• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

$500 vet expense this weekend...cat with UTI.

alkemyst

No Lifer
Just a FYI to the costs of pet ownership.

$125 of it was due to the emergency fee, but just a simple aethesia and catheterization plus a couple nights on IV/monitoring adds up quickly.

 
Ugh... I just spent almost $900 for the same thing. Weekend emergency vet visits suck ass. They totally lied to me about the costs too. If they would have told me the cost up front I would have put him down.
 
I have forked over about $1500 in vet bills in the past 6 months. My bank account is choking, but my kitties are feeling better. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Xavier434
Originally posted by: krunchykrome
My gf's sister just spent $5000 on surgury for her dog. $500 is nothing to reconsider; $5000 is something to consider.

I have to ask. What happened?

She has a dachshund, and apparently they are prone to back injurys/problems. Im not sure what the exact problem was, but it had to do with the dog's back. The dog could barely walk, and it was obvious the dog was in pain.
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Just a FYI to the costs of pet ownership.

$125 of it was due to the emergency fee, but just a simple aethesia and catheterization plus a couple nights on IV/monitoring adds up quickly.

I just adopted a cat with a UTI. When I called the humane society vet to tell them the cat was sick, they just gave me some amoxicillin and eye ointment. It was free because she got sick at the shelter, but I doubt it would have been that costly if I paid for it.

Can someone tell me under what circumstances anesthesia, catheterization, and IV are needed? Should I be worried that my cat isn't getting the necessary treatment?
 
my dog just had a 4,500k operation.
TPLO surgery.. he blew out his back left acl.
dr.s say that theres like a 60% chance that his other knee will go cause of the nature of the injury... eeek
 
Originally posted by: kindest
my dog just had a 4,500k operation.
TPLO surgery.. he blew out his back left acl.
dr.s say that theres like a 60% chance that his other knee will go cause of the nature of the injury... eeek

My dog did the same thing 3-4 yrs ago, only 1400 though.

 
Originally posted by: pnad
Ugh... I just spent almost $900 for the same thing. Weekend emergency vet visits suck ass. They totally lied to me about the costs too. If they would have told me the cost up front I would have put him down.

man if you can't afford $900 and go to a vet that lies, you should probably rethink pet ownership.
 
Originally posted by: krunchykrome
My gf's sister just spent $5000 on surgury for her dog. $500 is nothing to reconsider; $5000 is something to consider.

Yeah, $5000 is something to consider, I will say that at that point euthanasia may be the only option for some families.

I would probably fork it out for one of the three cats I have now, but at the same time I couldn't see many able to be in that position.
 
Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Just a FYI to the costs of pet ownership.

$125 of it was due to the emergency fee, but just a simple aethesia and catheterization plus a couple nights on IV/monitoring adds up quickly.

I just adopted a cat with a UTI. When I called the humane society vet to tell them the cat was sick, they just gave me some amoxicillin and eye ointment. It was free because she got sick at the shelter, but I doubt it would have been that costly if I paid for it.

Can someone tell me under what circumstances anesthesia, catheterization, and IV are needed? Should I be worried that my cat isn't getting the necessary treatment?

When the cat cannot pee on its own. Minor UTI's can be treated with meds. The thing is with cats UTI's progress very quickly and it doesn't take much to put the animal into toxicity.

My cat pees alot and it was only a couple days we realized he wasn't being 'normal'. Usually at some point of the night he camps out in front of his water bowl and drinks and drinks. He had not done that either. On Saturday we were watching him more closely. We found out he was 'spotting' in different places of the house (corners, the newspaper recycle bin, etc). I felt his bladder and it was about the size of a tennis ball.

They drained over 1/3 cup of urine out of him. There was no blood and the catheter passed easily.

He is probably going to be fine, but they are still recommending a special diet for him now.
 
Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Just a FYI to the costs of pet ownership.

$125 of it was due to the emergency fee, but just a simple aethesia and catheterization plus a couple nights on IV/monitoring adds up quickly.

