Hello,
I have a 12 year old cat, who, a little over one month ago, decided that she did not want to eat. After a couple of days of this, I took her to the vet, who decided that her condition was too serious and referred me to an animal hospital for treatment. The doctors, who were very good, informed me that she has a fatty liver condition, and all of the usual issues that go along with it (jaundice, dehydration, etc). She got very good treatment, and was released back to me in about 5 days with an e-tube placed into her neck. This stay at the animal hospital cost me about 5 thousand dollars.
So, since she has been home, she has improved tremendously. Instead of lethargy, she is running to the door to greet me when I come home, and she is gaining weight and grooming herself. She had started eating canned food on her own, although not enough to maintain her weight, so i also fed her through the tube.
Yesterday, while grooming herself, she began scratching the side of her neck, opposite of the e-tube. While doing so, her kitty kollar began to rotate and the e-tube got caught in the opening. I walked over to stop her, but by the time I got there, she had pulled the e-tube out of her neck. Yikes!
I called the animal hospital back, and after a lengthy discussion, they said that if they need to replace the tube, it will be at least a thousand dollars again. I simply cannot afford to pay for this procedure again.
She has nibbled on food here and there, and seems ok. But I'm worried that she will not eat the amount of calories to maintain her health. I know that the advice would be to go to the vet, but how long should i keep trying to let her eat on her own before making that very expensive decision? Also, since I live in NYC, is the cost of the e-tube procedure cheaper in other parts of the northeast? I have a car and would not mind driving further out (NJ, CT, Upstate NY) to save some money. Recommendations on vets?
Thanks!
I have a 12 year old cat, who, a little over one month ago, decided that she did not want to eat. After a couple of days of this, I took her to the vet, who decided that her condition was too serious and referred me to an animal hospital for treatment. The doctors, who were very good, informed me that she has a fatty liver condition, and all of the usual issues that go along with it (jaundice, dehydration, etc). She got very good treatment, and was released back to me in about 5 days with an e-tube placed into her neck. This stay at the animal hospital cost me about 5 thousand dollars.
So, since she has been home, she has improved tremendously. Instead of lethargy, she is running to the door to greet me when I come home, and she is gaining weight and grooming herself. She had started eating canned food on her own, although not enough to maintain her weight, so i also fed her through the tube.
Yesterday, while grooming herself, she began scratching the side of her neck, opposite of the e-tube. While doing so, her kitty kollar began to rotate and the e-tube got caught in the opening. I walked over to stop her, but by the time I got there, she had pulled the e-tube out of her neck. Yikes!
I called the animal hospital back, and after a lengthy discussion, they said that if they need to replace the tube, it will be at least a thousand dollars again. I simply cannot afford to pay for this procedure again.
She has nibbled on food here and there, and seems ok. But I'm worried that she will not eat the amount of calories to maintain her health. I know that the advice would be to go to the vet, but how long should i keep trying to let her eat on her own before making that very expensive decision? Also, since I live in NYC, is the cost of the e-tube procedure cheaper in other parts of the northeast? I have a car and would not mind driving further out (NJ, CT, Upstate NY) to save some money. Recommendations on vets?
Thanks!
