Expensive vet costs

Yesterday, I took Cookie to the vet. I had been building up to the day by training her to get used to her carrier weeks beforehand. Here's a whole thread about that.  Fortunately, that whole process went well!

However, what did end up causing a lot of stress was the exorbitant vet costs. I had a voucher for a free physical exam, which is normally $70. But then the rest of the procedures that the vet recommended would've totaled almost $300. Let me tell you, I do not have that kind of money at the moment. I ended up only being able to give Cookie her updated rabies and distemper vaccines, which cost me about $80!

I love Cookie, I want the best for her, but I'm having trouble with vet costs. I still want to get her the rest of the procedures she needs, but I can't afford it at the moment. I feel like a terrible owner for having to put money over my pet, but I've hit a dead end. 

If anybody has any advice or suggestions, please share! If anybody also has faced this kind of dilemma, share!

i'm not sure where you live, but $80 for rabies and distemper seems a bit steep to me.  was it a three-year rabies vax?

one way to help cut costs is by using local clinics for vax.  your local pet store or shelter may have info on that.  you bring your pet in ONLY for vax - they don't check your pet out, they don't do a wellness exam, they don't weigh your pet.  they just vax your pet.  then when you go to the vet, at least you don't have to pay any inflated prices for the vaccinations.  

some town shelters also offer low-cost veterinary care, but you usually have to wait for appointments; they may not be able to accommodate emergencies.  it's important to have a yearly check up for your pets to help catch anything well ahead of time.  many people put aside a few bucks a week to help budget for yearly check ups.  another option is to check if you have a veterinary college locally.  sometimes they may have specials if you let students check your pet or perform wellness blood work.

what other procedures is the vet recommending?  most vets also offer care credit, which is basically a credit card for vet costs.  they offer 0% interest on procedures over $200 i think (they change the offers from time to time, but i just got information for my cat's upcoming surgery) so you could make monthly payments for it.

having a companion animal is a huge monetary responsibility.  unseen things pop up and require treatment; there are pet insurance options that may help, but they often are too expensive if your pet is over a certain age to be worth it (imho).  but it may be a good option for you because it's a monthly payment for insurance and it will cover a set percentage of certain things.

No, it was just a one year vax! The vet said that private clinics anywhere in the area all charge about the same. I live in Bergen County, NJ, USA.

I'm considering checking out some shelters nearby to see what they offer. Hopefully it's at a reasonable price. 

The vet said blood work, stool testing, and FIV FeLV testing and vax was recommended. And I agree! I want my Cookie to get all the veterinary attention she needs, but the cost was crazy.

Thank you for all your suggestions and advice! @stephgas  

I actually just saw that there's a thread already about this oops    http://www.thecatsite.com/a/when-you-cant-afford-a-veterinarian  and http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read

i live on long island, which is usually a pretty expensive place to live - but that seems high!  everything your vet recommended sounds very reasonable, especially if she's a new cat for you.  you may want to call around local vets and 'interview' them.  i usually ask what their base rate for an office visit is, if they offer multi-pet discounts (i have three cats and sometimes bringing them all in at once saves me some money), and how much they charge for a specific vaccination; i usually ask about rabies.  i also ask about three-year rabies vax and adjuvent-free vax.  since you live in a more urban area, you should have access to a few town/county shelters without a long drive - call and ask about vet clinic availability and pricing.  and if you find a vet you really like, try to save money up and stick with him/her - really good vets can be hard to find.  i had a wonderful vet when i spent a few years in florida and sorely miss that now.  i'm still looking for a vet i really, really like now that we've moved back to new york.

If your kitty is going to be an indoor kitty the FeLV vaccine isn't needed.  It actually shouldn't be given to an indoor kitty because there are always possible side effects to a vaccine and with an indoor kitty there is no benefit.  The same is true of FIV.  FeLV can only be transmitted by contact with fluids from a FeLV positive cat, FIV is usually transmitted by a deep bite from an FIV positive cat.  Testing for both is a good idea as is complete bloodwork but as long as he is healthy you can get that done as you have the money.

My cat has never been given those shots shes lives with me omly pet no outside contactd

Cookie goes outside, so she would need to FIV and FeLV testing and vax. 

Wow, I'm actually doing a lot of research right now about low cost options around my area and I've found good information. I wish I had done this before I went to the vet with Cookie and spent $80 

Oh yeah, don't be afraid to ask these Vets what they charge for particular tests.  

I won't say some are shady, but I do believe in my area, some charge way over the average.   Best to shop around, like for anything else. 

hey, that's how you learn!  i'm glad you got what are probably the most important shots done already - rabies and distemper.

you mentioned cookie will be an outside cat - have you given consideration to keeping her indoors?  there are so many things that can happen when cats are left to roam freely, including unwanted litters (unless she's already spayed), FIV and FELV and other contagious stuff, toxic plants or other toxic stuff, as well as the dangers involved just being on the street - cars, other animals, even nasty people.  the three cats i have now only go outside on leash or in an enclosed space... we used to have a screened in patio that they'd go out on unsupervised.  we have a very small patio now that i'm considering getting some kind of 'playpen' for them to sit in, but i just open the patio doors and they love it.  i also have a bird feeder out there that they watch.  and we give them plenty of playtime indoors.

i grew up with an outdoor cat and, while i liked that he was able to 'be free and wild', more than once we had emergency visits to the vet due to bites from raccoons, squirrels, and other cats.  the nights he decided to stay out galavanting around town were nights i slept very poorly, even as a teenager.  when he got older and we transitioned him into an indoor cat, we had fewer vet visits and he was very happy.  just something to consider