* Pin Paws Pet Care is powered by MetLife effective 2021 with new plan options.
An immediate common thought when your pet is injured or sick is, “How much does it cost to pay for vets for pets?” Unfortunately, the cost of veterinarian care is beginning to become as expensive as human care. Continued advances in technology and science result in an increased price tag to keep our pets healthy and happy. As pet owners, we are going to exhaust every means possible to provide our helpless pets with the best care.
The question resurfaces, “How much does it cost to pay for vets for pets?” The costs certainly add up quickly for an emergency veterinary visit. Personal research provided the following costly statistics for particular incidences:
Pneumonia: “$1,500.00 veterinary bill in addition to purchasing a humidifier, essential oils to diffuse and the chicken and rice I had to prepare every day.”
Urinating Blood: “$800.00 at the emergency vet, $1300 bladder stone surgery the next day, $75/bag prescription food and she now drinks bottled water.”
Pancreatitis: “Emergency vet at 10:30 pm the day after Thanksgiving, $2,700.00 and given less than a 30% chance. Had blood transfusion, 3 days at the vet and pulled through for another 5-6 years.”
Regular Check-ups with Dental Cleaning: “$1,200 for two dogs.”
Torn ACL: “$3,500 (on each side!)”
Addison’s Disease: “Have spent $600 on my dachshund who has symptoms of Cushing’s Disease and 2ndtest showed she has Addison’s Disease. Her liver is twice the size it should be. So she has been put on injections and the cost of the med is $200 every 3-4 months. She goes to an internal med doctor for additional testing. That visit is $150 plus ultrasound is $460 and who knows what’s next?”
Stones Removed: “$2,000 to have stones removed from my dog’s bladder. This was about 17 years ago at an emergency vet.”
TPLO (tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) surgery: “We spent $4,500 on our Great Dane’s TPLO surgery this summer. We’re getting ready to do the other let in a few weeks. So about $9,000 this year on our sweet baby.”
Seizure Disorder: “Had an Australian Shepherd lab mix that started having seizures. 3 trips to the emergency vet that totaled up to about $10,000. Plus all his medications. Ended up putting him down and cost another $450 bucks.”
Inpatient Neuro ICU: “$4,000 for inpatient neuro ICU for 2 days to treat diskospondylitis. This was after $500 in X-rays and pain pills. It didn’t help with pain management and IV antibiotics so he went over the rainbow bridge.”
Intestinal Blockage: “$3,500 ICU and emergency surgery on a boxer puppy. Had an intestinal blockage from stuffing from a toy.”
Abscess: “$3,500 just to clean abscess.”
Cyst on Lower Inside Eyelid: “$3,000, 13 years ago, an 8-year-old cocker spaniel. Cyst on inside lower eyelid. Drained open 3 times then referred to vet eye specialist. Multiple appointments and antibiotics over a 6 month period. Lived another 6+ years.”
Dog’s Cancer: “$15K for surgery, radiation, and chemo for my dog’s cancer.”
Cushing’s Disease: “My schnauzer had symptoms of Cushing’s Disease… testing cost upwards to $700. Every six months he has to have labs drawn to check levels, that was another $300 per every 6 months. He now has to take Remedol for his hip dysplasia and for 60 pills, it’s $108 per every two months.”
Knee Cap Dislocation: “My big dog 95 pounds… dislocated his kneecap last summer and I was out $3,000.”
Hit By A Car: “K.J. was run over on a Friday night. ER visit $600 for x-rays and pain meds. 6 hip fractures and some other minor injuries/abrasions. After all the vet checkups, x-rays, meds, 2 months of healing process it came out to around $1,000 for his regular vet and $600 for the ER vet.”
Leg Amputation: “Our NeNe had to have a leg amputated because for cancer, $3,000.”
Bowel Obstruction: “A few years ago our Sweet Little Molly Girl (120 pounds) ate 6 mangos that had fallen off our tree (pits and all). She ended up with a bowel obstruction. Emergency surgery was $3,500. That doesn’t count the original vet bills, X-rays, and labs. It was probably about $4,000 when it was all done.”
Lymphoma: “My greyhound, who is now at the rainbow bridge, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Just the testing/biopsy process alone was about $1,600.”
Perianal Adenocarcinoma: “Jazz- 13 y.o. female Keeshond with perianal adenocarcinoma. Aggressive treatment was quoted at $17,000- $25,000. Palliative treatment with radiation OR chemo was $7,500- $12,000. I couldn’t afford either but I ended up spending about $14,000 anyway. She actually received two full annual rounds of radiation and lived another 18 months.
Congestive Heart Failure: “Gizmo- 13 y.o. male Norwegian Elkhound with congestive heart failure. Mo also lived another 18 months post-diagnosis. I can’t break the costs down very well, but we did multiple ECG tests ($$$), X-rays ($$), and the bulk was on medication. I spent somewhere around $8,000 after you factor in all of that plus special diets.”
Cactus Injury: “Calvin chased a bunny into a cactus. One visit for a few hours and he still wasn’t well. Took him back to stay overnight. Around $800 for everything including 6 prescriptions.”
Pin Paws now offers pet insurance, Pin Paws Pet Care. We have found a way to make getting pet insurance easy and affording vets for pets without breaking the bank. We have partnered with Pet First to bring you an exclusive, new look into pet insurance. To qualify your pet for our insurance program we need you to answer two questions: Do you have a dog or a cat and do you want a $2,000 or $5,000 max annual payout? We have taken away the hassle and worry regarding pet breed, age or location. With your plan, you will have a standard $100 deductible and will be reimbursed 90% of the remaining bill, per your policy details, for the life of your pet. Contact us for a quote and save your peace of mind and pocketbook woes should something happen to your fur baby. The testimonials above prove how commonly unexpected emergent situations can arise.
