NO $$$ FOR VET, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

Even before the economy got tough, my vet used to cut my dogs nails and I baked her peanut butter cookies. She would charge me a certain amount for shots, the rest I paid with baked goods for her staff every friday for a month. (Her idea) Sometimes it is hard to be a vet, and I am a good baker. You trade services with anyone who works in a service industry. I got shots for myself from the health center for peanut butter cookies and a roll of stickers I had. (They give stickers out to kids if they get a shot) My hair dresser cut my hair for half price and I printed up things on my computer for her. You just have to ask people what you can trade or do for them. We made deals with other contractors, and landscapers. Sometimes we would work a project on their house and they would work a project on our house, sometimes we would trade tools or a trailer, whatever they wanted to make the deal happen. You know what you are skilled at, so offer that up to people. I knew a guy in the military that got a lawyer to work for him and he and his wife catered some political parties for the lawyer. You think about what you can offer, what you are good at, what you might have to trade and you ask, the worse they can do is say no, but for us, we got a lot of people to deal with us. So if you can bake, cater, hang drywall, paint, lay tile, mow lawns, dog sit, child sit, do computer work, trade possessions, whatever you can think of, you offer it out there. We had a reputation of trading services, people told other people we did that, so it became a common thing for people we did business with to ask for things from us. Sometimes it was a complete barter, sometimes you paid some money and the rest in barter, but you got to try, and you got to keep up your end of the bargain too. Here is a list of organizations who will help with veterinary bills:

Veterinary Financial Assistance

American Animal Hospital Association

http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/root/

Angels 4 Animals

http://www.angels4animals.org/

Care Credit

http://www.carecredit.com/

Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance

http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/

God's Creatures Ministry

http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf...

Help-A-Pet

http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/root/

IMOM

http://www.imom.org/

The Pet Fund

http://www.thepetfund.com/

United Animal Nations

http://www.uan.org/index.cfm?navid=28

Handicapped Pets

http://www.handicappedpets.com/Articles/...

First off, you are not annoying the clinic where you take your dog. You are a client, and have paid for the tests to be run, and for them to be interpreted. Therefore, you deserve answers. If you get the impression that you are annoying them, then you need to find a new vet clinic, period. You should not feel like you cannot ask questions. Especially when you have brought your dog in, and have paid for services. That being said, I understand your concern about the recurrence of the problem. I think that a second opinion of any kind is a good idea at this time. I have a close friend who does holistic vet medicine and she is pretty good. But she also practices traditional medicine too. The most important thing that you need to do is to find the original inciting cause of the repeated uti. Abdominal xrays and ultrasound of the bladder should be done to rule out bladder stones. As for holistic vs. traditional vets, I think that you need to judge any of them based on your level of comfort in their care, the confidence that you have in what they recommend, and how they treat you and your pet. Being a traditionally trained vet, I don't know much about holistic medicine. But I do believe that it has a place in veterinary medicine. After all, it has been around a very long time. Good luck whatever you decide.

I would do a couple of things that you suggested - as a matter of fact I have! I was on sick leave for 4 months recently and one of the dogs was to go to the vet. He wasn't sick, just for his vaccinations.

I actually sold my satelite radio, cancelled cell phone features, cancelled cable. Also, my vet would have taken payment plans in an emergency situation. Vets will not turn away a sick or injured animal so of course they will accept payments!

ADD: some vets may not accept payments but it is definately worth a try!

ADD: I am not saying that selling stuff, giving up cell phone features etc. will solve problems but it could help. I am just saying that it has helped me a little.

Yes, I am one of those people who have gone through financial issues off and on in the last year and can totally sympathize. I know how frustrating it can be when vet bills are suddenly not affordable.

This is a site that has a listing available for Pet Financial Aid Orgs. Most of these are for specific illnesses or diseases, or for a specific problem. But I have referred people here before.

http://www.pgaa.com/financialaid.html

The bad economy does hit pets first. As people struggle to make ends meet, many have to give up their pets. I am seeing a lot of really well-trained pets come through the shelter and it really breaks my heart. Not all will find a new home, so if I can help one person that has fallen on hard times find a way to keep their pet a little longer until we can all see our way past this recession, I am game.

Thanks for the question.

Add: I had bookmarked this question so I could add any useful info to my folder I keep handy. I could not help but notice the response Last Chance gave. While many may disagree with what she said...or more... the way she said it, think about it. Some of us have been very blessed not to have to make a choice. But others are not so fortunate, and, in most cases, they certainly did not know they were going to run into financial troubles when they first got a dog. Now, after the dog has become as much a part of the family as a dog can be, they are facing hard times. Many people worry about where the next meal will come from. They have managed to keep the dog in hopes of times getting better and are working toward that goal. When they come here and post a question, the goal is still to keep their pet with them and get through the crisis. It could happen to any of us at any time. And some of these people have never been faced with the problems everyone is having today with finances.

