samoyedman Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/pet-vet-bills-give-paws-for-thought/story-e6freuy9-1226463134869 SPECIAL diets, knee reconstructions, hip replacements and cancer treatments are costing pet owners thousands of dollars.A recent industry report, Cossetted Companions, compiled by market researcher IBISWorld, found half of all Australian households had a pet and their owners were prepared to spend up big in an industry worth $7 billion. "Pets are not simply companion animals any more. They are now an integral part of the family that owns them," the report said. Veterinary services are now on par with top-ranking medical hospitals, but they come at a big cost. At the Sydney Animal Referral Hospital, director Dr Sarah Goldsmid said services on offer included MRI scans, chemotherapy and radiation therapy and endoscopy. "There is no Medicare for pets, so people are starting to realise you need insurance," Dr Goldsmid said. "Five years ago there was a negligible number of people with insurance, but people are starting to cotton on." Pets are routinely undergoing hip replacements, knee reconstructions, cataract removal and diabetes treatment at the hospital. Soaring veterinary costs have led to a 30-fold increase in pet insurance take-up in five years as pet owners face bills of up to $17,000 for treatment. Hollard Insurance, the underwriter of the majority of pet insurance products, provided The Sunday Telegraph with the average and highest claims for ailments suffered by pets in the past 12 months. They reveal the average vet bill for fractures is $2904, while the highest claim was for $11,805. And cats and dogs are also having for chemotherapy and radiation therapy at an average cost of $1281 and the highest claim of $17,436. Edited September 1, 2012 by samoyedman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Vet bills can get obscene, we had a mild bladder infection that cost us almost $500 in one of my cats while I was away and they were (thankfully) boarded at the vets, but something as simple for a human as a medicare covered doctors visit and some $20 antibiotics blew out to a huge amount of money! I'm starting to agree it's worth it, though working in insurance myself am really, really wary of the individual plan and it's limitations, I'd hate to get caught out! I was watching the news last month with my grandma and the story about Samson, the dog with prosthetic front legs came on, and she was just gobsmacked, I mean, 40 years ago I guess the average household had more to think about than 2k a leg for a seemingly older looking dog, she loves animals as much as the next person, but just couldn't fathom this was even a thing, but watching it I thought 'oh he does look happy, isn't that nice?' and knew that if it were me and it were of value to the dog and feasible, I would probably do the same. I think the cats see the vet more than I see the doctor, to be totally honest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Just one of my vet bills this year was $3000, financially it's hard to manage but I would never deny them vet treatment. I would draw the line at chemo though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I read the whole article in the paper, I liked that they linked a lot of health issues back to bad diet (and promotion of such from the per food companies) and advocated fresh/raw meaty bones be included in a dogs diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Absolutely seconded! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 and thirded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I think it's important not to confuse the amount of money with the lengths people will go, if that makes sense. An unwillingness to go down a high intervention path is not always to do with money. When I saw the dog with the prosthetic legs, it's not the cost that would prevent me doing it. I'd be concerned about whether the dog's quality of life would be appropriate for their breed/age. Likewise with cancer, some cancers have a pretty well known path and while you can slow things down, it will still get the dog in the finish. So is it worth all the chemo/amputations etc when you consider the dog's experience of the procedures and recovery? Up to the individual to decide. As the owner of dogs whose breed tends to get hemangio and bone cancer and whose primary love in life is high powered running, my answer is no. However, I would spend stupid amounts of money to restore a dog to full health if there were good prospects for good quality of life. I also spend a lot of money on pre-breeding tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 It's not the money for me either and there's no way in hell i'd ever put a dog through chemo. It's not something that I would choose for myself and having seen how sick and sad animals are having gone through it, I'd rather euth a dog, than put it through something it can't talk to you about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asal Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 a puppy recentl, had developed slight patella in one leg at 7 months checkup. definately my vet said not going to be any problem. except the new owners vet quoted 1800 to 'fix' the patella? got a third opinion which tallied with the first vet. no intervention necessary. so who do u believe anymore? then there the vet who charges $99 for a vaccination???????????? I know a child who was a perfect candidate for knee reconstruction being warned that if its done a knee replacement will eventually be a certainty down the track as any cartlidge removal guarantees arthritis will result eventually, opted to skip surgery and stick to psyhio instead and sound as a bell 10 years down the track??????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korbin13 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Will we ever see people with 'munchausen' type syndromes with their pets? With them putting their dogs through procedure after procedure? Especially as some vets are happy to operate at the drop of a hat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crysti_Lei Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Will we ever see people with 'munchausen' type syndromes with their pets? With them putting their dogs through procedure after procedure? Especially as some vets are happy to operate at the drop of a hat. i think we have already seen that on DOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavendergirl Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 It's not the money for me either and there's no way in hell i'd ever put a dog through chemo. It's not something that I would choose for myself and having seen how sick and sad animals are having gone through it, I'd rather euth a dog, than put it through something it can't talk to you about Agreed - Personally I can't imagine putting a dog through chemo either. They don't understand why they are being made to suffer