deejStuff Is Here!! (Part Four!)

[TravTech]

Vet bills suck. You love your pets so much (and the vets know it), one day they're fine the next they've got you all concerned for their health & comfort. When they hit you with these outrageous bills (to me at least) it becomes a battle between the heart and fiscal common sense.

I could never put a dollar value on how much I care about or enjoy my pets. But sometimes the vets just quote a price that I could in no way afford. Then as if adding insult to injury, they charge you for the euthanasia.

I'll do everything I can for them at home first, including research on the web. But if it gets to the point I think they could be suffering, I'll try my luck with the vet.

My one cat used to get Conjunctivitis so bad she couldn't open her eye. Would happen once or twice a year. I got her some drops from the vet that worked pretty well, but once when I was between jobs I found I couldn't get a refill anywhere without a new prescription.

Went online and looked up some home remedies for cats, found many recommending apple cider vinegar. Believe it or not you put it on the back of their neck. I got some at Trader Joe's looking for the most organic stuff I could find.

I'm still a little shocked, but after just one treatment she never got Conjunctivitis again. It's been quite a few years since then too.

 

[Poeia]

The big hits are the blood work ($193) and the x-ray ($150.) The bloods go to an outside lab, same as for humans, and x-ray machines are expensive. The anesthesia was $68. I don't consider the vet's fee ($115) to be outrageous really. The costs are similar to going to a for-humans doctor but they're not covered by insurance. You can get dog and cat insurance but, until recently, it didn't even exist for birds.

 

[FranC]

Good evening,folks

 

[TravTech]

Their machines may not be as expensive as they'd like us to believe. I used to work for a company that made ultrasound equipment. When the bigger customers used to turn in their older equipment for upgrades, we'd refurbish them and re-sell them at a much lower cost. One of the areas these refurbished machines were marketed towards was veterinarians.

In fact we once had to design a custom probe in order to penetrate the skin of a sick rhino at the Philadelphia zoo.

 

[Poeia]

Pacemakers that have passed their expiration date are routinely repurposed for pets. A battery that is only expected to last another 3-4 would mean too many replacement operations for humans but should last the rest of a dog's natural life.

All I'm saying is I don't begrudge him his fee. It's expensive (and that bite does hurt) but he's paying Manhattan rent, he has a staff, he has supplies to buy and the birds both like him.

 

[TravTech]

Sure it's all good when everything works out for you and you can afford it.

For me all too often it's been bad news I couldn't afford to fix. My very first cat almost died to some quack when all she was sent there for was to be fixed. She was so traumatized she wouldn't eat or drink while there. I had to rescue her from "observation" and bring her home against the vet's wishes in order to nurse her back to health. She would have wasted away had he kept her much longer, she even smelled bad when I got her home.

Doctors, lawyers, vets, politicians, they're all potentially noble causes when undertaken by the right people. But all too often it becomes a racket, finding a good honest one isn't easy.

You may have found a good vet for yourself. I managed to find a good car mechanic (another rarity). When picking up my car sometimes I actually feel bad for him and think I should be paying more. I always drop my car off with a dozen doughnuts now.

 

[FranC]

Good morning,folks

 

[CES]

Good morning y'all

Poeia, hope Annabella is better this morning.

Trav, vets are expensive, probably less so than the comparable people docs, but either way it's horrific when either people or pets don't have access to the care they need. It's incredibly sad to lose a furry because of a treatment that you can't afford

 

[FranC]

Good morning,CES

 

[CES]

Heya Fran

I got my shipping notice for my shiny sale order

 

[FranC]

Very cool!

 

[TravTech]

Morning everbuddy!

Get better soon Annabella!

 

[Poeia]

Morning everbuddy!

Get better soon Annabella!

Love it.

I was going to Dad's today but I'm switching it to tomorrow. We were supposed to get up to a foot of snow tomorrow but now we're not and poor Annabella is having a hard time feeding herself. Poeia doesn't like holding her food unless it's something so special she's afraid of dropping a bit of it but Annabella always holds things in her left foot while eating so she's never gotten good at keeping things in her mouth and turning them with her tongue. And it's a pain for her to grip onto a perch to lean into a food or water dish. So I'm hand feeding her tidbits. Her appetite is fine, which is encouraging and she should to lose a few ounces anyway so this will hopefully have a good side benefit.

 

[sonicdsl]

Howdy Clowder!

Annabella get well soon! Glad she's eating! Sounds like she's well on the mend!

 

[Poeia]

Thanks. She'll be fine. It's a boo-boo. It's just that when a bird gets a boo-boo on the foot, they can't use crutches to help them get around.

 

[liblue1]

Morning Everyone....Thank you Deej....I got my Vapemail yesterday......

 

[FranC]

Afternoon,folks.

 

[CES]

Good morning y'all

 

[Chimney34]

Hey Deej & friends!!
Went into the vape box today to get one of my fruited champagnes out & I have only one bottle left!!
So needless to say...order in
Thanks for the coupon code Deej! Now have you ever thought about putting those 6 packs on auto-delivery
I'm joking but I'm also serious! Can't live without those champagnes!!

 

[TravTech]

Wow this place is dead today.

WAKE UP! HAPPY SUNDAY CLOWDERPEEPS!!!