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Nearly every male cat I owned as a kid ended up having urinary issues. Even my oldest male had a partial blockage years ago. I’m so paranoid about future kitties getting them that the moment they’re off kitten food, they go onto a urinary maintenance diet like Iams, Purina ONE, or Hills urinary and hairball. All are non Rx foods and affordable. Imho ingredient wise Iams is the best of all of them as they use whole meat as the first ingredient.
My cats also get daily wet food to ensure plenty of moisture….i also invested in a water fountain to help encourage my cats to drink.
I’m glad you found something that they like!
My 2 boys have been picky as we start giving them wet food too. They seemed to really favor things like Churu (which get expensive quickly) but I figured out that if we get them paté, I can mash it up with some hot water to sort of blend it together. That makes it go further *and* they like it better, because it’s closer to the broth/Churu consistency. Plus, it’s even more moisture added, so it feels like a triple win to me lol
I wanted to give a heads up, I just picked up a 50 piece jar of churu at TJ maxx for 19.99. They also have the same quantity in a box. The expiry is May 2024, I believe. Idk if it's always that soon but you could go through it with two cats. I just wanted to mention it, since you brought up that they like churu. They had so many of them. I know it varies from store to store, but it's worth checking around as places get their Christmas shipments in.
I'm going to try this - I have one cat that will eat pate and one cat that won't - she only wants to lick or eat kibble and I know it's not good for her. Maybe if add a little water it might help - thanks for the tip 😊
It really is. I had two male cats get bad blocks in my current town (semi arid desert) one died, the other medication worked. My current boy has had almost blocks a couple times so we switched to exclusively wet food and haven’t had an issue in a few years. It sucks it so much more expensive. But my two current cats are thriving on it.
As someone who has a female cat with urinary issues, I get the Purina pro plan, I didn't realize there are non rx options. My vet has to approve all orders and I find the food rather expensive. Which in particular should I be ordering?
I would check with your vet before switching, in case theres a reason why they recommended the prescription urinary food over the non prescription. You can also usually get prescription food cheaper by going through somewhere like Chewy, and they only need to get the vet approval for the prescription on the first order.
One of my male cats developed an intolerance to the urinary foods. I’m so ticked about it. I’ve tried about half a dozen different brand and he throws up every one. I’d definitely have them on it otherwise.
thank you for this!!!! i have two kitten brothers and i’m so paranoid about health emergencies. it’s my biggest fear. one already needs to see a specialist for an abnormality in his eye, so i want to keep them in the best health they possibly can. we have a water fountain and i mix wet and dry kitten food with water at mealtimes
Just fyi, I see alot of people are recommending lots of non prescription kibble because they are cheaper. Non prescription diets only encourage a healthy bladder environment. If your cat has a history of being blocked, it's because there are crystals present in the bladder that eventually form into stones or sludge which result in the blockage. A prescription diet helps dissolve those crystals and help create an environment in the bladder that prevents them from forming into stones. Unfortunately it's a diet that is needed for life. I wouldn't risk feeding your cat a non prescription diet because your cat will unfortunately block again because those crystals aren't dissolving. Those diets dont have that capability. Source: I am a vet tech and I also own two males cats that have blocked and fortunately my second didn't need surgery like my first one did. But they are both on prescription diets and on Purina Hydracare which is a hydration supplement that encourages your cat to drink more water. Neither has blocked or had urinary issues since. But I do aww plenty of repeat offenders come in and it's due in party because they were not strictly fed the appropriate diet.
My recommendations are 100% for prevention, not treatment. I should have mentioned my cat was on C/D for about 3 months before slowly switching while under observation from his vet. His issues were caused by the food he was eating and lack of wet food he usually had got. It’s been 7 years since his issues and he’s been fine since but I’ve always kept him on a urinary maintenance diet. There are absolutely some cats who need a prescription like Hills C/D for LIFE, so definitely speak to your vet first.
Right. Definitely important for OP to consult with the vet before choosing a diet. Every cat is different as to why they blocked in the first place. Seven years wow. I'm glad you and your cat found something that worked out with the help of the vet!
Yup I’m really glad he hasn’t had any reoccurring issues since I know some cats get chronic urinary problems. But I’m hoping feeding that diet to my other male cats will help PREVENT it from happening in the first place. Darn male cats and their anatomy!
Oh and keeping their weight down is super important too since extra fat can put pressure on the urethra and the whole tract.
Yeah after my black cat had one and needed surgery I just got them all on pet insurance. Granted my financial outlook is much better than it used to be it’s crazy how fast the fur babies can bankrupt you.
Also mine always had wet pet food and water available, but sigh that black cats his own problem.
We had this same thing happen. We put him on hills science diet cd and it's stopped. It's designed to get rid of crystals and prevent them from happening. It's expensive as fuck but hes worth it.
https://preview.redd.it/8jb6vlmqwv3c1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e594a404046fb313ea166127973ec291f6f4e6b
I was lucky, my male does fine on the urinary maintenance diets which are way cheaper than Hills Rx lines. But not all cats are like that some need the prescription food.
We didn't wanna risk it. He almost died. If he gets blocked again we will have to put him down due to not being able to afford the procedure to unblock him
I was lucky my cats ER visit was only some around $600-$800 but he was only partially blocked and still passing urine (very bloody urine) so they didn’t need to use a catheter. He was on like 3 meds, antibiotics, anti-spasm meds, and pain meds plus the Hills c/d food for a few months. Switched him to Iams urinary eventually. The ER visit happened early 2016 and he hasn’t had a single issue since, so obviously the food is working for him. Thank goodness.
We have multiple cats so it went under the radar til he was completely blocked. Luckily I noticed it and we had to take him to the emergency vet. Talk about a fucked up corporate scam. We told the vet what they done and she just shook her head. Knowing she'd had done the same for significantly less.
Some vets ABSOLUTELY overcharge for services. I worked as a vet assistant for 3 locations all within 20 minutes of each other. For example- basic Dental surgery at one was like $3k. At another one outside of town it was $600. Same meds, same procedure, the cheaper one was VET monitored and the more expensive one was just done with a tech.
Lots of people on here hate care credit but next time look in to it! You can get 0% interest for two years with a bill that big that way you can pay it off slowly from your emergency fund. As long as you pay it off within the time period you won’t get hit with that crazy interest rate.
I'm sorry that happened to you but you are such a good cat owner. On the bright side at least your cat will be ok. I once spent all my savings only to come home with his ashes.
Over the course of three months, my regular vet kept telling me that my cats bulged eye was just a respiratory infection. Many antibiotics later and after the business was sold the new vet told me to take him to the ER. The ER held him for 9 hours before telling me there was nothing they could do for him and another three before they finally gave him back to me. He was covered in his own urine and feces from sitting in the cage for so long and absolutely starving.
