dislocated leg, cant afford vets bill, feel awful

[sparkleshin]

Shes booked into the vets for 3, I'm hoping theyll offer a cheap payment plan. The dog is about 4 years old, she had luxating patella a couple of years ago and the operation cost us 3k, which we couldn't afford even then. She has injured her leg again, but we simply don't have the money this time. Bought dog stairs so she could get off and on the beds/couch without jumping but she wouldn't use them. Id pick her up off the couch/bed and onto it but she gets on/off things herself and we cant watch her every second.

Are you receiving any benefits? You may be entitled to help from the PDSA

https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/eligibility

You need to talk to the vet before the op to discuss the payment plan.

Re the jumping, you will have to exclude the dog from areas with furniture that she can get off/on. Or it’s cage rest. I am not a crate fan, so I tend to confine an injured dog to the kitchen with a pet gate, his bed, rugs , toys etc.No, you can’t watch them all the time, so you just have to take the options from them.

Sorry your dog is in pain, and that money is tight. It’s a horrible combination for you all.

I assume shes not insured? You really do need to have funds available for this sort of thing. Poor dog. You had an idea it would be expensive if she's done it before, yet you've not sorted anything out for the inevuitable recurrance. For the dogs sake I hope you're eligible for PDSA. And sort something out for the future.

Just to add; I know these things are tricky, but your dog doesn't have an NHS. It relies on you totally. I hope it's not too painful for them.

That sounds really stressful and hope you can sort out the bills.

Are you able to get insurance for the future? Sadly a lot of people don’t realise the real financial costs of dog ownership. If you can’t afford bills outright then insurance is a must.

You shouldn't feel guilty. A lot of folk just couldn't afford to spend that much money on a dog. See what the vet says before you decide anything,

I hope your vets can offer a payment plan for you. If not, could putting the money on a credit card be an option? Not ideal, I know but not sure what other options there are.

I don't know your situation but if you don't have pet insurance I would say definitely get some for future. Unfortunately, any leg issues your dog has in the future won't be covered as it's now classed as a pre existing injury. So you will always have to pay for his leg issues.

Try not to get too stressed about it, my cat broke his leg a few years ago and my insurance would only pay 1k but his surgery and treatment came to 4k and the whole experience made me incredibly stressed out.

Hope your dog will be ok xx

Do you have insurance?