Big descion to make I need help please !!

Hi guys I took my cat to the vet last week for the first time (got him as a stray) he is 3-6 years old by the vets estimate and has been eating less for about a week or 2 now.

here is the problem they found a mass in his mouth on the right hand side lower jaw its at the base of a tooth they are not sure if its periodontal disease or Oral Cancer the vet told me if its cancer its fatal and I really should put him down. if its periodontal disease then it can be treated but this is the hard part. Its $700CAD in tests and blood work to find out which one it is and I am on a very tight budget. What I need to know is how far do you/would you take it before you weight the cost vs. your beloved pet? I am a first time animal owner and this is just killing me I would hate to put him down because of a infection that can be treated but I also cant really afford 700 to find out I have to put him down anyways.

If I knew it was like 70%- 80% of fixing it then I would dig/beg up the $700 but its $700 of tests for a just to find out. Then if I find out its cancer I am left with putting him down and a HUGE hole in my budget for the next few months and having to deal with the loss of Pirate cat on top of it all.

so any advise you guys can offer would be great.

Thank you

That sounds like an awfully high cost for testing! Why can't they just pull the affected tooth and give you antibiotics (if you cannot afford the full recommended testing and treatment)? If the lump goes away, it was an infected tooth.

Call several other vets, too, to see if a second opinion is worth it.

I agree with Beckiboo, get a second opinion $700 sounds overpriced for tests.

ok well here is what they recomended tests (also the mass/lump is surrounding a tooth and gums of that area so not sure pulling the tooth will help but I will call back monday to find out if that is a option)


he needs blood work to find out of they can put him under to do the biopsy (about 100)
then they need to clean his teath (since he is under general anyways) and do the biopsy 300
then there is the tests of the tissue for cancer 100
if its not cancer at this point then
65 for antibiotics

and taxs for it all leaves a total of 649.75


as for a second opinion there is a CAT hospital on town as well I was planning to call see if they have anybody who deals with cancer on a regualr basis to give me a better idea which way to go here

That is a lot of money. I would wait and get the second opinion before stressing over it all. Yes pulling that tooth is a good idea because the infection and swelling is around it.

I also second the second opinion. :-)

Rates seem awfully high to me, even after the exchange to USD.
And, when Tigger was diagnosed with bone cancer (when
we were expecting an abscessed tooth) the definitive
diagnosis was an X-ray -- not a whole battery of tests.

Some vets will also let you pay installements or some kind of
arrangement -- it's worth asking about.

This is an awful position for you! Best of luck!

Carol

I also second the second opinion.

I had cat I had to have checked for dental problems, and they told me they usually do the blood tests to see if the cats can be put under only if they're 10 years old or older.

Otherwise, they felt that this procedure was up to the owner.

That would be taking a chance, but a very slight one if your cat is young and healthy, but understand that was ny vet's opinion at the time, and you have to make your own decisons (my cat was over 10, so I did it, but that's what he said).

But I agree also with the idea of not only getting another opinion, but trying to treat it for a short time as an infection and see if it goes down.

If it does, it will give the vet a clearer picture of what is going on underneath.

I personally also think this vet is going a bit overboard too soon.

Originally Posted by Charmed654321

But I agree also with the idea of not only getting another opinion, but trying to treat it for a short time as an infection and see if it goes down.

If it does, it will give the vet a clearer picture of what is going on underneath.

I personally also think this vet is going a bit overboard too soon.

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Oh, yes! With my previous vet (and this is why he is my
*previous* vet) we had a situtation where Penny had what
I thought was an infection, but which the vet thought -- or at
least pushed to me -- was an allergy. He started talking about
extensive food allergy testing, comprehensive treatments, etc.

I suggested that we try a course of anitbiotics. If it cleared the
infection, good. If not, THEN we could try the various expensive
stuff.

I was right -- it was an infection.

Definitely ask this of the vet -- it is not always appropriate to treat
with antibiotics -- but there is something to be said for trying
the easier things first.

Carol

Explain your financial concerns to the vet. Most likely, it will be possible for you to treat as if it is periodontal disease without doing the full testing. Then if it is just that, it's taken care of. If it's cancer, it will be apparent when he is suffering and needs to be euthanized.