I feel like I made a mistake

[rachbu]

Well, if it ends up costing much more, ask the vet if you can go on a payment plan.  Most of the time, people will work with you if you just ask.  Clearly, you want the best for your cat, and I'm sure, as an animal lover himself, the vet will respect that and help you come up with a way to afford the proper treatments.

Did you already pay for the bloodwork yesterday (so including that in the $400 you've paid)?  if so, I think that could certainly be considered a "down payment" of sorts, and then you can pay the rest incrementally over a few months.

Did the place you adopted from offer any kind of guarantee of health of the animal?  Many reputable shelters will help pay for medical costs incurred in the first 30 days of ownership because they don't want to adopt out unhealthy animals, and don't want animals to end up coming back to the shelter.  You've had him less than a month and there were issues from the start, so I think you should at least call them and find out, and if they refuse, then consider posting a Yelp review of the shelter.  It's not right for a place to be putting unhealthy animals up for adoption and not providing adequate medical care in the first place.  if the paperwork from November had him at 2 lbs. heavier, and he's only lost 1 lb. since you've had him, then clearly these issues were there before he was in your care.

 

[kristenann]

That's part of the problem. I don't currently have a job, I'm in my last semester of undergraduate work and I'm taking 16 credits. I graduate in May at which point I'll get a job and have money but right now I'm living off scholarships and savings.

Yep I paid the $400 out of pocket which includes the bloodwork. If it ends up being too much more I could ask my mom. Although, if he has a chronic expensive condition she is pressuring me to return him so idk if she'd help. My bf works full time but he doesn't have extra cash.

Nope no guarantee, I even signed papers saying so. :/ I've had him about 2 months now anyways. They told me he was healthy aside from maybe ringworm. Which they at first denied except I pushed it. They have mixed reviews, some great, others from people like me.

He must have been sick for awhile, I thought he was getting better until this week. I just thought he had been neglected. Ughh it's so not right for them to give out sick animals!

I don't remember if I already posted this but I contacted the vet who did his teeth while he was with the rescue to get his pre anesthesia blood work and they told me they didn't do any! Who doesn't do pre anesthesia blood work on a 7 year old cat?!

In retrospect, there was a lot of warning signs they were not good but I was smitten. Additionally, they made me sign paper work saying if I couldn't keep him I'd bring him back to them but there is no way I'd want to do that.

 

[rachbu]

That's part of the problem. I don't currently have a job, I'm in my last semester of undergraduate work and I'm taking 16 credits. I graduate in May at which point I'll get a job and have money but right now I'm living off scholarships and savings.

Yep I paid the $400 out of pocket which includes the bloodwork. If it ends up being too much more I could ask my mom. Although, if he has a chronic expensive condition she is pressuring me to return him so idk if she'd help. My bf works full time but he doesn't have extra cash.

Nope no guarantee, I even signed papers saying so. :/ I've had him about 2 months now anyways. They told me he was healthy aside from maybe ringworm. Which they at first denied except I pushed it. They have mixed reviews, some great, others from people like me.

He must have been sick for awhile, I thought he was getting better until this week. I just thought he had been neglected. Ughh it's so not right for them to give out sick animals!

I don't remember if I already posted this but I contacted the vet who did his teeth while he was with the rescue to get his pre anesthesia blood work and they told me they didn't do any! Who doesn't do pre anesthesia blood work on a 7 year old cat?!

In retrospect, there was a lot of warning signs they were not good but I was smitten. Additionally, they made me sign paper work saying if I couldn't keep him I'd bring him back to them but there is no way I'd want to do that.

Ok, so when the vet contacts you regarding the results later, and goes over your options, if it's something expensive, or that would require long-term treatments, you should have a heart-to-heart talk with him about everything you just outlined above.

Obviously, returning the kitty is the worst, and last option you'd ever consider, so find out how/if the vet would be willing to work with you to manage his care now and in the future.  I guarantee you it's nothing he hasn't been asked before, and there is no shame in asking.  Veterinary medicine is largely a cash-based business (as opposed to filing claims to get reimbursed by insurance companies).  Consequently, he should be willing to let you pay over time, since ultimately, you'll be paying him in full.  It's not like you're asking for charity--you're just asking for some time in order to give your care the best care at a manageable cost.

Let's not even think about the possibility of having to give him up.  You're going to do everything possible to keep him happy and healthy with you, so don't even consider it as an option right now.  It will just make you sad, and you and your boy don't need that energy. <3

 

[kristenann]

I will. Can't most pet medications be purchased online cheaper? I would totally be willing to try that.