Got a hold of the rescue we adopted him from and they finally helped. They scraped the cancer out and removed his eye. Even did the chemo for free. We got another six months with him (Christmas and New Year’s) before he finally told us he was tired and asked if it was okay to go. The rescue even sent a vet and a tech he was familiar with to our house to send him off quietly just before Valentine’s Day.
Most Veterinarian’s are just in it for the money. Rescues - and the Vets they work with - honestly care about animals.
I feel for you OP and I’m glad your kitty will be okay.
Veterinarians have state of the art facilities and credentialed staff that would like a living wage to pay for. We don’t have the luxury of insurance to pay for procedures and tests. I am happy a rescue could help you in your time of need, but saying vets are all about money is a very ignorant thing to say.
Same here lost my dog a few days ago due to a spleen mass which made him bleed internally and cancer. Together me and my brother spent over 3k in 2 different vets but he couldn’t be saved. The first emergency vet refused to give him another blood transfusion and said it would only be a bandaid and they kept insisting we put him down with euthanasia. We left with him and went home and we left moments later to go to a second emergency vet and on the way to the second vet he passed away in the car. We sadly couldn’t make it in time and had about 25 minutes to make it. We still continued anyway to try if he could be bought back with cpr. They tried cpr at the vet but couldn’t bring him back. Just heartbreaking. We had him cremated yesterday. It was just sad we didn’t know of his condition until it was too late.
My vet told me that the most important thing was a food with meat, chicken, or fish as the first ingredient. Lots of foods have grains, corn, or other fillers as first ingredient. We give our male cats Purina one sensitive stomach because our cat gets more digestive issues than urinary, and then we add water to it to help with urinary issues. So far so good. This worked with my last male cat too. None of my male cats have had blockages fortunately, but max had crystals which is what got me to switch foods in the first place. Fortunately their normal vet is an emergency vet too so we wouldn’t have to choose between vets, though it’s obviously more if it’s off hours.
I live alone with my childhood cat and I love her but once she's gone I will never have a pet again. She has diabetes and heart disease and I have to give her 2 shots a day and a pill every day. She is on a prescription wet food. She's cost me so many thousands of dollars. Because of the 2 shots a day, I can never take a vacation and I miss a lot of family holidays. Never ever having a pet again.
If she’s on prescription wet food for her diabetes, look in to fancy feast pate. So much cheaper and has a low carb % which is what you want for a diabetic cat. Has to be the pate but doesn’t matter what flavor
Thanks, funny enough I switched her over to that a couple of months ago because chewy was giving me so many issues with the prescription from my vet. I inquired about switching over a while back and my vet recommended against it saying that the prescription food has the science behind it blah blah. I've been on the diabetic cat owners forums and a lot of people feed the FF classic pate so I switched to it and she's been fine and seems to like it more. Thanks for the suggestion
Also, most cats have a short life because of kidney failure. This Japanese scientist developed a medicine that'll hit USA in 2025 that double the life of every cat on the planet. Pretty epic if you're into cats. I'm a dog guy myself.
I typically heavily grill vets on proposed tests, often there are much cheaper alternatives to deal with the issue. While I recognize that having these complex and expensive machines available can be critical to deal with some health issues, they tend to be over prescribed in the interest of equipment cost recovery.
Alot of regular vets were bought up by larger ones. The name of their game is to get you to pay for unnecessary tests so they can rack up the charges.
A vet we work with now was fired from such a place because she would not upsell to expensive tests and procedures that were often times not needed. She has a mobile practice that we now use. She comes up every 3 months to do general checkups on our cats. Much cheaper than when we use to have to take a single cat into the practice.
We had three older cats (20 plus years each) that she came to our house for when it was time to send them across the Rainbow bridge. That alone was very comforting.
I am sorry that you were victimized by incompetence and profiteering. Thank you for looking after your furbaby.
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My puppy developed aggressive T-Cell Lymphomia. He was diagnosed September 3rd 2021. He went into remission a week or so later. Underwent chemo. Made every meal for him by hand. He passed away three weeks later. It was over $10,000 between the emergency vet, oncologist, bloodwork, chemo, at home euthanasia, and cremation.
It’s $10,000 my husband and I will never get back, but I would not have been able to live with myself if we didn’t try everything.
He was my special boy.
I have pet insurance now. It’s expensive, but I’ll never have to be in that position again.
I’m sorry for all your strife. It’s not easy but it’s sounds like you’re a great pet owner. That counts for something.
They are certainly *allowed* to be angry.
But, they *shouldn't* be angry about something that's already done and gone.
Mental and emotional energy should be focused, rather than let to leak out like a sieve whenever and wherever.
In any case, what is there truly to be angry about? A vet doing their best, making judgment calls as they are needed given available information? Seems hardly a reason to be angry. It's just bad luck. Cat could have easily died during a surgical procedure and then the OP would be upset about spending money and also having a dead cat.
I spent 2k one year on vet bill. I think I made $11k that year
I feel fir you. Those emergency vets have bisted me before
Your post has made me think I ought to get pet insurance. My dog is 8 years old. He is my.life
As a preventative measure I feed all my cats the Iams urinary formula. I don’t really have to worry about my female cats getting blocked, but I asked my vet and it’s not a bad thing for them to have the same food. The girls can also be in the Hills urinary Rx diet, but my new vet said it wasn’t a necessary expense at this time and that the Iams was good enough.
I am so sorry.
When he first had his surgery did they put him on urinary tract formula food?
We had a male cat that had this blockage never had to have surgery, but they immediately put them on the urinary tract formula. Never had another problem and lived almost 20 years.
Your vet sounds like he just needed some extra money for Christmas or something.
Vent away you have every right to. I’m glad your cat will be OK.
Thank you ❤️ He was on the prescription food, but he wouldn't eat it. Only a few bites then tried to steal my other cat's food.
They were bought by a corporation and from then has gone down hill but they seemed to care about my cats and thats why I stayed. The part that makes me so upset is that after all these tests, they sent him home when they knew he wasn't fine.
The emergency fund was sufficient to cover the emergency. He was not broke. He is now going to replenish his emergency fund. That's exactly what he is supposed to do
It's not a type of thinking dude. It's literally the definition of what broke means. Not broke means that you have enough money to pay for the thing that you need. Therefore the dude is not broke. Broke people have to use credit cards and debt to pay for the stuff that they need. OP did not have to do that. Therefore OP is not broke.
The cat was already in OP's possession before any of this discussion occurred. And you have no idea if OP paid a red cent for that cat. It might have showed up on his doorstep one day for all you know
I'm so sorry. I know you're pissed, but I would give up every cent I have (which isn't a lot rn lol) to have my buddy back. He got sick in 2019 and we discovered he was in stage 4 renal failure. He somehow bounced back and lasted another year before passing away in 2020. Their love and comfort are priceless.
