A tough week

Yes they are, and sadly I think many animals are killed because their owners can't afford to pay the vets bills. Insurance is the way, but I also think that is grossly expensive and can't think that poorer people can't afford it.

The PDSA provides free vets army care I think.

Too many cants!!!!

Years ago everybody could afford to keep a cat or dog. They only went to the vet twice, to be neutered then to be put to sleep after a healthy happy life.
Now vets and insurance are big business. Keeping a dog, with insurance and possibly doggy day care and constant vet bills costs nearly as much as childcare.
Vets can perform miracles but you still have to pay the excess and a serious illness or accident will cost a lot more than the insurance will cover.
It's sad but having a little furry companion is now a luxury.

I agree with watermeadow. I dread taking our dogs for their annual booster now because I can see that 'Kerrrching' look in the vet's eyes as soon as I walk in the door. If you don't comply with their recommended treatment which is always the most expensive they can throw at you, it will go on the dog's record and is a black mark against you should you need to make an insurance claim in the future.

That sounds like a very expensive bill. Here in Framce about four years ago a friend's chocolate lab ate a pair of women's tights he found on a farmer's field - it needed a huge operation to remove these tights.
Then two years ago same dog ill again and another op needed - complications with the scarring etc and this time so poorly he was in the animal hospital for two weeks and he had all sorts of tests some of which had to go to a laboratory in Paris - they found he had become allergic to his dog food - now on special stuff. The bill for all this second op etc came to just under a thousand Euros.

One of our cats just had their annual booster and we picked up two packs of combined flea/wormer/tick treatment while we were there. Bill came to £99 - £43 for the booster snd £28 per pack for the combined wormers. Needed a sit down and restorative cuppa after that!

I've been buying our flea and worm treatment online from Viovet for years. When I told our vet this (because she wouldn't stop blackmailing trying to persuade me to buy it from them she got quite stroppy and wrote down a list of active ingredients for me to take home and check if they were included in the products I had bought because they should be prescription only.

I was sorely tempted to tell her that as our dogs were healthy, fit and not showing any signs of worms or fleas I was quite happy with whatever was in the product but I didn't want to push my luck!

Her list went in the bin.

I believe and I read a article from a holistic vet that inside cats live longer if they aren't given all of those annual injections which aren't needed if the live inside only.

Flea and wormer treatments are so much cheaper on line and are the same brand as vets themselves prescribe. One of my dogs is on a prescription drug permanently which I could get for half the price on line but vet won't write prescription for it. These days veterinary care is big business and so many people who would make caring, loving owners for rescue animals are unable to have them because of the cost involved. Even if you do insure you can never claim anything like the cost of treatment.

I'm sorry about your wee cat. We lost our rescue cat earlier this year and it's heartbreaking.

We couldn't insure her because she had a congenital condition so we took her on knowing it could cost us if she became ill. Our vet, whilst not cheap, did not put undue pressure on us to take any particular course of action. He was able to reduce the cost of her medication when generics became available, too. He's a lovely man, I wish he was my doctor.

Nanny do you not have a PDSA near to you they will look after your precious cat for you free of charge in many circumstances,the fee's for Vet treatment is way over the top now but they know how dear to us our little friends are and we are willing pay these amounts to keep our pets with us.

Oh how I feel for you and it's one of my subjects along with greedy dentists. I have 2 dogs and we do have them insured. One of them has needed it after a few incidents over the years but as he's got older the monthly premiums have sky rocketed past year. We could probably manage to top up the insurance limit (£3,000 per dog I think) should it go over that, but for those who can't, they may have to say goodbye to a loved member of their family due to the extortionate fees and it makes my blood boil. PDSA will only treat free if you are below a certain income I believe, so worth an ask, but I am guessing they won't take on a sick animal because you've reached the limit of what you can afford. I know some vets will 'negotiate' if you've already paid a lot of money and the alternative is to put her to sleep, so do explain your dilemma. I shall pray she recovers so you don't have to make a difficult decision.

Yes that's quite true Envious. I keep Sphynx's (sadly only have one now) and it's the same argument every year with the vet regarding the jab against feline lukemia (think I've spelled that incorrectly). He doesn't come into contact with any other cats so doesn't need it, he doesn't need worming either.

He has to have everything else because he goes into a cattery when we go on holiday. It seems irresponsible putting chemicals into an animals body when they don't them.

Thank you for all your kindness, had to put my sweetie cat to sleep yesterday, my wonderful sil buried her in her favourite spot in my garden

Its the word pancreacitisis that alarms me. When humans have something wrong with their pancreas then that is very serious indeed asnd painful.
I think you should have her put to sleep and I don't say this lightly. It took me a year to get over the death of my cat who was 18. Mainly becuse I am too old myself to have another cat. You will be able to have another when you have got over it all. Don't let her suffer.......

So sorry to hear that, but no doubt it was the right thing to do.

Oh Sorry! missed your post.

So sorry for the loss of your feline friend nannylovesshopping.

Nannylovesshopping
So sorry to hear about your loss of your little cat.
I know how awful you're feeling right now, but you did the right thing for her, as you did when you took her on as a rescue cat.
She's not in any pain or suffering now, small consolation I know, but true all the same.
X

I think vet's fees are ridiculous and take advantage of people's love for their pets. Recently,a friend of my daughter's had to pay just over £500 to have her Rottweiler who had cancer,put to sleep.

Sorry to hear your news, nannylovesshopping