[Sariss]

I looked up that clinic, and it appears that they are a non-profit organization that heavily subsidizes costs. Unfortunately, not every clinic can do this..

[Sariss]

Do you have holistic vets nearby? They may be able to give some insight.

It's so odd, yeast infections are often easy to take care of. We usually do something like Burows solution for a week or two, then every other day as maintenance. If it's something bad, we use something like Surolan, Otomax, Mometamax, or Aurizon, none of which should be used long-term.

Hopefully you find something that works.

[Alty]

The Rascal Unit Hospital that I have been posting about, the reason why I know about them is 2 times a month they bring their Van to the local Humane Society and spay/neuter 100-130 in one day. There's 3 Vets, and 8 techs that come with them. I have an almost two year old cat that has 27 toes. Along with that defect he also only "dropped" one testicle. They had to cut his stomach open and do exploratory surgery to look for his other one. After doing this they came up empty and took him back to the hospital with them and had a tech bring him to us 2 days later. We took him back to the mobile van 2 months later so they could do a blood test to she if he had any of his male hormones still which he didn't. After all of that I paid and I still thank Michelle every time I see her for going over and beyond for one cat. Her answer to me was, they can't help the fact that they were born, but as a vet I can make sure they live a happy and healthy life without bringing more un-homed babies into this crazy world. Michelle has even allowed me to watch a spay on a pregnant dog just so that I (as a volunteer there) could help explain what happens during surgery and how well they care for others pets. We've even had a woman bring in her 3 pits to be spayed them didn't ever come back to get them. In the town I live pits can not be adopted out other than to 501c3 rescue groups so Michelle came back on her own time to sign the dogs out (for medical reason) so that they wouldn't be "put down" and she found them responsible homes in a different county. Some Vets do have hearts and do care and are willing to go beyond what's expected. Others however I fear have the "How can we screw you today?" Outlook.

Love this post.

It's not that I haven't met vet that's really care. I have. One.

The rest, it's "Your dog has a yeast infection, but spend a few hundred more dollars to do a swab which we know will show as a yeast infection because that's what it is, do an allergy test for a few hundred, because you care and you'll do it, and we want the money. Oh, guess what, it's the same thing as last time, here are the same drops. That will be 0. See you soon".

Why even bother? The only time a vet visit has actually helped one of my pets, was with the one vet we found with Silver, my poodle. I got him when I was 11, he died when I was 27! I'm 43 now! I haven't found a vet that even comes close since then. I've spent thousands, probably enough to buy a new house, on tests that never give a diagnosis, on meds that don't help, on appointments with more tests I can't afford that don't help, on putting my animals down after hundreds of dollars in tests that didn't help, because there's nothing else I can do.

I'm just done. If one of those vets had actually helped any of my animals, then maybe I wouldn't care about spending all the money. I'm mad because I did spend the money, and all but one of those animals died anyway, after thousands in vet bills. I get it, you can't diagnose everything, but once would be nice. Save one of my pets, that's all I'm asking for. Why should I trust them when they've never saved even one, or even helped them? Just a bit of help would make it worth it.

[LadySam]

Love this post.

It's not that I haven't met vet that's really care. I have. One.

The rest, it's "Your dog has a yeast infection, but spend a few hundred more dollars to do a swab which we know will show as a yeast infection because that's what it is, do an allergy test for a few hundred, because you care and you'll do it, and we want the money. Oh, guess what, it's the same thing as last time, here are the same drops. That will be 0. See you soon".

Why even bother? The only time a vet visit has actually helped one of my pets, was with the one vet we found with Silver, my poodle. I got him when I was 11, he died when I was 27! I'm 43 now! I haven't found a vet that even comes close since then. I've spent thousands, probably enough to buy a new house, on tests that never give a diagnosis, on meds that don't help, on appointments with more tests I can't afford that don't help, on putting my animals down after hundreds of dollars in tests that didn't help, because there's nothing else I can do.

I'm just done. If one of those vets had actually helped any of my animals, then maybe I wouldn't care about spending all the money. I'm mad because I did spend the money, and all but one of those animals died anyway, after thousands in vet bills. I get it, you can't diagnose everything, but once would be nice. Save one of my pets, that's all I'm asking for. Why should I trust them when they've never saved even one, or even helped them? Just a bit of help would make it worth it.

I'm wondering if Chewy's problem lies a little deeper, in the middle ear or perhaps has had a ruptured ear drum, when you consider the anatomy of the ear.

[J_9]

I'm talking about pet owners. If one vet charges $370 for a spay, and another, in the same town, charges $130, then something is obviously wrong.

Exactly. Something is obviously wrong with the pet owner for not doing his/her research.

[Sariss]

WHY are you with the same vet, Alty?

