Dog operation

Sarah69

Hi, my dog has had a lump on the side of his neck diagnosed with cancer. I've been quoted by my vet the cost of an op would be between £500-£800. I can't afford this. I used to have pet insurance but after I claimed on it for a back operation the monthly premiums went up and I couldn't afford them. I do work full time and don't claim any benefits. I've been told to use a credit card or get a loan but I can't afford to repay them, the same with a payment plan from the vets. I have no extra money. Does anybody know of anywhere that may help? TIA

Fosterdog

How was the diagnosis done if they haven't yet removed the lump? They generally either remove the whole lump or at least take a biopsy to have analysed before confirming cancer. It may be worth shopping around with other vets. I'm registered with three different vets and always compare costs of each treatment before deciding who to go with. A couple of years ago my old dog had a lump that needed removing and testing, one vet estimated £300-£500, the second £700-£900 and the third £800-£1200, all of them depending on things like length of time he was under. I went with the cheapest who also happened to be able to fit him in soonest and it only need up costing £380.

I don't know of any way of getting cheaper or free treatment but if you are in the financial space that you have no emergency fund for these situations and can't afford repayments on a credit card then I would suggest popping over to the debt free wannabe board and posting a statement of affairs to see if anyone can help you find a way of freeing up enough to pay this off and help get an emergency fund for the future.

It is also worth shopping around for a good 0% deal on a credit card, I've just had a Tesco one that is 30 months interest free with only £25 a month as minimum payment. Something like that would be ideal for you.

sheramber

Borrow from friends and family.

mw123

How about a go fund me page and share the hell out of it! Or is there anything you can sell and I mean anything TV, phones etc. Not ideal I know but needs must I guess.

RuthnJasper

Do you qualify for Blue Cross? https://www.bluecross.org.uk/veterinary


Have you asked your vet if you can pay in instalments?


Good luck - hope all turns out well.

sheramber

RuthnJasper wrote: »

Do you qualify for Blue Cross? https://www.bluecross.org.uk/veterinary


Unlikely as OP says in first post ' I do work full time and don't claim any benefits. '

iolanthe07

Many vets are happy to take payment in instalments.

sheramber

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Many vets are happy to take payment in instalments.

The OP stated she can't afford the vet's payment plan.

Basically she has no money to pay anything.

I hope she has found a way of affording the required treatment for her pet.

LusciousLuce

This strikes me as a question of priorities. If it matters to you, you'll do your damnedest to find the money. But you seem to have discounted every option as unaffordable to you.

I think rather than many vets being happy to take payments in instalments, the reality is many vets don't have any choice: either withhold/refuse treatment or grudgingly accept instalments. And the amount of owners paying by instalments who either never make another payment, leaving the practice to carry the costs, or have to be chased and chased to make those payments, is enough to put any practice off.

My (admittedly disheartened and cynical) opinion when I left practice was that people get their priorities wrong, especially once their pet has received the treatment. They're not prepared to make any sacrifices, cut back on anything, or sell anything (great suggestion above re: selling on eBay). I often phoned debtors to ask why they hadn't paid, and they would be away on holiday.

I really hope you've resolved this and the pet isn't left untreated.

Katiehound

I just want to ask what is the prognosis of having the lump removed.
Will it likely extend the life of your pet by days, weeks, months, years?
The reason I ask is that if it is only prolonging the inevitable by a short time I wouldn't want my dog to go through an operation just for the sake of it.

Yes, been there, done that (sadly twice.) In the first case it was an elderly dog and in the second a middle aged dog with a very agressive cancer that I swear grew as you watched. No guesses for what I decided to do.

I seem to think that Blue Cross might have a fund to help, I am sure I read about it in the last year. Worth an ask if nothing else, but I suspect you need to be on a low income.