| Topic: |
Sociology > Depression |
| User: |
"elegy" |
| Date: |
22 Jan 2007 05:48:07 PM |
| Object: |
i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
we had a lady call over lunch (i wasn't there)- hysterical. her dog
had just been hit by a car. she'd be right over.
she called back again, she couldn't get the dog in the car it was in
so much pain and trying to bite her.
the docs went and got the dog and the lady followed them in. it was a
six month old catahoula x, only 35 pounds. stable but pretty busted
up. she'd been throwing ball for the dog, and the ball went into the
street and the dog did as well, and...
we did one xray and the dog's pelvis was broken in at least three
places, one hip was broken, the other was dislocated and couldn't be
put back because the pelvis was so badly broken.
everything was fixable, but for a price.
one referral vet (this was major surgery, far beyond what we could do)
was swamped and not taking any more cases. the other gave us an
estimate of $1500-$2500, likely in the $1900-$2100 range.
they just didn't have the money. that's a lot of money. most people
can't whip out that much money.
so they cried and they kissed her and they put her to sleep.
and it just kills me. i wish i were rich. i wish i could have saved
that dog, just whipped out a credit card and called the referral
clinic and said these people are coming, here's my credit card number.
please fix their dog and charge me for it.
she was just a baby.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
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| User: "Noon Cat Nick" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 08:13:50 PM |
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elegy wrote:
we had a lady call over lunch (i wasn't there)- hysterical. her dog
had just been hit by a car. she'd be right over.
she called back again, she couldn't get the dog in the car it was in
so much pain and trying to bite her.
the docs went and got the dog and the lady followed them in. it was a
six month old catahoula x, only 35 pounds. stable but pretty busted
up. she'd been throwing ball for the dog, and the ball went into the
street and the dog did as well, and...
we did one xray and the dog's pelvis was broken in at least three
places, one hip was broken, the other was dislocated and couldn't be
put back because the pelvis was so badly broken.
everything was fixable, but for a price.
one referral vet (this was major surgery, far beyond what we could do)
was swamped and not taking any more cases. the other gave us an
estimate of $1500-$2500, likely in the $1900-$2100 range.
they just didn't have the money. that's a lot of money. most people
can't whip out that much money.
so they cried and they kissed her and they put her to sleep.
and it just kills me. i wish i were rich. i wish i could have saved
that dog, just whipped out a credit card and called the referral
clinic and said these people are coming, here's my credit card number.
please fix their dog and charge me for it.
she was just a baby.
There is such a thing as pet insurance, which supposedly helps defray
the costs of veterinary treatment just as health insurance is supposed
to do. But it's kind of a secret non-secret--i.e., it's out there and
readily available, but you'd have a hard time finding a vet, shelter
worker, or anyone who's business is companion animals mentioning it.
Maybe they don't know about it either, maybe they'd rather you not know
for whatever reason(s)...who knows?
But it's things like this poor pup being put down that grind me when I
recall all the people who insist that if you can't pay for your
companion animal's potential medical bills, you shouldn't have a pet.
For cryin' out loud, how can anyone with less than a six-figure income
prepare financially for something like what's described above? That dog
could've been saved if the vet would've been amenable to working out
some sort of payment plan. (Then again, post-op treatment would've added
a bundle to the fee, most likely.)
Bottom lines: Many of us who cherish companion animals would love to be
able to save every stray or injured cat, dog, etc. in the world. Of
course, we know we can't. So we do our best to help as many of them as
we can by adopting, working at shelters, and so on. But no matter how
many we've helped, when something like this happens, we feel like
colossal failures for not being able to do anything at all to help in
any way that one poor pet. The onus of futility for that one animal
soul, for a time, puts a miserable weight on us, dampening and
overshadowing all the considerable good we've accomplished for the world
of animal companions that intersects our own.
.
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| User: "elegy" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 08:37:56 PM |
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long ago and far away, Noon Cat Nick
<chatdemidiSPAMBEGONE@hotmail.com> did say:
There is such a thing as pet insurance, which supposedly helps defray
the costs of veterinary treatment just as health insurance is supposed
to do. But it's kind of a secret non-secret--i.e., it's out there and
readily available, but you'd have a hard time finding a vet, shelter
worker, or anyone who's business is companion animals mentioning it.
Maybe they don't know about it either, maybe they'd rather you not know
for whatever reason(s)...who knows?
i don't think that's true. we have pamphlets for two companies in our
lobby. the place where i used to work gave out puppy packs that
included a free month of pet insurance if you signed up for a year.
the only client i know of lately who had pet insurance dropped it
after the first year because it's a huge hassle and it wasn't worth it
to her.
But it's things like this poor pup being put down that grind me when I
recall all the people who insist that if you can't pay for your
companion animal's potential medical bills, you shouldn't have a pet.
For cryin' out loud, how can anyone with less than a six-figure income
prepare financially for something like what's described above? That dog
could've been saved if the vet would've been amenable to working out
some sort of payment plan. (Then again, post-op treatment would've added
a bundle to the fee, most likely.)
i make about $16k a year *before* taxes and i have several thousand
dollars set aside in various accounts for just that. and credit cards.
it's not about how much money you have, necessarily. it's about what
your priorities are. if that had been my dog, she'd have been in
surgery tonight.
as far as i'm concerned, if you can't pay for reasonable yearly care
and you don't have the money for an emergency exam and euthanasia,
then you shouldn't own the pet.
(the estimate included post-op care, barring complications)
Bottom lines: Many of us who cherish companion animals would love to be
able to save every stray or injured cat, dog, etc. in the world. Of
course, we know we can't. So we do our best to help as many of them as
we can by adopting, working at shelters, and so on. But no matter how
many we've helped, when something like this happens, we feel like
colossal failures for not being able to do anything at all to help in
any way that one poor pet. The onus of futility for that one animal
soul, for a time, puts a miserable weight on us, dampening and
overshadowing all the considerable good we've accomplished for the world
of animal companions that intersects our own.
