My daughter's dog was hit by a car last night

[tavernier]

and has a broken femur. The emergency vet said that he could keep him over weekend and do surgery on Monday. 9,000$. I haven’t had animals in years but this sounds like a very steep price. It’s a tiny Yorkie mix, 5 pounds.
She decided to take him home and see her own vet on Monday. She said he doesn’t act like he’s in pain but she couldn’t stand leaving him for the weekend.
Any advice?

Update:
She just talk to her regular vet who was able to see a copy of the x-rays. He said:
No surgery. He hesitates to amputate a leg on a puppy. He said the X-rays were crappy but he thinks it will heal ok on it’s own if we keep him confined to the crate for 6 weeks.
——-
Sounds like much better news!

[irisblue]

1. Did the ER Vet do X-rays & did she get copies if they did do films/a CD.

Is her pup in a soft cast? Pain meds?

[tavernier]

4. Yes, X-ray. No cast.

Doc said cast would do more damage. ? Pain meds. We are 1500 miles apart.

[Disaffected]

2. Vet bills are sometimes shockingly high but

$9K for a broken bone sounds pretty outrageous. Was there more wrong with the dog than a simple fracture?

[DeminPennswoods]

28. Not for ER pet hospitals

The fees are outrageous. None of the fees by themselves are outlandish, but they add up pretty fast. They want paid upfront, too, at least half of the anticipated bill. I spent over $7500 trying (and failing) to save one of my cats from a pylothorax.

[Chili]

31. yes

My sweet cat Sebastian had a stroke or seizure while sleeping, lost his vision and balance. Rushed him to the vet ER... they hoped it was not a tumor or worse, but gave a 2 week window to make sure. Was given antibiotics in case it was not serious and was a vestibular infection (similar to vertigo), which can be treated without permanent damage. Thank God that's what it was, otherwise... But he started recovering the next day, and by day 2, was close to being back to normal. Had to keep him in the house for 2 weeks, though (he's a stray/outdoor cat, but he likes sleeping in the house at night)... he was so restless, he drove me crazy!

But that visit cost $750. I still haven't recovered! But thankfully he has, and that's all that matters.

[DeminPennswoods]

32. Glad it turned out to be nothing serious

[Chili]

35. oh no, I skimmed your post, a terrible habit

I'm so sorry - it didn't connect about your beloved cat. That is a heartbreaking loss. We love them so much. Wish the costs would come down, doesn't seem fair. Even pet insurance is high, but affordable if you only have one pet. I have two dogs, am taking care of 6 stray/feral cats. That's $35 per month per pet - would cost $280 a month, for just basic care. It would be worth it, though.

for your sweet baby.

[DeminPennswoods]

44. No worries, but thank you

It's been over a year now. She was a stray that started hanging out on my back porch. Because of her coat (tortie/calicao), I knew she was a female and wanted to get her in, spayed and adopted. Except that process took longer than expected and by the time she was spayed, well... She was the sweetest girl, happy and confidant, never put her claws out. She just made herself right at home with my other two cats the minute she came in the house. She loved being outside though and somehow got this infection. I was heartbroken to lose her at only 3 or so.

The next day I went to the local Petsmart to just look at the cats to kind of feel better. Wouldn't you know, a litter of kittens had just arrived. When I went to the cage to check them out, a little tortie girl came right up and picked me out. I hadn't really planned on adopting a cat, but you know how those things go.

[Chili]

46. oh yes, know that feeling

I have dogs #7 & #8 now, but 1 through 6 all broke my heart when I lost them. I told myself, grieve for a week, then, start the search. I rarely make the week. They can never ever be replaced, but the chaos of bringing a new dog (or cat) into the home with other pets makes you focus on your new love, and gives us time to heal a little.

There was a 7th cat who the group accepted - very sweet passive boy. For two years he came and went, then had a horrific eye injury. He never let me near him, so I tried to trap him to take him to the vet - he got out of the cage and it took a month for him to come back. But he did. For a few months, he started hanging out, getting comfortable again... and then he suddenly just disappeared. Broke my heart again - he would never have just run off, something bad must've happened to him. I'll never know.