I just adopted a cat with a UTI. When I called the humane society vet to tell them the cat was sick, they just gave me some amoxicillin and eye ointment. It was free because she got sick at the shelter, but I doubt it would have been that costly if I paid for it.

Can someone tell me under what circumstances anesthesia, catheterization, and IV are needed? Should I be worried that my cat isn't getting the necessary treatment?

It depends on what level the UTI has progressed. I wonder if the OP's vets did those as a precaution until they figured out the real problem.

I just spent $600 on my cats. They were both in for free routine checkups + dental. My calico had elevated liver enzymes, and since the ultrastenographer was in the office coincidentally, I was able to get an ultrasound immediately. They found dense liver and inflammed pancreas and as such took a biopsy. Then the other cat had to have a tooth removed during dental cleaning because it was really fragmented.

I didn't realize until they started walking around at home that ultrasounds require shaving the abdomen. My calico looks super sad now: http://farm2.static.flickr.com...4147150_4136ca46fd.jpg
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst

When the cat cannot pee on its own. Minor UTI's can be treated with meds. The thing is with cats UTI's progress very quickly and it doesn't take much to put the animal into toxicity.

My cat pees alot and it was only a couple days we realized he wasn't being 'normal'. Usually at some point of the night he camps out in front of his water bowl and drinks and drinks. He had not done that either. On Saturday we were watching him more closely. We found out he was 'spotting' in different places of the house (corners, the newspaper recycle bin, etc). I felt his bladder and it was about the size of a tennis ball.

They drained over 1/3 cup of urine out of him. There was no blood and the catheter passed easily.

He is probably going to be fine, but they are still recommending a special diet for him now.

Thanks for the info. Looks like i need to do more research into what symptoms to look out for. It would take me a while to realize the cat wasn't peeing.
 
Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Just a FYI to the costs of pet ownership.

$125 of it was due to the emergency fee, but just a simple aethesia and catheterization plus a couple nights on IV/monitoring adds up quickly.

I just adopted a cat with a UTI. When I called the humane society vet to tell them the cat was sick, they just gave me some amoxicillin and eye ointment. It was free because she got sick at the shelter, but I doubt it would have been that costly if I paid for it.

Can someone tell me under what circumstances anesthesia, catheterization, and IV are needed? Should I be worried that my cat isn't getting the necessary treatment?

crap, lost my original post.

Basically if they are blocked (cannot pee) you need to go into advanced treatment.

My cat I noticed hadn't been drinking as much as normal so Saturday we watched him closely. We found he was spotting in a couple boxes we had lying around and a corner of the house. Only a drop of urine would come out. I felt his bladder and it was about the size of a tennis ball.

They drained over 1/3 a cup from him. Fortunately the catheter passed easy and there wasn't any blood.

In male cats UTI's can quickly progress poorly for the pet.
 
Originally posted by: yowolabi
Originally posted by: alkemyst

When the cat cannot pee on its own. Minor UTI's can be treated with meds. The thing is with cats UTI's progress very quickly and it doesn't take much to put the animal into toxicity.

My cat pees alot and it was only a couple days we realized he wasn't being 'normal'. Usually at some point of the night he camps out in front of his water bowl and drinks and drinks. He had not done that either. On Saturday we were watching him more closely. We found out he was 'spotting' in different places of the house (corners, the newspaper recycle bin, etc). I felt his bladder and it was about the size of a tennis ball.

They drained over 1/3 cup of urine out of him. There was no blood and the catheter passed easily.

He is probably going to be fine, but they are still recommending a special diet for him now.

Thanks for the info. Looks like i need to do more research into what symptoms to look out for. It would take me a while to realize the cat wasn't peeing.

Me too. Excessive or too little drinking is a more obvious clue to many problems. Sometimes they will hang around in the litterbox and seem to be trying to do something with no success too, from what I've read.
 
Back
Top