Hug your baby for me!! ♥️
God bless. I'm so sorry and I feel your pain. :( I knew I was doomed as a pet owner once companies started selling pet insurance. Healthcare in the US is messed up beyond repair it seems. I hope your cat is okay and I hope you're able to recover. Scary world...
OMG! I'm so sorry this happened to you and your sweet furbaby!
Poor kitty! 😥
Veterinary care is, like everything else, getting ridiculously expensive!
Life sucks when you have to choose between food and rent, or paying for medical procedures for a precious member of the family, ie, your sweet little cat!
I know, I've been there!
All my best to you! And a speedy recovery to your kitty!
🙂💖💯
We have a separate $1000 fund to cover annual check ups and our pet insurance deductible if something more serious happens. Pet insurance is definitely a must! We have paw protect and it comes with a 0% interest card that you can use to pay the vet and you have 12 months to pay it back. Unlimited coverage, 500 deductible, 10% copay.
That's awesome! I'm scrambling what to do if he gets blocked again and that 0% interest card definitely would be great! I don't suppose that covers preexisting conditions?
They do cover curable pre-existing conditions but unfortunately Urinary Blockages are classified as incurable so they won’t cover it. Does your cat eat a lot of dry food? If so Incorporating 1 or 2 wet food meals might help prevent or lessen the chance of future blockages.
Argh of course. But that card might be worth it in the long run.
He's a dry food eater but with lots of toppers. He's a weird boy who just licks the pate or gravy, so for my sanity I buy toppers for his food. I also have one of those cheap water fountains. I think that must've caused it. I took away the water fountain while treating them for giardia.
Yeah some cats are picky about wet food. My cat is the exact opposite she only wants wet food 😂.
I can see the fountain contributing to the giardia but I don’t see the connection between the urinary blockage. I’ve only ever used a fountain for our cat and we haven’t had any issues.
Ugh I’m sorry, you are getting a major deal on that surgery on the bright side. I’m a CVT and in my area that surgery is like 7000k and up. My male cat used to block too, it’s so frustrating and always happens at the worst moment
Just curious but is the regular vet a Banfield Hospital? My old vet sold to Banfield and prices skyrocketed overnight. They are very much for profit and do not care about animals.
When my cat was 19 he became very anemic. Turned out he had a blood disorder. Our vet had to do a full body blood transfusion. Over the course of the procedure they determined he had a fist sized tumor in his abdomen that they had to do an emergency surgery to remove. They then kept him 7 days for observation and in an IV drip for fluids. They had him on a special high calorie feed during this time and tons of medication to prevent infection as well as pain medication. The surgery itself was 6 hours. The total bill at the end of the 7 days was $570. This was last year, no pet insurance and we live in the US. You need a new fucking vet. They sent us home with a 5 lb bag of the high calorie food as well.
that sucks. reminds me of when i spent $2k bc my dog was puking blood just to be told she was stressed. i was relieved it wasn’t something else but jeeeez
Oh your poor baby!! I'm glad he's okay though. Lots of snuggling in the future while you save up for his next vet appointment 🤣
In all seriousness, you're a good human and it's good that you had the funds to help him. It sucks that your fund was knocked dout but imagine if you didn't have it at all?
A few months ago, my cat got emergency PU surgery because the emergency vets didn’t think he would be able to pass urine on his own after reblocking again at the hospital (this was his second time going to the hospital for a blockage, and this was after being on the prescription diet for months). He’s recovered now, and has a 99%~ chance of never blocking again, but trying to scrounge up the funds to pay for his surgery was probably the scariest few hours of my life. Fortunately the hospital worked with me and had a vet who had never performed the surgery on cats, only dogs, to do his surgery, meaning it cost thousands of dollars less as a “teaching surgery.” I got incredibly lucky. I have pet insurance so I was eventually reimbursed, but I sure as fuck didn’t have thousands of dollars on hand.
Your regular vet definitely fucked you over, it would’ve been cheaper and better for him to just go to the emergency vet right away. I’m sorry, that’s really frustrating, and vet bills like these can be a huge stressor :( you will get through this.
Sorry that's the worst. I had a cat with the same problem about 15 years ago. I went to emergency vet on new years eve and had to make the really hard decision to put him down because I just didn't have the means and this had become a chronic problem. The emergency clinic vet offered to adopt him, keep him as a blood donor cat and treat him as needed. I was so grateful. Now I carry pet insurance for ~$40 a month because I never want to ever be in that position again.
I hate to say this but funeral homes and vets give off the same energy to me. Just praying on these in pain and desperation.
I told my wife of our beloved dog ever cost more than $500 she's getting put down. We had my wife and dog stand for a portrait so we'll have her forever but I'm not losing thousands in this economy over a pet.
I hate to say it and I know it sounds cruel but poor people just should not own pets I've seen so many of these posts. Where a random vet bill just wipes people out.
Pets are a terrible financial decision (sorry to say kids too). I'm just glad I had the money aside this time so I didn't have to resort to credit cards and loans.
I think they mean, as a matter of principle, people who will spend thousands on something like a cat with likely be ‘financially fucked’ forevermore.
Can’t imagine what you’d spend on a dog!
You’re asking me to expand further?
1. From the point of preserving investment, a dog is on average going to be larger and probably cost more in food/maintenance. Like grooming for example, generally a dog thing. So you spend money on the animal, if it has health issues then you especially want to keep it alive because it’s already cost you more. Generally.
2. Yeah I mean dogs are better, so there’s that.
3. How many thousands would you spend before thinking that saving a pet goldfish would be frivolous? How about pet mouse? 3k for its bowel issues? 5k? 20!!! You’re a mad man!! I’d like you to actually answer that, because it seems you haven’t thought about it critically. I suppose you could dig in and say “nah I’d totally save that goldfish, no matter the cost. A pets a pet after all.” But then I couldn’t take you very seriously… you know?
This may seem… cold or something, because everyone’s very emotional about their pets but, generally speaking, fiscally responsible people (likely not found venting in a sub like this) will have a hard line on what is “worth” their life savings. A cat is not worth thousands of dollars if you are otherwise impoverished. Unfortunate and very sad, but true.
When do you see the cost of something outweighing the benefit of it? Where’s the line? Do you have a hard line or do you let vets just bleed you dry?
This may sound harsh, but if you are so close to poverty, why get a pet? I know they are companions, but they do cost money. Sorry I advance if your pet is a disability or emotional support animal.