*nod nod*
sigh.
right now i feel less bad for the dog, as she's gone to a more
peaceful place and her suffering is over, than i do for the people who
are left with the guilt and the hole in their lives.
i hate feeling helpless. i hate seeing people suffer though no real
fault of their own.
i look at my dogs crashed out on the couch right now, the cats draped
here and there, and tears ***** behind my eyes because i can't help
but think of the rawness, the gaping in my heart that will come when
they are gone.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
.
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| User: "Frett" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 08:01:33 PM |
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On Jan 22, 9:37 pm, elegy <e...@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
long ago and far away, Noon Cat Nick
<chatdemidiSPAMBEG...@hotmail.com> did say:
There is such a thing as pet insurance, which supposedly helps defray
the costs of veterinary treatment just as health insurance is supposed
to do. But it's kind of a secret non-secret--i.e., it's out there and
readily available, but you'd have a hard time finding a vet, shelter
worker, or anyone who's business is companion animals mentioning it.
Maybe they don't know about it either, maybe they'd rather you not know
for whatever reason(s)...who knows?i don't think that's true. we have pamphlets for two companies in our
lobby. the place where i used to work gave out puppy packs that
included a free month of pet insurance if you signed up for a year.
the only client i know of lately who had pet insurance dropped it
after the first year because it's a huge hassle and it wasn't worth it
to her.
But it's things like this poor pup being put down that grind me when I
recall all the people who insist that if you can't pay for your
companion animal's potential medical bills, you shouldn't have a pet.
For cryin' out loud, how can anyone with less than a six-figure income
prepare financially for something like what's described above? That dog
could've been saved if the vet would've been amenable to working out
some sort of payment plan. (Then again, post-op treatment would've added
a bundle to the fee, most likely.)i make about $16k a year *before* taxes and i have several thousand
dollars set aside in various accounts for just that. and credit cards.
it's not about how much money you have, necessarily. it's about what
your priorities are. if that had been my dog, she'd have been in
surgery tonight.
as far as i'm concerned, if you can't pay for reasonable yearly care
and you don't have the money for an emergency exam and euthanasia,
then you shouldn't own the pet.
(the estimate included post-op care, barring complications)
Bottom lines: Many of us who cherish companion animals would love to be
able to save every stray or injured cat, dog, etc. in the world. Of
course, we know we can't. So we do our best to help as many of them as
we can by adopting, working at shelters, and so on. But no matter how
many we've helped, when something like this happens, we feel like
colossal failures for not being able to do anything at all to help in
any way that one poor pet. The onus of futility for that one animal
soul, for a time, puts a miserable weight on us, dampening and
overshadowing all the considerable good we've accomplished for the world
of animal companions that intersects our own.*nod nod*
sigh.
right now i feel less bad for the dog, as she's gone to a more
peaceful place and her suffering is over, than i do for the people who
are left with the guilt and the hole in their lives.
i hate feeling helpless. i hate seeing people suffer though no real
fault of their own.
i look at my dogs crashed out on the couch right now, the cats draped
here and there, and tears ***** behind my eyes because i can't help
but think of the rawness, the gaping in my heart that will come when
they are gone.
When I had to put Blacky down after 22 years, I drove home alone,
crying, yelling why do people buy F^&king animals, man, and then they
F^&king die....*****, son of a b*&^h, poor blacky, holy S^&T. I
couldn't take it. I opted for the individual cremation, and i pretend
the tin sealed box is really filled with him...sure...but poor Dolly, I
have a fire going for her...and her sores are getting incredible on the
underside...so yeah, but I tell you what: I never would have bought or
owned these cats, it's the 2 old guys who did, it takes courage to take
something into your home that you know you are going to love, and you
know they aren't going to be around but X years for a dog, X for a cat.
It's a reflection of my fear of a human relationship with the opposite
sex:
(I was gonna say 'someday, I'll have to have her put to sleep', just to
make you laugh.)
If I say, 'you are a good person, elegy', again, please don't barf.
--Frett
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
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| User: "Janithor" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 06:03:04 PM |
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x-no-archive: yes
elegy wrote:
we had a lady call over lunch (i wasn't there)- hysterical. her dog
had just been hit by a car. she'd be right over.
she called back again, she couldn't get the dog in the car it was in
so much pain and trying to bite her.
the docs went and got the dog and the lady followed them in. it was a
six month old catahoula x, only 35 pounds. stable but pretty busted
up. she'd been throwing ball for the dog, and the ball went into the
street and the dog did as well, and...
we did one xray and the dog's pelvis was broken in at least three
places, one hip was broken, the other was dislocated and couldn't be
put back because the pelvis was so badly broken.
everything was fixable, but for a price.
one referral vet (this was major surgery, far beyond what we could do)
was swamped and not taking any more cases. the other gave us an
estimate of $1500-$2500, likely in the $1900-$2100 range.
they just didn't have the money. that's a lot of money. most people
can't whip out that much money.
so they cried and they kissed her and they put her to sleep.
and it just kills me. i wish i were rich. i wish i could have saved
that dog, just whipped out a credit card and called the referral
clinic and said these people are coming, here's my credit card number.
please fix their dog and charge me for it.
she was just a baby.
Wah. Rough story. How do the vets seem to handle this? They're
running a business, I understand that part, but then the high cost
results in this. That's gotta be hard.
.
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| User: "elegy" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 06:12:10 PM |
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long ago and far away, Janithor <Janithor@comcast.net> did say:
Wah. Rough story. How do the vets seem to handle this? They're
running a business, I understand that part, but then the high cost
results in this. That's gotta be hard.
depends on the vet. none of the referral clinics do payment plans
(other than carecredit http://www.carecredit.com ). we do sometimes
with emergencies (held checks, mostly) but this wasn't something we
could fix.
most vet don't do payment plans anymore because they get screwed.
we're an oddity. the clinic i work at is small, and we've got tens of
thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
at the end of the day, harsh as it sounds, you're the one responsible
for your pet and their bills, not anybody else.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
.
