[treehugz]

so our dog was hit by a car. his leg is broken in two places and i'm waiting to hear from the vet about how much it's going to cost to set the leg or if they're gonna have to do surgery. it's added up to ~$250 already just for the x-rays etc. i'm panicking b/c we're barely scraping by as it is, and christmas presents were pushing our limits.

i don't want to be heartless, but the dog was a stray that we took in a month or so ago and i haven't really gotten attached to him yet. i can't just not fix the poor little dog's leg! i don't know what to do here...

anybody have any ideas... or support would be much appreciated.

 

[kittynurse]

Most vets (in my experience as a vet tech) will allow you to work out a payment plan. Most would also probably do some stuff at a reduced rate as well if you made the commitment to the dog and his wellbeing.

If you were a client at our clinic and approached us and said "look, I really want to help this dog but I can only afford to pay X amount each month" we would probably be ok with that.

Good luck and I hope he recovers.

Martha

 

[absinthe]

Here is a list of organizations that may be able to help.
http://www.petandwildlife.com/dog-in...vet-bills.html

I have known people who have both used IMOM and volunteered for them. They are awesome. Good luck.

 

[Seasons]

I'm happy to give support! I recently paid huge vet bills for our cat, who died despite the treatment. I don't exactly have money to spare, and if I hadn't paid the vet I would be almost debt-free now - but I'm SO glad I chose the treatment! Our kitty was a family member (despite, or maybe especially, because he began life as an unwanted stray - we adopted him and therefore promised him a better life) and I couldn't live with myself if I'd chosen money over his medicine.

You will be so glad you helped your dog.

:

 

[Caneel]

I agree with the pp about being upfront with the vet about not having the money. We were in the same situation one time and the vet accepted what we were able to pay weekly.

The worse they can say is no.

We are in sort of a similar situation right now with a 14 year old cat with a very expense health issue. I hope we are doing the right thing...

 

[treehugz]

okay, here's an update. just talked to the vet and we have two options. both breaks are pretty ugly and one is in a joint. i have to decide by tomorrow morning.

option #1: surgery with a screw in the joint and probably a pin and wires in the other break. the leg may still not heal exactly right and may always give him pain. cost is probably $1000-1200

option #2: amputate the leg. the pain will go away, it will heal quickly, and he'll learn to adjust to three legs. cost is probably $500-600.

geez, tough decision. thanks for the support, mamas.

 

[treehugz]

absinthe: thanks for the link... i'll check it out and see if any can help.

kittynurse and caneel: good idea. that would at least spread it out a bit. i'll ask the vet about payment options.

seasons and caneel: thanks so much! i needed to hear that this is doing the right thing. with money so tight right now, i guess i feel guilty spending on anything.

 

[Seasons]

You are definitely doing the right thing. I still feel so relieved that I spent the money and gave my cat a chance at recovery. I couldn't have chosen to let him die - no treatment - without being ashamed of my soul, you know?

There will always be another chance to earn money.

(#2 sounds positive - and it's truly not THAT much money! whew!)

 

[wannabemoms]

Posted my experience with amputation in the pet forum.

About the $$....yes, be upfront with your vet. If you have a good relationship established, and you can speak privately (ie not in front of other clients) he/she will likely be agreeable to a payment plan. Ours was very helpful on this front...our dog ended up having 2 surgeries at over 1000$ each. I feel your pain.

 

[Scribe]

Which leg? How big is the dog? How old? I'd need to know those things before I'd advise on whether or not to do an amputation.

 

[Alyantavid]

We just went through a hefty vet bill with our dog that we ultimately put down. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't help an animal in need, particularly a pet.

I agree with everyone else, talk to the vet.

 

[Purple*Lotus]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog, I hope he gets better quickly and is not in a lot of pain

:

 

[treehugz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by avengingophelia Which leg? How big is the dog? How old? I'd need to know those things before I'd advise on whether or not to do an amputation.

the dog ("buddy" is his name) is around 8 months old and medium size, maybe 30 pounds? and he was a perfectly happy and healthy pup prior to the accident. we are on 16 acres of woods, and he is an outside-only dog. it's a hind leg that would have to be amputated.

 

[pitter_patter]

I would do the amputation, he's a young dog and it is a hind leg. My daughter's kitten was stepped on by a dog, breaking her left hind leg. We amputated and she's recovered very easily and can keep up with our other cat just fine. She was a young kitten at the time, which helped her adapt. Our vet was willing to work with us, we paid 1/2 up front then broke the remainder into 4 monthly payments.

 

[Scribe]

I think I'd do the amputation in this case. For a small, young dog and with a hind leg, the chances of the amputation being successful are high.

I hope this works out for you and your dog. Keep us updated, OK?

 

[punkrawkmama27]

I am a vet tech too, and know how much a vet bill can be! Most vets I have worked for have asked for most of the money up front or they wont treat. Though, veterinarians get into this field of work to help animals, and if you explained it to them, maybe they could work out a payment plan.

As for the amputation, the dog is young, and it is a hind leg (I have assisted in this surgery before for dogs with bone cancer or that were hbc and they come back in later for rechecks or their yearly checkups and they learn to adapt to using just 3 legs just fine, and get around). I think it is so great that you have the heart to help this pup! I hope it all works out for you and Buddy!

 

[kittynurse]

I think amputation is probably your best option in your situation.

Like the others said, a young, medium sized dog should have no trouble adjusting. I am always amazed how well animals do after amputation.

Good luck and

for you and your pooch.

 

[WC_hapamama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittynurse I think amputation is probably your best option in your situation. Like the others said, a young, medium sized dog should have no trouble adjusting. I am always amazed how well animals do after amputation. Good luck and for you and your pooch.

I used to volunteer with an animal rescue group, socializing the animals in the center, and I was always surprised with how well cats and dogs adapted with losing a hind limb. There was 1 large dog, about 2 years old, that lost her rear leg, and she could get going pretty fast, practically dragging the person on the other end of the leash.

 

[JenniferH]

My vet lets me write post-dated checks. They don't bill, so it's the only way I can pay them.

 

[treehugz]

just talked to the vet and i decided to go ahead and amputate the leg.

like several of you had suggested, he said that it would probably take at least 8 weeks for the leg to heal if we fix it, and since buddy is so young that it would be hard to keep him off the leg... so there's a good chance that it might not even heal right or that he could re-injure it. he also said that the leg would probably always give him some pain. also, he said the breaks were so complicated that he may go in to do the surgery and find out that he couldn't fix them and have to amputate anyway.

i just feel terrible for him. but thanks to all of you, i think this is the right decision... sounds like he'll get along fine and be just as happy with only three legs. he'll get to come home monday.

i asked about payment options and he said he would ask they clinic manager about it (but it didn't sound promising). we'll come up with the money though.