First Person: Coping With Over $3,500 in Vet Bills
Is it hard to raise four rescue dogs? It's a joy, until all four become ill. In three months we've paid over $3,500 in vet bills, and it is likely that another $2,500 will be required for tests and surgery on our oldest dog. Here's how we're coping with these unexpected high vet bills.
Set Money Aside
We set $1,000 aside for the yearly office visit, vaccinations and professional teeth cleaning of our four dogs. To save money we looked for a pet clinic recommended by the Humane Society. This saved us $1,400 off of treating our rescue dogs at our neighborhood veterinary hospital.
Empty Our Emergency Fund
When we learned that several teeth extractions would be required for our puppy mill rescues we emptied our emergency fund of $750, which also covered treatment for an ear and eye infection in our other two dogs.
Divert Income
That day we were also referred to an ophthalmologist, who confirmed that our youngest rescue dog was going blind due to a congenital eye disease. Veterinary treatment and ongoing eye drops came to $626, with $150 required every following month. To cover the unexpected vet bill, we diverted $800 from our income. This eliminated all fun supermarket treats from our shopping and, worse, prevented us from replenishing our emergency fund.
Spend Birthday Allowance
When our Pomeranian mix, Ketty, had a bladder infection the following month the unexpected vet bill came to $150. To take control of our recurring vet bills, we learned to groom our pets and keep them clean, which includes ear, vulva and anus cleaning regularly (as well as anal gland extraction). Though we saved hundreds with home care, we still had to purchase ear drops, antibiotic cream, flea and heartworm medication totaling $250. To cover the expenses we emptied our birthday fund of $400.
Accrue Temporary Credit Card Debt
Sadly, this month our oldest dog stopped eating, and tests indicated that he was suffering from liver problems. After charging $650 to our credit card, we are still waiting to see if Dorian will require surgery, estimated at $2,500. We intend to cover our vet bill over time by continuing to divert income as we can.
Though we do not qualify for financial assistance, it's important to note that there are charity organizations that will help families pay their vet bills.
More from this contributor:
How We're Planning to Save More than $12,000 this Summer
The Cost of Owning a Family Dog
How We Pulled Off a $2,250 Wedding
Published by Anni Sofferet - Featured Contributor in Business & Finance
Anni is a full-time freelance writer and owner, creator and designer of InventiveHomeImprovement.com, RationalSelfDefense.com, and MyMoneyLifeLessons.com. Her accomplishments on YCN include the Rising Star A... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentWe have 3 rescue dogs. Last year we spent over 7500 in vet bills as one ate a glove and required surgery to remove it along with 2 ft of intestine. Ironically, we were looking at buying vet insurance the week it happened. She was in emergency surgery on Christmas day after 5 days of vet trips for vomiting. She had two minor injuries earlier that year and a yearly skin infection that routinely costs us 1000. We have vet insurance and so far it's not been worth it. Our rabbit got sick and it paid only 100 of a $500 bill. Much less than the 50%+ they said it would pay. They got around paying by calling the procedure something other than what it was. We also had to submit vet records 5 times and then were told the condition was preexisting(it was bloat- they can live with bloat for maybe 12 hours, but apprently VPI thinks it can go on for 3 months). I don't know that I'd recommend pet insurance to anyone else after that.
I have Pet Plan which costs me 45.00 a month for 8000 a year coverage with a 100 dollar deductible. In the first year I had my dog the insurance more than paid for itself .... my dog was attacked by two large dogs and hospitalized. I had my reimbursement check within two weeks. Over the life of my dog I will probably pay out around 5,000 for the inevitable emergency call. It is a manageable price to pay for peace of mind.
#$%$ vets will send a pet owner into bankruptcy before realizing that there are some things more important than making loads of money.
I'm hoping the pet insurance we just got through ASPCA will help for future bills.
Pets are a big responcibility. Wish more people would consider this before bringing an animal home. They are a addition to the family and should be treated as such.
Count yourself lucky. In the last week, I've had close to $10,000 in emergency vet bills, more than doubling our previous debt.
I'll deal with it by paying off the credit cards and consolidating our debt under our home equity credit line with our credit union, reducing the interest rate from 13% to 5%. Some of our own medical debts, that I've been making separate payments on directly to the hospital, will also be consolidated under the home equity line. Even so, this is a hole we'll be years climbing out of.
Tal this is such an overwhelming thing to happen, your positive attitude is inspiring!