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| User: "Nina" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 07:08:11 PM |
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On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:12:10 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
long ago and far away, Janithor <Janithor@comcast.net> did say:
Wah. Rough story. How do the vets seem to handle this? They're
running a business, I understand that part, but then the high cost
results in this. That's gotta be hard.
depends on the vet. none of the referral clinics do payment plans
(other than carecredit http://www.carecredit.com ). we do sometimes
with emergencies (held checks, mostly) but this wasn't something we
could fix.
most vet don't do payment plans anymore because they get screwed.
we're an oddity. the clinic i work at is small, and we've got tens of
thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
at the end of the day, harsh as it sounds, you're the one responsible
for your pet and their bills, not anybody else.
But it's horrible and unfixable. This really bothers me. In some
ways, it was easier when you *couldn't* fix things, and so it was sad,
but there was no choice. Veterinary medicine has come so far that now
there nearly always is a choice, but at huge price, and there's no
adequate insurance to cover it.
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
How do people afford these things? How can you choose not to afford
it?
And I'm sure that someone will chime in on human medical care, but
there *are* human options, there IS insurance, there ARE social
programs.
.
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| User: "Franz Bestuchev" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 08:29:57 PM |
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Nina wrote:
And I'm sure that someone will chime in on human medical care, but
there *are* human options, there IS insurance, there ARE social
programs.
There is pet insurance as well. I've never looked into it, but I know
it's out there.
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| User: "elegy" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 07:19:22 PM |
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long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:12:10 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
long ago and far away, Janithor <Janithor@comcast.net> did say:
Wah. Rough story. How do the vets seem to handle this? They're
running a business, I understand that part, but then the high cost
results in this. That's gotta be hard.
depends on the vet. none of the referral clinics do payment plans
(other than carecredit http://www.carecredit.com ). we do sometimes
with emergencies (held checks, mostly) but this wasn't something we
could fix.
most vet don't do payment plans anymore because they get screwed.
we're an oddity. the clinic i work at is small, and we've got tens of
thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
at the end of the day, harsh as it sounds, you're the one responsible
for your pet and their bills, not anybody else.
But it's horrible and unfixable. This really bothers me. In some
ways, it was easier when you *couldn't* fix things, and so it was sad,
but there was no choice. Veterinary medicine has come so far that now
there nearly always is a choice, but at huge price, and there's no
adequate insurance to cover it.
there is some insurance, but you still have to have the money to pay
it up front and then wait to be reimbursed.
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
oy, poor puppy! he's lucky to have ended up with you. how old is he?
do you have him on a joint supplement?
i'm looking at surgery on luce's knee. depending on how things go, it
could cost me ~$700 if we can do it at work, or twice that if i end up
at a specialist. she doesn't need it yet, but the injury she has
(cruciate) will not heal, so it's just a matter of time until it tears
worse or completely, and then it'll be surgical. and then her other
knee is likely to go within three years, if you're playing the odds.
the thing that scares me the most is cancer. we do chemo at the place
where i work, and you can throw $2-3000 dollars or more into a dog
easy in order to buy them maybe a year, if you're lucky.
How do people afford these things? How can you choose not to afford
it?
i think sometimes you just flat out *can't*. when it's a choice of fix
the dog or feed the kids, there's really no choice left at all.
the ones i can't deal with are the people who take their broken pets
home without making a choice. at least if the choice is euthanasia,
it's an end to that animal's suffering.
And I'm sure that someone will chime in on human medical care, but
there *are* human options, there IS insurance, there ARE social
programs.
yup, but at the same time, pets are priviledges, and, for better or
worse, they're property.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
.
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| User: "Nina" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 07:43:43 PM |
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On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:19:22 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
there is some insurance, but you still have to have the money to pay
it up front and then wait to be reimbursed.
And it's not good, as far as I can tell. Or at least when I looked
into it a few years ago. You pretty much have to gamble that you're
going to have problems, because if it's just preventative care, it's
not worth it, and then you have to get it as soon as you get the dog,
because anything that's preexisting is not covered. Expensive and
probably not worth it, in general. Although I keep meaning to look
into it again.
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
oy, poor puppy! he's lucky to have ended up with you. how old is he?
do you have him on a joint supplement?
He's almost 5. He's now on glucosamine and chondroitin (probably
misspelled) and fish oil... like everyone else in the house, actually!
We just discovered all of this a month ago, so we're trying to get
some weight off him, and then I think that they're going to have to do
the exploratory x-rays and blood tests, etc. He's a little better and
a little lighter than he was a month ago, but you can see it when he
stands up; he puts no weight on his left hind leg, and the angles are
all wrong. It worries me like mad; he's just the sweetest dog, plus
he's my son's dog, and I don't want him to have to deal with this, not
yet. If there are signs of dysplasia, they probably won't be able to
do much, and then it's just a matter of waiting however long until his
quality of life deteriorates too much. But hopefully, there's some
other alternative... although, again, megabucks.
Sigh. He's a terrific dog, but he's got a combination of bad genetics
and bad luck, I think. They think that this knee thing is congenital,
too.
i'm looking at surgery on luce's knee. depending on how things go, it
could cost me ~$700 if we can do it at work, or twice that if i end up
at a specialist. she doesn't need it yet, but the injury she has
(cruciate) will not heal, so it's just a matter of time until it tears
worse or completely, and then it'll be surgical. and then her other
knee is likely to go within three years, if you're playing the odds.
But sometimes you beat the odds. You never know.
the thing that scares me the most is cancer. we do chemo at the place
where i work, and you can throw $2-3000 dollars or more into a dog
easy in order to buy them maybe a year, if you're lucky.
I guess I'm willing to play the odds on the knees, but I think that to
buy a year, it's not worth what it would put everyone through.
