Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello everyone. I'll start by saying that Valentina is still doing wonderful!!! She is vibrant,strong, and very happy. We have been having great times together! I am so blessed that I have been able to have this time with her. I haven't been on here in a while because the kids went back to school and the new schedule has me so so busy and completely wiped out. Even when I do have some extra time I have been using it to rest. I have been too tired to even go on the computer.But I haven't forgotten Tripawds!! I am ever thankful to everyone who helped me and encouraged me throughout Valentina"s tumultuous recovery. Thank You again everyone!!!
During Valentina's re-admittance to the hospital because of the uncontrolled bleeding one of the vets that was on her case told me that they were going to help me out with the finances by charging me for many of the things at cost. Over the next couple of weeks during her rechecks and irrigations I always asked about the bill and they would always tell me that the doctors were going to sit down together and decide which deductions to make. Everytime I asked they told me that they hadn't gotten the bill together yet. So on her last visit I knew that she wouldn't be back for a while and they still didn't have the bill ready yet so I told them to call me when it was ready and I would come in and pay it. Well quite a while has gone by and they just called me yesterday and told me that I now owe over $1700!!!!!!! I am so shocked!! I was watching the bill go up but I thought that they were going to deduct a good amount from the bill later on so I wasn't worrying about it. I told the lady on the phone that I felt as though something went wrong during the surgery that was the cause of the prolonged recovery and the bill was the result of that. I feel that if something was done wrong that I should not have to pay the entire amount of this bill. Those of you that were following my story at the time remember all of the terrible things that I went through. I am very happy that she finally did recover but now I have this giant bill that is almost as much as the surgery was!!! I was waiting for the vet that did the surgery to call me to discuss this matter and he just called me. He said that they did make deductions. I told him I wanted a list of what they did to my dog and what was deducted. He said that he didn't have a list because they never actually added many of the things that they did to the bill. He also said that complications are always possible and that he always does the best that he can do and sometimes things just happen even if everything was done right. I do understand this but all along as I was watching the bill I did not know that there were many things that they were not adding to it to save me money. He said that if they did add everything it would have come to around $4500!!! That seems insane to me. Her surgery was $2100 and she stayed in the hospital for 5 days afterwards. This time she was there for 7 days but she did not have surgery. All she had done that I know of was irrigation each day and bandaging each day. How can that add up to $4500? All of the vet visits,medications,hospitalization and bandaging materials are listed on my bill so just what didn't they charge me for that would be $1800? I don't want to cause any problems nor do I want something for nothing. I acknowledge that I do need to pay part of this bill. I know that the veterinarian's services are very valuable and I sincerely appreciate all that they did to get Valentina well again. She still wasn't getting better enough I thought after she was released after that time. But one day after we came in from outside when she laid down I noticed something protruding from her surgical area where they had left a drainage hole. I looked at it closer and when Valentina sat up a piece of flesh slid out from the hole along with some blood and a large amount of fluid. It was really gross so I threw it away. It was about 5 inches long and a half inch wide. She had a vet appt in a couple of days so I waited to tell him until then because after that happened the hole completely sealed up and didn't leak another drop after that. I think that piece of flesh that was stuck in there was one of the things causing the problem. The vet did look really surprised when I told him. He just said that he was so glad that it came out. Anyway now I am wondering if I am crazy to expect them to cut me a break on this bill or should I just go ahead and pay it and be thankful that my dog is alive and doing very very well now. I would appreciate anyone's opinion about this. I keep switching my mind back and forth about it. I feel kind of guilty asking him to reduce my bill but when I remember the horribleness of all that happened and the way I felt it makes me very angry. I really did feel as if something was done wrong during the surgery. What happened to Valentina was extremely abnormal. But how can you know if it was the vet's fault or not? I don't think you can. I have just been praying that this will turn out the way it is supposed to. If the man did do something wrong or didn't do something he was supposed to do I hope that he will realize this and adjust my bill accordingly. If the man truly does deserve this money then I will let God decide on that and I will accept what ever happens. Thank You for letting me vent. I just had to get that out!!!! I will keep you posted on what he says when he gets back to me. He said he is going to talk with the other vet that was working with him on this case and they will see what they can do. He said that he will call me on Tuesday. 
