Our dog needs a vet

[MissMillie]

She's not eating very much, will not go outside, is very lethargic and is losing weight.

Thing is, we can't afford a vet.

Our local animal control officer gave us a list of groups to contact for financial help w/ getting veterinary care, but we keep running into dead ends. The groups are all looking for donations and give no information on how to contact people about actually getting care.

Do any of you have any suggestions?

[912gdm]

1. how long has this been going on, how old, does she have a sour sweet smell on breath?

.

[MissMillie]

3. She's been losing weight over the last month

but it has become more pronounced in the last week or so because she won't eat.

She has dog breath.

She cries when we try to pick her up.

She's about 4.5 years old. American Rat Terrier (pure breed).

[912gdm]

5. This is going to sound harsh.

If you can't afford vet bills, you need to call local vets and explain that to them. Explain the symptoms and history.

[MissMillie]

6. That doesn't sound harsh

My guy is on it.

[912gdm]

10. What will be harsh is they will weigh cost/profit along with your dogs suffering and quality of life

It might be something as simple as antibiotics, or they might see symptoms that are very expensive on your part and knowing you can't afford that will recommend euthanasia

[Cattledog]

9. A 4 yr old dog acting this way is serious. I hate to say it but

if you don't get her care she may not be around long.

[Kali]

2. call local vets directly and ask about any financial assistance or payment plans

[Cattledog]

4. You need to get your dog to a Vet and get a diagnosis ASAP

It could be something as simple as a UTI or as serious as cancer. Call your local Humane society.

[janterry]

7. Read this link

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/are-you-having-trouble-affording-your-pet

[hlthe2b]

8. Go to a veterinarian (not the fanciest clinic in town) but maybe one in business a long time

and ask the fee for a full exam. Commit to that only. Once they give you their appraisal, explain your financial difficulties and ask for the full range of possible options for diagnosis and treatment to include the least expensive and "conservative"... If that option is doable, ask to make payments or to have them hold checks for you.

If they do not offer a reasonable set of options or you question their assessment, go elsewhere. It is possible a tech or receptionist might have options for you (outside the hearing range).

At least you will have a start. By the way, if they think that diabetes is a consideration, a simple dipstick test on urine should be cheap to rule out glucose in the urine. Likewise they can look for protein in the urine if they suspect kidney disease. You might think to bring a urine sample . If it is something else,thorough palpation and physical exam should give some clues. Experienced veterinarians may be more likely to resist jumping to expensive bloodwork and x-rays or other diagnostics in lieu of starting with a very thorough history and physical exam.

Good luck.

[MissMillie]

13. This was very helpful

We did call a local animal hospital to make an appointment for tomorrow. The receptionist told us that the cost for the visit would be $65.... HOWEVER their website had a coupon for first-time visits and apparently this applies.

There's no telling whatever costs will be incurred but at least we can get her to the vet.

I did tell the receptionist that we did have limits to what we could spend and that we would appreciate they start w/ the least expensive tests (those applicable, of course) first.

[hlthe2b]

14. Ask them to itemize in an estimate for you before doing anything and...

maybe give them a figure for how much you would allow them to exceed before contacting you for additional approval.


People tend to get in "trouble" when they don't specify and, unlike physicians, veterinarians are typically both accustomed to doing so and quite willing.

[yonder]

11. Because of her young age, it may be something treatable.

Beside the excellent advice in post #8, perhaps a vet located in a rural area would be an alternative?

[haele]

12. We used Care Credit (the same group that does dental assistance) through the vet's office for a cat.

They'll typically cover at least $500 directly to your vet even if you have poor credit so long as you have some sort of regular income. They also don't charge interest for the first six months, so if you can get a windfall or can pay a bit extra, you can pay them off quicker. The interest isn't too bad, typically cheaper than credit cards.
See if Care Credit will cover the up front and give you some breathing room for your other options.
On edit - this is just the only option to get quick funding at the vet for at least a check-up, and then see if you can negotiate for other payment options as things progress.
Other than that, check to see if DU'er Grasswire's charity is still going.