Our love for animals is both joy and pain. Hard to take sometimes.

[Karadeniz]

3. I live in a very small town. Our vets would never charge that. Dr. Jeff and Dr. Pol wouldn't charge

That. If worst comes to worst, amputation. Inexpensive and a small dog would never even notice.

[tavernier]

9. He said he wanted to amputate the leg and tail,

Which was also broken.

[Karadeniz]

40. That much money for an amputation?! Emergency vets!!!!!!

[Codeine]

11. Of course the dog would notice.

They’ll learn to function but pretending an animal will not miss a limb is patently ridiculous.

[Karadeniz]

41. I guess I'm patently ridiculous because, being an animal rescuer, that's been called for many times,

I've fostered them through recovery.... They're a lot more resilient than we are!

[samnsara]

12. i think amputation would be harder on the owner than the dog..i had a dog who needed...

..part of her jaw removed due to cancer. I was freaking out and thought my dog would be disfigured for life. Actually it wasnt even noticeable but still.. thats a hard decision for an owner to make. Dogs are like their kids...

[Demsrule86]

5. Call the vet and see if you can find a discount vet who helps people who can't afford this sort of

bill. My dog dislocated his hip. He is a pom. I took him to the ER vet they said they could do it for $7000 this involved shaving the bone so it didn't rub and leaving it alone otherwise or they could try to reset it for 1300.00 We tried the reset...didn't work. I called the animal welfare folks and vets and got the name of a discount vet...waited two hours. This worked you come and get a number and wait for your turn. This vet didn't do this but hooked my up with a great vet who helped animals who's owners couldn't afford such prices and it cost $900.00. ER vets are super expensive and if you can find a vet who does this sort of thing, it should cost much less. Call the dog welfare agencies see who they work with.

[samnsara]

6. is there a university near by with a vet school? will be cheaper...

..my dog is due for a 4K procedure Monday at a vet University.. 3 hours away...but its 4k vs 7k for a surgeon in Seattle to do it. Also all the vets have CreditCare..(or Care Credit)..which is a good payment plan. Human dentists use that as well.

My dog has a torn ACL and doesnt act like shes in pain either...

[Pachamama]

7. Sadly, I am afraid this cost is very real.

It is one of the reasons I have pet insurance for $75 a month. I have debated many times whether to save that money, although it covers annual vaccinations and wellness costs. Pays for 90% of vet costs (excluding pre-existing conditions). I sadly know too well from past sad experience and those of others that vet bills especially requiring surgery, blood work, anesthesia etc. can run in the 1000's if not Tens of Thousands.

Your daughter did the right thing, especially if he is stable and assuming she had it confirmed he had no internal bleeding. Emergency Vets do cost more. If your daughter can call and consult with her Vet that would be a good idea and also when she meets with the vet on Monday and takes her dog, to see if they can negotiate on the costs necessary to set his femur and the necessary surgery costs and even a payment plan.

I am so sorry this happened to her furry baby and I hope that her dog is going to be okay and your daughter is too.

[Rorey]

8. I think those emergency vet places are always very high

Back when we had dogs, our personal veterinary clinic was always on call for emergencies and were much more reasonable. Hopefully she can get him in before Monday.

[Peregrine Took]

13. True. ER vets are insanely expensive.

I think its terrible how much they charge. Should be investigated.

[LisaL]

10. Make sure the dog doesn't run anywhere before surgery so his injury doesn't get worse.

Keep it confined.

[Peregrine Took]

14. Did he give her anything for pain?

Small dogs are good at disguising being in pain.

[tavernier]

15. Not sure. We talked earlier but she didn't say.

I would imagine.

[irisblue]

17. When you talk to her double check about pain meds. Dog cannot jump down from anything right

[tavernier]

23. See my update in OP

Yup, he is crated.

