Please put some money aside for your furbaby.....
 

I read on one of the other threads about poor Molly, that was turned away from the vet because her owner couldnt pay, and had to die in pain.

It broke my heart.

My hubby and I are both working, so are comfortable financially, for now. However, I have just taken out insurance for my two. It just gives me peace of mind.

Between Tobys xrays and op for Legg Perthes, and Maisies virus, both of which happened before I insured them, I am out about £1000 this month. It doesnt bother me in the slightest, and I know if Maisie hadnt gotten immediate veterinary attention, she wouldnt be here now.

I think as animal owners, we have a responsibility to them beyond the initial purchase price. I couldnt cope with the guilt if one of my two had to suffer because I couldnt pay.

If you cant afford insurance, try to give up something each month that you treat yourself to and put a little aside for those emergencies (which hopefully never crop up).

I know that there are a lot of people in a financial situation that they never would've imagined being in, and I am sure in hindsight, an emergency fund would be a godsend.

Hope I havent offended, but that other thread just broke my heart.

This is great information! I haven't received my pup yet, and I myself have been considering getting insurance. Another thing me and my boyfriend do is save change in a piggy bank. We labled the piggy bank "Puppy Love" we have one that is completely full and we're filling another one up now. Im not sure how much money is in it, but its heavy and has lots of coins and dollars bills. It was something creative we came up with. I thought I would share that with you guys!

:thumbup: Good post. I can't tell you how many times we have had unexpected vet bills run over $1000 in a month. I agree if you just put a little back here and there it may save your baby and your pocket book in the future.

I agree - good post!!! :thumbup::thumbup:

Small sacrifices make big differences! :D

Great post, my son is a vet tech and even tho I can call on him to help, I have pet insurance for my 4. so if you like me and forget to put money aside,consider getting insurance is a PEACE of mind for you and your PET.. also if an emergency arises and you don't have the cash you tell the vet you have pet insurance and they are more likely to work with you than if you don't. is REALITY, pet medicine is a big business and even tho WE don't like it :thumbdown that is how it is, the first time I went to bring dinner to my son at the Veterinary Emergency Services he now works for, the sign READS..."HOW are you going to pay for this" I grinched at it, but when my son came home he explained that is not up to them is how the owners and management said.. no money no services.. :(:(:( and is the pet's owner responsability to be prepared for any emergency.

great post! totally agree with it! You just never know when something is going to come up and even if the outcome is good and not needing any extra services, the testing and labwork alone can still be a financial hardship. Xrays and cultures are not cheap!

We're looking into insurance for our two, and are leaning towards VPI but I'm nervous because we wouldn't be able to afford it when they get older because of how much it increases! My hubby and I are okay financially, we're both teachers but if a multi-thousand dollar incident would arise we'd be in trouble which is why we want insurance.

As a side note, I've only been to one emergency vet, but they had a credit card you could kind of buy on the spot. Do all ER vets not have that?

I completely agree - you HAVE to have money aside for emergencies.

In my case, I am great friends with out Vet, who lives about a mile down the road. I can go over to her house any time I need to for help, even the middle of the night. And, she lets me "charge" things and pay later. I know I am one of the lucky ones, but having a relationship with a vet is important.

If you don't take your babies in for regular check-ups, then the vet won't know you. If you visit your vet regularly, I can't imagine that, in a crisis, a decent vet wouldn't help.

:thumbup::thumbup: I've looked into pet insurance, but have opted to set that money aside each month instead. It adds up quickly and is there in the event of an emergency.

I was with my previous vet for many years, infact almost from the day he opened, as such if a sudden emergency cropped up they would let me pay in installments. I nolonge use them, got too big and more financially motivated and too many newly qualified vets for my liking.
As such we've always put any spare money left at the end of each week up for savings and the dogs and cats medical care will always take presedence over anything else.

I have insurance for my 6, and the peace it brings me is well worth the cost. The thought of future medical expenses didn't bother me much when I only had 2 or 3. Now that I have more, my savings couldn't handle it if they all got sick or hurt at the same time. I put money back with the best of intentions, but life has a way of getting in the way and some other emergency could have me dipping into their medical fund. This way, I know the money is dedicated to their care no matter what. And the monthly premium is an easy enough amount for me to pay compared to what one big claim could run.

That vet is a f-ing a$$hole to deny help to a suffering animal. There are oftentimes not-for-profit shelters in times like this for assistance.