It sounds serious, whatever it is. I wish you the best of luck.

Haele

[radical noodle]

15. Set up a gofundme for those here (and elsewhere) who would like to help

It's been done before here.

[MissMillie]

16. UPDATE: Audry saw the vet on Thursday

The doctor's initial examination (which was free, thanks to a coupon) did not indicate any lumps or bumps that were a cause for concern. She was running a mild fever.

The doctor then asked for permission to run a blood test to check for lyme's disease. We agreed. The test was negative, but the doctor said that tic-borne illnesses often take months to show up in the blood.

We agreed to one more test, which was an x-ray/ultra-sound on her uterus... looking for a severe uterine infection. (I would not have agreed to this test. I think if there had been a severe infection she would have had a much higher temperature. ) The result is that we don't have to worry about her uterus. It's fine.

So Audry is being treated for tic-borne illness, with antibiotics and pain meds (joint pain is a symptom, and Audry had been not using her front right paw). She's also taking pro-biotics to control nausea.

She seems to have a bit more energy, but she's not eating or drinking as much as we'd like. She does better w/ cat food and human food than she does w/ dog food. (We put her pills and pro-biotic powder into wrapped sliced ham or turkey from the deli, so at least we know she's getting her meds.)

We put the tests and the meds on a credit card, which means it will end up costing a lot more than the actual bill. And--we're maxed-out.

The veterinarian told us to let her know if Audry didn't improve in 48 hours. So the question now is what is considered to be improvement.

I think we're going to do a "gofundme" page to ask our friends and family to help us both recover what we've already spent and what might come next.

[irisblue]

17. How is Audry doing?

[MissMillie]

18. We had to bring her back to the vet yesterday

She still isn't eating and drinking as much as we'd like. The vet gave her IV fluids as she was very dehydrated.

Her blood work is still clear, and her x-rays show nothing abnormal.

The vet gave us a different pair of meds to try.

[Donkees]

19. Have you seen the expanding list of the current dog food recalls? Some of the symptoms match ...

Lack of appetite, weight loss, lack of energy, joint pain.

Have you tried home-cooked broths with blender-pulverized ingredients? All best wishes.

[MissMillie]

20. She is one of 4 dogs, and

the only dog displaying any of these symptoms.

[Donkees]

21. Could she have gotten hold of a poisoned rat? Some of these newer rat poisons contain the same ...

toxic ingredient as the recalled dog food, (Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) with the same kinds of symptoms (lack of appetite, lethargy, decreased or increased thirst,)

Forgot to mention in my earlier post, that if you offer home-made broths it's easier to feed using a food syringe squirting into the cheek pouch, if your pup lacks appetite and is getting dehydrated. The vet can give you the plastic feeder. Hope you have some good news soon.

[MissMillie]

22. thanks for the tip on the food syringe.

We'll ask for one.

We don't use rat poison. Our dogs are pure-bred rat terriers. lol

[Donkees]

23. Your neighbors might use poison though and rats travel the neighborhood. All best wishes to your pup

[Rhiannon12866]

24. I had to use a feeding syringe just like that to feed my very ill cat

And it worked very well - great idea! That vet also had me cook for my dogs when they were ill, liver (not well done) and chicken and rice cooked with broth (bland for the sick pup).

[Donkees]

25. I also used 'very low sodium' tuna packed in water, pulverized in the blender ...

The feeding syringe is also a good way to administer any powdered supplements in the liquified mix (whey protein powder, digestive enzymes, kelp, etc.)

[Rhiannon12866]

26. Thanks!

I never thought about the sodium. If I have tuna, which isn't often, I add the water to my cat's water to encourage him to drink more. Actually, that's how I originally caught the little guy - canned tuna. I found my present cat as a kitten in a supermarket parking lot where they were doing construction and he was not easy to catch. That was in August of 2014.

[Cattledog]

27. Be sure to provide a link here to the Go Fund Me account.

I'm sure members will help.