$970 Vet Bill Today for Emergency Surgery on one of my Dawgs

[dawgmom]

I sure am glad that I know Obama's not going to raise my taxes.

So last night at around 2:00 a.m. when I was finally getting ready to go to bed, Buddy starts having these horrible jaw spasms, clicking and clicking his jaw together at a horribly fast pace, drooling everywhere, and rubbing his nose and mouth against the floor. It was awful. I was up all night with him, took him to the vet this morning and he just came out of surgery. He had two broken back teeth that needed to be pulled, and he had unhinged his jaw somehow so that the vet had to re-set it. *shudder* I have no idea how this happened, and I am absolutely filled with guilt that I didn't notice the teeth -- vet said they were really rotten, and it probably happened a while ago. *guilt, guilt, guilt* He didn't give any signs of being in pain, and he's always hated having his teeth brushed, so it wasn't unusual that he tried to get away when I did that a couple weeks ago. Yeah, he had bad breath -- but he's an old dog, and old dogs are kind of smelly in general.

I'm picking him up in a couple of hours. He will have good drugs, but I need to hold cold compresses to his jaw for 10 minutes, two to three times a day.

The money is painful, but the idea that he was probably suffering.....aww, jeez. I can't think about it.

[TZ]

1. ((hugs))

Dogs don't show pain..until its REALLY bad...Don't feel guilty about this..I've seen this in my sisters terrier.
But I have to admit, thats a new one on me, I've never heard of a dog unhinging its jaw like that *shudder*. Glad he's gonna be okay.
As for the money--my old cat, Turtle had pancreatitius and I spent probably several thousand getting her well again.

[dawgmom]

3. Thanks

Thanks for trying to relieve my guilt somewhat. The vet sort of said the same thing...that maybe the only sign he would have shown was less energy, etc. I told him, hey, he's 11 years old. Energy is not really his thing anymore. The good news is that the vet did say he will probably be like a new dog after this, and he will heal. Oh, and by the way...I don't think he literally unhinged his jaw, like a python or something. It was more like a slight dislocation.

As for the money....I know you understand. They're our fur-kids, aren't they?

[kentauros]

16. "our fur-kids"

Isn't that the truth! :D

I won't say how much I'm spending on my one and only fur-kid, my cat, Kipper. He's all I got, so it's always worth it :) Still don't know what's wrong and the vet did say he could have eaten something such that we'll never know what happened.

It's good to see your furkid getting the help he needs, so no need to feel guilty. :hug:

[Parche]

2. sounds ruff

:hug: :hi:

[dawgmom]

4. Thanks, Parche

I appreciate that. Really.

[driver8]

5. Sending hugs to you and Buddy!!

Hope he is feeling better...

(Our dog's name is Buddy, too!).

Our Buddy sends a big "get well" to your Buddy...

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[dawgmom]

7. Thanks. He was named after The Big Dawg's Buddy...

Do you have a female named Peggy Sue also, like I do? :)

By the way -- he's beautiful. What a soulful face.

[siligut]

6. You did a good job.

It is true; animals don’t want you to see their weaknesses. Don’t feel bad you did the right thing. We love our fur baby too, and consider that surgery on a human would cost so much more.

[dawgmom]

8. Thanks...

There was never any question that I would spend the money -- no hesitation. I'm sure there are people who would think it's crazy to spend that kind of money on an animal, but I take being a dawgmom very seriously. When I rescued them, I made a commitment to them. Like you said -- they're our fur babies. :)

[old mark]

9. DM: our don required emergency surgery the day after we got

our "bush bribe" rebate check. It saved his life, and he acts like he is a younger, happier dog. They do not show pain unless they are really in extreme suffering - it is not your fault!!!!
We were counting on the check but don't regret for a second having to spend it on the dog - we count on him, too.
Besides, we had $50 left over, went to Burger King on the way home - he loves their hamburgers.

He if fine now, still acting like a 9 year old pup at times.

mark

[dawgmom]

12. Thanks...he's doing pretty well

He slurped up the soupy food I prepared for him, according to the vet's specifications. So...I guess he must be feeling better.

As for not showing pain unless they're really suffering, I guess that last night was it. He must have had a pretty miserable night.

Thanks again.

[littlebit]

10. I completely understand about the money.

We spent all day last thanksgiving at the emergency vet with a nine year old beagle who thought she could fly. She tried to jump off of our bed and broke both of her front legs. I don't think I even asked how much it was going to cost. I just wanted my baby to get better. Hopefully your little one will be feeling better soon.

[dawgmom]

13. Ohhhhh....

That made me wince. Poor little girl!

Like you, I only asked how much it would cost so I could transfer the money into my checking account. If it had been twice that much, I would have paid it. The comfort and joy that my dogs bring into my life is priceless.

