Vets turning away patients who can't pay up front

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jane11

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Well I was a single 23 yr old parent who never received any government aide what so ever and I paid for my son to go to a private school. I also bought not one but two of his cars but children are a choice so yes a luxury except we do have choices when having them. These poor creatures breed by instinct. It's up to humans to help them.
That's pretty much how we feel.

A lot of the animals we take in are from elderly or disabled people who are alone and have no other companionship in the home. For them giving up their best friend isn't like giving up their TV or cell phone, it's giving up their child, and their reason to get up in the morning.

I can't imagine raising a child alone at the age of 23. You must be a fantastic mom to be able to do that!
 

Willowy

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Well, besides that, if children are not born and raised and kept alive with food and medical care, we won't have any grown-up childbearing people in, oh, 20-30 years or so. So kids (and whatever aid necessary to keep them alive) are kind of necessary for the continuance of the species :tongue2:. So not quite the same category as pets.

I do agree vets should provide euthanasia regardless of the client's ability to pay. Or at least be able to refer people to a shelter that provides that service for an affordable price.
 

jodiethierry64

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If you can't afford children then we have a choice not to have them. There's enough who can afford to keep the humans from going extinct. Animals unlike people know no better. They are in bad situations due to mankind so we owe them. Nature dictates their choices. If you are a licensed medical professional it's your duty to help s person in need. In some states yoi can lose your license for not helping snd guess what you can't bill the person you helped but God forbid an animal medical professional help without payment in hand. I would help a stranger with a sick pet before a human. They are more deserving. We humans are not.

We have caused their pain and sufferinh. Shame Shame Shame on us. We make God cry everyday for the destruction we create.
 

jodiethierry64

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Thank you Jane. I love my son and it was my boo boo that I thought it's mine to bare. I learned and didn't make another. My example that we choose to procreate. Like I said before God bless you for helping these defenseless creatures.You're my hero!
 
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jane11

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Thanks Jodie! You are a great example for your son. I bet he's proud of mom!

Willowy - I wish I'd had some of the info on declawing a few years ago when my brother's wife had his sixteen year old cat declawed. The poor fellow died within three months. There's so much ignorance out there about how bad declawing really is.
 

jodiethierry64

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Thank you Jane, he's a big ma- ma's boy and proud to say it. He's now 26, married with a beautiful baby girl and an excellent father!
 

happybird

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I thought I would share my pay up front nightmare. As I have mentioned before on the site, I accidentally closed my Pooper in a recliner when she was a baby. When we pulled her out, her head was swollen and misshapen. It was so scary- we thought her skull had been crushed. We loaded her up in a crate very gently and ran to the nearest emergency vet (it was 2am, of course). I was crying and near hysterical when we arrived and told them I thought her head was crushed and she needed to be euthanized.

They wouldn't even look at her until we paid $600. After a quick glance, where Poops never even left her crate, the vet said it could be one of several issues, probably severe brain damage, and the cost would run between $600-$1500. But they would need at least $600 to look at her. Nice bedside manner. I felt we had no option and it was a true, life threatening emergency, so I got out my credit card. And I had to call my mother to put part of the payment on her credit card. They wouldn't even touch my hurting baby until they had money. Meanwhile, we could hear raucous employees in the back, playing very loud music and hollering across the room at each other. Not a very restful, healing, professional environment. There was one other lady in the waiting room, sitting quietly and crying.

Once they took her back, the vet said, oh, yeah, she certainly has brain damage, but there isn't much she could do. Poops needed to go to a regular vet for X-rays. WTH? I just gave you $600! They gave her a pain killer shot. I asked if she could stay there for observation until my regular vet could see her the following day. At this point, it is almost 4 am. They seemed very annoyed with me for asking, but agreed. Even though I was dubious of the practice, I just wanted her to be under veterinary observation in case she had a seizure or anything. We left to go home.

About 2 hours later, the emergency vet called and told us they were closing and we had to come pick up our cat. Again, WTH?? They said they were closing because they only rent space from a regular vet for overnight hours and all patients have to be checked out before the regular practice opens. They failed to mention any of this to us the night before. Why couldn't the regular vet, who owned the building, see my grievously injured cat when they arrived? That seems like a logical arrangement. Nope, that's not how it works, I was told. Had we known she would only be there for 2 hours, we would have just taken her home. I was pissed.