It is harsh, & also unasked for—per the vent tag. We don’t know what OP’s situation was when the cat was acquired. Similar to how someone could have a newer car or a house & then get laid off, possessions don’t lose their “value” just because you find yourself with less money suddenly (& pets are technically possessions). And unlike a car or house, pets don’t tend to get sold off because their value is emotional. Sure, sometimes people make the hard choice to surrender their pets when things get rough, but it sounds like OP is a good pet owner who was prepared for an emergency. They just weren’t expecting or excited to be dicked around for an extra $3k.
Vets scam so bad. I remember I paid 800 dollars for a test at an emergency vet place. They could not find anything even though my dog was actively swollen and bleeding. I took him to my regular vet the next day and she found the issue immediately and was able to remove the problem. (he had swallowed a thorny weed which got embedded in his cheek under his skin). Anyway it made me realize the original vet probably didn't scan at all.
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This person is being way better than those who post on Askvet with animals that are suffering and sometimes literally DYING but the poster won’t seek medical attention because “they can’t afford it”.
This person probably sacrificed a lot in order to be a responsible pet owner.
That's what frustrates me the most. They gave him pain meds and expressed his bladder by hand before sending him home. If I didn't observe him in the morning and asked my roommate to watch him, he would've been dead by the time I came home after work.
I had a part mainecoon the males are known for their narrow urethra so if they become any kind of dehydrated they block very easily. He blocked twice over a 13 year period. This is the option I chose and put his on a special urinary diet.
I got him at 6 years old at the shelter with a documented heart murmur and was massively overweight. Coverage for him would've been $200 a month at the time and I was making 13/hr. He's nearing 11 years now with some problems that insurance wont touch him now. My other cat has insurance, but it may not even cover her issues that she's going to have.
I wish he did though.
Feline pet insurance is still relatively new. We don’t know how old OPs cat is. Mine is 17, at the time I got him there weren’t insurance options available and by the time there were he already had several preexisting issues. For senior kitties a lot of folks had/have limited options compared to what’s available now.
I’m very much looking forward to getting pet insurance the next time I adopt!
Many of these vets are selfish and only think about filling their pockets up on us owners pain. They overprice lots of things and won’t do a single thing to your pet until they know they’ll be paid for it. Lost my dog a few days ago and this selfish vet had a nasty attitude towards me no sympathy at all.
Nobody in veterinary medicine that is providing care to patients has full pockets. We are all scraping by. If only people realized how little we actually make coupled with the thousands of dollars in student loans we rack up for the skills we need require to provide your pets with excellent care. If only people realized that we see very fucking little of the money you are charged and most of it goes to keeping the lights on, supplies, and overhead costs to be able to provide care to pets. Veterinary staff are sick of hearing this shit. It’s a broken system, one we didn’t create, one we fight everyday to try to fix. And regardless of what we do, veterinarians and their staff are bullied to death by their clients.
I’m sorry you lost your dog and had a bad experience but comments like this are why veterinarians kill themselves. They have one of the highest suicide rates of all professions. No one who becomes a vet is looking to make a ton of money. They do it because they care deeply for animals. The problem lies within the corporations who own these hospitals. Unless the practice is privately owned, the veterinarian has absolutely no say in what prices are. And do you walk in to any place of business and expect things to be done for free without giving them some payment?
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Nearly every male cat I owned as a kid ended up having urinary issues. Even my oldest male had a partial blockage years ago. I’m so paranoid about future kitties getting them that the moment they’re off kitten food, they go onto a urinary maintenance diet like Iams, Purina ONE, or Hills urinary and hairball. All are non Rx foods and affordable. Imho ingredient wise Iams is the best of all of them as they use whole meat as the first ingredient. My cats also get daily wet food to ensure plenty of moisture….i also invested in a water fountain to help encourage my cats to drink.
The wet food is key.
Our cat just licks the juice. He hates the solids of the wet food. It was infuriating. Now we just buy the broth.
I’m glad you found something that they like! My 2 boys have been picky as we start giving them wet food too. They seemed to really favor things like Churu (which get expensive quickly) but I figured out that if we get them paté, I can mash it up with some hot water to sort of blend it together. That makes it go further *and* they like it better, because it’s closer to the broth/Churu consistency. Plus, it’s even more moisture added, so it feels like a triple win to me lol
I just started doing that and now they lick the plate clean! I microwave it for 10-15 seconds too. Makes it easier to mash.
My cat ate a different brand but same solution with adding water to pate & blending. He loved it then
I wanted to give a heads up, I just picked up a 50 piece jar of churu at TJ maxx for 19.99. They also have the same quantity in a box. The expiry is May 2024, I believe. Idk if it's always that soon but you could go through it with two cats. I just wanted to mention it, since you brought up that they like churu. They had so many of them. I know it varies from store to store, but it's worth checking around as places get their Christmas shipments in.
I'm going to try this - I have one cat that will eat pate and one cat that won't - she only wants to lick or eat kibble and I know it's not good for her. Maybe if add a little water it might help - thanks for the tip 😊
I just pour bottled water over my cat's dry kibble. BUT. I have female cats.
Tuna water they love it and you can make tuna sandwiches for yourself
Mine too! We just do that Purina broth too. And I add some extra water to that even.
You can also add a bit of warm water to dry food and stir it up a little. My cats really like that
It really is. I had two male cats get bad blocks in my current town (semi arid desert) one died, the other medication worked. My current boy has had almost blocks a couple times so we switched to exclusively wet food and haven’t had an issue in a few years. It sucks it so much more expensive. But my two current cats are thriving on it.
As someone who has a female cat with urinary issues, I get the Purina pro plan, I didn't realize there are non rx options. My vet has to approve all orders and I find the food rather expensive. Which in particular should I be ordering?
I would check with your vet before switching, in case theres a reason why they recommended the prescription urinary food over the non prescription. You can also usually get prescription food cheaper by going through somewhere like Chewy, and they only need to get the vet approval for the prescription on the first order.
I just use the iams urinary care. I think it’s in a dark pink bag if I recall correctly.
Same thing I use. My cat had issues for a few years until I found out about it. We haven’t had any issues since.
One of my male cats developed an intolerance to the urinary foods. I’m so ticked about it. I’ve tried about half a dozen different brand and he throws up every one. I’d definitely have them on it otherwise.
thank you for this!!!! i have two kitten brothers and i’m so paranoid about health emergencies. it’s my biggest fear. one already needs to see a specialist for an abnormality in his eye, so i want to keep them in the best health they possibly can. we have a water fountain and i mix wet and dry kitten food with water at mealtimes
I was also giving my cats wet food daily till I learned how much sugar they add to wet food when my cats blood sugar levels were through the roof.
Depends on the brand. What were you feeding them?
That is a great idea!! I'm surprised lams is the best. It's not one brand I think of when I look up high quality food.