How do people afford these things? How can you choose not to afford
it?
i think sometimes you just flat out *can't*. when it's a choice of fix
the dog or feed the kids, there's really no choice left at all.
the ones i can't deal with are the people who take their broken pets
home without making a choice. at least if the choice is euthanasia,
it's an end to that animal's suffering.
Yeah. :-(
And I'm sure that someone will chime in on human medical care, but
there *are* human options, there IS insurance, there ARE social
programs.
yup, but at the same time, pets are priviledges, and, for better or
worse, they're property.
So are children. A privilege, that is, not property.
.
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| User: "elegy" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 08:26:17 PM |
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long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:19:22 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
there is some insurance, but you still have to have the money to pay
it up front and then wait to be reimbursed.
And it's not good, as far as I can tell. Or at least when I looked
into it a few years ago. You pretty much have to gamble that you're
going to have problems, because if it's just preventative care, it's
not worth it, and then you have to get it as soon as you get the dog,
because anything that's preexisting is not covered. Expensive and
probably not worth it, in general. Although I keep meaning to look
into it again.
it depends, i think. if your dog gets hit by a car, it might be worth
it. or it might not be. personally i think you'd be better off putting
that money in a savings account every month, but not many people
actually *do* that.
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
oy, poor puppy! he's lucky to have ended up with you. how old is he?
do you have him on a joint supplement?
He's almost 5. He's now on glucosamine and chondroitin (probably
misspelled) and fish oil... like everyone else in the house, actually!
We just discovered all of this a month ago, so we're trying to get
some weight off him, and then I think that they're going to have to do
the exploratory x-rays and blood tests, etc. He's a little better and
a little lighter than he was a month ago, but you can see it when he
stands up; he puts no weight on his left hind leg, and the angles are
all wrong. It worries me like mad; he's just the sweetest dog, plus
he's my son's dog, and I don't want him to have to deal with this, not
yet. If there are signs of dysplasia, they probably won't be able to
do much, and then it's just a matter of waiting however long until his
quality of life deteriorates too much. But hopefully, there's some
other alternative... although, again, megabucks.
wow. he's had a lot of crap go on in five years. it's so hard to look
at them struggling so young and feel so helpless. that's where i am
with luce- she's four. the ortho vet at work said just put her on pain
meds. i said she's FOUR! that's not an acceptable solution to me. pain
meds are great but they have side effects, sometimes significant ones.
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Sigh. He's a terrific dog, but he's got a combination of bad genetics
and bad luck, I think. They think that this knee thing is congenital,
too.
probably. luce's knees are mostly a result of her poor structure.
nothing congenital, though. did you get him from a breeder? are they a
good enough breeder to care that the dog they produced has so many
problems?
my mom's one purebred fancy schmancy cat has congenital cataracts, and
the breeder paid to take the cat to a boarded opthomologist and would
have paid for cataract removal as well if the guy had thought it
necessary.
i'm looking at surgery on luce's knee. depending on how things go, it
could cost me ~$700 if we can do it at work, or twice that if i end up
at a specialist. she doesn't need it yet, but the injury she has
(cruciate) will not heal, so it's just a matter of time until it tears
worse or completely, and then it'll be surgical. and then her other
knee is likely to go within three years, if you're playing the odds.
But sometimes you beat the odds. You never know.
fingers crossed, but even if she needs the second knee repaired, knees
are pretty straight-forward.
the thing that scares me the most is cancer. we do chemo at the place
where i work, and you can throw $2-3000 dollars or more into a dog
easy in order to buy them maybe a year, if you're lucky.
I guess I'm willing to play the odds on the knees, but I think that to
buy a year, it's not worth what it would put everyone through.
chemo in dogs isn't like chemo in people- the side-effects are pretty
minimal. mostly it's a huge money issue, and a lot of time and running
the dog to the vet once a week or more.
How do people afford these things? How can you choose not to afford
it?
i think sometimes you just flat out *can't*. when it's a choice of fix
the dog or feed the kids, there's really no choice left at all.
the ones i can't deal with are the people who take their broken pets
home without making a choice. at least if the choice is euthanasia,
it's an end to that animal's suffering.
Yeah. :-(
And I'm sure that someone will chime in on human medical care, but
there *are* human options, there IS insurance, there ARE social
programs.
yup, but at the same time, pets are priviledges, and, for better or
worse, they're property.
So are children. A privilege, that is, not property.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
.
|
|
|
| User: "Nina" |
|
| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
22 Jan 2007 08:53:53 PM |
|
|
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:26:17 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:19:22 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
there is some insurance, but you still have to have the money to pay
it up front and then wait to be reimbursed.
And it's not good, as far as I can tell. Or at least when I looked
into it a few years ago. You pretty much have to gamble that you're
going to have problems, because if it's just preventative care, it's
not worth it, and then you have to get it as soon as you get the dog,
because anything that's preexisting is not covered. Expensive and
probably not worth it, in general. Although I keep meaning to look
into it again.
it depends, i think. if your dog gets hit by a car, it might be worth
it. or it might not be. personally i think you'd be better off putting
that money in a savings account every month, but not many people
actually *do* that.
Yeah, that's what I think, too... but do I do it?
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
oy, poor puppy! he's lucky to have ended up with you. how old is he?
do you have him on a joint supplement?
He's almost 5. He's now on glucosamine and chondroitin (probably
misspelled) and fish oil... like everyone else in the house, actually!
We just discovered all of this a month ago, so we're trying to get
some weight off him, and then I think that they're going to have to do
the exploratory x-rays and blood tests, etc. He's a little better and
a little lighter than he was a month ago, but you can see it when he
stands up; he puts no weight on his left hind leg, and the angles are
all wrong. It worries me like mad; he's just the sweetest dog, plus
he's my son's dog, and I don't want him to have to deal with this, not
yet. If there are signs of dysplasia, they probably won't be able to
do much, and then it's just a matter of waiting however long until his
quality of life deteriorates too much. But hopefully, there's some
other alternative... although, again, megabucks.
wow. he's had a lot of crap go on in five years. it's so hard to look
at them struggling so young and feel so helpless. that's where i am
with luce- she's four. the ortho vet at work said just put her on pain
meds. i said she's FOUR! that's not an acceptable solution to me. pain
meds are great but they have side effects, sometimes significant ones.