and the end is often inevitable anyway. As for prosthetics etc for dogs - can't get my head around that at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I think it really depends on the type of chemo and the individual dog. Most of the chemo used in vet medicine is not at the same dose as we would use in people. Unfortunately this also means it is rarely ever curative, and at the most will buy some time. It also means that they generally don't suffer the same degree of side effects as humans do, although adverse reactions are still possible and some dogs may not tolerate certain drugs as well as others. Some chemo protocols only involve giving a tablet at home every few weeks and the dogs have very few noticeable side effects. Of course, there is always the extra monitoring required for animals on chemo- regular blood tests etc and depending on the dog, that alone could be quite stressful. Other protocols involve the dog having to have IV injections and spend the day in hospital. There are a few cases where chemo is pretty non invasive, with few side effects and can buy several months of good quality life for the dog. I couldn't really say whether I'd go for it, it would depend on the type of cancer the dog had, the quality of life expected and the proposed chemo protocol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I put a dog through chemo and he did fine with it most of the time.. There were a couple of times where he was a bit flat for a day after the procedure. They don't give animals the same level of dosage that they give humans as bone marrow transplants in animals are extremely expensive (and have only been done for the last couple of years-Ollie had his chemo 7 years ago). He didn't lose his hair or vomit... The chemo along with the holistic treatment gave him 4-5 more years with us then they expected.. Each case is different and needs to be assessed on its own merits in my opinion.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 It's not the money for me either and there's no way in hell i'd ever put a dog through chemo. It's not something that I would choose for myself and having seen how sick and sad animals are having gone through it, I'd rather euth a dog, than put it through something it can't talk to you about I agree. That said, even simple things can land up costing thousands. My boy had bad gastro a few weeks ago. He was dehydrated and couldn't even hold down water so he needed to be on a drip. It was Saturday afternoon and if he stayed at my normal vet he'd be left all alone from 3pm to 8am with no supervision. So off to hospital he went and I was $1300 poorer (I have insurance though). I wouldn't put my dog through extreme procedures but it costs about $1000 per night to have your dog in a hospital overnight in Melbourne on a drip, with no other treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 It cost me $2500 just to get a diagnoses for Amber. So you can spend a heap before the dog has even had any procedures. It was going to be another $5000 if she needed the operation. Her medication is around $2500 a year. The thing that bugs me is when the vets just do a heap of procedures to find out what is wrong. The vet I took my cat to first seemed rather happy that I was going to have to spend a heap of money finding out what was wrong. I don't mind a test to confirm something but have a basic idea first. Just from googling I had an idea what was wrong with both the cat and Amber. I never like to suggest stuff to the vet but will be in future. They don't tell you what things are going to cost either. A poo test cost $150 which surprised even the vet nurse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeckoTree Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Its all stitched up too, I cant open a vet clinic and simply employ vets to work because I am not a Vet myself. Big industry man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I put goldie through chemotherapy and I don't think she suffered from it. It gave us extra time and I would do it again if I had to with another dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I think each case on it's merits, and if you start chemo etc and a dog is miserable and really not coping, there's always a chance to reassess, but personally I think I'd like the option. Having just spent a bomb on something pretty simple, it's seeming like a good idea. I had a look for the cats, and worked it out to be around 200 each a year, a little over. I think I'd easily spend 200 a year on vet trips for little things like infections, sore spots, things being eaten that shouldn't etc, so if it works out to be a good deal, and actually serve it's purpose, rather than be a bunch of red tape and wasted money, I'll be all over it! I heard another theory, that you should start a bank account and make little deposits of the premium into a nominated savings account, which is great in theory but if tomorrow or even 6 months down the track one of mine went downhill fast I'd have a hard time scraping up 3k in expendable cash, perhaps if I'd been doing this since they were kittens, maybe, but even then there's been a few whopping bills in our time, and I think I owe it to them to at least have all the options available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xyz Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I think it really depends on the type of chemo and the individual dog. Most of the chemo used in vet medicine is not at the same dose as we would use in people. Unfortunately this also means it is rarely ever curative, and at the most will buy some time. It also means that they generally don't suffer the same degree of side effects as humans do, although adverse reactions are still possible and some dogs may not tolerate certain drugs as well as others. Some chemo protocols only involve giving a tablet at home every few weeks and the dogs have very few noticeable side effects. Of course, there is always the extra monitoring required for animals on chemo- regular blood tests etc and depending on the dog, that alone could be quite stressful. Other protocols involve the dog having to have IV injections and spend the day in hospital. There are a few cases where chemo is pretty non invasive, with few side effects and can buy several months of good quality life for the dog. I couldn't really say whether I'd go for it, it would depend on the type of cancer the dog had, the quality of life expected and the proposed chemo protocol. X2. I have a dog undergoing chemo at the moment, I , (and most importantly she) don't feel we are being "put through" anything... She has never had a bad day, loves attending the vet clinic, and most importantly is acting 5 years younger after starting her protocol. Yes it is not curative, but while she is happy and suffers no side effects, we will continue. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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