[Lucky098]

Vet care is expensive... which is why I urge people to do yearly blood work (Catch things early) and don't wait until payday two weeks after initial symptoms appear before you take your pet to the vet.

SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. Believe it or not, a lot of financial heartache can be saved by spaying or neutering at an early age. An older pet came in not too long ago with pyometra. The dog died from it and the people are looking at a $500 bill with no dog to show for it. But if they were to have gotten her spayed at 2-3 yrs (or younger) the bill would have never been created in the first place.

Vaccinations, I think, are a personal preference and should be a choice once the dog hits 3yrs of age. Sorry, but you cannot tell me that a dogs immune system is crappier than ours. Everyone I know who has had a rabies vaccine still has immunity 10-15 years later, yet our dogs need vaccinated every 2-3yrs. Rabies and rattlesnake is the only vaccine I keep up with. Parvo/distemper.. my dogs are considered low risk and I just don't vaccinate. So do your own research and understand the consequence of either vaccinating or not vaccinating and live with the choice.

The vet I work for his not rich by any means. She has fair prices. However, in dealing with the rescue, people get their dogs neutered for $300+. These are "big city" vets and I feel as if they gouge and take money for no reason.

Another way of keeping the price down... GO TO AN ACTUAL VET! Not Banfeild. You're not saving money.. you're spending money on tests that are unnecessary for your appointment at that time.

Bottom line is, pets cost money, the same way kids cost money. Kids need to eat, and they need quality food. Same as dogs and cats. And it is so unfortunate that people think that a free dog is just a free animal. The only way this is going to change is with public education on animals and their care. And for the 100 people that blow you off and think you're a b---- for telling them that dogs cost money, at least 1 or 2 people will rethink their choices and make a right choice!

Puppies need vaccines. Kittens need vaccines. Don't let your dog get into things and allowing animals to live outside 100% of the time doesn't give you the opportunity to catch sicknesses early so that they are cheap (for the most part).

Pet insurance is also an option. Its not like our insurance, but it does help. People need to be educated about pet insurance. Everyone has a couple of 100 bucks stashed away some where.. wouldn't it be nice to get 80% of that money back? PET insurance will do that for you.

My animals have cost me so much money this year, medically, that its almost not right. But I found the money and paid for it. And in working with clients, most of them will find the money if there is a positive outlook for their pet.

But yes... medical care for our pets is not cheap. I wish it was.. but honestly, you get what you pay for. You pay for a cheap vet, you leave unhappy. You pay for a relatively expensive vet, you leave happy. Kind of strange, huh?

[Alty]

WHY are you with the same vet, Alty?

That vet clinic is the best I've found in and around my area. I'd be willing to go further out, but as of yet I haven't found anyone better, which is probably why I'm so bitter. They haven't helped a single one of our animals, I've just spent thousands after thousands to get medication that does nothing, only to have the same issue over and over again, or to lose my pet completely because they didn't have answers even after all the tests they could possibly perform.

But they're the best I've been able to find. The rest are either more expensive, or the same cost and same results. :(

[J_9]

I have the same problem with Xander and his ears. All I can do is clean them continuously.

The problem, if I may play Devils Advocate, is that a pet owner should research all costs of owning whatever pet they choose. This includes vet care and the high costs should there be an emergency. I'm sorry to say, but if it doesn't fit into the family budget, the family should not own a pet.

Unlike a child, a pet is a choice. Not all pregnancies are choices, but having a pet is a choice and with it goes along the costs.

I don't mean to sound rude, and I would die if I had to lose any of the 3 dogs I have left at home. However, when the next one crosses over, which shouldn't be too long from now, I won't be getting another one because it's just not affordable.

I've never lived without pets, but the roof over my children's head, and food in their mouth comes first.

[Alty]

I don't mean to sound rude, and I would die if I had to lose any of the 3 dogs I have left at home. However, when the next one crosses over, which shouldn't be too long from now, I won't be getting another one because it's just not affordable.

J, please don't be mad when I say this, and feel free to correct me, but you've been complaining about your finances for years. I get it, I have too. But I've never said that I wouldn't get another pet because they're not affordable. We make due, they get the care they need, and my family doesn't suffer because of it. They have food on the table, a roof over their head, and all the things you mentioned. Plus we have our animals.

Having said that, the last dog you got, you got after we got Rascal, if I remember correctly. You weren't any better off financially then, than you are now, from what you've posted. So how can you chastise others for getting a pet they can't afford, when it's pretty clear you did the same thing? Heck, you even said you wouldn't get another after one of the 3 dogs passes, because you can't afford it. You couldn't afford it then and you still did it.

I think everyone agrees that a roof over our children's heads, and food in their mouths, come first. But saying you should budget for a pet and all possible emergencies and the cost thereof, that's like saying, in the US, if you have a child, budget for that child having cancer. If you don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank, don't have a child. If you can't afford every emergency that could come along, walk away.

