Bone Fracture/dislocation Surgery - $4000? Is This Normal?

[minniewinnie]

I attached the estimate with exact costs The surgery itself seems about right (~$2000) but boy, is this all very expensive.

Does anyone have experience with something like this? How much does all the medications, IV, x-rays cost?

Asking here because any other surgeon/office won't give an estimate without seeing the kitty. Sigh.

 

[Kieka]

My boy broke his leg so I went through this not to long ago. I think the total is about what I paid but my vet is just a general practitioner, it took two surgeries, an emergency room visit and a week stay. So I paid that much for everything, probably closer to mid $5k but it was spread out through so many follow up visits and mishaps that I was too focused on him to really notice. Luckily, it happened when I was working a ton so the extra money there went straight to his bills. I think the vet also took pity on me and cut me a break on some things. I was in there daily for a week visiting Link while he was hospitalized and he was going back for check up nearly weekly for almost 4 months between everything (he got in a fight with a raccoon before breaking his leg, broke his leg, the rod failed and had to be taken out and he had an ER visit because he twisted off the cast. I am also a worry wart and he is drama so he kept having minor issues in healing). This was him at one of the visits, by the end of it he was trying to follow the vet out of the exam room and all the techs knew him by sight.

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• Kieka
• Oct 20, 2016

Looking over it...

It seems odd that they need four x-rays pre and 2 post op. The x-ray cost seems a little high, my vet does $125 first exposure and $75 additional. She did two x-rays before, another before the second surgery, and he got one at the ER vet. I think the ER vet only charged $100 for the x-ray.

The amount of pain medications seems a little crazy too. A fentanyl patch plus four to eight buprex oral/injections plus methadone seems a little much and the cost is high. If I remember right Link got a pain medication shot that lasted 3 days after each surgery and twice during his vet stay (which was honestly more then he needed because he gets loud and grumpy when the pain medication wears off and they didn't want him loud and grumpy). They gave me a take home pain medication (burprex, my whole bottle was $60 for enough for two weeks) but I didn't use it. Link gets grumpy on pain medication, like lash out at the world and huff at everyone grumpy. A muscled 13 pound cat grumpy is not a good house buddy. He never seemed to be in pain without it; and that included between the two surgeries when the metal rod almost came through his skin because his body rejected it. My rabbit had a neuter surgery not too long and rabbits do not tolerate pain well at all so he had to have pain medications in his recovery. I think it was $140 for pain medications in pre-dosed syringes for a week plus the pain medication right after surgery that lasted 24 hours. I did annoy the rabbit vet by having them explain each fee line too.

That in house chemistry cost seems high. Mine was just under $90 for a basic blood test. But my boy is young and healthy. They asked if I wanted to do a $200 advance blood test but it wouldn't be back until after the surgery so it seemed pointless.

I don't understand a OR fee. I would imagine its for them to clean and restock the room prior to/after your surgery but my vet just includes those costs in her regular surgical costs as part of the surgery itself.

I don't like unnamed injections. I'd ask specifically what they are injecting because you are already being charged for the medications. I would flip if it was a fee to do the injection. Especially since you are already paying for an IV.

Which, if you are paying for an IV and all the other medications are injectable what is the oral medication? It also falls in the category of unnamed costs make me leery. Plus if you are already paying for the medication itself why do have to pay for them to admin it too? I have been charged a minimal needle disposal fee but never an administration fee on top of a medication given by the vet. Unless is it a preexisting condition medication.

The hospitalization I hope is overnight. Again, my vet includes recovery in surgery costs unless I want a dedicated vet tech watching over while he comes around. If it is overnight, I paid $85 a night for a medical boarding (which included giving medications).

What is the medication to go home? That is a lot of pain medication already mentioned and it isn't coming home? Or are they charging you for the vial/container the medication is in?

Costs vary by local of course and what is high to me may be normal in your area. I am in Southern California and see a cat only two vet practice.

 

[Kieka]

Hopefully that all helps.

Did the vet mention cage rest? It seriously is a must. Trust me, the second surgery wouldn't have happened if I had been a better pet parent and maintained a strict crate rest. Learn from my mistake.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

M minniewinnie , where are you located?

I see some higher costs padded in there for several items than in each of the two surgeries my kitty went through (and we went to a great surgeon and practice certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS): we used a very good surgeon). Plus our surgeon threw in not only the 2-week stitches removal visit and well-check, the 8-week visit, but also let us come in anytime we were worried about our cat's leg(s) in the subsequent 6+ months post-surgery. We are at the 6-month mark now with her second knee surgery and I'm sure that our great surgeon would let us bring her in anytime up to 8-12 months post-surgery, if we were worried -- just to check out her knee(s). These things take quite a long time to FULLY heal.


But I also want to note a "typo" in the cost estimate they gave to you... in one column, the cost for the surgery on your sheet says "$2,000" and in the second column, it says "$2,400".


(May I just add than my cat's patella luxation repair surgeries each cost less than $2,000 for sure and yet we went to a very good, established place, on the West coast, where the cost of living is high and orthopedic specialists are more rare. And the surgeries were actually pretty complicated for her.)

