P
Philogirl
Guest
I wanted to create a thread about how much vet bills can actually cost, since it does vary from vet to vet and from procedure to procedure. I hope everyone here will share their experiences for new owners to understand what kind of financial responsibilities are involved in emergency care. Perhaps Nancy could compile these into a sticky?
Anyway, here's mine:
I've been a hedgie owner only for a year now and was on CnQ for most of that time. I took the advice on the site and had $200 around for emergency vet bills, but I found that it wasn't enough. Since January 2008, I've paid over $1500 in vet bills for the following stuff:
Check-up visits were $60 for each hedgie when they came home.
Medication for mites was only $100 for the exam and meds for my little one but $350 for my oldest who needs to be gassed to be examined.
Green poop scares cost about $150 a piece for fecal floats and smears. (I could have saved myself about $450 total if I just waited a day to let their systems smooth out, but hey, I was paranoid)
Jack's eye proptosis was $400 for the Emergency vet visit to put the eye back in, plus another $300 for suture removal and medications and rechecks.
Now I admit that I'm the first to run to the vet if I get even slightly worried, but my hedgies have had some serious issues that the cost of the vet bills were unavoidable. I don't want to dissuade people from getting hedgies unless they are not prepared to face some of these situations.
Anyway, here's mine:
I've been a hedgie owner only for a year now and was on CnQ for most of that time. I took the advice on the site and had $200 around for emergency vet bills, but I found that it wasn't enough. Since January 2008, I've paid over $1500 in vet bills for the following stuff:
Check-up visits were $60 for each hedgie when they came home.
Medication for mites was only $100 for the exam and meds for my little one but $350 for my oldest who needs to be gassed to be examined.
Green poop scares cost about $150 a piece for fecal floats and smears. (I could have saved myself about $450 total if I just waited a day to let their systems smooth out, but hey, I was paranoid)
Jack's eye proptosis was $400 for the Emergency vet visit to put the eye back in, plus another $300 for suture removal and medications and rechecks.
Now I admit that I'm the first to run to the vet if I get even slightly worried, but my hedgies have had some serious issues that the cost of the vet bills were unavoidable. I don't want to dissuade people from getting hedgies unless they are not prepared to face some of these situations.