That's just not reasonable.

[J_9]

I'm not chastising anyone. Just making an observation. However, I DO have pet insurance through my work. I also have a $2,000 emergency fund put aside for anything we might need. Whether it be tires for the car or a vet visit. We don't touch that money unless there is an emergency.

One thing I have on my side is that my vet is a hunter and my husband is a gunsmith. They tend to either trade services or discount each others services. When Dixie get's fixed it will either be free or cost us 50% less usual costs depending on if the vet has any gunsmithing needs.

You are reading the rest wrong. Owning a pet is a choice. One that you must budget for. While many times children are a choice too, many times they are not. There is a HARRUGE difference there.

While our beloved Mick will be leaving us soon, how soon I'm not sure, and that will leave us with 2 dogs rather than the 4 we are used to. However, with the current economy and the changes in the work-force due to this new forced health care insurance, we won't be replacing Mick even though I have pet insurance and get a discount at the vet. It's just not feasible right now. Does that break my heart? Sure it does. Of course it does. However, once she is gone, I can't afford another pet, therefore we won't be getting one. And I mean no disrespect, but I know where my priorities lie, and they don't lie with replacing the dear dog, that is lying on my feet as I type, once she passes.

When Kimmie had parvo, we paid $1,500 to get her healthy again. She spent a week in the hospital with IVs for medication and hydration. I can't imagine how much that would have been without our discount or the pet insurance.

The fact remains that being a responsible pet owner means doing the research into veterinary care and it's costs as well as all other costs that go into being a pet owner. If it doesn't work into your budget, then you can't own one. Again, owning a pet is a choice. A choice one should be prepared for at all costs.

[J_9]

Oh, and you are reading into this all wrong. You are wearing your heart on your sleeve. I'm not talking about you personally, I'm talking about people in general.

[J_9]

When I first read this thread I thought Alty was talking about vets and pet owners in general. I, in no way, was intending for her to take this personally.

Since this has turned personal, not generic as it began, I will be backing out of this conversation completely before friendships are put in jeopardy.

[joypulv]

I'd like to go back to ear infections, which is what I've been dealing with for years now. My JRT isn't just short, she's got the shortest legs I've ever seen on a JRT. My last dog, a golden, never had an ear infection. Ergo, I think it has something to do with being close to the ground, although I'm not saying that's the case with all ear infections. Cleaning her ears is more work now that her ears are all thick and crinkly from hematomas.
It was costing me $140 for each swab and exam and treatment. I see the beagle was costing more. A vet 'exam' is obligatory these days, even if the dog was just there the month before, and even if it's cursory. Taking a page from the MD book.

What is mainly bothering me about ear infections is the wide variety of information floating around about them, both on the net and among vets! One vet told me peroxide, another said no, oil. Some say dark brown means one thing, some say puppies only get one not the other, And so on. AND if yeast in humans is treatable with OTC products, why can't we buy products for yeast in dog ears? And if the infections keep coming back, why isn't there more information about why? We just keep going back for more tests, more drugs. Why wasn't I warned about ear shaking and hematomas? One vet pressed the blood out (when it was new) and said if it came back he'd do surgery, and of course it came back - wouldn't it come back if he did surgery, because of still shaking?

[Sariss]

With hematomas, the surgery generally fixes it because of the way they compress the ear. But nothing is ever guaranteed, of course. Some vets use oral steroids to take care of hematomas.

On the exam note - yep! When people learned they could sue vets, exams started becoming more regular. If s dog comes in for say, an ear infection and the vet just dispenses medication without an exam, and it turns out the dogs ear drum is ruptured, they can get sued. Same with an eye infection, if they dispense eye meds without an exam and the dog has an ulcer, if the eye then melts because the wrong meds were used, the vet can be sued.
Vets are trying to get away from Rabies clinics too, because if a vet gives a dog a vaccine without an exam and the dog was actually unwell (but a temperature was never taken because there was no exam) and the pet dies, they could be sued.
It's not even just sue-happy people. The regulating body of the veterinarians are requiring these exams, and the vets risk losing their license, and therefore their job, if they are caught.
It's generally not the vet trying to be unreasonable and money-grubbing. It's because he fears the powers that be, that will take away his job if they catch wind.

[joypulv]

That was very informative, thanks, Sariss.

[Lucky098]

I read an interesting book about health issues and dog food being related to skin infections (ear infections). And if you think about it, why wouldn't the two be related.

I don't know what you guys are feeding your dogs, but quality food is a must in keeping your pets in optimum health. You are what you eat, if the pet is eating, lets say Ol' Roy, than you're going to have issues at some point. The food is not quality and the ingredient are not quality either.