 

[minniewinnie]

Kieka Ah, you are absolutely a gem! Thank you so much for your reply. Yeah, it all seems so excessive and we were taken aback with everything listed. I bet the # of x-rays is high to get more angles or something. I don't like to think people are trying to take advantage and charge things just because, but I don't know. I'm going to see someone else for a second opinion tomorrow - someone I know said they do surgeries for a lot cheaper.. let's hope it's true. Going to also call this place and ask if costs can be lowered or else I'm going elsewhere.

PushPurrCatPaws They gave a range of 2000-2400 ... who knows

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Well, maybe a bone fracture repair costs more?

Hope your kitty does well and soon!

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

By the way, I think pain meds are needed post-surgery for at least the first three-five days. Buprenex after surgery is what we used for our cat, with success. She does not do well at all with fentanyl. Each cat is different.

 

[minniewinnie]

PushPurrCatPaws Grandmother's cat fell out of the 8th floor window! So, this is what we have to deal with it. Poor fella.

Kieka Oh and those numbers include 2- and 8-week follow ups, if that makes it any better :/

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

PushPurrCatPaws Grandmother's cat fell out of the 8th floor window! So, this is what we have to deal with it. Poor fella.
...

Holy cow!

 

[Kieka]

By the way, I think pain meds are needed post-surgery for at least the first three-five days. Buprenex after surgery is what we used for our cat, with success. She does not do well at all with fentanyl. Each cat is different.

I'd agree with this. My Link just reacts poorly to every pain medication he's gotten so he just gets the three day shot after the surgery. I do have the buprenex on hand but he has never shown signs of pain once the medication wears off. I tend to have a light hand with medications in general though. I didn't take any pain medication when I had all four wisdom teeth pulled and my OTC pain medications usually expire before I take more then a handful so I tend to buy travel size when needed.

 

[Kieka]

PushPurrCatPaws Grandmother's cat fell out of the 8th floor window! So, this is what we have to deal with it. Poor fella.

Kieka Oh and those numbers include 2- and 8-week follow ups, if that makes it any better :/

8th floor? Wow, I am rather surprised it is just one lower leg bone that broke (if I am reading the quote right). Must have had some bone displacement too to require surgery.

Mine included two scheduled follow ups too.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

...
The amount of pain medications seems a little crazy too. A fentanyl patch plus four to eight buprex oral/injections plus methadone seems a little much and the cost is high. If I remember right Link got a pain medication shot that lasted 3 days after each surgery and twice during his vet stay (which was honestly more then he needed because he gets loud and grumpy when the pain medication wears off and they didn't want him loud and grumpy). They gave me a take home pain medication (burprex, my whole bottle was $60 for enough for two weeks) but I didn't use it. Link gets grumpy on pain medication, like lash out at the world and huff at everyone grumpy. A muscled 13 pound cat grumpy is not a good house buddy. He never seemed to be in pain without it; and that included between the two surgeries when the metal rod almost came through his skin because his body rejected it. My rabbit had a neuter surgery not too long and rabbits do not tolerate pain well at all so he had to have pain medications in his recovery. I think it was $140 for pain medications in pre-dosed syringes for a week plus the pain medication right after surgery that lasted 24 hours. I did annoy the rabbit vet by having them explain each fee line too.

That in house chemistry cost seems high. Mine was just under $90 for a basic blood test. But my boy is young and healthy. They asked if I wanted to do a $200 advance blood test but it wouldn't be back until after the surgery so it seemed pointless.
...

I'd agree with this. My Link just reacts poorly to every pain medication he's gotten so he just gets the three day shot after the surgery. I do have the buprenex on hand but he has never shown signs of pain once the medication wears off. I tend to have a light hand with medications in general though. ...

Yep. It sounds like Link acted how Milly acted when she had a fentanyl patch on her forearm for her first knee surgery. So I said, Nope, to the surgeons and nurses for using fentanyl during her second surgery. Luckily, she does well w/ Buprenex (but I, like you, use a light hand with pain meds and I always find myself "titrating" the med dosage to find out the very lowest dose the cat does well on... it's never the full dose the vet prescribed - lol. But this is done with the vet/surgeon aware of what dose she's used -- that's the caveat for readers!)

 

[minniewinnie]

PushPurrCatPaws Just curious, how do you monitor/know if they do well on a certain med or dose? I gave this fella some Buprenex past week and didn't notice anything unusual- curious to know what you look for

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Well, each med will have common or potential side effects that the vet will want you to watch out for, so check with them on that. I am not a vet.

But I personally do not want a med that makes my cat totally sedated, grogged-out, staggering around, aggressive, yelling, not eating, not using the box, not playing, not acting in these ways... I want them to seem at least like they are comfortable and pain-free, reactive to my voice, maybe somewhat "woozy" but not so out-of-it that they are not responding to my voice and cues. If you know your cat well enough, too, you can tell what their specific "pain cues" are, and so it's easier to recognize when they are not feeling too much pain.