Just fyi, I see alot of people are recommending lots of non prescription kibble because they are cheaper. Non prescription diets only encourage a healthy bladder environment. If your cat has a history of being blocked, it's because there are crystals present in the bladder that eventually form into stones or sludge which result in the blockage. A prescription diet helps dissolve those crystals and help create an environment in the bladder that prevents them from forming into stones. Unfortunately it's a diet that is needed for life. I wouldn't risk feeding your cat a non prescription diet because your cat will unfortunately block again because those crystals aren't dissolving. Those diets dont have that capability. Source: I am a vet tech and I also own two males cats that have blocked and fortunately my second didn't need surgery like my first one did. But they are both on prescription diets and on Purina Hydracare which is a hydration supplement that encourages your cat to drink more water. Neither has blocked or had urinary issues since. But I do aww plenty of repeat offenders come in and it's due in party because they were not strictly fed the appropriate diet.
My recommendations are 100% for prevention, not treatment. I should have mentioned my cat was on C/D for about 3 months before slowly switching while under observation from his vet. His issues were caused by the food he was eating and lack of wet food he usually had got. It’s been 7 years since his issues and he’s been fine since but I’ve always kept him on a urinary maintenance diet. There are absolutely some cats who need a prescription like Hills C/D for LIFE, so definitely speak to your vet first.
Right. Definitely important for OP to consult with the vet before choosing a diet. Every cat is different as to why they blocked in the first place. Seven years wow. I'm glad you and your cat found something that worked out with the help of the vet!
Yup I’m really glad he hasn’t had any reoccurring issues since I know some cats get chronic urinary problems. But I’m hoping feeding that diet to my other male cats will help PREVENT it from happening in the first place. Darn male cats and their anatomy! Oh and keeping their weight down is super important too since extra fat can put pressure on the urethra and the whole tract.
Yeah after my black cat had one and needed surgery I just got them all on pet insurance. Granted my financial outlook is much better than it used to be it’s crazy how fast the fur babies can bankrupt you. Also mine always had wet pet food and water available, but sigh that black cats his own problem.
We had this same thing happen. We put him on hills science diet cd and it's stopped. It's designed to get rid of crystals and prevent them from happening. It's expensive as fuck but hes worth it. https://preview.redd.it/8jb6vlmqwv3c1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e594a404046fb313ea166127973ec291f6f4e6b
I have nothing to add other than I love your cat
He's a good boy
What a cute fluffy boy!!! I tried to get mine on it two years ago but he wouldn't stop stealing my other cat's food and refusing to eat his.
I was lucky, my male does fine on the urinary maintenance diets which are way cheaper than Hills Rx lines. But not all cats are like that some need the prescription food.
We didn't wanna risk it. He almost died. If he gets blocked again we will have to put him down due to not being able to afford the procedure to unblock him
Oh heck yeah. The prescription food might be pricey but it’s still cheaper than thousands in ER vet bills!
This last time was a little under 3k. I had to max a few cards.
I was lucky my cats ER visit was only some around $600-$800 but he was only partially blocked and still passing urine (very bloody urine) so they didn’t need to use a catheter. He was on like 3 meds, antibiotics, anti-spasm meds, and pain meds plus the Hills c/d food for a few months. Switched him to Iams urinary eventually. The ER visit happened early 2016 and he hasn’t had a single issue since, so obviously the food is working for him. Thank goodness.
We have multiple cats so it went under the radar til he was completely blocked. Luckily I noticed it and we had to take him to the emergency vet. Talk about a fucked up corporate scam. We told the vet what they done and she just shook her head. Knowing she'd had done the same for significantly less.
Some vets ABSOLUTELY overcharge for services. I worked as a vet assistant for 3 locations all within 20 minutes of each other. For example- basic Dental surgery at one was like $3k. At another one outside of town it was $600. Same meds, same procedure, the cheaper one was VET monitored and the more expensive one was just done with a tech.
Lots of people on here hate care credit but next time look in to it! You can get 0% interest for two years with a bill that big that way you can pay it off slowly from your emergency fund. As long as you pay it off within the time period you won’t get hit with that crazy interest rate.
I'll definitely look into it! I thought carecredit was only 6 months.
I used to work in a vet office that offered it so I signed a lot of people up. It depends on how big your bill is but you can do 6,12,18 or 24 months.
I applied to care credit because I didn’t care how much if it meant saving my dog but he passed later on that night 😢
I'm sorry that happened to you but you are such a good cat owner. On the bright side at least your cat will be ok. I once spent all my savings only to come home with his ashes.
Spent all my savings, $3k of debt to come home with ashes. And they sent me home with him blocked saying he was ok that first time. Angry about that.
Over the course of three months, my regular vet kept telling me that my cats bulged eye was just a respiratory infection. Many antibiotics later and after the business was sold the new vet told me to take him to the ER. The ER held him for 9 hours before telling me there was nothing they could do for him and another three before they finally gave him back to me. He was covered in his own urine and feces from sitting in the cage for so long and absolutely starving. Got a hold of the rescue we adopted him from and they finally helped. They scraped the cancer out and removed his eye. Even did the chemo for free. We got another six months with him (Christmas and New Year’s) before he finally told us he was tired and asked if it was okay to go. The rescue even sent a vet and a tech he was familiar with to our house to send him off quietly just before Valentine’s Day. Most Veterinarian’s are just in it for the money. Rescues - and the Vets they work with - honestly care about animals. I feel for you OP and I’m glad your kitty will be okay.
Veterinarians have state of the art facilities and credentialed staff that would like a living wage to pay for. We don’t have the luxury of insurance to pay for procedures and tests. I am happy a rescue could help you in your time of need, but saying vets are all about money is a very ignorant thing to say.
I'm so sorry.
Happened to me last weekend. Spend 2k on our pup to also come home with ashes.
I feel you man. Had that issue twice. 3k each time, only for him to have to be allowed to pass due to cancer. Devastating.
Fuck cancer. I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you for caring and loving him to the end.
Same here lost my dog a few days ago due to a spleen mass which made him bleed internally and cancer. Together me and my brother spent over 3k in 2 different vets but he couldn’t be saved. The first emergency vet refused to give him another blood transfusion and said it would only be a bandaid and they kept insisting we put him down with euthanasia. We left with him and went home and we left moments later to go to a second emergency vet and on the way to the second vet he passed away in the car. We sadly couldn’t make it in time and had about 25 minutes to make it. We still continued anyway to try if he could be bought back with cpr. They tried cpr at the vet but couldn’t bring him back. Just heartbreaking. We had him cremated yesterday. It was just sad we didn’t know of his condition until it was too late.
My vet told me that the most important thing was a food with meat, chicken, or fish as the first ingredient. Lots of foods have grains, corn, or other fillers as first ingredient. We give our male cats Purina one sensitive stomach because our cat gets more digestive issues than urinary, and then we add water to it to help with urinary issues. So far so good. This worked with my last male cat too. None of my male cats have had blockages fortunately, but max had crystals which is what got me to switch foods in the first place. Fortunately their normal vet is an emergency vet too so we wouldn’t have to choose between vets, though it’s obviously more if it’s off hours.
