Help! My dog is in a bad way and faced with big bill!

fiona1125

Hi All,

We purchased a new King Charles Cavalier 4 months ago whom is 2 years old. The owner had aquired a new job so would not have the time to look after him. The owner advised he had his last booster on the 05/2012 and his last kennel cough vaccin on the 07/2012, his last worm treatment we gave him was last month.

Anyway he has been well looked after by all the family, the kids love him, he is taken out for regular exercise and has all the toys a dog could want.

My partner is a Self Employed Locksmith and has recently been let down by a company we had sub-contracted to, they had decided to finish our services and use a bigger company who can provide cheaper prices.....yes, sh*tting on the little guy.

Anyway, our income has severely dropped and we are really struggling at the moment to pay our bills. I have applied for benefits but the only thing we are entitled to is Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit as but my partner is self employed, we are on a low income but that doesn't seem to matter.

Anway, my dog 'Odie' has become very ill, he is not he usual self. He is very quiet, tired, yelping for no reason, reluctant to climb up and down stairs and off his food, he is also quite mopey. This is breaking my heart, he is part of the family and don't like to see him in pain, he has been like this for about 3 days now.

Due to us being on a low income at the moment i cannot afford to take him to a vet, the cost will be too high and i have no family who can help, i can't even sell anything to pay the bill as i have sold everything to pay my bills.

I am asking if anyone knows where i can get Free Vet Care?

I have tried the PDSA and Blue Cross but i have to be on housing benefit which i am not, i have explained i am on a low income at the minute but no one wants to know.

Any ideas on free vet care?

Thanks
Fi, Worcestershire, UK

P.S. Please be gentle with your answers, we did have the money to care for the dog when we bought him but due to the loss of work out of the blue.

Welshwoofs

Do you not have any insurance on your dog?? If so, and I know it's bad form to point out the obvious, you have made a very bad decision and in all honesty if you couldn't afford basic insurance you probably shouldn't have got the dog in the first place.

Anyway, none of that helps you now. You must take the dog to the vet - if it won't climb up and down then it's in pain. It could be that, if he was previously bouncy, he's ruptured a cruciate or something of that nature and it won't fix itself. So...please don't put this off any longer because that would go from careless to being needlessly cruel. Your best bet is to plead poverty with the Vet and see if you can pay off the bill in instalments. If you can't do that then for the sake of the dog it would be best to give him up to the RSPCA or another animal shelter who'll give him the medical care he needs.

fiona1125

Thanks for your reply

We did not have insurance, it is not that we couldn't afford insurance, it was because i had a dog that was not well 4 years ago and he was insured and we never missed a payment but the insurance company did averything in their power not to pay up so we ended up paying the 3k bill and got no help from the insurance. So we decided not to take out insurance again due to that last problem.

getcarter

Take the dog to the vets,explain your circumstances, if you cannot afford to pay that is no excuse to leave it in pain. It might have something serious wrong with it, get all the facts and then decide.

Welshwoofs

fiona1125 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply

We did not have insurance, it is not that we couldn't afford insurance, it was because i had a dog that was not well 4 years ago and he was insured and we never missed a payment but the insurance company did averything in their power not to pay up so we ended up paying the 3k bill and got no help from the insurance. So we decided not to take out insurance again due to that last problem.

It wasn't E&L by any chance?

Honestly, your first insurance company was bad...most are not like that. As you've now found out, having no insurance is living with a huge risk unless you've got a big cushion of money to pay for vet's bills.

I'm afraid the position is as I've stated though - it's down to negotiation with your vet to pay in instalments or giving him up to an animal charity who'll care for him before rehoming.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but if you're not on benefits and have already been turned away from the PDSA and Blue Cross then those really are your only options. Please, please, please though....do something quickly. It really is not fair on the dog to delay any further on this if he's as bad as you say.

Person_one

I'm not insured either, its not the right decision for everyone.

However, you need to get him to the vet regardless of how much it might cost and worry about the money later.

Maybe you could apply for a credit card? My bank gave me one with a 7 grand limit when I was unemployed!

vanderlyle

Hi there, are you sure you aren't eligible for any other benefits? I am self employed and received working tax credit (£88/week), housing benefit (£52/week) and council tax benefit (£6/week).

Check your entitlement - you may be surprised!
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/benefits-check

Also if you post on this forum https://www.doineedavet.co.uk there are qualified vets who may be able to help or point you in the right direction to a vets near you who would be willing to help you given your current financial situation.

Hope that helps and that your dog gets the help he needs

londonsurrey

Person_one wrote: »

I'm not insured either, its not the right decision for everyone.

However, you need to get him to the vet regardless of how much it might cost and worry about the money later.

Maybe you could apply for a credit card? My bank gave me one with a 7 grand limit when I was unemployed!

I think a 0% credit card is actually quite a good suggestion. If you think of it as a credit plan for the dog's treatment, then you get to pay it off in monthly bite sized installments.

All the best to Dog and you.

Sagz_2

Sorry, I don't know anywhere that may offer free vet care.

Have you got anything you could ebay or sell that would cover a consultation fee at least?

I had to resort to a taking out a 0% credit card when my dog needed 2k's worth of treatment and only had half of it saved in the 'pet' fund.

lilibet1

I see that you are in worcestershire? Whereabout abouts? I know a very good vet that may be able to help and perhaps pay the bill back monthly? How is the dog today?

pineapple123

I know this is deceitful but when an animal is suffering and you cant afford the treatment I feel acceptable however others on here may disagree.

Do you know of anyone on benefits ie housing benefit, could they not claim to own the dog even if you let them look after it on a 'temporary basis'. I know you could register 2 dogs with the RSPCA a few years ago and they didnt do any checking apart from looking at benefit letters/notifications etc but it is not free, treatment will still cost but reduced rates.

Like I said I know its deceitful but you are limited to what options you have even applying for credit card could take weeks and the poor animal needs attention now.