Valentina Angel Dane diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in front left leg May 21st 2011. Amputation July 5th 2011.
DOB:11/3/03 DOD:2/3/12 . Valentina was the Love of my Life!!! There is nothing like a Dane!!!
Angel, I'm glad that Val is doing so well!
Sorry about your vet issue. Luckily, you documented a lot of the issues that you had on here. I would go back and mark on a calendar the dates that you had the issues and note what the vet said. Also, you should be able to get an itemized bill to show exactly what they are charging you for. That is standard practice for any business operation!
Let us know what happens!!
Ok, I want to make sure we are working with the same numbers. The bill of $1700 is for all the services AFTER the surgery, right, and they are saying it would have been $4500 without deductions, so that should mean they took off $2800, am I right? OK, Here is what I would do since I am with you on why is the surgery cheaper than the other service. Ask them how they charge for the surgery, is it by the hour, is the surgery a flat fee for that type of surgery, what is the overnight-boarding charge, etc. Then I would ask how much time was spent each day with irrigation and wrapping and how they billed for that service since I would assume the overnight-boarding charge should be the same. my guess is they would bill by the hour for the irrigation and wrapping. when you are talking that kind of money, there are no dumb questions, of course we appreciate the service they do and realize there are expenses involved, I don't think it's wrong to want to feel like you were treated fair since your case was not usual. Was there human error involved, and if so, you shouldn't have to pay for the resulting treatment, but only they can probably tell you, will they, who knows, the thing is you still may need their services down the road, so if they decide your being unreasonable, will they want to still do your work and do you have another vet you could go to if one of you isn't satisfied with how this is resolved, but I would definitely ask for a detailed record of how each service was billed, I would like to think they would want a fair solution for both sides. I think if they are asking you to pay that much you are entiltled to know how that total was calculated. Good luck
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
Angel -
I am so glad Valentina is doing well and unfortunately you ended up having a heart attack after getting the vet bill.
I think you need to have a detailed statement of the charges - not itemized - a vet will have a daily log of what they did - who did it - what they used - etc....its standard procedure.....I am willing to bet that they charged you full price for each of the office visits and if any of them were emergency visits or not appt. visits - You probably were charged extra.....The $ 1,700.00 sounds a bit steep, expecially if it was negligance on the part of the vet....
Thanks for your reply. I am really bad at math and I was in a hurry while I was trying to write my post. But yes you are right. My current outstanding bill is $1752.74 and the vet said that is what I owe after they took account for all of the deductions. He said that they never actually added many things to my bill in the first place so that is how he is saying that they did make deductions on my bill but none of the deductions are listed and they don't have a record of all of the things they they didn't charge me for. So it would be around $2800 of deductions if the bill would have been around $4500 . He said that he would try to compile a record of the things that they did while she was there to show me what they did not charge me for. And yes these charges are for everything after her surgery was done. When I picked her up after the surgery I paid the bill for the surgery in full and I had a zero balance. All of the other charges are for trying to get Valentina well again after all of the complications. She is totally worth it and everything. Her life and comfort and happiness are priceless to me but I am feeling the need to make sure that I am not getting ripped off. And I have thought of later on down the road ALOT!! I know that Valentina is going to need to go back again for something. And I have been going to this vet for 13 years.so I really don't want to change vets. But I am thinking about changing because lots of things bothered me about the aftermath of Valentina's recovery entailed and how it was handled. I have a heavy heart about this. I hate causing problems and I don't want anyone mad at me. I just want what is ethically right to be done.
I do think that this is very high. Did they give you a price estimate or update prior to or at least after each treatment? Each clinic does things differently but most vets would charge for cost of materials such as bandaging, saline flush, and meds like antibiotics. Many would give free or at least reduced recheck exams. They should be able to give you a day-by-day rundown of what the costs would have been and then show a discount.
It is true that complications can occur but your vet should be prepared to give you an estimate for any follow-up care right away so that you can plan for additional expenses. So much confusion can be avoided with a written plan. I can't remember where you live but in our part of Washington the initial surgery would have been in the $1500 to $2000 range and the follow up (with no further anesthesia or surgery) would have probably cost $250 to $500.