What pain meds? I'm worried about that, too, plus the cost is pretty
staggering all on its own. It's doesn't take that many months of
expensive medication to add up to the cost of surgery.
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Why not try it, though? I mean, I know nothing much about acupuncture
for dogs, but acupuncture has been around for a long time, and lot of
people swear by it. There's certainly some kind of medical basis for
acupressure... so really, it seems like it would be worth a shot. I'd
be very interested to hear what happens if you try (and crossing my
fingers for you, too...)
Sigh. He's a terrific dog, but he's got a combination of bad genetics
and bad luck, I think. They think that this knee thing is congenital,
too.
probably. luce's knees are mostly a result of her poor structure.
nothing congenital, though. did you get him from a breeder? are they a
good enough breeder to care that the dog they produced has so many
problems?
my mom's one purebred fancy schmancy cat has congenital cataracts, and
the breeder paid to take the cat to a boarded opthomologist and would
have paid for cataract removal as well if the guy had thought it
necessary.
I did get him from a breeder, but not a real breeder if that makes any
sense... local person who breeds a little, not a big deal operation
that would have a stake in it reputation. I saw his parents,
beautiful dogs, both of them... and he's gorgeous, the chestnut kind
of golden, not the light blonds that you see most often. The eye
thing is definitely genetic, but uncommon... the knee thing, I don't
know. It's one of the things that sucks about buying purebreds, and I
know all the arguments about it... my son had fixed in his mind that
he wanted a golden, and I caved. And I have to admit, he is just the
best dog. I'd do it all over again. (with insurance, maybe,
sigh....)
.
|
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| User: "elegy" |
|
| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 05:50:11 AM |
|
|
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:26:17 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:19:22 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
there is some insurance, but you still have to have the money to pay
it up front and then wait to be reimbursed.
And it's not good, as far as I can tell. Or at least when I looked
into it a few years ago. You pretty much have to gamble that you're
going to have problems, because if it's just preventative care, it's
not worth it, and then you have to get it as soon as you get the dog,
because anything that's preexisting is not covered. Expensive and
probably not worth it, in general. Although I keep meaning to look
into it again.
it depends, i think. if your dog gets hit by a car, it might be worth
it. or it might not be. personally i think you'd be better off putting
that money in a savings account every month, but not many people
actually *do* that.
Yeah, that's what I think, too... but do I do it?
and that's the catch.
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
oy, poor puppy! he's lucky to have ended up with you. how old is he?
do you have him on a joint supplement?
He's almost 5. He's now on glucosamine and chondroitin (probably
misspelled) and fish oil... like everyone else in the house, actually!
We just discovered all of this a month ago, so we're trying to get
some weight off him, and then I think that they're going to have to do
the exploratory x-rays and blood tests, etc. He's a little better and
a little lighter than he was a month ago, but you can see it when he
stands up; he puts no weight on his left hind leg, and the angles are
all wrong. It worries me like mad; he's just the sweetest dog, plus
he's my son's dog, and I don't want him to have to deal with this, not
yet. If there are signs of dysplasia, they probably won't be able to
do much, and then it's just a matter of waiting however long until his
quality of life deteriorates too much. But hopefully, there's some
other alternative... although, again, megabucks.
wow. he's had a lot of crap go on in five years. it's so hard to look
at them struggling so young and feel so helpless. that's where i am
with luce- she's four. the ortho vet at work said just put her on pain
meds. i said she's FOUR! that's not an acceptable solution to me. pain
meds are great but they have side effects, sometimes significant ones.
What pain meds? I'm worried about that, too, plus the cost is pretty
staggering all on its own. It's doesn't take that many months of
expensive medication to add up to the cost of surgery.
any of the nsaids- rimadyl, deramaxx, previcox, metacam. they can all
have bad effects on the liver and kidneys. *most dogs* do tolerate
them well, but there's a minority that doesn't. usually if we keep
dogs on them longterm we do some monitoring bloodwork.
for a dog like luce where we're using them only intermittantly, we
don't bother, but i still worry in that paranoid kind of way.
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Why not try it, though? I mean, I know nothing much about acupuncture
for dogs, but acupuncture has been around for a long time, and lot of
people swear by it. There's certainly some kind of medical basis for
acupressure... so really, it seems like it would be worth a shot. I'd
be very interested to hear what happens if you try (and crossing my
fingers for you, too...)
money, mostly. and that the clinic that offers it is one i'd like to
avoid if i can. i should call and find out how much it costs, get the
details, etc (like how long it takes and whether i can stay with her.)
Sigh. He's a terrific dog, but he's got a combination of bad genetics
and bad luck, I think. They think that this knee thing is congenital,
too.
probably. luce's knees are mostly a result of her poor structure.
nothing congenital, though. did you get him from a breeder? are they a
good enough breeder to care that the dog they produced has so many
problems?
my mom's one purebred fancy schmancy cat has congenital cataracts, and
the breeder paid to take the cat to a boarded opthomologist and would
have paid for cataract removal as well if the guy had thought it
necessary.