You need to find another vet - that one sucks. See if the emergency clinic can refer you to someone.
I'm definitely looking! They send him home blocked. I'm so angry. He could've died yesterday.
I live alone with my childhood cat and I love her but once she's gone I will never have a pet again. She has diabetes and heart disease and I have to give her 2 shots a day and a pill every day. She is on a prescription wet food. She's cost me so many thousands of dollars. Because of the 2 shots a day, I can never take a vacation and I miss a lot of family holidays. Never ever having a pet again.
If she’s on prescription wet food for her diabetes, look in to fancy feast pate. So much cheaper and has a low carb % which is what you want for a diabetic cat. Has to be the pate but doesn’t matter what flavor
Thanks, funny enough I switched her over to that a couple of months ago because chewy was giving me so many issues with the prescription from my vet. I inquired about switching over a while back and my vet recommended against it saying that the prescription food has the science behind it blah blah. I've been on the diabetic cat owners forums and a lot of people feed the FF classic pate so I switched to it and she's been fine and seems to like it more. Thanks for the suggestion
Also, most cats have a short life because of kidney failure. This Japanese scientist developed a medicine that'll hit USA in 2025 that double the life of every cat on the planet. Pretty epic if you're into cats. I'm a dog guy myself.
I’m really excited about it, this could be life changing for cats and people.
This is why I don’t have pets at all. I would love a dog but everyone I know with dogs ends up having to spend a buttload of money on them
Have any of the vets told you about watching the ash content in his food?
None have mentioned it. Thank you for telling me! I gotta do some research now.
I typically heavily grill vets on proposed tests, often there are much cheaper alternatives to deal with the issue. While I recognize that having these complex and expensive machines available can be critical to deal with some health issues, they tend to be over prescribed in the interest of equipment cost recovery.
Alot of regular vets were bought up by larger ones. The name of their game is to get you to pay for unnecessary tests so they can rack up the charges. A vet we work with now was fired from such a place because she would not upsell to expensive tests and procedures that were often times not needed. She has a mobile practice that we now use. She comes up every 3 months to do general checkups on our cats. Much cheaper than when we use to have to take a single cat into the practice. We had three older cats (20 plus years each) that she came to our house for when it was time to send them across the Rainbow bridge. That alone was very comforting. I am sorry that you were victimized by incompetence and profiteering. Thank you for looking after your furbaby.
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Well getting pet insurance now cover anything related to conditions the cat has already been hospitalized for that condition?
No, it’s not likely. Most pet insurances and insurance plans do not cover pre-existing conditions (at least here in the US).
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My puppy developed aggressive T-Cell Lymphomia. He was diagnosed September 3rd 2021. He went into remission a week or so later. Underwent chemo. Made every meal for him by hand. He passed away three weeks later. It was over $10,000 between the emergency vet, oncologist, bloodwork, chemo, at home euthanasia, and cremation. It’s $10,000 my husband and I will never get back, but I would not have been able to live with myself if we didn’t try everything. He was my special boy. I have pet insurance now. It’s expensive, but I’ll never have to be in that position again. I’m sorry for all your strife. It’s not easy but it’s sounds like you’re a great pet owner. That counts for something.
I'm so sorry for your loss. He was greatly loved.
It's your emergency fund. It's for emergencies. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my emergency money to save the life of a friend.
They can still be angry that the vets office used their fund inefficiently and put them at risk financially for future emergencies.
They are certainly *allowed* to be angry. But, they *shouldn't* be angry about something that's already done and gone. Mental and emotional energy should be focused, rather than let to leak out like a sieve whenever and wherever. In any case, what is there truly to be angry about? A vet doing their best, making judgment calls as they are needed given available information? Seems hardly a reason to be angry. It's just bad luck. Cat could have easily died during a surgical procedure and then the OP would be upset about spending money and also having a dead cat.
I spent 2k one year on vet bill. I think I made $11k that year I feel fir you. Those emergency vets have bisted me before Your post has made me think I ought to get pet insurance. My dog is 8 years old. He is my.life
As a preventative measure I feed all my cats the Iams urinary formula. I don’t really have to worry about my female cats getting blocked, but I asked my vet and it’s not a bad thing for them to have the same food. The girls can also be in the Hills urinary Rx diet, but my new vet said it wasn’t a necessary expense at this time and that the Iams was good enough.
I am so sorry. When he first had his surgery did they put him on urinary tract formula food? We had a male cat that had this blockage never had to have surgery, but they immediately put them on the urinary tract formula. Never had another problem and lived almost 20 years. Your vet sounds like he just needed some extra money for Christmas or something. Vent away you have every right to. I’m glad your cat will be OK.
Thank you ❤️ He was on the prescription food, but he wouldn't eat it. Only a few bites then tried to steal my other cat's food. They were bought by a corporation and from then has gone down hill but they seemed to care about my cats and thats why I stayed. The part that makes me so upset is that after all these tests, they sent him home when they knew he wasn't fine.
That's what an emergency fund is for. Good job having one!
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Either I'm dead broke or, according to another commenter, I'm too rich to know the meaning of poverty. I don't get it.
True, but if you have an emergency fund in place, you're not dead broke.
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The emergency fund was sufficient to cover the emergency. He was not broke. He is now going to replenish his emergency fund. That's exactly what he is supposed to do
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It's not a type of thinking dude. It's literally the definition of what broke means. Not broke means that you have enough money to pay for the thing that you need. Therefore the dude is not broke. Broke people have to use credit cards and debt to pay for the stuff that they need. OP did not have to do that. Therefore OP is not broke.
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The cat was already in OP's possession before any of this discussion occurred. And you have no idea if OP paid a red cent for that cat. It might have showed up on his doorstep one day for all you know
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Cats are expensive, yikes!
Is this in America? Anything related to Healthcare u guys are getting scammed
Yep. Gotta love our healthcare. I don't even have a pcp.
Check out “HealthyPaws insurance,” for my 1 dog it’s about $25 a month but it’s already saved me about 500 dollars for an emergency vet appointment!
This happened to our cat 10 or so years ago and we were young and simply could not afford the costs and no guarantee it wouldn't happen again. 😮💨
It's a broken system, sorry to hear, hoping your kitty recovers.
I'm so sorry. I know you're pissed, but I would give up every cent I have (which isn't a lot rn lol) to have my buddy back. He got sick in 2019 and we discovered he was in stage 4 renal failure. He somehow bounced back and lasted another year before passing away in 2020. Their love and comfort are priceless. Hug your baby for me!! ♥️
Pet insurance
God bless. I'm so sorry and I feel your pain. :( I knew I was doomed as a pet owner once companies started selling pet insurance. Healthcare in the US is messed up beyond repair it seems. I hope your cat is okay and I hope you're able to recover. Scary world...