Last Chance is right. Our children and our human family does have to take top priority. I think a lot of these people are willing to do what they need to do, they just need to be pointed in the right direction. And unfortunately, being part of a rescue I have seen first hand...most vets will NOT charge. Many want their money up front. Selling the computer or a second car (which I would certainly do) is not a solution to the immediate problem. They may well be willing to do that, but the dog needs help at the moment that slling something or having services disconnected will not provide. The days are long past when vets were compassionate animal lovers that would do anything for a pet. There are exceptions and those of us who have a very good relationship with our vets are fortunate indeed. But for the most part, a person's beloved pet gets all the love and care they can pay for from the local vet. We are all very quick to tell people not to humanize their dog. And that, too, is very good advice. I have made an early New Year's Resolution to try and be a lot more understanding of people. I also ill TRY to not let the ones who really drive me to bang my head on the desk get to me so badly that it affects my responses to everyone.

I also want to add that this site, and the regulars on it, have given me so much insight. I do not know anyone on here that does not genuinely care about dogs. Some are a little more blunt than others and some have that hair-trigger retort ready...but they all care.

So... with my very limited uinderstanding of human nature overall ... this site has given me a safe place to come when I want to be around people who really care about animals when my own world here in rescue is filled with days of the abused and abandoned.

If I was in that situation, I would ask to borrow some money. If I was desperate, I'd sell a couple of things, and ask the vet to bill me so I could pay when the items were sold.

Honestly, though, it's so much easier just to put a little away. I read in a magazine that a woman saved $5 for one year. Every time she got a $5 bill, she put it away in a bank account. Over one year, she had saved over $2000. Enough for an emergency, huh?

Even loose change adds up. Every couple of months that I collect loose change I get *at least* $100 cash, that I can deposit. With luck, I get about $300-$400 a year...save that, and they'd have plenty of money...emergencies usually wouldn't go much higher than that, and if they're careful, they won't have a pricey emergency more than once..

Oh well, as Pretty Kitty's profile says...they probably blew their money to see the new Twilight. Movies are expensive now...

They can do a lot of things, they can

Get a second job

If they have more than one vehicle sell one....

Care Credit, I have this on all my dogs and it is great, but you have to go online to find a vet that takes it as well....there are tons of vets that take it..

VIP pet insurance, I had this before I went to Care Credit, and they pay very well, and are not a rip off, I had this inusurance for over 10 yrs and never had a problem with them paying at all....I switched to Care Credit for the convience, it is just like a credit cardl pay and go...and you can get high lmits on it.....

They can donate blood.

Call their local Humane Society and they will direct them to pet clinics that are helping people out alot....and our shelter does it, low cost or no cost to the low to no income people.

Sell all the luxury items they have, like the coputer, cell phoines, tv, cut off the internet, cut off the cable tv...stop smoking, stop drinking......

The dogs are more important than a drink of booze or a cigarette.

They can have a yard sale, get rid of unwanted items, work around the neighborhood doing odd jobs.

there is always a way......

If they are working, try to get some overtime..........

Some very good links from some of my cntacts have already been furnished..

I know it is hard times for a lot of people and I hope things to get better, I hate to see anyone to have to get of their aninals....but sometimes if a way cannot be found to provide for them, it is better to rehome them and give the best quality of life they can give them.

I know if this happened to me, I would be selling my things to provide for my dogs in a heart beat.....

I use Carecredit.com.

We don't have any vets around here that take payments. They all want the money up front.

I've found most pet insurance is a ripoff, and you have to pay a co pay anyway.

Payday loans, personal loans, etc.

Edit: Selling the computer, giving up the phone, etc etc etc won't get a person any money when they were just hit with a $3,000 vet bill that very day. People don't realize that. It's not like you get a refund when you have your utilities and such shut off.

What I can't stand is people being nasty to people having financial trouble. Instead of being nasty, why not offer suggestions that actually HELP? I can tell who has never had any financial troubles.

When people ask me how much the first year will cost with a puppy, I always include "savings for emergency vet care".

You have some good suggestions but often immediate care is needed.

It's very frustrating to hear of a dog in need of care and the owner has no money. Leaves me with a helpless feeling, I'll tell you.

Honestly if the people have tried all these things in a reasonable amount of time and STILL cannot pay for vet care...the reality is the dog needs to go to a new home that can afford them.

they are great ideas and i have now put them in my diary just in case something happens. I actually have a shep saving account with my bank. its just in case shep ever gets sick or god forbid anything happens. i put a few quid away each month and its such a handy thing to have just in case something does happen. my vet also lets me put money in his account just in acse he might need to get his shots down or if he gets sick. Shep's own personal vets account not the actual vet.