took him home and kept a close eye on him. Once he got hydrated by the IV, he was back to normal. One thing is for sure, we always make sure he has enough water, especially on hot days.