Thank you! It's crazy to compare. Vet care costs a lot less in other countries. And human Healthcare.
i feel for you. i once paid 500 for them to do tests and tell me it’s just a bee sting
My husbands cat had the same thing and died from a blood clot a week later. If your cat acts weird make sure you ask for a blood thinner.
Thank you for the warning!! I'm sorry about your husband's cat.
OMG! I'm so sorry this happened to you and your sweet furbaby! Poor kitty! 😥 Veterinary care is, like everything else, getting ridiculously expensive! Life sucks when you have to choose between food and rent, or paying for medical procedures for a precious member of the family, ie, your sweet little cat! I know, I've been there! All my best to you! And a speedy recovery to your kitty! 🙂💖💯
Got to know when to cut your losses...life is cruel and unforgiving
We have a separate $1000 fund to cover annual check ups and our pet insurance deductible if something more serious happens. Pet insurance is definitely a must! We have paw protect and it comes with a 0% interest card that you can use to pay the vet and you have 12 months to pay it back. Unlimited coverage, 500 deductible, 10% copay.
That's awesome! I'm scrambling what to do if he gets blocked again and that 0% interest card definitely would be great! I don't suppose that covers preexisting conditions?
They do cover curable pre-existing conditions but unfortunately Urinary Blockages are classified as incurable so they won’t cover it. Does your cat eat a lot of dry food? If so Incorporating 1 or 2 wet food meals might help prevent or lessen the chance of future blockages.
Argh of course. But that card might be worth it in the long run. He's a dry food eater but with lots of toppers. He's a weird boy who just licks the pate or gravy, so for my sanity I buy toppers for his food. I also have one of those cheap water fountains. I think that must've caused it. I took away the water fountain while treating them for giardia.
Look into the broth complement lines. My boy doesn’t like traditional wet food either, so he gets the broth. He’ll lick almost all of it up.
Prescription dry food has completely cleared up my female cat’s urinary crystals. She does not care for the prescription wet food at all though 😂
Yeah some cats are picky about wet food. My cat is the exact opposite she only wants wet food 😂. I can see the fountain contributing to the giardia but I don’t see the connection between the urinary blockage. I’ve only ever used a fountain for our cat and we haven’t had any issues.
She boujee! At least she's very hydrated from all the wet food! I think he wasn't drinking as much these last few weeks.
Ugh I’m sorry, you are getting a major deal on that surgery on the bright side. I’m a CVT and in my area that surgery is like 7000k and up. My male cat used to block too, it’s so frustrating and always happens at the worst moment
Oh wow! Okay I'm glad his surgery isn't that high. The pains of having blocked male cats. Do female cats get blocked too?
Not typically no, pretty rare in females. Male cats just have very narrow urethras that make it more common, it’s very unfortunate.
I'm glad it's rare in females. I have two other cats that I hope stay healthy.
Just curious but is the regular vet a Banfield Hospital? My old vet sold to Banfield and prices skyrocketed overnight. They are very much for profit and do not care about animals.
They used to be family owned but they did get sold to some corporation.
That’s exactly what happened to my vet office and the corporation is Banfield. I can’t afford to go there anymore
Wow pets are expensive. Always have pet insurance
When my cat was 19 he became very anemic. Turned out he had a blood disorder. Our vet had to do a full body blood transfusion. Over the course of the procedure they determined he had a fist sized tumor in his abdomen that they had to do an emergency surgery to remove. They then kept him 7 days for observation and in an IV drip for fluids. They had him on a special high calorie feed during this time and tons of medication to prevent infection as well as pain medication. The surgery itself was 6 hours. The total bill at the end of the 7 days was $570. This was last year, no pet insurance and we live in the US. You need a new fucking vet. They sent us home with a 5 lb bag of the high calorie food as well.
that sucks. reminds me of when i spent $2k bc my dog was puking blood just to be told she was stressed. i was relieved it wasn’t something else but jeeeez
Oh your poor baby!! I'm glad he's okay though. Lots of snuggling in the future while you save up for his next vet appointment 🤣 In all seriousness, you're a good human and it's good that you had the funds to help him. It sucks that your fund was knocked dout but imagine if you didn't have it at all?
A few months ago, my cat got emergency PU surgery because the emergency vets didn’t think he would be able to pass urine on his own after reblocking again at the hospital (this was his second time going to the hospital for a blockage, and this was after being on the prescription diet for months). He’s recovered now, and has a 99%~ chance of never blocking again, but trying to scrounge up the funds to pay for his surgery was probably the scariest few hours of my life. Fortunately the hospital worked with me and had a vet who had never performed the surgery on cats, only dogs, to do his surgery, meaning it cost thousands of dollars less as a “teaching surgery.” I got incredibly lucky. I have pet insurance so I was eventually reimbursed, but I sure as fuck didn’t have thousands of dollars on hand. Your regular vet definitely fucked you over, it would’ve been cheaper and better for him to just go to the emergency vet right away. I’m sorry, that’s really frustrating, and vet bills like these can be a huge stressor :( you will get through this.
Vet bills are insane. It was $7,000 to take my dog’s spleen out when she had a tumor on her spleen.
Sorry that's the worst. I had a cat with the same problem about 15 years ago. I went to emergency vet on new years eve and had to make the really hard decision to put him down because I just didn't have the means and this had become a chronic problem. The emergency clinic vet offered to adopt him, keep him as a blood donor cat and treat him as needed. I was so grateful. Now I carry pet insurance for ~$40 a month because I never want to ever be in that position again.
Get pet insurance!!
Negotiate the fee. And either buy pet insurance on your next cat or save the amount of the insurance premium in a separate savings account each month.
I hate to say this but funeral homes and vets give off the same energy to me. Just praying on these in pain and desperation. I told my wife of our beloved dog ever cost more than $500 she's getting put down. We had my wife and dog stand for a portrait so we'll have her forever but I'm not losing thousands in this economy over a pet.
I hate to say it and I know it sounds cruel but poor people just should not own pets I've seen so many of these posts. Where a random vet bill just wipes people out.
Pets are a terrible financial decision (sorry to say kids too). I'm just glad I had the money aside this time so I didn't have to resort to credit cards and loans.
You’re going to stay financially fucked forever spending 3k on cats.
Not forever though. Cats live 13-17 years. At least I don't have a kid. They live a lot longer and healthcare in the US is absolutely shit.
I think they mean, as a matter of principle, people who will spend thousands on something like a cat with likely be ‘financially fucked’ forevermore. Can’t imagine what you’d spend on a dog!