I am glad that she is doing so well!
Pam
I don't remember getting a price estimate when I brought her in as an emergency. I was so upset because she was bleeding so much. I can't even recall discussing any kind of money at that time. One thing that I do know is that I added up all of the med costs after her surgery and it comes to $874.01 for just the meds. They are all listed on my bill. She has to have large doses because she is so big so it costs way more for her meds than most regular size dogs.All of the exams and follow ups and hospitalizations and meds are listed on my bill at full price.
I feel your pain. Our original ER surgery was about $2000 ish to try to save Daisy after getting hit. When things started to go south we ended up at the After Hours Canine ER as our vet was out of town. +$ again and completely useless. After that the leg turned gangrene and we headed to Cornell for the amputation with a $2000-$5000 estimate. It turned out to be about $3500. As for the follow up care at our local vets office, we were also told that they were giving us a break and that they were charging us at cost. I do believe my vet through- they have taken care of my dogs for over 27 years.....(not the SAME dogs of course) I dropped Daisy off at the vets many days when I had to work and they watched her and fed her and I am sure that they did not charge the full rate for the boarding, bandage changes, irrigations, antibiotics, probiotocs and running to Mc D's trying to get her to eat something when she refused dog food.
Even if you get an itemized bill- what do you have to compare it too? I doubt that they will put down 1 bandage change $15 less 50%
If you do question the bill, will it cause hard feelings between you and your vet? I'm just playing the devils advocate as usual...I know that adding up the total really sucks so I just try not to think about it too much.
.
Daisy earned her wings on Oct 22, 2011 at 14 years old
She is now the official greeter at the rainbow bridge
Everyone is guaranteed a welcome sniff and Dalmatian smile
Seems very unfair that they wouldn't give you printed estimates - even in the case of an emergency. I would wait and see what the vet says when he calls you back - and maybe he will realize that a lot of the responsibility is theirs and lower the bill. If he doesn't, I would definitely complain about the fact that you have been hit with a very large bill after getting no estimates or warning of how large the bill would be.
Vet care is RIDICULOUSLY expensive in San Diego, so I have to admit, it sounds like the total is about what I would have expected - although I would have thought the $1700 was the full amount before the deductions to mark things at cost.
Ugh. Hope you can work something out with the vet!
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Ugh, this sounds so similar to what we went thru with our Brandy...
It took her over 3 months after the surgery to finally heal! The actual surgury came out to about $1600 but the after care was in the $5000 range. We had her in the vet almost every week during the first 3 months. The vet did a horrible surgery job. She did not have anywhere near enough staples along the amputation site and she seemed to have an infection show up within the first few days. Her wound opened up within the first week just due to the poor staples and began to ooze badly. She was on every antibiotic you could think of! at around a month and a half after surgery, her skin turned black and had died along the entire amputation site. We had to bring her in for another surgery to remove all the dead skin and have her completely sutured up...we ended up starting from scratch with healing time. The poor thing had to have all her hair shaved again for this additional surgery. Then a few weeks later, they opened her up again because the infection was still bad. She was put under again so they could cut her open and pack the wound with gauze. One word...GROSS!! That seemed to finally do the trick, but we had to bring her in ever few days for the final two weeks to have the gauze taken out and re-packed. She was a trooper and handled it all surprisingly well.
I am really upset that the vet did not give you updates as to how much the charges were on a daily basis. That was really bad of them not to keep you informed. In our case, we never had to leave Brandy overnight so we paid everytime we brought her in so there were no huge surprises. Just a bunch of small heart-attacks everytime we left the vet. 
Vets are extremely expensive. I brought my other Rottie in for a small infection in between her toes last week and the bill came out to $310! The meds were almost $100 and the rest was for the visit and testing...I spend more on my dogs medical than my own medical! Thank goodness I have pet insurance on her so they will be sending me a check for most of that.
