My cat had the same thing. Urinary crystals, plugged him. Had to flush his bladder, then give the IV treatment. He was put on C/D prescription food for the rest of his life. I bought a nice water fountain for him to keep hydrated (some cats prefer running water over bowl water) This happened to him 2 years into his life. Hes now 11 and while it cost me about $1300 for the initial treatment, plus the cost of the RX food, I do not regret my decision. He is the best pet I could have ever asked for. He's very loving and I cant picture my life without him. He's given me nothing but joy, love and affection for the last 11 years. If I had to do it again, I would in a heartbeat. If you have any questions about FLUTD just ask my man. I have lived with my cat having it for the last 9 years.
Domestic cats kill between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds every year in the US. I'd rather keep the birds and let the snakes deal with the mice.
Exact same situation. He got crystals twice, I think within 6 months. The second time, the vet said he was within a few hours of dying. I believe I paid roughly 500 the first time and 800 the second time. He was roughly 2 when it happened, he's now 10.
So basically, the first visit was $1,100 for emergency overnight stay where they drained his bladder and prescribed the medicine and food to reduce the crystals. Unfortunately, his issue with being unable to pee reoccurred and we had to bring him in again (another $1,100). They are saying the crystal levels are way down, but he has an infection now and is on antibiotics (which is a complete hassle to get him to take). Surgery may or may not be required ($2,000 to $3,000). Like someone else said, I am doing this more for my wife than for the cat. I do like this cat and want him to live. The frustrating part is the uncertainty of not knowing if the vet's actions (which cost $1k+ every time) are going to fix him.
Ironic that I saw this thread today. We just spent 700 bucks today to have our dog's teeth x-rayed and cleaned. She had a minor infection and they didn't have to pull the tooth. They also removed a couple skin growths while they had her down. I guess the best way to answer how much we would spend to save our pets.... they literally named a new wing of the animal hospital after one of our previous dogs.
[Premium Post] Obviously I am a man of great means, so my threshold for spending to keep a pet alive is outrageously high. The_Conquistador spending $1,000 on a pet procedure is like one of you spending $15 on one of those margaritas with an upside down beer in it. With that said, pet care is a difficult financial decision for many and must be weighed against the expected future benefit of that spending. That future benefit can be measured by the pet's "extended life" or alternatively measured by the amount of time it will take for your wife to get frisky again. It's a simple cost benefit analysis that must be performed. GOOD DAY
No expert. But my indoor food strategy has been; Controlled Feeding: Weekdays: I feed 2x day, one can of Salmon/Chicken Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Wet Weekends: 2x day, Fancy Feast Seafood Wet Foraging: also place 2x per week Rachel Ray Pellets around the house so the cats have to search and feed. This is to keep them active. And force them to jump to high places which they amazingly will do. Drinkwell Fountain: Although I only see them drink from it like once a month, my suspicion is they really love it. I'll let you know in 10 years if this worked or failed. I have no idea.
a cheap safe alternative :find anyone you know with an enlarged prostate, borrow their medication ,it will work like a charm for your cat
$700? I just had my Boxers teeth cleaned along with blood tests and 5 shots that were due. Total was $450. Then I had to buy heartworm/flea pills though. $250 for a 12 month supply is insane. My girl is now a senior though at 8 years old and absolutely the best dog I have ever had. I want her to live much much longer so it was worth it to me. One year I had to put 3 dogs down in a 14 month period. That was not pleasant. I went into some deep depression there, but there was nothing I could do. 1 to old age, 1 to diabetes and 1 due to cancer.
Damn, man. Im sorry for all that. I lost the best dog in the world about 5 years ago- a mutt I rescued from a terrible household- a jack russell, chihuahua mix. It took me 4 years to even think about getting another dog. Now I have 2 miniature pinschers that are smart, energetic and are a joy to have around, but they just dont match the level of that damn mutt. That why the posed question is hard, cause in the heat of the moment, Ill drop down whatever I have to. Also Petshed.com is great website that has flea medication for cheap. I think theyre based out of Singapore or Australia. I have never had a problem with them and have used them for years now.
