pet vet bill ( any cutoff limit )

Craig · Mar 1, 2007

For people with pets have you ever ran into a situation were your your pet vet bills were high and keep going up? How did you handle it? Do you have a cut off point?

I have a lab that has had ear problems his whole life. Some how he got a Hematoma ( sp? ) on his year. his ear was about two inches thick and full of blood. We took him in and he had Surgery on it. All the pet bills were about $2000. Every thing was good for about a month. I guess the surgery did not work because it's back and worse now.

Te vet wants to do surgery again for another $1500 or so ( might not work ). Or they talked about maybe cuting of his ear. I don't know how much that might cost but i am sure it is a lot. I don't know what to do.

They say I can leave it but it is painfull for him but it won't kill him.

JACKELOPE · Mar 1, 2007

number one imho if he's in pain, don't leave it...wether it will kill him or won't kill him.
how about a 2nd opinion?? that would be my next step.
but i guess if i was in your shoes and got the same results from a 2nd opinion, i would probably do the next $1500.00 surgery and hope for the best. my dog's like my kid at this point(i have no children at this point). cutting off his ear can't possibly be a good thing...there's got to be some protection provided to the inner ear like keeping dirt and stuff out that the ear flap provides. i'd be looking for a 2nd opinion before i did anything though.
i think we have an inherent responsibilty to do everything we can to keep our pets out of pain, keep them fed, warm, sheltered etc to the best of our physical and financial abilities. do the best you can with what you can afford in other words i guess.
my .02

Craig · Mar 1, 2007

here are a couple of pictures from today.

Craig · Mar 1, 2007

He is on pain meds right now tell we could figure out what to do. We are talking to a couple of vets to figure out the best outcome.

kilowatt · Mar 1, 2007

That's a tuff decision but would ask around for other Vet. Clink on this link here and send him a PM and ask him what and what not to do, might help.
Brian

txhunter58 is a Vet in Texas: http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/DCForumID5/9073.html

JACKELOPE · Mar 1, 2007

found this on allexperts.com:
Question
I have a 7 year old male golden retriever. He has allergies and is always itching and rubbing his face on the carpet. He had a hematoma in his ear that I got surgically fixed. About 2 weeks later, it came back. My vet put him under again and fixed it by cauterizing the vessels. Now, 3 weeks later, it's back again. I was wondering if there is something else I should be doing, and if it's ok to put him under again. I think this seems unhealthy. Also, what should I do for his constant itching and licking. My vet sometimes gives him steroids, but I don't want him to be on them all the time. Anything would help. I hate to see him so miserable.

Answer
If the hematoma was fixed properly it should not come back. Most hematomas are caused by the dog shaking its head from an ear infection. THis can be in the external ear or in the middle ear on either ear. Have your vet do a thorough ear exam.

As far as the allergies, low dose steroids used to control the itching and inflammation do not cause many problems. There is amedicine called ATOPICA that does not have the same type of side effects as steroids.

If you are not using an Omega3 fatty acid dietary supplement, now is a good time to start it. THese fats go to the skin and prevent the inflammation associated with allergies.

If you want to help the dog for the next several years, have him allergy tested and immunized against the allergens to which he is sensitive. THat really helps many dogs. Understand that tis process takes 9 months to a year to have any effect, so you are protecting the dog for the future. THat way the dog's skin does not overreact to allergenS

check these out:
http://en.allexperts.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=ear+hematoma

EdleBrock · Mar 1, 2007

I hate to give any medical type advice, but we had a similar problem just last week with an old blood hound.

This was the second instance, the first was about $1000 at the vet. This time we treated it ourselves. We lanced the ear and "expressed" as much muck out of it as we could, then injected a 50/50 solution of Betadyne and hydrogen peroxide directly into the ear flap, we also gave her a dose of Chephalexin. This routine was done daily and after about a week the swelling was almost gone and there was no sign of infection. The Betadyne and hydrogen peroxide solution acted as a sterilizer and drying agent. It appears that it's cleared up for the most part. That method was recommend by a retired vet that we know.

I hope I'm not out of place to make this recommendation, just something we did that seemed to work. With 7 dogs, 7 horses, a burrow and a steer, the vet bills are staggering so anytime we can treat them ourselves we do.

Good luck with yours, it's hard to seem them suffer.

ELKabong · Mar 1, 2007

Craig!!

I have been there!

Twice my 'ole dog (15, then 16 yrs old) had hematoma surgery on his ears.
It was only around $700 each time though.

The second time it happened, I tried "puncture" therapy for a while, but it wouldn't stop bleeding, so... surgery.
They go in 'an coterize the vein.
It's fairly common, I was told.
When they shake their head, their ears are like a whip, the blood vessel jus' breaks.

Tuff call, your dog might have re-injured it by shaking his head, but I'd have a serious talk with the vet about a no-charge re-do.

Good luck...

