Vet fees spiralling and I can't afford it

onwards&upwards

I'm glad to hear you are going to give your dog the care she needs, I sincerely hope this is the truth.  Seems odd that you didn't mention she was booked in before now. 

There's no reason to think there will be complications, maybe a minor wound infection, they aren't uncommon, but they're easily treated with antibiotics.  If the other leg goes you can get that one operated on too if need be.  It might not happen or it might happen in 5 or 10 years.  No need to think about that now. 

onwards&upwards

theoretica said:

Looking at it logically, many pets are not vegetarians which means animals are being killed so people can have pets.

Actually dogs can live very healthily on a vegetarian diet. 

Cats can't, they are obligate carnivores and meat is essential for them. 

There's a lot of work going into creating pet foods based on insect protein, or lab grown meat which looks promising. 

Ballerina78

onwards&upwards said:

I'm glad to hear you are going to give your dog the care she needs, I sincerely hope this is the truth.  Seems odd that you didn't mention she was booked in before now. 

There's no reason to think there will be complications, maybe a minor wound infection, they aren't uncommon, but they're easily treated with antibiotics.  If the other leg goes you can get that one operated on too if need be.  It might not happen or it might happen in 5 or 10 years.  No need to think about that now. 

Why would I lie?!  You're more than welcome to come with me and help me coax a terrified labrador out of my car because she despises going to the vets. I posted this question after the vet had given me all the figures (which had increased by £1000+) and I discussed it with my husband. I was just interested as to whether it is a question you can ask and if a vet can refuse 🤷‍♀️ 

onwards&upwards

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

I'm glad to hear you are going to give your dog the care she needs, I sincerely hope this is the truth.  Seems odd that you didn't mention she was booked in before now. 

There's no reason to think there will be complications, maybe a minor wound infection, they aren't uncommon, but they're easily treated with antibiotics.  If the other leg goes you can get that one operated on too if need be.  It might not happen or it might happen in 5 or 10 years.  No need to think about that now. 

Why would I lie?!  You're more than welcome to come with me and help me coax a terrified labrador out of my car because she despises going to the vets. I posted this question after the vet had given me all the figures (which had increased by £1000+) and I discussed it with my husband. I was just interested as to whether it is a question you can ask and if a vet can refuse 🤷‍♀️ 

Good luck then, I'm sure it will go fine and in a few months when she's running around happily you'll be glad you gave her what she needed and probably horrified that you ever even considered the possibility of having her killed. 

Try a favourite toy to reduce her stress at the vets, and be mindful of your own body language and tone of voice as she will pick up your anxiety. 

sheramber

 I sectioned off a  part of the living room with an  fireguard to allow my dog to lie in the room with us .  She was only in a crate during the night.
Please download th rehab guide in this link https://www.topdoghealth.com/rehab_guides/cruciate-home-rehab-guides/
This is the same as my specialist gave me but is broken down with more  detailed information. many others have used it successfully.
 Gradual rehabilitation is important as while the leg recovers the other leg takes the strain. You need to protect that leg until the other leg has recovered, so gentle exercise only.
i was told the op was the easy part, th rehab is the very important  part.
My dog only had one xray after  her op to check all was okay. She was on metacam for only a few days. I think 3,   after  she came home. 
 She was walking on the leg when she left th vets on the day after  the operation.She was kept in overnight as she was not operated on until late afternoon and we had  a 6 hour   journey home so were happy for her to stay in overnight.

GBNI

I'm not going to get into an argument in regards to putting to sleep a mostly healthy animal, but I would advise going to another vet (in a different practise) to see how they compare fees wise. My vet would never, ever mess me about in regards to quotes/prices. In fact, he has given me discount to ensure in comes in at what was originally quoted as!

Ballerina78

sheramber said:

 I sectioned off a  part of the living room with an  fireguard to allow my dog to lie in the room with us .  She was only in a crate during the night.
Please download th rehab guide in 
This is the same as my specialist gave me but is broken down with more  detailed information. many others have used it successfully.
 Gradual rehabilitation is important as while the leg recovers the other leg takes the strain. You need to protect that leg until the other leg has recovered, so gentle exercise only.
i was told the op was the easy part, th rehab is the very important  part.
My dog only had one xray after  her op to check all was okay. She was on metacam for only a few days. I think 3,   after  she came home. 
 She was walking on the leg when she left th vets on the day after  the operation.She was kept in overnight as she was not operated on until late afternoon and we had  a 6 hour   journey home so were happy for her to stay in overnight.

That's so helpful thank you. The vet just said 8 week crate rest 🤷‍♀️ but everywhere I've read says short walks (5 mins) just to keep the joint moving 

KimBaumgart

Create rest and supplement of chondroitin and glucosamine can do the work... I hope everything is going well with your Pooch

manimag

I have a 7 year old retriever with this condition and am waiting for her to have the operation. I had absolutely no hesitation in making this decision. This operation is commonplace and I have known many dogs that have had it and lead perfectly happy normal lives. Yes. you have to keep them quiet for a few weeks after the operation but can then slowly introduce them back to walks and within 12 weeks they should be back to normal. I don't have insurance so will have to fund this myself and although I will have to borrow to pay for it, I don't begrudge a penny. It has cost me a little over £500 for my dog to be diagnosed so I am astounded at what you have paid to your vet so far. What was this huge amount for? At my vet, follow ups after operations and necessary drugs are free. You could also use the £100 a week saved on day care to pay someone to pop in on a daily basis to ensure your dog has a bit of company and respite from the crate.  Would I put my dog to sleep in your circumstances? Absolutely not! Your dog is still young and can have a happy and long life after the operation. Yes, she may not be able to go to agility but dogs adapt and really all they want is to be with their owners.. The only time I would contemplate having my dog put to sleep was if she was suffering and nothing could be done for her that wouldn't involve months of suffering and pain.. If you aren't willing for your dog to have this operation, then for goodness sake re-home her so she can have the life she deserves, don't kill her!.

MovingForwards

The thread is from August 2020 and OP has not logged in since.