[WVGal1963]

16. Care Credit?

I am soooo sorry to hear about this sweet pup! As animal lovers ourselves, my husband I have faced some enormous vet bills over the years, too. We applied for and got a Care Credit card when one of our beloved dogs, Jack, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. In the end, there was zero that could be done for him so while we ended up not needing the card, it brings us great peace of mind to have it in case of future emergencies. (And losing our little Jack was just devastating!!) It is also widely accepted at other places - - dentists, docs, eye doctors, national pharmacy chains, etc.

They offer all kinds of promotional pricing, too - -LOTS of _______ months same as cash! I’ve introduced tons of my friends to it and it has been a real lifesaver at times. So maybe, whatever veterinarian she ends up with can help her with this! Our initial quote for cost of treatment for Jack was $5200 and we were approved for that amount. Had we needed more, the actual office makes the call and asks for additional credit for you. (YES - - REALLY!!) It’s a really cool card to have.

Just thought I would offer this as a suggestion. Best of luck to her and her precious doggie.

[StarryNite]

18. I think she did the right thing by taking him home where she will give him the best care.

Confining him like others have suggested is also important. Keep us posted on what her own vet says on Monday.

[tavernier]

20. See my update in OP above... I just posted it.

[haele]

19. Hind or fore leg?

That affects eliminations drastically. She will also want to ensure the dog eats only small meals of soft food if she is going to wait for her own vet on Monday and keep her dog as quiet as possible. Concerning a soft cast causing more damage issue, it depends on how bad the break is, if the leg is shattered or just cracked. Amputating a tail broken near the base is unfortunately common; broken tails can get covered with sores and shit because the animal usually will never be able to raise it completely even if it heals.
I'm not a vet, but I took over when a neighbor's cat got clipped by a car a decade or so back, so I'm somewhat familiar with dealing with this situation.

Most importantly, can she call her regular vet for advice after hours today? I was able to do that, and my vet treated the neighbor's cat under my account two days later when her office opened.

As people elsewhere are telling you, ER vets are typically an additional 30 to 50% greater than normal vets during office hours. A broken femur is expensive.

Haele

[tavernier]

21. See the update I just posted on the original OP

And thanks!

[haele]

22. Good Luck!

And glad y'all were able to get ahold of her vet for the second opinion.

Haele

[MineralMan]

24. We had a cat that was clipped by a car. Her hip was broken.

The vet proposed some very costly surgery at the university veterinary hospital. Something like $10,000 back in the mid 1990s. We didn't have that kind of money, by any means. So, I asked the vet what would happen if we did nothing. She said, "Cats usually develop a false hip joint in that case. She would probably limp, but would probably do pretty well."

Since it was either that or put the poor kitty down, we opted for that. We asked if we needed to do anything special to immobilize the cat. She said that we didn't, and that the cat would pretty much move only as much as didn't hurt too badly. So, we brought her home, put a litter box next to her favorite place to lie, and fed her there, too.

After a couple of weeks, she started timidly walking around in the house, but moved pretty gingerly. After six weeks, she was back jumping up on the bed and had only a minor limp. After six months you would never have known that she had been injured. We took her back to the vet for another set of x-rays, and she had, indeed, formed a false hip joint, supported by new muscle development.

She lived to be 25 years old.

Always ask about alternative options for your pets. We have a dog with Cushing's disease. Our vet gave us a number of alternatives, including no treatment at all. I asked what that no treatment plan would look like. The vet suggested that dietary control could help the dog live almost as long as if we had the full (very expensive) treatment plan and that the dog would not know it had an illness at all.

So, we opted for no treatment. That was a couple of years ago, and our dog behaves no differently than before and seems perfectly happy and healthy.

[AirmensMom]

29. That sounds a lot like our story.

No cars involved, and it was the dog, a mix of probably heeler and who knows what. That size. He was walking around our property in the morning with my husband when the grass was wet. OK, fine, he was running because that's what he does. He likes to explore in our woods but always comes back out. My husband said he heard a little yelp and the dog came out limping. No punctures or blood, just limping.