This book was centered around the raw diet and all of its benefits, and I have a tendency to agree with it. I'm not pushing to feed raw, but I just think its some food for thought. Maybe a diet change, one with no grains and possibly one source of protein, is an option for dogs with chronic ear infections.

Also, anatomy plays a huge part. Sometimes dogs are just not built right. Maybe these dogs with chronic ear problems have very narrow ear canals causing debris to be stuck down there. In which case, staying on top of ear flushing and cleaning will greatly benefit you.

Just because the dog isn't itching at its sides doesn't mean the dog isn't having an allergy to something. Ears are a dark and moist place, where yeast and bacteria love to live! All it takes is slight irritating and couple of shakes or itches and, ta-da! Ear infection!

[Lucky098]

And J, I agree with you! I didn't read everything you wrote, but the few things I did read I do agree with.

Pets are a choice. And its sad that so many people decide to pick up these free puppies and kittens, or pay (at the most) $50 for them and expect them to never get sick or need medical attention.

Pets are a luxury, they are not a necessity. Just like a cell phone, they are a luxury. People think that they need a dog or cat because they see others, who really enjoy their pets, and want that for themselves. They don't think about vaccines, surgeries or maintenance to keep them healthy.

[Alty]

When I first read this thread I thought Alty was talking about vets and pet owners in general. I, in no way, was intending for her to take this personally.

Since this has turned personal, not generic as it began, I will be backing out of this conversation completely before friendships are put in jeopardy.

J, I apologize. I did take your post personally, and after reading it again, I realize that you didn't mean it that way. This is about vets and pet owners in general. Sadly, sometimes general conversations can become personal. You know how it is.

Please don't feel you need to back out of this thread. Your opinion is important, and just as valid as anyone's. Our friendship isn't in jeopardy just because we may not agree on certain things.

(((hugs)))

[Alty]

And J, I agree with you! I didn't read everything you wrote, but the few things I did read I do agree with.

Pets are a choice. And its sad that so many people decide to pick up these free puppies and kittens, or pay (at the most) for them and expect them to never get sick or need medical attention.

Pets are a luxury, they are not a necessity. Just like a cell phone, they are a luxury. People think that they need a dog or cat because they see others, who really enjoy their pets, and want that for themselves. They don't think about vaccines, surgeries or maintenance to keep them healthy.

I do agree that pets are a choice. I chose to rescue or adopt every single one of my pets, and at the time of each purchase we had the money to afford their care. My dogs have never gone without their shots, or any medical care they need. Nor have my rabbits. I will admit that if one of the gerbils gets sick, it's unlikely that I'm going to go to the vet. I'll do my best to treat at home, but the vet in my area really knows nothing about rodents. Same with the fish. If one gets sick, I'll do my best, but I'm not going to call a vet. The birds, they would get vet treatment. So far (knock on wood) they've never gotten sick.

Here's my issue. Yes, pets are a choice, and we did a lot of research for every pet we've gotten (minus the gerbils, I will admit those were an impulse buy. Or a parental choice. Jared had the money, he bought them, I allowed it. But as soon as we got home I researched the heck out of them). For every pet we've gotten we did the math for their care, and put money aside. Then times got tough. Very tough. It fluctuates. It seems that every time we get a pet we're okay, and then shortly after something happens and we're not okay anymore. Story of our lives.

That's why I mentioned that maybe only the rich can afford pets. Hattie, if you lost your job tomorrow, and couldn't find work again right away, could you afford your pets? Could anyone on this site?

When I take on a pet, it's a lifelong commitment. I don't believe in re-homing, passing a dog from one place to the next. Having said that, if one of my dogs were extremely ill and I couldn't afford the vet care, I would consider giving my dog up to the humane society hoping they'd be able to help my dog. I love my pets enough to let them go if it's for their best interest. But I've thought about this a lot lately. I've told people on this site that if they can't afford vet care, they should consider giving the dog to someone that can. But who would take a sick dog? The humane society would likely just euthanize the dog if the issue was too big. So wouldn't the dog be better off staying with me, with someone that loves him?

The economy sucks right now, and vet care isn't cheap. I don't know many people that have a few months worth of pay saved up just in case there's an emergency, and in my neck of the woods, an emergency can cost upwards of $7,000. That's what my neighbor spent on her cat when he had to have surgery. This was around 10 years ago, so you know the price has gone up. Her cat was given a 20% chance to live, had to spend 3 months at the clinic, and the cost was over $7,000. He survived. A few years later he had the same issue, another surgery, another $7,000. He died a few years ago. She used to say that she had the most expensive cat in the world.

Another friend got a hamster at a pet store. She'd had him for less than 24 hours when she noticed he was sick. She was already attached. She took him to the vet. I don't remember what condition he had, but it required daily medication. That medication cost her $250 a month, for a hamster!

I don't know many people who could afford that sort of treatment for their pets.