Paying for vet bill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

It was a standard 6 foot leash. My husband was walking the dog, so I don't know where he was relative to the dog -- up to 6 feet in front or behind, but the dog was not roaming free. And dogs (reasonably) go on walks -- they don't stay in their yards all the time. I have no idea if the vet bill was reasonable. My dog was clearly in pain and scared and I wasn't going to shop around to different pet ERs. That's crazy.

I followed up with the neighbor today, asking if she would prefer that we file with her car insurance company. She said no, wrote me a check, and apologized.

Congratulations. I was somebody who thought you'd never see that $1000 again.

Bet the neighbor will get a dashcam now. If the dog was 6 ft ahead of the owner, and the owner was not in the cross-walk (and she didn't see him), then I feel really sorry for her. After you're stopped and scanning the intersection, the last thing you expect is for an animal to run in front of your car. Scammed for sure.

Yes, the neighbor was really unlucky.

[Anonymous]

Was she drinking or distracted? How will you feel when she hits a child? Please file a police report.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

It was a standard 6 foot leash. My husband was walking the dog, so I don't know where he was relative to the dog -- up to 6 feet in front or behind, but the dog was not roaming free. And dogs (reasonably) go on walks -- they don't stay in their yards all the time. I have no idea if the vet bill was reasonable. My dog was clearly in pain and scared and I wasn't going to shop around to different pet ERs. That's crazy.

I followed up with the neighbor today, asking if she would prefer that we file with her car insurance company. She said no, wrote me a check, and apologized.

Congratulations. I was somebody who thought you'd never see that $1000 again.

Bet the neighbor will get a dashcam now. If the dog was 6 ft ahead of the owner, and the owner was not in the cross-walk (and she didn't see him), then I feel really sorry for her. After you're stopped and scanning the intersection, the last thing you expect is for an animal to run in front of your car. Scammed for sure.

Yes, the neighbor was really unlucky.

Really unlucky that she hit a dog instead of a child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

It was a standard 6 foot leash. My husband was walking the dog, so I don't know where he was relative to the dog -- up to 6 feet in front or behind, but the dog was not roaming free. And dogs (reasonably) go on walks -- they don't stay in their yards all the time. I have no idea if the vet bill was reasonable. My dog was clearly in pain and scared and I wasn't going to shop around to different pet ERs. That's crazy.

I followed up with the neighbor today, asking if she would prefer that we file with her car insurance company. She said no, wrote me a check, and apologized.

Congratulations. I was somebody who thought you'd never see that $1000 again.

Bet the neighbor will get a dashcam now. If the dog was 6 ft ahead of the owner, and the owner was not in the cross-walk (and she didn't see him), then I feel really sorry for her. After you're stopped and scanning the intersection, the last thing you expect is for an animal to run in front of your car. Scammed for sure.

Yes, the neighbor was really unlucky.

Really unlucky that she hit a dog instead of a child.

Really unlucky to be slapped with a 1000-dollar bill which really wasn't her responsibility. The person walking the dog should have been more careful. OP's neighbor is too nice. I would not have paid and challenged the neighbor with the dog to prove that it was my fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying $1k is too high don't have dogs. If the dog had to be sedated and have x-rays or other scans it can add up. More so if they had to go to the emergency vet. And if it is a large dog.

But what was wrong with the dog that it had to go to the Vet? After the accident did the dog have to be carried home, was the dog bleeding? And the fact that nothing was found wrong with the dog is what makes me think the bill was high.

Are we in outer space here? This is the pet forum. If you don’t have a pet, don’t respond. Yes, I’m making the assumption that these “why did you go to the vet?” posters don’t have dogs.

I am so sorry this happened to you OP. It’s a tough one because you don’t want to go to war with a neighbor but this is obviously her responsibility and in a perfect world she should have been very proactive about paying bills, checking in etc. What does DH think about it? Do you have an HOA president whom you can trust? News of the accident will surely go around the neighborhood and people will talk... if and when neighbors find out she hasn’t offered to pay, she will be ostracized.

No I'm not in outer space. Anyway, I don't have a dog anymore but when I was a kid we had one that got hit hard by a van. The dog yelped and then ran into the house and was shaking. Even though we looked after the dog and had previously taken the dog to the vet to be spayed, we simply left the dog alone in the backyard to see how it did. Lo and behold a few hours later the dog was running around like normal. Maybe if the original poster had done this they might have saved themselves $1000 seeing as how nothing was found wrong with the dog.


And yes I still have pets, two cats.

Don’t know where you came from and how old you are, but today I’d consider that animal abuse. If a dog gets hit by a car they go to a vet. If a person gets hit by a car they go to the ER.