We tried to keep him quiet, but this is a dog who actually "dances" for his supper. I have never been able to teach him to just sit politely and wait. Anyway, the vet looked at it when he was over here checking on the horse shortly afterwards. He said it was a torn ACL and he would require surgery, to the tune of $2K. When I asked about post-surgical care, he said he'd have to be leashed and kept quiet for 6 weeks. I asked him what would happen if we didn't get surgery, and he said he might limp for the rest of his life.

Shortly after that conversation, I had knee surgery. And I'm here to tell you that there is absolutely no way I would do that to an animal. Not a chance in the world. Anyone who has had any king of knee surgery knows what I'm talking about. Assuming the surgery didn't make him absolutely miserable, there was no way we would have been able to keep this dog "quiet" for 6 hours, much less 6 weeks. Sure, we could have crated him, but leashing him for his morning run just wasn't going to work.

Well, we never got the surgery and his knees are doing better than mine, about 10 years later. He still runs around the property and has no limp whatsoever. He'll be 14 years old in a few weeks. He has a little arthritis that makes him stiff after he's been napping on the concrete. (Who among us wouldn't be stiff after napping on concrete?) The fur on his muzzle is turning white. Other than that, you'd think he was a much younger dog.

I make no judgment about anyone else's choices, but we usually opt for minimally invasive treatments for our animals. I'm glad yours benefited from your obviously excellent care of them! 25 years is really amazing for a cat!

[dsc]

30. If you don't mind my asking just what diet are you using?

My dog has Cushings and I am doing meds (he is small so I can afford it) but I do see that every one in a while he gets to where he won't eat and gets sick so I stop meds for a bit, then he is back. At some point, I am thinking this will become more common. Thus the thought of possible alternatives.

[MineralMan]

34. My wife handles the animal feeding.

The dog gets some sort of special canned food, but I can't remember the brand. Expensive.

[Tracer]

36. One of my dogs has Cushings also.

He is 9 and is on Vetoryl and eats his usual diet --- Fromm dry plus a small bit of Fresh Pet added.

He has the swollen belly common in Cushings and had started to lose his fur. I decided to add Omega-3 to his food and it has helped a lot. His fur is starting to come back and he's doing well. (Using Omega-3 was recommended by my vet).

As for vet expenses --- wow yes! I spent $5,000 trying to save one dog from cancer and $4,500 on surgery on a new puppy to fish out part of a toy she had swallowed and got stuck in her intestines.

[Demsrule86]

33. I have been told by some that my dog who dislocated his hip would have recovered without

shaving the top of the hip to prevent rubbing I don't know but my DIL's Mom had a small dog who was hit by a car and the vet wanted to do all sorts of things they couldn't afford. They brought the dog home on pain pills to die basically. But the dog didn't die. Of course I have a sick dog right now that my vet has basically treated for the cost of meds...wonderful guy. The dog was poisoned-we don't know how- and had almost no red blood cells when I took him in. His red blood cells are better but he has an infection so he spent the afternoon yesterday hooked up on IV's getting fluids and antibiotics at the vet...sent home on antibiotics. The vet charged me nothing except for the cost of the bloodwork. Today I hand fed him some chicken and he drank still not moving much. He now he needs an antacid and Pedialyte so I am on my way to CVS to get it. I love this dog so much but all I can do at this point is wait. The dog is not in pain so he can stay home and die in my arms if it comes to that. He is a Pom. Animals add so much to our lives...and leave an empty place in our hearts when they go.

[ProfessorGAC]

25. Bummer!

Vet bills can be high, but 9 grand seems excessive.
I've known a couple people that had to get major work done on pets. Bills were stiff, but nowhere near $9,000 even adjusted for inflation.
Hope thing turn out ok for your daughter & the doggie.

[tavernier]

26. Especially when the alternative is to do nothing

per her regular vet. “Crate him for several weeks and see.”

He is so small and light I can’t imagine he would put undue pressure on it.