And thanks -- he's doing great! Came in a little while ago and woke me up, wanting to be fed. So, I prepared the soupy mixture the vet specified, and he slurped it right up. They're amazingly resilient.

[wartrace]

11. I bet you would have paid 9,700 if needed.

When it comes to my dogs money isn't an issue. That's what separates the dog owner from the dog person. The "dog owner" looks at his pet as property, the dog person looks at their animal as family. I'm sorry the old guy had to go through all that, I hope he is able to eat & chew soon.

I too have a dog named "Buddy", I can't take credit for his name as I adopted him when he was about 10 years old. He does live up to his name, all he wants to do is be near me.

(BTW- is that an eskiee in your post photo?)

[dawgmom]

14. No...it's a Samoyed

Both my fur-kids are Samoyeds -- rescues from Samoyed rescue. I'm a big proponent of breed rescue organizations.

Buddy was named after Bill Clinton's Buddy -- the one that got hit by a car and died. :(
I changed his name from "Klondike." Ugh. A year later, when I rescued a female named "Snow Queen" (ugh again), I renamed her "Peggy Sue." It seemed appropriate.

You're right -- the money wasn't an issue. The joy they bring to my life is priceless, and I think when you take a dog into your family, you make a commitment to them.

And finally....he's eating! Woke me up at about 11:30 p.m. begging for food. I mixed up the soupy concoction as the vet directed, and Buddy slurped it right up. They're amazingly resilient.

[wartrace]

17. I sooo glad to hear he is eating.

You are so right about the commitment you make, they are family. It would be as if your child needed surgery & you decide to allow the kid to die because you don't want to pay.

Years ago my boss had a dog that needed some expensive surgery (but under 1,000 dollars) and he opted to put the dog down. This guy had money to spend on other things (a new Harley was purchased a couple of months later) and the dog was young. I lost all respect for him at that point.

Give the old guy a belly rub for me, will ya? All my best wishes for his speedy recovery & a quick return to solid foods!

[REP]

15. Is the moon in "Expensive Vet Bills"?

I'm glad your pup is better!

One of my cats had to go the emergency vet with a struvite crystal blockage. Five hours of emergency care: $1,460.00. Then he had to be hospitalized at his regular vet; he comes home later today. I'm expecting at least $700.00 for two days/nights hospital care.

He's actually they cheap cat; earlier Stewart had $6,000.00 dollars worth of blood transfusions, critical care, biopsies, cytologies, surgery, etc after a bad case of hemorrhagic cystitis (he nearly bled to death from it). Then last month he had another $2,000.00 worth of mast-cell tumors removed and an absessed tooth pulled. The good news is is that he seems to be fine now (knock wood).

[dawgmom]

18. Wow....now THAT is commitment

That is really following through on your commitment to them. But what choice do we have? They're our fur-kids.

[REP]

19. We're thinking about making them get jobs

Yeah, the money kinda sucks, but it's worse that they've been that sick. Goods news is that it looks like everybody is going to be fine, and there's a specialty diet that might help with their interstitial cystitis and prevent this from happening again.

[dawgmom]

20. Ha!

I love that...making them get jobs.
Good to hear that they're getting better, though. Nothing more pathetic than a sick animal. Buddy definitely knows he went through something yesterday. Right now, he's asleep at my feet. He's normally a little less affectionate than Peggy Sue, but today, he seems to want to be near "Mom."

[REP]

21. He's getting on your good side so you don't take him back to the vet!

They have two ploys: hide so you can't find them to take them to the vet or act extra sweet and good to avoid being punished with the vet!

Glad he's doing better and better!

[applegrove]

22. Hope he gets well soon. Sounds like it.

[dawgmom]

24. Thanks! He's almost himself again!

He's slurping up the soupy dog food mixture the vet prescribed. He hasn't started barking at the squirrels yet. When he does that, I'll know he's back to normal.

[old mark]

23. Hope he's getting better - you will see a lot of improvement after the

first few days.

After a week or two, he will be like a puppy again, full of energy, and you will be amazed.

Glad you have a good vet - some would not treat him without cash up front.


mark

[dawgmom]

25. Thanks.

He's nearly back to normal, which is amazing. He's slurping up the soupy dog food mixture the vet prescribed. He hasn't started barking at the squirrels yet. When he does that, I'll know he's back to normal.

My vet is the best. I didn't mention this in my original post, but he was on his way out of town -- had to catch a 4:00 flight, and hadn't planned on being in the office past 11:00. Instead, he stayed until nearly 2:00 to do the surgery, and to make sure Buddy was recovering OK in post-op. I'm going to write him a thank-you note for being so special.

I have a friend who's really cynical about that -- his standard response is "Well, you paid the sonofabitch, didn't you?" The reality is, the vet could have just referred me an emergency vet. He didn't need to screw up his plans for the day, just to make a few extra bucks. His practice is very affluent.