Well, I called our local vet's office yesterday to get an appointment for our cat. Turns out, because he is not a patient of theirs, they'll have to do an exam. And if I want to stay with him when they euthanize him, that'll be even more money. And since we want his ashes back...yeah. You guessed it. By the time all was said and done, the total was somewhere in the neighborhood of $400. Eeep. In the same week we're paying rent and car insurance. :-O
The whole exchange left a foul taste in my mouth. Sochi had a bad reaction to a vaccine a number of years ago, and because he's an indoor, and only, cat, he hasn't really needed vet care since then (aside from one ear infection and one blocked gland.) But now, when we want his life to end humanely and painlessly, this particular vet saw only a chance to make a profit. Lovely. Not.
So my friend J gave me the name of her vet, an old country doc who sounds much like the one I remember as a kid (who met us at his clinic late one night because our Siamese had pneumonia and was dying.) I'll call him and another vet today and hopefully, I'll find out that the procedure can be done for a little less money. Conversely, if we find out that $350 really is the range, then we'll still do it...but we'll have to wait a couple of weeks. In the meantime, we'll keep Sochi comfortable.
Hard choices suck.
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About Me
- Krista
- Wife, mom of a preemie, follower of the old ways, lover of anything Irish or Celtic, history buff, trivia nut, Star Trek and Ren Faire geek and costuming fiend. Offer me coffee or chocolate and world peace is assured. Or at least I'll try really hard. :) I also believe in deleting spam. So, to the person or persons who keep leaving me comments in Chinese (along with links to what I can clearly tell are Chinese porn sites) stop it. It's bad karma, to say nothing of being really, really rude.
2 comments:
Nope, it's not cheap. When we had to put down our dog, it was about $250 at our regular vet, without getting ashes back. Of course, this is NJ, and everything costs more here than anyplace else, so I hope you find an more reasonable rate.
I would, when you speak to the vet, let them know that your cat is starting to suffer, and that you are somewhat financially strapped. It can't hurt for them to know that info.
It's sad that things like this are so expensive and that it becomes a burden to do the right thing.
You guys remain in my prayers.
Thanks for the info, Mrs. B. :) I called my mom last night (they've had cats all my life, so they tend to have vet prices pretty much memorized) and according to my mom, it shouldn't be any more than $200.
But at any rate, we'll call around and see what we can find up. And I'll definitely mention what you said. :)
What seemed so unconscionable to me about the first vet I called was this: it cost less if I'm not with him. Hello, he's my cat and my friend--you think I'm just going to leave him to go through that by himself? That is just not happening.
Thank you for your prayers--I really do appreciate them :)
-Krista
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