I did get him from a breeder, but not a real breeder if that makes any
sense... local person who breeds a little, not a big deal operation
that would have a stake in it reputation. I saw his parents,
beautiful dogs, both of them... and he's gorgeous, the chestnut kind
of golden, not the light blonds that you see most often. The eye
thing is definitely genetic, but uncommon... the knee thing, I don't
know. It's one of the things that sucks about buying purebreds, and I
know all the arguments about it... my son had fixed in his mind that
he wanted a golden, and I caved. And I have to admit, he is just the
best dog. I'd do it all over again. (with insurance, maybe,
sigh....)
it's not so much a purebred thing as a not-well-bred thing,
unfortunately. a well-bred purebred dog from good lines who have been
proven through testing to not have the common genetic faults is really
your best bet in getting a healthy dog. they're also hard to find, and
usually expensive. but so worth it.
goldens, too, because of their popularity, are a mess, unfortunately.
we see mixed breeds all the time with hip dysplasia, loose kneecaps,
etc. so yeah, definitely not just a purebred thing.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
.
|
|
|
| User: "Nina" |
|
| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 09:29:54 AM |
|
|
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:50:11 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
any of the nsaids- rimadyl, deramaxx, previcox, metacam. they can all
have bad effects on the liver and kidneys. *most dogs* do tolerate
them well, but there's a minority that doesn't. usually if we keep
dogs on them longterm we do some monitoring bloodwork.
for a dog like luce where we're using them only intermittantly, we
don't bother, but i still worry in that paranoid kind of way.
Ace is on Carprofen... that looks wrong but I think it's right. He's
supposed to take these twice a day; I give him them once, partly
because he doesn't seem to need them more and partly from a combined
economy and not wanting to tax his system reason. I worry about this,
too. They want to do blood work if he has another prescription; I'm
hoping to combine that with all the other diagnostic stuff next month
and maybe it will be cheaper. I wish there was some other sort of
(preferably nonprescription) painkiller that I could give him
occasionally. He throws up asprin (although that's probably partly
because he needs to lose some weight, so these days he doesn't get to
have a lot of food in his stomach most of the time, poor baby).
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Why not try it, though? I mean, I know nothing much about acupuncture
for dogs, but acupuncture has been around for a long time, and lot of
people swear by it. There's certainly some kind of medical basis for
acupressure... so really, it seems like it would be worth a shot. I'd
be very interested to hear what happens if you try (and crossing my
fingers for you, too...)
money, mostly. and that the clinic that offers it is one i'd like to
avoid if i can. i should call and find out how much it costs, get the
details, etc (like how long it takes and whether i can stay with her.)
What is it supposed to do exactly?
it's not so much a purebred thing as a not-well-bred thing,
unfortunately. a well-bred purebred dog from good lines who have been
proven through testing to not have the common genetic faults is really
your best bet in getting a healthy dog. they're also hard to find, and
usually expensive. but so worth it.
goldens, too, because of their popularity, are a mess, unfortunately.
Yeah, I know, sigh. I'd still do it all again, though.
we see mixed breeds all the time with hip dysplasia, loose kneecaps,
etc. so yeah, definitely not just a purebred thing.
The dysplasia thing seems to just be so common with large dogs; I
figure it's a risk of size as much as anything. This kneecap thing is
a new one on me, though.
.
|
|
|
| User: "elegy" |
|
| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 07:27:20 PM |
|
|
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:50:11 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
any of the nsaids- rimadyl, deramaxx, previcox, metacam. they can all
have bad effects on the liver and kidneys. *most dogs* do tolerate
them well, but there's a minority that doesn't. usually if we keep
dogs on them longterm we do some monitoring bloodwork.
for a dog like luce where we're using them only intermittantly, we
don't bother, but i still worry in that paranoid kind of way.
Ace is on Carprofen... that looks wrong but I think it's right. He's
supposed to take these twice a day; I give him them once, partly
because he doesn't seem to need them more and partly from a combined
economy and not wanting to tax his system reason. I worry about this,
too. They want to do blood work if he has another prescription; I'm
hoping to combine that with all the other diagnostic stuff next month
and maybe it will be cheaper. I wish there was some other sort of
(preferably nonprescription) painkiller that I could give him
occasionally. He throws up asprin (although that's probably partly
because he needs to lose some weight, so these days he doesn't get to
have a lot of food in his stomach most of the time, poor baby).
yup, that's right. the brand name is rimadyl. i'm antsy about aspirin,
too, because it causes gi bleeding. buffered aspirin is supposed to
be better, but still i worry. but i worry about everything it seems :p
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Why not try it, though? I mean, I know nothing much about acupuncture
for dogs, but acupuncture has been around for a long time, and lot of
people swear by it. There's certainly some kind of medical basis for
acupressure... so really, it seems like it would be worth a shot. I'd
be very interested to hear what happens if you try (and crossing my
fingers for you, too...)
money, mostly. and that the clinic that offers it is one i'd like to
avoid if i can. i should call and find out how much it costs, get the
details, etc (like how long it takes and whether i can stay with her.)
What is it supposed to do exactly?
i don't know how it works, but the goal would be to relieve swelling
and discomfort in that leg.
it's not so much a purebred thing as a not-well-bred thing,
unfortunately. a well-bred purebred dog from good lines who have been
proven through testing to not have the common genetic faults is really
your best bet in getting a healthy dog. they're also hard to find, and
usually expensive. but so worth it.
goldens, too, because of their popularity, are a mess, unfortunately.
Yeah, I know, sigh. I'd still do it all again, though.
my bosslady is a die-hard golden person. she's always had goldens.
they lost their old guy dramatically in the spring (he died on his way
to the specialty vet) and she went back and forth and back and forth
about whether to get another one. she did, of course :)
we see mixed breeds all the time with hip dysplasia, loose kneecaps,
etc. so yeah, definitely not just a purebred thing.
The dysplasia thing seems to just be so common with large dogs; I
figure it's a risk of size as much as anything. This kneecap thing is
a new one on me, though.
dysplasia is common in some breeds, less common in others. it is
easily screened for and in at least one breed (siberian huskies) has
been dramatically decreased through careful and intelligent breeding
across the breed.
i'd never buy a dog who hadn't had appropriate testing done and
evaluated through OFA <http://offa.org/index.html> or an equivilent.
i'm ok with taking my risks with a shelter/rescue dog, but i'm not
willing to pay somebody to breed dogs who are not proven to be the
best when there is such a huge overpopulation problem.