Russ

MontanaRover · Mar 1, 2007

Craig-
My chocolate lab had the same problem after getting in a fight with a chow. The vet did the usual cut and drain then pin cushion sewed the ear. Problem with this is it doesn't allow all the fluid to drain. The fluid pockets will gradually get larger and your back in the same place. He wanted to put him under and do it over again and I said no that I would take him home and take care of it myself. Took a piece of 1/8 th inch surgical tubing and cut a slit in the top and bottom inside skin of the ear. Then took a forceps and slid the tubing between the skin and ran it out the top and bottom about 3/8 of an inch. Sutured the slit closed. Worked way better than the vets idea as it allowed continual drainage, like a shunt, until the ear could heal from within. I did this with no anesthesia and it didn't hurt me at all. Didn't bother him too much either. Really easy surgery.

Craig · Mar 1, 2007

Well we got some good news. We found a new vet that will do the surgery tomorrow morning. The vet said he could do the surgery for under $200. Plus the cost of Medication.

The old vet that did the surgery said they would re do it for only $600. I don't think they will be seeing my dog anymore.

Thanks to everyone that helped and gave their thoughts. I will post some post op pictures of a happy dog.

JACKELOPE · Mar 1, 2007

good for you and the pooch...are you in washington state?

Craig · Mar 1, 2007

Ya. Olympia

wake1 · Mar 2, 2007

Which vet in olympia did you get the shaft from? I live in olympia and also and have pets. Don't want to give any money to the wrong one. I have used a vet in Tumwater that was excellent and now use mountain view on Yelm hwy.

bigbull1 · Mar 2, 2007

Had the same hematoma in my yellow lab's ear about two months ago, which resulted in surgery costing $650 (guess I'm lucky). The vet stated if it returned, he would surgically fix it again at no charge as rarely they do not get all the pockets sewn shut.

Sounds like your vet is making a good living and early retirement is in the near future.

Feel sorry for your lab to go through this a second time. Mine howled and moaned when I picked her up, telling me how bad the whole experience was.

Ed

30inchbuck · Mar 2, 2007

I am sure that like most lab owners they are your like your kids. When one is sick or hurting you will do whatever to fix the problem.

It looks like you found a better vet.

My daughter had a female choc. lab that has had a lot of problems with her ears. Basically the one that has the problem keeps getting infected. Trip to vet - vet cleans ear the have done both types of antibodies from ointments to pills.

Been to several vets for this same problem.

Has not came back for a while now - but we have spent a lot of money on her and do not have any regrets on the money at all.

I guess most vets are like todays medical doctors - always just practicing. HA HA

I think the next time gonna have her check for allergies - I am thinking that this is probably the root cause and the infection is just a symptom.

ridgerunner · Mar 5, 2007

Glad to hear that things are going be better, I've dropped more on my dogs vet bills than I've ever imagined I would but imo its worth it, and to date I haven't had one over $700 although a few $400 ER visits haven't been fun.

JACKELOPE · Mar 6, 2007

> Which
>vet in olympia did you
>get the shaft from? I
>live in olympia and also
>and have pets. Don't want
>to give any money to
>the wrong one. I have
>used a vet in Tumwater
>that was excellent and now
>use mountain view on Yelm
>hwy.

thats exactly why i was asking if he was from wa. state. just making sure.
thanks

huntingnut1 · Mar 6, 2007

Hey craig,
How is your dog doing? Good I hope.How long have you had her?

Craig · Mar 6, 2007

He is doing better. He went back to the vet for a checkup and everything is looking good so far. They left a little opening for some drainage. They said it will take a little longer to heal because it is all scar tissue. We take him back in three weeks to take half the stiches out then another week to take the rest out.

He hates the cone on his head. He is like a walking wrecking ball with that thing. If your in the way you are getting knocked over, Chairs, Kids, toys, nothing is safe.

predator · Mar 6, 2007

Glad to hear your lab is doing better....but look at that face, you can tell he hates the cone! Take video of the wrecking ball he is, perhaps you can send it into AFHV and make some dough to pay off his bills! LOL

One thing for the future that no one has mentioned here-how about pet insurance? After spending several thousand dollars over the now-14-year life of my baby boy dog, I looked into it for my now 3-yr old shepherd. Only cost to me is 27 bucks a month, and it covers surgeries and stuff.

As insanely active as she is, I figure that I might be better in the long run if she's covered. Even the vet recommended it, and I doubt he gets more from them than if I just paid him.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the link:

www.petinsurance.com

Pred

IAhunter · Mar 6, 2007

Although I'm pretty fond of the two we have right now, I wouldn't spend thousands on either. One of them (my daughters') is quite possibly the dumbest dog I've ever known. If it gets serious, they're gettin the needle.

I had a real good Springer three years ago that passed. She was 13 and the best dog I've owned. I would have spent several thousand to keep her around a few more years.