Not sure what you mean by the last part? Are dogs intrinsically worth more than cats? A pet is a pet, dude.
You’re asking me to expand further? 1. From the point of preserving investment, a dog is on average going to be larger and probably cost more in food/maintenance. Like grooming for example, generally a dog thing. So you spend money on the animal, if it has health issues then you especially want to keep it alive because it’s already cost you more. Generally. 2. Yeah I mean dogs are better, so there’s that. 3. How many thousands would you spend before thinking that saving a pet goldfish would be frivolous? How about pet mouse? 3k for its bowel issues? 5k? 20!!! You’re a mad man!! I’d like you to actually answer that, because it seems you haven’t thought about it critically. I suppose you could dig in and say “nah I’d totally save that goldfish, no matter the cost. A pets a pet after all.” But then I couldn’t take you very seriously… you know? This may seem… cold or something, because everyone’s very emotional about their pets but, generally speaking, fiscally responsible people (likely not found venting in a sub like this) will have a hard line on what is “worth” their life savings. A cat is not worth thousands of dollars if you are otherwise impoverished. Unfortunate and very sad, but true. When do you see the cost of something outweighing the benefit of it? Where’s the line? Do you have a hard line or do you let vets just bleed you dry?
This may sound harsh, but if you are so close to poverty, why get a pet? I know they are companions, but they do cost money. Sorry I advance if your pet is a disability or emotional support animal.
It is harsh, & also unasked for—per the vent tag. We don’t know what OP’s situation was when the cat was acquired. Similar to how someone could have a newer car or a house & then get laid off, possessions don’t lose their “value” just because you find yourself with less money suddenly (& pets are technically possessions). And unlike a car or house, pets don’t tend to get sold off because their value is emotional. Sure, sometimes people make the hard choice to surrender their pets when things get rough, but it sounds like OP is a good pet owner who was prepared for an emergency. They just weren’t expecting or excited to be dicked around for an extra $3k.
I don't know to be honest. I was broke broke when I got him. He saved me from dying one night that year though.
Thank you for responding. Hope your car is better.
Healthcare and so called "healthcare professionals" irritates me. The whole system is a scam.
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Vets scam so bad. I remember I paid 800 dollars for a test at an emergency vet place. They could not find anything even though my dog was actively swollen and bleeding. I took him to my regular vet the next day and she found the issue immediately and was able to remove the problem. (he had swallowed a thorny weed which got embedded in his cheek under his skin). Anyway it made me realize the original vet probably didn't scan at all.
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Apparently me.
Me
Vets will milk you dry every time. This is just what big business vets do now and there is nothing we can do about it.
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Your post has been removed for the following reason(s): Rule 7: Gatekeeping No gatekeeping. This sub is for anyone who self identifies as struggling financially or as financially insecure. Posts and comments found to be claiming someone doesn't belong here will be removed. Similarly, it is not appropriate, nor your call, to tell someone whether they can post or comment in this subreddit. If in doubt, report the comment or post, and the moderators will take care of it. Please read our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/wiki/rules). The rules may also be found on the sidebar if the link is broken. If after doing so, you feel this was in error, [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpovertyfinance). Do not reach out to a moderator personally, and do not reply to this message as a comment.
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Your post has been removed for the following reason(s): Rule 7: Gatekeeping No gatekeeping. This sub is for anyone who self identifies as struggling financially or as financially insecure. Posts and comments found to be claiming someone doesn't belong here will be removed. Similarly, it is not appropriate, nor your call, to tell someone whether they can post or comment in this subreddit. If in doubt, report the comment or post, and the moderators will take care of it. Please read our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/wiki/rules). The rules may also be found on the sidebar if the link is broken. If after doing so, you feel this was in error, [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpovertyfinance). Do not reach out to a moderator personally, and do not reply to this message as a comment.
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This person is being way better than those who post on Askvet with animals that are suffering and sometimes literally DYING but the poster won’t seek medical attention because “they can’t afford it”. This person probably sacrificed a lot in order to be a responsible pet owner.
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Too late now. I have them and I have to take care of them.
Probably should have just cathed him, given him steroids, fluids and pain meds.
That's what frustrates me the most. They gave him pain meds and expressed his bladder by hand before sending him home. If I didn't observe him in the morning and asked my roommate to watch him, he would've been dead by the time I came home after work.
I had a part mainecoon the males are known for their narrow urethra so if they become any kind of dehydrated they block very easily. He blocked twice over a 13 year period. This is the option I chose and put his on a special urinary diet.
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You didn’t have pet insurance?
I got him at 6 years old at the shelter with a documented heart murmur and was massively overweight. Coverage for him would've been $200 a month at the time and I was making 13/hr. He's nearing 11 years now with some problems that insurance wont touch him now. My other cat has insurance, but it may not even cover her issues that she's going to have. I wish he did though.
Feline pet insurance is still relatively new. We don’t know how old OPs cat is. Mine is 17, at the time I got him there weren’t insurance options available and by the time there were he already had several preexisting issues. For senior kitties a lot of folks had/have limited options compared to what’s available now. I’m very much looking forward to getting pet insurance the next time I adopt!
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Don’t be fucking rude
That's what working 7 days a week is for. It must be nice having so much free time.
Many of these vets are selfish and only think about filling their pockets up on us owners pain. They overprice lots of things and won’t do a single thing to your pet until they know they’ll be paid for it. Lost my dog a few days ago and this selfish vet had a nasty attitude towards me no sympathy at all.
Nobody in veterinary medicine that is providing care to patients has full pockets. We are all scraping by. If only people realized how little we actually make coupled with the thousands of dollars in student loans we rack up for the skills we need require to provide your pets with excellent care. If only people realized that we see very fucking little of the money you are charged and most of it goes to keeping the lights on, supplies, and overhead costs to be able to provide care to pets. Veterinary staff are sick of hearing this shit. It’s a broken system, one we didn’t create, one we fight everyday to try to fix. And regardless of what we do, veterinarians and their staff are bullied to death by their clients.
I’m sorry you lost your dog and had a bad experience but comments like this are why veterinarians kill themselves. They have one of the highest suicide rates of all professions. No one who becomes a vet is looking to make a ton of money. They do it because they care deeply for animals. The problem lies within the corporations who own these hospitals. Unless the practice is privately owned, the veterinarian has absolutely no say in what prices are. And do you walk in to any place of business and expect things to be done for free without giving them some payment?
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Maybe mind your own fucking business with what I do with my money
Financing or putting the animal down wasn’t a choice ?
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Regarded? You know damn well what you meant to say and that makes you a complete jackass.
You know it’s wrong to live in poverty to justify that kind of expense on a cat.
Cats are like a dollar or you can just find them on the street.
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Your mom should've swallowed you
Good thing your family didn't feel the same when you got sick.
First mistake... Buying cat.