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
.
|
|
|
| User: "Nina" |
|
| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 08:09:25 PM |
|
|
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:27:20 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
yup, that's right. the brand name is rimadyl. i'm antsy about aspirin,
too, because it causes gi bleeding. buffered aspirin is supposed to
be better, but still i worry. but i worry about everything it seems :p
Well, for whatever it's worth, Ace threw up the buffered asprin within
a couple of hours. And he doesn't have what I'd call a sensitive
stomach.
my bosslady is a die-hard golden person. she's always had goldens.
they lost their old guy dramatically in the spring (he died on his way
to the specialty vet) and she went back and forth and back and forth
about whether to get another one. she did, of course :)
My vet, one of them, is a golden person, too. They are seriously
lovable dogs; I've had some great dogs, but none that I was close to
as fond of as this one. I keep thinking about getting another,
company for Ace, etc.... but the puppy years are horrific; I'd really
like to find an adult who needs a good home.
we see mixed breeds all the time with hip dysplasia, loose kneecaps,
etc. so yeah, definitely not just a purebred thing.
The dysplasia thing seems to just be so common with large dogs; I
figure it's a risk of size as much as anything. This kneecap thing is
a new one on me, though.
dysplasia is common in some breeds, less common in others. it is
easily screened for and in at least one breed (siberian huskies) has
been dramatically decreased through careful and intelligent breeding
across the breed.
i'd never buy a dog who hadn't had appropriate testing done and
evaluated through OFA <http://offa.org/index.html> or an equivilent.
i'm ok with taking my risks with a shelter/rescue dog, but i'm not
willing to pay somebody to breed dogs who are not proven to be the
best when there is such a huge overpopulation problem.
Yeah. I could have done this more wisely. But he's a wonderful dog,
so... things happen for the right reasons, I guess.
What do you know about this kneecap dislocating thing?
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Franz Bestuchev" |
|
| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 09:25:44 PM |
|
|
then elegy wrote, On 1/23/2007 6:27 PM:
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:50:11 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
any of the nsaids- rimadyl, deramaxx, previcox, metacam. they can all
have bad effects on the liver and kidneys. *most dogs* do tolerate
them well, but there's a minority that doesn't. usually if we keep
dogs on them longterm we do some monitoring bloodwork.
for a dog like luce where we're using them only intermittantly, we
don't bother, but i still worry in that paranoid kind of way.
Ace is on Carprofen... that looks wrong but I think it's right. He's
supposed to take these twice a day; I give him them once, partly
because he doesn't seem to need them more and partly from a combined
economy and not wanting to tax his system reason. I worry about this,
too. They want to do blood work if he has another prescription; I'm
hoping to combine that with all the other diagnostic stuff next month
and maybe it will be cheaper. I wish there was some other sort of
(preferably nonprescription) painkiller that I could give him
occasionally. He throws up asprin (although that's probably partly
because he needs to lose some weight, so these days he doesn't get to
have a lot of food in his stomach most of the time, poor baby).
yup, that's right. the brand name is rimadyl. i'm antsy about aspirin,
too, because it causes gi bleeding. buffered aspirin is supposed to
be better, but still i worry. but i worry about everything it seems :p
Buffered aspirin has a lower effective dose too, and it's hard to say
what that is from one GI tract to the next. It can be hard to judge dose
in addition to the other problems.
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Why not try it, though? I mean, I know nothing much about acupuncture
for dogs, but acupuncture has been around for a long time, and lot of
people swear by it. There's certainly some kind of medical basis for
acupressure... so really, it seems like it would be worth a shot. I'd
be very interested to hear what happens if you try (and crossing my
fingers for you, too...)
money, mostly. and that the clinic that offers it is one i'd like to
avoid if i can. i should call and find out how much it costs, get the
details, etc (like how long it takes and whether i can stay with her.)
What is it supposed to do exactly?
i don't know how it works, but the goal would be to relieve swelling
and discomfort in that leg.
it's not so much a purebred thing as a not-well-bred thing,
unfortunately. a well-bred purebred dog from good lines who have been
proven through testing to not have the common genetic faults is really
your best bet in getting a healthy dog. they're also hard to find, and
usually expensive. but so worth it.
goldens, too, because of their popularity, are a mess, unfortunately.
Yeah, I know, sigh. I'd still do it all again, though.
my bosslady is a die-hard golden person. she's always had goldens.
they lost their old guy dramatically in the spring (he died on his way
to the specialty vet) and she went back and forth and back and forth
about whether to get another one. she did, of course :)
we see mixed breeds all the time with hip dysplasia, loose kneecaps,
etc. so yeah, definitely not just a purebred thing.
The dysplasia thing seems to just be so common with large dogs; I
figure it's a risk of size as much as anything. This kneecap thing is
a new one on me, though.
dysplasia is common in some breeds, less common in others. it is
easily screened for and in at least one breed (siberian huskies) has
been dramatically decreased through careful and intelligent breeding
across the breed.
i'd never buy a dog who hadn't had appropriate testing done and
evaluated through OFA <http://offa.org/index.html> or an equivilent.
i'm ok with taking my risks with a shelter/rescue dog, but i'm not
willing to pay somebody to breed dogs who are not proven to be the
best when there is such a huge overpopulation problem.
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| User: "GlennT" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 06:41:31 AM |
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elegy wrote:
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:26:17 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
long ago and far away, Nina <ninaNOSPAM@economika.net> did say:
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:19:22 -0500, elegy
<elegy@shatteringDOGPOOP.org> wrote:
there is some insurance, but you still have to have the money to pay
it up front and then wait to be reimbursed.
And it's not good, as far as I can tell. Or at least when I looked
into it a few years ago. You pretty much have to gamble that you're
going to have problems, because if it's just preventative care, it's
not worth it, and then you have to get it as soon as you get the dog,
because anything that's preexisting is not covered. Expensive and
probably not worth it, in general. Although I keep meaning to look
into it again.
it depends, i think. if your dog gets hit by a car, it might be worth
it. or it might not be. personally i think you'd be better off putting
that money in a savings account every month, but not many people
actually *do* that.