[smirkymonkey]

49. I agree, that is very steep.

My sister has a large dog - A Swiss Mountain Dog - who ate a shoe insert and had to have complicated intestinal surgery to remove it and it only cost $5,000.

I'm not an expert, but it seems like it would not cost more to set a dog's leg than to open up a dog's intestine and have something removed and sew them back up. That just seems excessive. If was the OP I would get a second opinion. And pet insurance. Poor little pupper! I hope it will be ok.

[jeffreyi]

27. Rescued one just like that a few months ago.

She was out in the desert. Probably fell out of someone's pickup truck. My sister found her. The vet put a cast on her leg to immobilize it. He said it would heal well due to her young age. $225 for the vet bill. We found a good home for her and she is as good as new today.

[Duppers]

51. Excellent! Excellent advice too.

[hamsterjill]

37. Was this one of the "corporate" ER's?

I find them repulsive in trying to take advantage of people at the worst time.

Thankfully, in this city we have a couple of one-owner ER clinics that stay open hours that regular vets are not available. These are not cheap, but I don’t think they just try to charge excessively for the heck of it like some do.

Glad the pup is going to be okay. Hope you’ve resolved the issue of this ever being allowed to happen again. They can get away fast!!!

[tavernier]

38. The one in the dog house is my SIL.

He was the in charge of the animals while my daughter was at the store. They live on a farm, a fair distance from the road, so he didn’t leash him walking out to the barn. They have two other dogs who behave well and stay on the property, but this is a new acquisition, and he is still very puppy mannered, full of desire to explore. And it’s my daughters dog, so she was climbing the walls when he called her from the vet. I’m betting the mood is very somber over there today.

[hamsterjill]

39. I'm betting a very valuable lesson was learned, too.

I’m just glad the end result wasn’t worse.

Hugs!

[Raine]

42. So glad the little one 🐶will be OK! ♥️ nt

[tavernier]

43. He is a real sweetie

Tried to make friends with my cat when they came to visit, but she wasn’t having it! But every morning he’d try again before getting swatted.

[Bayard]

45. Emergency vets definitely rip you off

They know if you're there, you obviously care a great deal about your pet. And there can be an element of panic. I've had to take dogs to the ER three times, and each one cost thousands of dollars. One did not survive.

We were very lucky to find a vet about an hour from us when our biggest Great Pyrenees boy blew out his knee. Major surgery, where he went into the joint, and basically tied it back together. Charged us just under a thousand dollars. Last year, Bear did the same thing to the other knee. Same vet, same procedure, same price.

$9,000 is simply outrageous.

[MustLoveBeagles]

47. I'm glad your daughters puppy will be okay

[TheBlackAdder]

48. Having had a farm with 70 animals, that is a ripoff.

.

The problem is that you need to find an old established family vet, which are now few and far between. There are so many vets in NJ, but the one I go to is over an hour's drive away, because they are great, they are reasonable, and they tell you what the scoop is. When you take your animal there, you are assigned a primary vet, but other vets will also look at the animal and they have a discussion as to the best treatment paths to take. So the doctors use each others skills, knowledge and observations before making a treatment plan.

I took my dog in for a foreign body embedded in his eye. The anesthesia, images, consult with 3 doctors, the removal, the meds afterwards came to just over $120 plus the most expensive thing charged--a $50 emergency visit cost bringing it up to over $170. Had I waited 3 hours, I could have gone in on an open window--but I had to be back at work. They said the other option was to take the dog to an ocular surgeon, which would have been a couple of thousand.

A lot of vets are now being bought out by animal hospital chains or are newer doctors who have a fuck ton of education expenses. Add on the cost of establishing a business if they are trying to do it on their own. One of the tricks they do is to play on your sympathy and then guilt you into buying health insurance for the animals.

We had a hose with colic and there is a well-known horse center that specializes in it, but they wanted $2,500 for the initial visit and upwards of $2-3K per day. We had to plan providing a $7,000 retainer. Now, this horse center treats animals in the $50K and higher range, not our older thoroughbred that cost us $1,500. Our vet, which specializes in both small and large animals, gave us guidance to treat the animal ourselves along with an initial visit from a mobile vet that ran $400.