We got back to the emergency vet and they actually handed us a bill for a days worth of boarding and another pain killer injection. I had a copy of the initial bill with the first injection on it, paid for by my credit card, along with $600 worth of 'treatment.' When I pointed this out, they said they hadn't billed for the boarding and she had gotten another shot. They wanted my credit card again. I told them where they could stick their new bill. Poor Pooper still had blood crusted on her face and poop on her butt with litter stuck to it. I have worked at vet offices, you ALWAYS clean a pet up before retuning it to a client. I bet she was just dumped in a cage and totally ignored. The 2 hour 'boarding' probably did her more harm than good, with the scary, loud music and loud strangers. More importantly, she was not even due for a painkiller- it had been less than 4 hours since her first injection. She could have died of an overdose. The fact that she didn't and she was awake and fairly alert makes me think they never gave her a second shot. They were just billing for it, thinking we wouldn't know the difference. I was absolutely livid.

We got home and I managed to make an early emergency appointment with a vet I had never used before. Then, I called my credit card company and called my Mom so she could call her credit card company. (In the end, the $600 was returned and she and I were both charged $100. That is fair. I think my carefully worded letter to the ER may have had something to do with that.)

We got to the new vet a few hours later. This wonderful doctor carefully picked up my baby and gently probed her head. Then she started to laugh. She said,"This is air!" She looked in Pooper's mouth and sure enough, the palate on the roof of her mouth was cracked right down the seam. That allowed air to get under her skin and make her head appear misshapen. It took this vet less than 30 seconds to figure it out. After the awful first vet, my husband and I were prepared for a diagnosis of horrible brain damage and had already discussed having to put her down. We were heartbroken and had spent the morning crying and miserable. We had already started to mourn the loss of our sweet little baby. I was crying again, but this time in relief.

The main issue was all the cartilage around Pooper's nose was crushed, equivalent to a broken nose on a human. There is nothing they could do for either issue, except manage the pain and let it heal on it's own. Total bill for that vet: $87, including a few bupenorphine syringes to take home. We started using that practice for any vet visits my sister in law, the mobile vet, was unable to do for us. We returned a few days later to get some high calorie Prescription Diet because Pooper was not eating well, probably because she couldn't smell her food. She is fine now. In photos, you can see where her little black nose is slightly crooked, but it is very cute. It is unnoticeable in person.

A year later, we had another ER vet trip in the same town. We went to the other ER across town and the difference was like night and day! They were highly professional and caring. It was expensive, as the ER always is, but they put my cat Wheezie's health first. The tech discussed several options and detailed charges to help us make our treatment decisions. This happened after Wheezie was thoroughly examined and got her pain killer shot.

We told everyone we knew with a pet in Frederick not to use the first ER and to definitely travel the extra 5 miles to the other ER.
 

denice

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From what I have seen here ER vets are really hit or miss.  We have 3 here if you include the vet school which runs one.  I have only been to one of them twice and they are one of the good ones.  They are expensive though.  I have never had to pay upfront but payment in full is expected before I took my kitty home.  I did see them helping an older woman with her care credit application.
 

jodiethierry64

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[@]happybird, I understand a caring vet is hard to find. I have a wonderful holistic vet but have not found the others to care for much but the money. If and when I do I will treasure them. I'm so happy your baby is doing well. How horrifying!
 

josiemeow

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This happend to me. And the receptionist was putting alot of pressure on me. I told them i didnt have the money there with me. But if they can give me 2 hours to get it. So they said sure. And came out with mt really sick cat. It honestly broke my heart because they didnt try helping at all. They handed my cat over like if it was a broken toy or something.. i took him to differmt vets that day but all so expensive. And i told them my situation. And none helped. They didnt do anything.. it was really sad. I then had to borrow money from a friend and spent 200 dollars for exams. And not counting medicine. I know i shouldnt have animals if i cant afford it. But it was thw whole pay up front than really screwed me over.. my cat needed help and nobody was willing to help.
 

sarahd1987

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This happend to me. And the receptionist was putting alot of pressure on me. I told them i didnt have the money there with me. But if they can give me 2 hours to get it. So they said sure. And came out with mt really sick cat. It honestly broke my heart because they didnt try helping at all. They handed my cat over like if it was a broken toy or something.. i took him to differmt vets that day but all so expensive. And i told them my situation. And none helped. They didnt do anything.. it was really sad. I then had to borrow money from a friend and spent 200 dollars for exams. And not counting medicine. I know i shouldnt have animals if i cant afford it. But it was thw whole pay up front than really screwed me over.. my cat needed help and nobody was willing to help.
That's really horrible. I know I'd feel so awful if someone treated one of my girls like that :/ And I think there are plenty of people who have pets and can afford to take good care of them, but unexpected bills come and not everyone has hundreds or thousands of $/£/whatever available at a moments notice, so you shouldn't feel bad about that.. And at least you're responsible and take your cat to the vet when something is wrong! I bet there's plenty of people out there who care less about their cat than their money and wouldn't take it to a vet..
 