We ended up changing vets because of all of the trouble they put us and Brandy thru. The entire after care was totally on them, but, there was nothing we could do but pay it. I am very sorry that you are in this situation but I am very happy that Val is doing so great. From now on, make sure to get something in writing from whichever vet you go with. Don't take anyone's word for it. I also would demand an itemized receipt so you know exactly what they did to her.
Take care,
Teresa - Brandy's Auntie
Ohh, what a tough spot. We all understand the shock of those unexpected vet bills, they really hurt!
I agree that I would want to see more detail, at least copies of her chart and then have someone in billing correlate everything on her chart to what's on the bill. If it's not on the chart, then it doesn't exist and you shouldn't have to pay for it, IMHO.
I agree; prepare a written document with everything you recall that happened, and bring that to a sit-down session so you can go over this bill together. Remember to breathe, thank them for the work they did to save Valentina's life, then ask in a kind way if you can work out an agreement to reduce the bill and take payment arrangements. That way at least you know you did everything you could to get the fees lowered.
Tazziedog is a vet, so she's got firsthand experience with this sort of thing.
A lot of vets get unfairly stiffed by clients who don't pay their bills but if your vet didn't give you written estimates before the services were performed, then they shouldn't be surprised that another client is mad about this sort of thing. I'll bet they will work something out. good luck!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm so sorry that they "surprised" you with a hefty bill! I would certainly get an itemized estimate from here on out! Mine does and I always end up paying the "high" estimated charged!
I'm in an expensive place also, like Abby's mom. Not to sound uncaring but $1700 for 7 days in the hospital with care seems to me like a bargain compared to our vets! It costs me almost $600 for xrays! And I'm still complaining on spending $700+ on a broken toenail in the quick for Rocket! Surgery to clip it? Really?
In 2001, I paid for a $1300 knee surgery and my dog died while I was waiting with leash in hand moments after writing the check. She died when they were getting her. No one offered to rip the check up! But the vet did give me credit for the antibiotics she would have taken that I just bought!
I hope it works out for you!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
It is hard for me to judge because our experience was one complication after another.However I can tell you that by Bud's 3rd surgery, the surgeon did not charge us for any of his fees, the surgery, office visits...etc. The bill was 1300 just for medical supplies, meds and 2 days in ICU. So it would seem that for 7 days 1700 would be quite reasonable. Sorry I know it's alot. Our entire experience was financially draining, we no longer have a 401k but we have a Bud dog.
Without any disrespect intended, I'm going to comment that perhaps $1700.00 is not an outrageous amount to pay. Unfortunately, vet care for our furkids is very expensive. And with the drug shortages and suppliers pushing up the prices for medications needed by our animals, it's only going to get worse. Admittedly, I don't know your particular history, but the way you describe it it seems as if the vets involved were making an effort to keep the costs at a minimum. If the drugs involved were half of what was billed in the $1700.00, I would say the remaining balance billed over the course of a seven day hospital stay and followup visits is very reasonable.
Complications do arise in surgery as well. It fact it isn't that uncommon. This is not always a case of a vet doing an improper job, but instead how individual animals react during surgery. These particular instances can't be foreseen, and it's the responsibility of the pet owner to absorb the additional costs.
Again, I'm not siding with the vets, as I'm sure that everyone here will agree that some are better than others. But it sounds to me as if they were willing to give you a break. In that sort of situation you need to trust and accept their judgements. Attempting to find wrong with their work isn't going to change matters. In short, it seems as if all involved tried to help both you and your dog, and although the final bill is indeed a shock, you'll have to honour your responsibility.
Again, this is just my opinion.
Terry
I'm an outsider looking in. I'm sure $1700 was quite a shock since all the treatments and pricing had been ambiguous. Vet care is not cheap - we all are well aware of that. You have some circumstances that would naturally make you question the validity of the bill. What you went through with Valentina was horrible, and no one is more thankful than I that it finally turned around and the healing began.
I would look at it this way - on a normal trip to the vet I pay $xx. Now multiply $xx by how many days after treatment there was (actual time with the vet, not total days). Is this number larger or smaller than the $1700? If it is larger you are probably getting a reasonable deal - if not continue to fight for further reduction or even make a counter offer.
Good luck. I know this weighs heavy on you.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
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