.

[Duppers]

50. Glad to see your update.

Last edited Sun Dec 13, 2020, 09:16 PM - Edit history (2)

But I would seek other opinions & estimates.

Btw, there's a franchise network all over the country using the prefix VCA - this VCA corporation bought private, individual animal clinic everywhere. They are rather expensive.

We just spent almost $9K* on our big 5yr old Lab over the last yr. We lost her on Monday. 😭

I wish your grand-puppy the best. Please, keep us posted!




*Edited to correct a large charge I had forgotten to include.

[tavernier]

52. Thanks for asking!

Daughter said it went well today, small poop and ate chicken and rice. Is that TMI, lol 😂?

I would send along a little picture but I just can’t get photos to post here in DU. It’s so easy on Facebook and in texts so I don’t understand why it’s such a pain in the ass to do it in DU, but truthfully probably not so bad or us tech challenged dumbbells would be posting all sorts pics of puppies and kitties and gerbils and what not all day long. So best left this way, ha ha ha. Anyway he is about a 4 1/2 pound ball of white fluff and super duper smart. Until this happened he was trained to ring a bell hanging on the back door when he wanted to go out and do his business. He would abuse it once in a while but he knew what it was meant for. Pretty good for a 6 month old!

[Duppers]

53. Excellent for a 6mo old! 😁

Post a link please, as I did when I posted about my baby the other day. I'll click to see the little booger.

[tavernier]

54. Winston

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0-VbNn8t2ZaDhuGNFCU2tERlA

[Duppers]

55. Aww! He IS Adorable!

TY! 😁

[tavernier]

56. He looks yellow in that light but he is pure white.

A tiny little life. Glad he made it. Could have been much sadder.

[AngryOldDem]

58. AWWWW..what a sweetie!

[tavernier]

60. This is yesterday after the accident.

Such a pitiful face.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0V0QCuw1h02i4lOOrsQkLvufw

[AngryOldDem]

62. Poor baby.

[AngryOldDem]

57. Vets are just as bad as people doctors in terms of cost.

Back surgery for our Dachshund ran over a couple grand.

Vet wants to do an ultrasound of my old cat — $900.

What’s more, I looked into an insurance plan my vet was offering, and the damn cost of that was higher than MY insurance.

And, like people docs, before they want to talk about anything else, it’s always $$$$$$ first. My ex lost his temper when the emergency vet pulled that shit with the Doxie that was in great pain.

[Duppers]

59. Was the vet practice owned by a corporation like...

VCA?

If so, there's your answer.

[AngryOldDem]

61. With the Dachshund, no. The cat, yes.

The cat is a rescue and VCA was the clinic the shelter used, so I just stuck with it.

Every time I take him it seems there’s something else they want to do. He’s between 12 and 14, eating, voiding, and playing just fine, so I tell them we’ll wait and see. Otherwise, I’d be broke.

The ER we took the dog to may have been run by VCA — don’t remember — but where she had the surgery was a local concern. The bill was more than a few grand because we had to leave her there for awhile post-surgery. (Disk rupture — sadly all too common with the breed. She never fully got her hind legs back, and needs help going potty. But she’s 11 and full of vinegar otherwise.)

[Duppers]

63. I smiled reading your last sentence.

He sounds like a joy!

We adopted an older 10yo black Lab 2yrs ago but our yellow girl who just died was adopted as a puppy (from 1 of DUer's MiniMe's litters). She was only 5.

And so, we're now searching for a local vet not associated with VCA (we've been to unassociated vets locally but they're incompetent) to treat our older black boy. We've concluded just this past wk. that VCA vets are ripoff artists.

60 Mins is now covering the same problem with human medical costs. It's sickening. (The medical Corp just pd its out going CEO $13M severance pay!!)
And yet these dumbassed rethugs just scream socialism if we mention the ACA.

Wish we had an ACA for our critters.