goholistic

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The practice I go to is in a high-income area and they are really expensive. There are six vets and I see the owners. (It's like going to the "master stylist" at the hair salon.
) They are "rule followers" but they are great at what they do. I've always paid up front...until recently. There has been a lot going on with my three senior cats and the costs were starting to catch up with me. I finally had a heart-to-heart about finances, and she said, "That's fine. Just do what you can. Don't worry about it." Every time I tried to bring up a payment plan, or try to ask her how much she would be okay with me paying monthly, she would never really give me an answer. It's not that she was doing this in a negative way. She's just not worried about me not paying her. She knows I will. I've earned her trust.

I really don't know how they handle cases that just come in off the streets for vet care. I don't know what their policy is. Maybe I'll ask the next time I'm in...out of curiosity.

I have a difficult time with animals that suffer. I think a smart vet will work it into their income/expense strategy to cover a certain amount of cases of strays, ferals, and non-payers per year. If their policy is strict to turn people away who can't pay upfront, then I feel they need to direct people to a local shelter or rescue who will help (with their permission, of course).
 

jodiethierry64

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Hi SarahD, you know it's funny that when you adopt, the ASPCA or the Humane society never tell people that if your pet getd sick do you have hundreds or thousands to spend on the pet you're adopting. Of course not because they know the majority adopting don't and how quickly they would change their minds. Hmm they're council you on your place of residents or basic care, vaccinations and spay and neutering but not the other. They just work on getting the animals adopted without telling you what this pet could end up costing you if they get hurt or ill. It's not a good sales pitch.
 

denice

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The practice I go to is in a high-income area and they are really expensive. There are six vets and I see the owners. (It's like going to the "master stylist" at the hair salon.
) They are "rule followers" but they are great at what they do. I've always paid up front...until recently. There has been a lot going on with my three senior cats and the costs were starting to catch up with me. I finally had a heart-to-heart about finances, and she said, "That's fine. Just do what you can. Don't worry about it." Every time I tried to bring up a payment plan, or try to ask her how much she would be okay with me paying monthly, she would never really give me an answer. It's not that she was doing this in a negative way. She's just not worried about me not paying her. She knows I will. I've earned her trust.

I really don't know how they handle cases that just come in off the streets for vet care. I don't know what their policy is. Maybe I'll ask the next time I'm in...out of curiosity.

I have a difficult time with animals that suffer. I think a smart vet will work it into their income/expense strategy to cover a certain amount of cases of strays, ferals, and non-payers per year. If their policy is strict to turn people away who can't pay upfront, then I feel they need to direct people to a local shelter or rescue who will help (with their permission, of course).
The vet clinic I go to is also in a high income area and they have given me some freebies and discounts without my asking.  When Patches was very sick she did a second ultrasound and needle biopsy at no charge.  When I took him home they loaded me up on the Hills A/D no charge and I know that stuff is expensive.  When Patches had a dental it was much cheaper than when Alice had hers.  There were no discounts marked on the invoice I think she just charged me less than usual for some things without marking them as discounts.  I know she had a real soft spot for Patches so that may be why.  I probably won't get the same deals with the next vet now that she is going to her own practice.
 

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Hi SarahD, you know it's funny that when you adopt, the ASPCA or the Humane society never tell people that if your pet getd sick do you have hundreds or thousands to spend on the pet you're adopting. Of course not because they know the majority adopting don't and how quickly they would change their minds. Hmm they're council you on your place of residents or basic care, vaccinations and spay and neutering but not the other. They just work on getting the animals adopted without telling you what this pet could end up costing you if they get hurt or ill. It's not a good sales pitch.
When I got my kittens I didn't really think about how expensive vet care is either.. Getting them wasn't a spur of the moment decision either though! I did make sure to get pet insurance though just in case something did ever happen, and I've very thankful I did. One of my kittens had an accident a couple of weeks ago and broke her leg and has had to have surgery to put pins in as well as lots of vet visits for bandage changes and medication.. I had to pay almost £500 up front for some of the treatment, but when they suggested surgery I asked if they could do a direct claim from the insurance which they said is fine, which I'm quite thankful for, because the surgery and other care since then is probably over £1500 by this point..