I suppose I could do a payment plan, it would be easier to space it out. Do you have to pay interest?

My birthday is March 1st so if we can hang on until then I can try to get my loved ones to pitch in.

Yeah I can't really think of a condition in which I'd give him back. But I suppose there could be something I truly can't handle.

 

[catlover73]

I found this article and maybe it can provide you some tips for the vet care.

One of my friends used care credit which is mentioned on this site for a sudden illness in her cat the required extensive and expensive vet care.  Perhaps this is something you could discuss with your boyfriend.  

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/no-money-for-vet-care-how-to-find-help-and-save-your-cats-life

I hope there is something here that will help you.

 

[rachbu]

I think you should talk to your vet first.  You can probably work out a plan before needing to apply for credit.  I don't know if your vet would charge interest, though I doubt he would.  Just come up with an amount you can afford to pay monthly (say, for example $50), and if he says the treatment is going to cost another $400, then just ask if it would be possible for you to pay $50 month until it's paid-off.

I wouldn't go the route of Care Credit unless it were some kind of catastrophic diagnosis that would cost thousands to treat.  Assuming it's just some run-of-the-mill issue (like $1000 or less), I'm sure he will work with you.

 

[rachbu]

Also, remember that a business has an entirely different perspective of what's considered "a lot of money" compared to an individual.  For him to float you the $400 (or whatever the cost) for a few months while you pay him back is not such a big deal as it would be if you were to loan the money to a friend.

You've already paid him a few hundred dollars, so you've shown him a good faith effort to pay for the care of your cat, and your responsibility with your pet demonstrates that you're not going to just run off and not pay your vet bills.

For now, don't freak out about the cost.  You'll cross that bridge when you get there, and I'm sure your vet will be reasonable and willing to work this out with you.

 

[kristenann]

Yay! Good news :]

I talked to the vet today and she said that his blood work and urinalysis looked good and all values were within the normal limits. It was a comprehensive blood panel, so I'm really relieved. I was worried about hyperthyroidism and that's now off the table. She instructed me to buy him sensitive stomach food and to keep him on the medications and we'll evaluate how he does on these. To me it sounds like food allergies or IBD? She wouldn't speculate too much what it could be yet, she just ruled out a bunch of the others. If this doesn't work than our next step is the fecal test for Giardia, and if that's negative than x ray/ultrasound. 

I feel much better now. Having a plan of action feels good and I feel like even though the blood test didn't rule out some of the really bad possibilities it ruled out a lot. The special food's expensive and I didn't find a wet kind yet (but that's lower priority for the time being) but I can manage this I think. 

I picked up some turkey baby food to try and sneak the pill, but I found a pill gun for $4 so I got that too. My credit card is so sad this month and it's only the 5th but I think we'll survive for now. 

Care credit is a wonderful option but I'd like to avoid it if at all possible. I'd be willing to talk to my vet about payment plans if need be, or ask my parents for a loan. Rachbu that is a really good perspective, it seems like a ton of money to me but you're right its really small change to a business.

I'm so happy his blood work is good! I really hope these meds and the food get him into tip top shape. 

 

[rachbu]

See?? That's awesome!!  And yes, definitely keep it in perspective, and DEFINITELY keep us posted on his progress!!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Great news! He's a lucky guy to have you.

 

[kristenann]

Thanks guys! 

So Tiberius seems to be doing okay, he hasn't vomited since Thursday which is good but his stool has been primarily diarrhea. I couldn't sneak the pills into his food but I've had great luck with the pill gun. I've been coating the pills in olive oil thinking it might help him swallow them? The vet said not to make him dry swallow them, so that's what I was thinking? I was also considering using a needless syringe with water? But that seems tricky, any advice?

I've been feeding him a mix of new food and old to help transition him, but I'm doing it quicker than the bags recommended 7 days. Will that upset his tummy too? He has been eating a ton, at least 1 cup of dry food a day when the bag says 3/4 cup for a cat of his ideal weight, but I figured he needs to gain weight so that's good I think. My friend came over and observed that he carries his weight like a goat - thin around the spine with a big belly and it seems abnormal to her and she has cats. I'm feeling worried again.

I was instructed to leave his lesions alone and they don't seem to be getting worse but its weird. It's almost like the skin is flaking off and leaving sores?