Do vets routinely expect you to drop 1k + on a test?

[Anonymous]

So, my 8year old cat has been sick since Friday night. He is just not being himself - staying away from us, sleeping a lot, not grooming himself. We thought that maybe he had eaten something that didn't agree with him, but yesterday he did pee on my kitchen floor and it was like he was "out of space." Be didn't even bother with his fur getting wet.

We took him to the vet and she did not find anything wrong with him by looking/touching. No sugar in his urine and she wanted to do a "rush" blood test. We said no, we can wait for the results until tomorrow.

The other vet just called and asked how he is doing - I said he looks better (slept with us last night, has been using the litter box, etc). He said the test came back and the results just look slight elevated, that maybe something is wrong with his liver.

He then said we need to take him to an internist to have an ultrasound to see if he has cancer or an infection. I asked if we should wait to see if he gets better on his own, but he said we should find out now because he expects the cat to go down hill from here if nothing is done.

I asked: what if it is cancer? He said the prognosis depends on which type of cancer.

Honestly, I'm just astonished that we are expected to spend 1k+ on a expeditionary test for a cat. Don't they have other ways to find out if it is cancer or infection through more blood tests? Maybe white cell count? Or couldn't they just give the cat some antibiotics first? I mean, if it is cancer is not like it would make any difference for better or worse, but it is certainly cheap.

Anyway, just wanting to find out if this is the norm with vets and pet care.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we spent a few thousand dollars on one of our cats (pre-kids and when we were high earning DINKs). She had a rare form of lymphoma. We stopped short of doing chemo for her...for $10,000...for a cat. I was shocked by how much everything cost, but she was our "child" so we wanted to do to everything we could. Healthcare for pets is just as expensive as it is for humans, but there's no real insurance program to offset those costs.

[Anonymous]

there are all ranges. vets, even honest ones can lead with the more expensive stuff. sometimes it is b/c they want to give the best care or they are looking at the $$ aspect.
that's why I lead with the we are on a limited budget, what's the most responsible way to approach this.

[Anonymous]

Veterinary care is expensive. Your vet should present you with the costs and options, and let you decide.
A specialist will cost much more than the regular vet. There are mobile vet radiologists who will do ultrasounds. They will come to your vet's office and do it. It cost about $500 for our dog. That may be cheaper than going to a speciality hospital. But vet bills can add up very fast.

[Anonymous]

OP, if it's cancer, do you plan to treat it? If not, then don't bother with the ultrasound. If it were me, I'd take a wait and see approach, or possibly get a second opinion to find out what you can do to help your cat with his symptoms. Honestly, if your vet says he'll go downhill fast, well, he'll go downhill fast weather he has an ultrasound or not.

[JohnDoe333]

Vets always expect outlandish fees for test, but I have pet insurance, PetsBest to be exact...Nothing like spending 30-50$ monthly that will take care of you in that event that you have a sick pet. Some vets will even let you pay the deductible to them and then wait for the remainder to be paid once the pet insurance company processes the claim...

I believe I pay $45.00 a month, with a $250 deductible, and the coverage pays 90% of the cost once the deductible is met. All "wellness" care such as vaccinations and routine care is included.

Last year, my dog was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer and I did all the pre testing just to find out that because of the type of dog he was the Lymphoma actually moved aggressively and it was too late so I had to put him down so he would no longer suffer. The Chemo, according to the vet would have only prolonged his life for at the most a few months.

[Anonymous]

OP ~ with an elderly animal (not saying an 8 yr old cat is elderly) the words to say are, "I want only palliative care". You don't want your pet to suffer but you don't want expensive diagnostic tests/treatments.

[Anonymous]

I found a vet, who while very caring, also has a good - and seemingly rare - perspective on the big picture. When I brought my somewhat older dog in with a lump on his leg, his response was "it may be cancer, it may not be. If we biopsy it and it is, we can either do nothing or operate (with a long recovery) and possibly do chemo. If you wouldn't want to go that route for an 11 year old dog who has lived a good life, there's probably no good reason to biopsy."

I really appreciated that. I love my pup, but extensive tests and treatment would be a financial hardship for us and not necessarily in his best interest. Six months later he's still doing great and I splurged on some good doggie painkillers.

[Anonymous]

OP, care to mention the veterinary practice you went to with your pet?

I agree with the "wait and see" approach in this case.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the wait and see too if the cats seems better. Honestly, what you describe could have been a seizure too. If it's a one time event, then it was probably something it ate. If you keep finding your cat covered in pee (from laying in it) and disoriented I would take her back to the vet.

[Anonymous]

With our elderly dog, when I was feeling uncomfortable - feeling like I needed to defend my decision not-to-treat, I gently reminded the vet, "gosh, the medication he's been on $90+/month. It's 10 years now. Hard to imagine, but that's $10,000" The vet seemed to "get it" then. I think all he remembered about me was that I didn't usually want to pay for his suggested tests. I'm sure he had forgotten what I was paying month-after-month, year-after-year for medication (not going to him)

[Anonymous]

Concur this is why we have pet insurance.

We get it through VPI (Warren Buffett's group) but the ASPCA also offers it (not sure who the underwriter is).

[Anonymous]

We just had a sick cat last week and our vet was excellent at presenting options and being conservative. We go to Nova Cat Clinic in Arlington. My DH has been with them for over 10 years (but they recently changed their name). I highly recommend seeing them if you're up for a second opinion. We did a lot and our bill was only about $500.

[Anonymous]

Have another talk with your vet. At intake, our vet's forms ask about your approach to $ versus care "Nothing but the best, no matter the cost"; "Quality of life but cost-conscious", along those lines.

Over the course of our dogs' lives, for the most part, we did pay whatever was necessary. At the end, the doctor told us one very likely had terminal cancer and that we could do expensive invasive tests to confirm it, but even if confirmed there was nothing we could do to treat. As a result, we elected to bypass that test and instead treasure the time we had left.

I'm sorry to hear about your pet's illness.

[Anonymous]

it's a scam you can buy like 5 cats for 1k