Wrong on all counts.

Nope, you're wrong. Anyone who doesn't get themselves or a pet checked out after being hit by a vehicle is plain dumb.

Depends on how hard you were hit.

Something tells me you'll be the first one to run to the ER if someone so much as taps you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

It was a standard 6 foot leash. My husband was walking the dog, so I don't know where he was relative to the dog -- up to 6 feet in front or behind, but the dog was not roaming free. And dogs (reasonably) go on walks -- they don't stay in their yards all the time. I have no idea if the vet bill was reasonable. My dog was clearly in pain and scared and I wasn't going to shop around to different pet ERs. That's crazy.

I followed up with the neighbor today, asking if she would prefer that we file with her car insurance company. She said no, wrote me a check, and apologized.

Congratulations. I was somebody who thought you'd never see that $1000 again.

Bet the neighbor will get a dashcam now. If the dog was 6 ft ahead of the owner, and the owner was not in the cross-walk (and she didn't see him), then I feel really sorry for her. After you're stopped and scanning the intersection, the last thing you expect is for an animal to run in front of your car. Scammed for sure.

Yes, the neighbor was really unlucky.

Really unlucky that she hit a dog instead of a child.

Really unlucky to be slapped with a 1000-dollar bill which really wasn't her responsibility. The person walking the dog should have been more careful. OP's neighbor is too nice. I would not have paid and challenged the neighbor with the dog to prove that it was my fault.

Bet you text and drive through stop signs. Try not to hit anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying $1k is too high don't have dogs. If the dog had to be sedated and have x-rays or other scans it can add up. More so if they had to go to the emergency vet. And if it is a large dog.

But what was wrong with the dog that it had to go to the Vet? After the accident did the dog have to be carried home, was the dog bleeding? And the fact that nothing was found wrong with the dog is what makes me think the bill was high.

Are we in outer space here? This is the pet forum. If you don’t have a pet, don’t respond. Yes, I’m making the assumption that these “why did you go to the vet?” posters don’t have dogs.

I am so sorry this happened to you OP. It’s a tough one because you don’t want to go to war with a neighbor but this is obviously her responsibility and in a perfect world she should have been very proactive about paying bills, checking in etc. What does DH think about it? Do you have an HOA president whom you can trust? News of the accident will surely go around the neighborhood and people will talk... if and when neighbors find out she hasn’t offered to pay, she will be ostracized.

No I'm not in outer space. Anyway, I don't have a dog anymore but when I was a kid we had one that got hit hard by a van. The dog yelped and then ran into the house and was shaking. Even though we looked after the dog and had previously taken the dog to the vet to be spayed, we simply left the dog alone in the backyard to see how it did. Lo and behold a few hours later the dog was running around like normal. Maybe if the original poster had done this they might have saved themselves $1000 seeing as how nothing was found wrong with the dog.


And yes I still have pets, two cats.

Don’t know where you came from and how old you are, but today I’d consider that animal abuse. If a dog gets hit by a car they go to a vet. If a person gets hit by a car they go to the ER.

It's wasn't animal abuse as there is no law that says when a dog gets hit by a car the owners are required to spend a thousand dollars on tests. I was hit by a car too when I was a kid and I didn't go to ER either. I'm fine and have been for the last 40 years.

Well goody for you. You don't get to dictate that others have a higher standard of care for themselves and their animals. It is absolutely reasonable to take the dog to a vet after getting clipped by a car! Your medical standards are absolutely not the norm, and they are borderline neglect in my view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

It was a standard 6 foot leash. My husband was walking the dog, so I don't know where he was relative to the dog -- up to 6 feet in front or behind, but the dog was not roaming free. And dogs (reasonably) go on walks -- they don't stay in their yards all the time. I have no idea if the vet bill was reasonable. My dog was clearly in pain and scared and I wasn't going to shop around to different pet ERs. That's crazy.

I followed up with the neighbor today, asking if she would prefer that we file with her car insurance company. She said no, wrote me a check, and apologized.

Congratulations. I was somebody who thought you'd never see that $1000 again.

Bet the neighbor will get a dashcam now. If the dog was 6 ft ahead of the owner, and the owner was not in the cross-walk (and she didn't see him), then I feel really sorry for her. After you're stopped and scanning the intersection, the last thing you expect is for an animal to run in front of your car. Scammed for sure.

Yes, the neighbor was really unlucky.

Really unlucky that she hit a dog instead of a child.

Really unlucky to be slapped with a 1000-dollar bill which really wasn't her responsibility. The person walking the dog should have been more careful. OP's neighbor is too nice. I would not have paid and challenged the neighbor with the dog to prove that it was my fault.