If Baby Molly's story does not convince us to prepare financially for our pets, I'm not sure what will. I don't know if I could get over something like that. Last month, within a week's time, I spent over a $1000 on Buster. I'm not rich and I don't have insurance. I keep looking at insurance but haven't decided which one. I hope mine never have an emergency, but you never know.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Another great option is to have a CARE CREDIT account already set up. Just in case, you never know... it will allow you to make small plan for payment without interest .
Real great option !

So we should set up that emergency credit card as a "just in case"?

The best is to have insurance and money set aside.
But as a part of an ahead plan , it is an option to have a Care Credit card account set up already, before hand you will know for sure how much will be your approved limit and it can help your planning.
Last minute measures are always... last minute !

As far as i know most vets offer some sort of play plan or credit applications on the spot, but we saw several posts here already of vets that do not offer that .

XOXO

I agree. I have my 3 insured through VPI and it helped a lot with Cali's major expenses and the peace of mind knowing all 3 are covered. I also took out a Care Credit when Dixie the yorkie puppy I had for 5 weeks and found out she had congenital kidney failure and was diagnosed before her insurance became effective. She has 1900.00 in bills in 1 week and then had to be put to sleep. I took out the Care credit then and when a friend's yorkie needed dental care and she couldn't afford it I pulled out my Care credit and used it. It has 5,000.00 limit so between that and the insurance I should be ok for emergencies. One reason I am not keeping the pom I am fostering is the cost of vet bills and insurance premiums. My husband and I are now both retired and living on a fixed income and I owe it to my 3 to know my limit. If any one is thinking of getting insurance do it sooner than later as there is a waiting period and most exclude any preexisting conditions.

You scared me when I saw the post was from you! I didn't know you had TWO now!!! This is a great post! I have insurance for Bailey (which I got when he was a puppy) right after I almost lost him and a huge vet bill. AND I have a separate credit card JUST for Bailey for emergencies. I won't let anything come in the way of my little baby!!! :)

I've done the research as well and find it quite expensive considering it only covers things that are seldom needed. I think sitting money aside each month is the smart thing to do, especially after the pet has lived it's life out and you have quite a bit of savings to do as you need or want.

That is an excellent idea.

Many people don't realize until they are in the situation that if your dog or cat gets sick on a weekend or holiday, ER vets demand payment upfront. They don't care if you have insurance or not. It's not like an emergency room at your local hospital. You have to pay them in full, then submit your receipts to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Lady got HGE on Labor Day. I was taken to a room where a vet tech took her history and gave me a proposed treatment plan and estimate of $700. I was given a clipboard with statement of financial responsibility to sign and sent back to the waiting room to pay the $700. If I had not had it, we would have been turned away and Lady would have died.

If ER vets started treating pets they don't even know for free, they could not stay in business. They have overhead and staff to pay. Usually illnesses serious enough to require emergency treatment are costly.

It is our responsibility as pet owners to be prepared for an after hours emergency, not the vet's responsibility to treat our pet for free. If your pet has a life threatening emergency, there is not time to apply for Care Credit and wait for approval. You have to have an emergency bank account, a credit card or a pre-approved Care Credit account or you will be turned away.

Great post! When I first got Bailey I opened a savings account especially for him. I have a certqin amount taken out of our income monthly and deposited to his acouunt. It's amazing how just a small amount plus interest adds up over time.

us to doing pet insurance
 

just picked up the papers from the vet they had several different flyers in the vet office. So I have to check it all out....cause we live paycheck to paycheck most of the time. So I want to be prepared....I can't imagine though them not taking some form of payment, but who know I don't know if mine would either.

We do the same. :thumbup:

This is what we've done too. We have a savings account with money put aside for "emergencies".

Just remember that ER vets don't take insurance the way our hospitals do. They will require you to pay upfront. You will have to submit your receipts and wait for reimbursement from your insurance company.

As impossible as it may sound in this economy, everyone needs to be able to get their hands on about $1,000 asap in case of emergency. That's why having an account set up that you add to monthly or a pre-approved Care Credit account is essential. Some illnesses and injuries just can't wait until your regular vet gets back in on Monday.

We live five minutes from our vet, but we've had to use the ER vet on two separate occasions in three years. It does happen. I also believe that we were asked for money up front...cash or credit card. I don't know if they would have waited for payment at all. Is CareCredit a credit card? Could you have immediate access to it?

I agree wholeheartdly. We use Savings Bonds to help protect us from medical expenses. We looked into (in Canada) the many pet insurance plans and what they didn't cover would astound you. We have 4 fur babies and we save $1500 per year just in case fund. We pay out of pocket for their normal vet expenses. One of the things that opened my eyes last summer was almost as $400 bill for heartworm meds. I t is costly to own multiple pets