Bella's vet bill
Ever wanted to know what a vet bill for $2200 looks like? This covered Bella's x-rays, amputation surgery, plus stitches and care for the bite wounds she received on her abdomen and back. She spent four days in the hospital after her surgery, and received IV fluids, antibiotics, and pain meds during that time. The bill also includes a second round of bloodwork when her fever wouldn't go down, and the meds she took after she came home. Amazing how quickly things can add up, isn't it? Granted, we did take her to the expensive (but very, very good) vet that we can't normally afford to go to. We knew when we found Bella that day that it was a life-or-death situation, so we didn't want to take her to the somewhat low-rent vet in our neighborhood that we use for vaccinations and less serious problems.
I wanted to post Bella's bill online for two reasons. The first is to give other people an idea of what to expect when their pet is facing an amputation. The second is because some extremely generous people who I don't know in real life have donated to Bella's vet expenses through this blog. I want to make sure that people have proof that the amount I am collecting for Bella's bills is accurate, and that I'm not just a scam artist with a lot of photos of an adorable tripod in her possession!
Bella has been doing a little bit better with her walking today. She still isn't too eager to get up and move around, but when she does she's going forward about half the time now. We're remaining cautiously optimistic that she'll be back to her old self soon.
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I was previously scared of your bill but just had a look at it in more detail. Diesel cost us £500 for the X-Rays (they had to do a few of his chest to check for cancer spreading badness) and then the amputation, meds and IV etc. Of course, Diesel didn't stay in overnight - which I'm sure helped most with the costs.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, we paid £200 in October for an original 2 X-Rays (one of his bad paw and one of his good paw to compare), and meds, so overally we're up to around $1100 (I just did the conversion) - which is still pretty big money, but totally worth it.
We were very lucky that we could pay and not worry about that aspect. It's some of the best money I've spent in my life!
Yes, it was the four-day stay in the hospital that really drove the bill up. Our usual emergency fund was exhausted from car repairs and human medical bills at the time of the surgery, so we had to put it on a credit card and try to pay it off as quickly as possible. We're still working on it, but we are making progress. Bella is worth every penny, though!
ReplyDeleteI hope you still check Bella's emails! I have sent you an email about my 3 legged kitten!
ReplyDeleteHave been told my bill will be between $3800 and $5000 for my Midi. I was as shocked about that as I was about hearing his left rear leg was going to be amputated. He has cancer, this is the 2nd surgery. I spent an hour making calls to check up on credit card balances and available credit. Came up with only half of it if it is $5000. Was told that's ok, can just pay as much as I can and the rest later because I've been there before (My Patch died there three months ago). He's still at the hospital, went to see him and held him today, hoping he will come home tomorrow, I plan to spoil him big time, thanks so much for sharing Bella's story.
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