You don't seem to know how crosswalks and rights of way work. Please brush up on that before getting into your car again.
And I would slap you with that vet bill -successfully- in a NANOSECOND.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying $1k is too high don't have dogs. If the dog had to be sedated and have x-rays or other scans it can add up. More so if they had to go to the emergency vet. And if it is a large dog.

But what was wrong with the dog that it had to go to the Vet? After the accident did the dog have to be carried home, was the dog bleeding? And the fact that nothing was found wrong with the dog is what makes me think the bill was high.

Are we in outer space here? This is the pet forum. If you don’t have a pet, don’t respond. Yes, I’m making the assumption that these “why did you go to the vet?” posters don’t have dogs.

I am so sorry this happened to you OP. It’s a tough one because you don’t want to go to war with a neighbor but this is obviously her responsibility and in a perfect world she should have been very proactive about paying bills, checking in etc. What does DH think about it? Do you have an HOA president whom you can trust? News of the accident will surely go around the neighborhood and people will talk... if and when neighbors find out she hasn’t offered to pay, she will be ostracized.

No I'm not in outer space. Anyway, I don't have a dog anymore but when I was a kid we had one that got hit hard by a van. The dog yelped and then ran into the house and was shaking. Even though we looked after the dog and had previously taken the dog to the vet to be spayed, we simply left the dog alone in the backyard to see how it did. Lo and behold a few hours later the dog was running around like normal. Maybe if the original poster had done this they might have saved themselves $1000 seeing as how nothing was found wrong with the dog.


And yes I still have pets, two cats.

Don’t know where you came from and how old you are, but today I’d consider that animal abuse. If a dog gets hit by a car they go to a vet. If a person gets hit by a car they go to the ER.

Wrong on all counts.

Nope, you're wrong. Anyone who doesn't get themselves or a pet checked out after being hit by a vehicle is plain dumb.

What is reasonable for a person is not necessarily reasonable for a pet. Yes, it may, in some circumstances, be prudent to take a dog for a preventative checkup, but equating the standard of care for a human and a pet is really absurd. Moreover, incurring a 4-figure bill and expecting the neighbor to pay, without so much as discussing it first, is foolish in the extreme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people saying $1k is too high don't have dogs. If the dog had to be sedated and have x-rays or other scans it can add up. More so if they had to go to the emergency vet. And if it is a large dog.

But what was wrong with the dog that it had to go to the Vet? After the accident did the dog have to be carried home, was the dog bleeding? And the fact that nothing was found wrong with the dog is what makes me think the bill was high.

Are we in outer space here? This is the pet forum. If you don’t have a pet, don’t respond. Yes, I’m making the assumption that these “why did you go to the vet?” posters don’t have dogs.

I am so sorry this happened to you OP. It’s a tough one because you don’t want to go to war with a neighbor but this is obviously her responsibility and in a perfect world she should have been very proactive about paying bills, checking in etc. What does DH think about it? Do you have an HOA president whom you can trust? News of the accident will surely go around the neighborhood and people will talk... if and when neighbors find out she hasn’t offered to pay, she will be ostracized.

No I'm not in outer space. Anyway, I don't have a dog anymore but when I was a kid we had one that got hit hard by a van. The dog yelped and then ran into the house and was shaking. Even though we looked after the dog and had previously taken the dog to the vet to be spayed, we simply left the dog alone in the backyard to see how it did. Lo and behold a few hours later the dog was running around like normal. Maybe if the original poster had done this they might have saved themselves $1000 seeing as how nothing was found wrong with the dog.


And yes I still have pets, two cats.

Don’t know where you came from and how old you are, but today I’d consider that animal abuse. If a dog gets hit by a car they go to a vet. If a person gets hit by a car they go to the ER.

It's wasn't animal abuse as there is no law that says when a dog gets hit by a car the owners are required to spend a thousand dollars on tests. I was hit by a car too when I was a kid and I didn't go to ER either. I'm fine and have been for the last 40 years.

Well goody for you. You don't get to dictate that others have a higher standard of care for themselves and their animals. It is absolutely reasonable to take the dog to a vet after getting clipped by a car! Your medical standards are absolutely not the norm, and they are borderline neglect in my view.

Do you believe that you have the right to incur any expense you deem appropriate, and pass it along to the driver, without any discussion whatsoever?

Moreover, OP husband really got lucky here. If there were no witnesses, and nothing documented at the time, any "accident report" to the police or insurance claim could have been met with a blanket denial - "I didn't do that, and I don't know what she is talking about." Frankly, if presented with a bill for more than $1000, I'd have been tempted to tell OP to pound sand.