Yeah, that's what I think, too... but do I do it?
and that's the catch.
My beloved golden retriever had his paw run over as a puppy. $2000 at
least, by the end of it, because he was still growing so fast the his
casts had to be replaced frequently. Then congenital eye defect
requiring eye doctor to relocate salivary gland, so he wouldn't go
blind in that eye. $1,000 plus followup visits. Now it turns out
that his rear knees (or whatever you call them in a dog) are
dislocating... $500 for the diagnostics to find out IF they can do the
$1500-$2000 surgery, which they may not be able to do if there are
other problems, like the beginning of dysplasia (sp?). Oh, and the
anti-inflammatories, $50 for a two week supply.
oy, poor puppy! he's lucky to have ended up with you. how old is he?
do you have him on a joint supplement?
He's almost 5. He's now on glucosamine and chondroitin (probably
misspelled) and fish oil... like everyone else in the house, actually!
We just discovered all of this a month ago, so we're trying to get
some weight off him, and then I think that they're going to have to do
the exploratory x-rays and blood tests, etc. He's a little better and
a little lighter than he was a month ago, but you can see it when he
stands up; he puts no weight on his left hind leg, and the angles are
all wrong. It worries me like mad; he's just the sweetest dog, plus
he's my son's dog, and I don't want him to have to deal with this, not
yet. If there are signs of dysplasia, they probably won't be able to
do much, and then it's just a matter of waiting however long until his
quality of life deteriorates too much. But hopefully, there's some
other alternative... although, again, megabucks.
wow. he's had a lot of crap go on in five years. it's so hard to look
at them struggling so young and feel so helpless. that's where i am
with luce- she's four. the ortho vet at work said just put her on pain
meds. i said she's FOUR! that's not an acceptable solution to me. pain
meds are great but they have side effects, sometimes significant ones.
What pain meds? I'm worried about that, too, plus the cost is pretty
staggering all on its own. It's doesn't take that many months of
expensive medication to add up to the cost of surgery.
any of the nsaids- rimadyl, deramaxx, previcox, metacam. they can all
have bad effects on the liver and kidneys. *most dogs* do tolerate
them well, but there's a minority that doesn't. usually if we keep
dogs on them longterm we do some monitoring bloodwork.
for a dog like luce where we're using them only intermittantly, we
don't bother, but i still worry in that paranoid kind of way.
i got a second opinion on friday, and while it hasn't changed what i'm
doing currently, it helped me feel a lot better about at what point to
take action, and what action to take (though i admit, i'm considering
trying acupuncture, even though it's hocus pocus).
Why not try it, though? I mean, I know nothing much about acupuncture
for dogs, but acupuncture has been around for a long time, and lot of
people swear by it. There's certainly some kind of medical basis for
acupressure... so really, it seems like it would be worth a shot. I'd
be very interested to hear what happens if you try (and crossing my
fingers for you, too...)
money, mostly. and that the clinic that offers it is one i'd like to
avoid if i can. i should call and find out how much it costs, get the
details, etc (like how long it takes and whether i can stay with her.)
Sigh. He's a terrific dog, but he's got a combination of bad genetics
and bad luck, I think. They think that this knee thing is congenital,
too.
probably. luce's knees are mostly a result of her poor structure.
nothing congenital, though. did you get him from a breeder? are they a
good enough breeder to care that the dog they produced has so many
problems?
my mom's one purebred fancy schmancy cat has congenital cataracts, and
the breeder paid to take the cat to a boarded opthomologist and would
have paid for cataract removal as well if the guy had thought it
necessary.
I did get him from a breeder, but not a real breeder if that makes any
sense... local person who breeds a little, not a big deal operation
that would have a stake in it reputation. I saw his parents,
beautiful dogs, both of them... and he's gorgeous, the chestnut kind
of golden, not the light blonds that you see most often. The eye
thing is definitely genetic, but uncommon... the knee thing, I don't
know. It's one of the things that sucks about buying purebreds, and I
know all the arguments about it... my son had fixed in his mind that
he wanted a golden, and I caved. And I have to admit, he is just the
best dog. I'd do it all over again. (with insurance, maybe,
sigh....)
it's not so much a purebred thing as a not-well-bred thing,
unfortunately. a well-bred purebred dog from good lines who have been
proven through testing to not have the common genetic faults is really
your best bet in getting a healthy dog. they're also hard to find, and
usually expensive. but so worth it.
goldens, too, because of their popularity, are a mess, unfortunately.
we see mixed breeds all the time with hip dysplasia, loose kneecaps,
etc. so yeah, definitely not just a purebred thing.
I think this is true. My family bred purebred collies and each one that
I know the history of lived to a very old age. 'Ricki' who was one of
the first pups from our ***** 'Tina' lived till about 19 years and was
then killed by a car!!!
It seems cats are a little different in that the purebreds seem more
fragile but I wouldn't really know about that.
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| User: "elegy" |
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| Title: Re: i wish i had a million dollars (spoiler: work, injured pets) |
23 Jan 2007 07:18:09 PM |
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long ago and far away, "GlennT" <trucage@xtra.co.nz> did say:
I think this is true. My family bred purebred collies and each one that
I know the history of lived to a very old age. 'Ricki' who was one of
the first pups from our ***** 'Tina' lived till about 19 years and was
then killed by a car!!!
It seems cats are a little different in that the purebreds seem more
fragile but I wouldn't really know about that.
19. dayum. that's OLD, especially for a dog as big as a collie! my
mini poodle was almost 17 when i had to put her down.
we don't really see enough purebred cats where i work for me to really
pay much attention to whether they're healthier or more sickly. my
mom's last coon cat was pretty old when he died (kidney failure, also
had heart disease). we have a siamese at work who is 20 (though,
granted, she is in kidney failure and comes in for subq fluids twice a
week).
--
"i don't condone the liquefaction of pixies!" (kilgore trout)
http://shattering.org
x-no-archive:yes in the headers
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