I'm not sure how I'd have paid for her surgery if I didn't have pet insurance, but I'm sure I'd have found a way, even if it meant selling my tv, computer, etc.. Even though my kittens were cheap to buy (£20 for one of them and £30 for the other), I love them so much and they're what I value the most out of everything I have.. I'd give anything for my little girls :)
 

micknsnicks2mom

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okay, after reading many replies i feel like i'm very fortunate to have a very good vet practice to go to that also will work with customers who have been going to them for over a year or longer and have paid their bills.

my snick has CKD as well as IBD and seems to be getting back to normal calcium level range with treatment. so snick has vet appointments on a regular basis. but because snick has these serious medical conditions, we do sometimes need to make unplanned/unscheduled vet visits. the vet's we go to try to fit us in as well as they can for these unplanned visits, and they've always squeezed us in -- even when they're booked solid.  our vet's does require payment at the time services are rendered, but has been fine with treating my snick and letting me send them payment within a few days. and i always make sure that payment is sent promptly, and i call the vet's to make sure they got the payment. i only have to do this because my finances are complicated, and i've only needed to pay this way a couple of times. i consider this a privilege, and i would not want to lose this privilege. my vet's are very, very good and truly care about their patients. i wouldn't want to do anything that would mean my snick could not be treated by my vet's.

i understand the point of view of many/most vet's these days, but at the same time it offends my sensibility that some vet's seem so cold and uncaring. and that is how i interpret vet's turning away injured or ill patients if their people cannot afford treatment, as cold and uncaring. i'm not saying it's right that i interpret it that way, it's just the way i do because i cannot imagine sending an ill or injured animal away without treatment because the vet requires payment up front/before treatment and their people don't have the money or credit to pay.
 

GemsGem

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It's slightly different here in the UK that you can get completely free vet treatment for your pet.
Places like the PDSA and the RSPCA do this but only for people on benefits.

I work for a living so I have to pay for vet treatment. But I have pet insurance for all my crew very costly as insurance is not cheap but well worth it.
 

Willowy

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There are some charity hospitals/clinics in the US as well, but mostly only in big cities. I'm pretty sure the ASPCA in NYC has a free/low-cost clinic. Not sure if they treat any animal who walks in or if there are income requirements. But all types of animal charities are rare in less populated areas.
 
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sarahd1987

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It's slightly different here in the UK that you can get completely free vet treatment for your pet.
Places like the PDSA and the RSPCA do this but only for people on benefits.

I work for a living so I have to pay for vet treatment. But I have pet insurance for all my crew very costly as insurance is not cheap but well worth it.
I never knew about that! I'm currently on benefits. I was studying full time and also self employed but I've been having some health issues lately and so I'm currently getting employment support allowance.. I have pet insurance though and paid the full years premium all at once though, so probably not worth getting the free treatment since I'm guessing the treatment there would be the cheapest option (i may be wrong though?) and not necessarily the best one.. Like when my kitten Sophie broke her leg recently.. The vet suggested surgery, but told me the alternative for people who couldn't afford it/don't have insurance would be to amputate the leg (He said from the xrays it's unlikely the bone would fuse back together without surgery to put in the pins), and I wouldn't want to put one of my little girls through that :(
 

GemsGem

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There are some charity hospitals/clinics in the US as well, but mostly only in big cities. I'm pretty sure the ASPCA in NYC has a free/low-cost clinic. Not sure if they treat any animal who walks in or if there are income requirements. But all types of animal charities are rare in less populated areas.
I guess the UK is such a tiny island that you don't need to travel to far to get to one of these free charity/clinic unlike the US. :D


I never knew about that! I'm currently on benefits. I was studying full time and also self employed but I've been having some health issues lately and so I'm currently getting employment support allowance.. I have pet insurance though and paid the full years premium all at once though, so probably not worth getting the free treatment since I'm guessing the treatment there would be the cheapest option (i may be wrong though?) and not necessarily the best one.. Like when my kitten Sophie broke her leg recently.. The vet suggested surgery, but told me the alternative for people who couldn't afford it/don't have insurance would be to amputate the leg (He said from the xrays it's unlikely the bone would fuse back together without surgery to put in the pins), and I wouldn't want to put one of my little girls through that :(
I don't know :dk: I would guess the same as you and would imagine you would get the cheapest option. It makes the most sense ;)
 
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