Well the good news is I found out my first job's benefits also covers pet insurance. The bad news is that it's getting time to get Callie back to the vet for a full physical especially focusing on them knees. While I was one hold with the insurance company I was binging around online looking up dog knees and solutions. One thing that kept popping up was "tightrope surgery" whatever that is. I'll have to read further. I was trying to get an idea of cost. Does anyone have a guess? Ballpark figure is fine. We live tri-state so things are more expensive anyways. Just shuddering, besides feeling bad every time my boy wipes out. Sophie is obnoxious with him sometimes. She'll be all me me first first to get out the back door and she literally plows over him. He doesn't go down the basement stairs anymore which is good. He's gotten stuck on them a few times and it scared him. But we still have steep stairs leading to the bedrooms. Know that must be difficult for him sometimes. Any advice or simple explanations of medical options would be appreciated.
Do you know what exactly is wrong? The surgery like everything depends on the vet pricing. You can call around & see. If you live in a place where vets are higher then it could be 2-3k. Then for recovery & physical therapy will cost more.
I think I used to live a bit south of the tri-state area where you live. If Callie has already been x-rayed can you have them read by an orthopedic specialist at one of the vet teaching hospitals? Should be cheaper at a teaching hospital, too. Even if he does need surgery.
Also check out care credit online. It's a credit card for medical only for humans and pets. All the vets where I now live are accepting it.
Make sure to read the cate credit terms. Since you usually get a 0% period IF paid in full within a specific time frame. But if not they add retroactive interest. It should tell you the min payment needed to pay in the 0% time frame.
All that is there online. Great to have in an emergency. Seems it works like any other credit card. My daughter used hers for her emergency dental work and was pleased with it though I don't know how fast she paid it off.
I'm not trying to be insulting (I'm positive she can read),but a lot of people gloss over the terms & find themselves paying unexpected interest. So I was just giving her a heads up. It doesn't work like any other credit card typically works. Other credit cards you have 1. Interest when you open the account Or 2. 0% intro period, if you have a balance after your intro period you will ONLY be charged interest starting that month. Care credit offers 0% if PAID IN FULL. The amount you spend will usually correlate to the amount of time you have to pay. The larger the amount the longer you have. But if you don't pay it in the 12, 18 months or whatever they will add the interest from the ORIGINAL purchase date. So you can pay $100s in interest for previous balance. Now walmart credit card does work like this. They don't offer 0% intro but you can get 0% financing on purchases you make in store of certain amounts. But if you don't Pay In Full you will be paying all that retroactive interest.
Sometime last year maybe the Fall, Callie started walking on three legs. It had happened before and the vet gave him anti-inflammatory and pain meds and he was good within a week. This second time we went to a local vet, not our regular one. They took x rays. That was something the regular vet hadn't done.They showed us the x rays and it was clearly obvious something bad was going on in there. His knees had like white shatter around them. They gave him the anti-inflammatory and pain meds again and he was walking okay in a week or so. But you can tell watching him that either he's incredibly clumsy or in pain sometimes, possibly both. When we get our income tax back I want to make an appointment with the regular vet and perhaps compare the x rays from before and updated ones to see what we're looking at. It's just so hard, more than just the money of course. When I saw those x rays, I have a bit of background in human nursing, I felt like I was going to break out crying. My poor Mr. Man...hubby isn't very good at understanding medical stuff. So there I was trying to keep myself together while the doctor is pointing out this bone and that shard. How do I deal with crisis? Vodka and making like an ostrich, I wish I was kidding. So I just want to be able to make educated choices about his treatment. Fortunately the doctor we go to does offer different options and explains everything well.Hubby is as in love with him as I am so we'll figure out the money somehow. Maybe some Visa here and Care Credit there. But we just want to get him healthy. He's guessed to be around 3. He's got a long life ahead of him. But we have to get those bitty chicken legs fixed.
Oh no I was saying to lovemybull. Didn't want it taken the wrong way if I told her to make sure of the terms. But it is all good. It was a great recommendation of care credit since it can also come in handy for future.
Rocky had TPLO plates and that cost about £2,000, the alternative was (I think) 'tightrope' and the vet said that would be around £600 - not sure if thats any good to you as it was about 8 years ago.
It's just I know time to get back to vet. He's doing the three leg walk again sometimes so something must be hurting. Azz, eight years ago and translated into US$ sounds like a lot in any case. Another question...is it something they fix and it's fixed or is it something that is going to keep happening?
It really depends on what is wrong & if other issues occur. Many dogs can be "fixed" by surgery once recovery & rehab is over they don't suffer problems.
Yeah I'm calling the vet tomorrow for the first open appointment that hubby can come along. It's like your human kids, you know how you can hold an infant and just feel something is wrong? It's like that and the three legged walk is back. Plus he's a young guy and I've noticed he'll settle into his chair and normal things that should get him up. Food being put down, me leaving the room, you have to beg him to get up to eat. I mean he's stocky enough he's not losing weight. But I know there's something going on.
I hope you manage to get a quick vet appointment Leslie - poor Callie Please give him [and Sophie if she would like one] a big hug from me. xx
Space being what it is I don't know. Thank you for the kind words Malka. I just worry about him n' then he frustrate me too. Like a few minutes ago I hear them barking at the front fence. There's Callie standing up against the fence, meaning his whole weight was on his back legs. Ouch, I called them in and watched him hobble up the steps. It's like human kids how do you get them to understand they're hurting themselves more ya know? I got an appointment for next Monday, they said they can get the original x rays from the other doctor.
Swim tank would be pretty small and help with recovery. It's just a thought. That is just dogs for you, they don't always pay attention to pain. Especially Pits, they are notoriously tough. They can easily over do it.
