AIBU to wonder about help with vet bills beyond PDSA?

[Bedroomdilemmas113]

This is NOT intended as anything to do with benefit recipients, but something that just keeps whirring round in my brain.

Rushed a suddenly very poorly dog to the emergency vet a few weeks ago. Shared reception area with PDSA. Brain whirring, I read lots of the posters, and I think they’re doing an amazing thing. Paid our (extremely large) bill and also made a sizeable donation to the PDA desk next door.

Then realised the PDSA requires you to be eligible. Eligible is proving you’re in receipt of benefits. So that covers the pets of people on benefits, and I’m glad about that - but what I can’t stop thinking about is what about the huge numbers who aren’t on benefits but also can’t afford treatment?

Is there an equivalent, some sort of benevolent fund that could be donated to and called upon when really needed by vets? I can’t find anything online.

I have been tying myself in knots ever since thinking about pets of owners who can’t afford them to be treated - admittedly this is all heavily mixed up with my heartbreak at the situation we are in with our own dog. But I just keep thinking, what if we couldn’t afford this?

This is going to sound terrible, but if you can’t afford the vets bills you can’t afford/shouldnt have, a pet. Vets are very expensive, and it’s a cost you need to factor in if you choose to take on the responsibility, and privilege, of another living animal. Put money away each month, have insurance, whatever works for you. People who decide, whoops I can’t afford vet treatment, make me very angry.

Most responsible pet owners have pet insurance.
Not sure why you’re tying yourself in knots worrying about people who don’t bother?

She said she was worried about their pets, not the owners and that’s fair enough.

Thinking about the dogs who won’t be able to get treated because their owners can’t afford it.

Insurance doesn’t always pay out. We have lots of animals so don’t have insurance - but we can afford treatment.

I am on benefits but did not live in the catchment area of a PDSA vet. I also think you have to be in receipt of housing benefit, and I am not.

My dog was not insured in her senior years as it was a lot of money and I would not have put her through anything intrusive anyway.

I understand this but that’s not the fault of the pets. That’s what is upsetting me.

I know there is probably no answer, and I know I’m just full of emotion and anxiety but it’s currently embedded in my brain.

I have considered asking at our vet whether they have or would consider some kind of discretionary fund we could donate to but I’m worried they’ll think I’m crazy.

Most people on a budget wouldn’t have loads of animals though - they have a couple and either have savings or insurance.

One of our local vets does have a discretionary fund you can donate to actually. I don’t see why they would think you are crazy because ultimately it’s more money for them.

Treatment has cost us £2500 in the last 3 weeks and that’s not for anything intrusive - which we are in agreement we wouldn’t put her through. She can’t be cured but is not suffering at all. I think this is what is triggering this. £2500 to save her life, a few hundred pounds a month to keep her healthy, none of this intrusive and quality of life not impacted. So I keep thinking, what if we didn’t have that money…

It's awful to think of but sometimes cats have to be put to sleep if they are hit by a car and the owners can't afford the surgery.

Thank you so much. I feel so much better for hearing it is actually ‘a thing’ - even if ours don’t do it. I’ll definitely ask then!

I couldn’t imagine being the vet, knowing I could save a life and not doing it.

I know they have to, I know they can’t treat for free. I just couldn’t do it…..

My friend is on benefits and her puppy broke its leg and she had some discounted insurance or something from PDSA but when it came to the broken leg, it was around a week to be seen and they they would only pay a certain amount anyway so it didnt really cover any of it so her parents had to pay 😬

I didn’t realise this, I thought they received the same treatment as we would have. That’s so sad.

But what if her parents didn’t have the money?! How could a dog just be left with a broken leg, either for a week or forever…I don’t understand. Or do you mean really the option was pay or PTS?

Most vets do offer help if they want to, they just don’t advertise it. We had a really horrible situation where we were previously quite high income and then suddenly dh lost his job and we had a roofing emergency at home that insurance wouldn’t cover - and then our much loved guinea pig developed an eye tumour! Eye removal in Guinea pigs is hugely expensive, around £700 and we just couldn’t afford it but amazingly the vet agreed to do it for free for us. She could see how upset our son was (I took him to the initial appointment as didn’t have any other alternative - he was 11 and has autism). When we came back into some money we paid it back with an extra £300 towards anyone else needing help.

We do also have a cat now that is insured to the max!

It is something I try not to think about as it can be upsetting. I hope your pet feels better soon.
If I ever win the lottery, I will go looking on GoFundMe for people needing help with vet bills.

I appreciate this thread as I too will be asking at the vets about a discretionary fund.

I have one dog, which came to us when my circumstances were entirely different. In a fairly short amount of time my DP died, I became unable to function and had to leave work for an extended time. The dog unfortunately then became very unwell with epilepsy which required a great deal of urgent care and multiple long term medications for the rest of his life.

Had the dog not have been insured then the consequences would have been dire for him and subsequently for me as I'm not sure I could have reasonably dealt with losing him. The 'can't afford it don't get a dog' is a stance very reliant on your original good luck in life (health, employment, partners to share the load) continuing for the duration of a pets life.

Things fortunately are much better now, for the dog (who is thriving) and I. I could afford the vets bills even if it weren't for insurance but feel very deeply for those that have a loved pet and simply can't. I can't imagine how that must feel.

I agree with you to a degree, but some of us had a pet before the crazy bills came into force (2015). When I got my dog in 2013 vet bills were manageable. Now I am very worried about vet visits as I never know what it’s going to be, despite my monthly pet insurance being £40, (which never seems to cover anything). After my dog goes I know I can never afford another.

I equate the pet health service here with the American human health model. Expensive insurance that doesn’t necessarily cover your needs and expensive co-pay.

I remember one of my old friends, a mum who was working full time on min wage, her cat had a bone stuck in its throat and the PDSA wouldn’t pay out, so she asked the local RSPCA clinic & they contributed to the op.

Vets have an obligation to provide emergency first aid. In reality, this is usually pain relief or euthanasia.

In cases like this, what sometimes happen is the owner relinquishes ownership to the practice. Its how vets, nurses and receptionists end up with collections of animals with one eye and three legs.

No idea tbh, I was horrified by the entire thing.

Pets can be extremely expensive. I had a cat, she did not like going outside so never had the worry of being run over etc and she died quite old but that was £600 at the end, and I had the money but I will not be getting another cat because I simply cannot risk the cost if my situation changes.

I can understand that if someone has worked hard all their lives, and maybe couldn't have children for whatever reason, and their pet is the most important thing in their life, it must be heartbreaking if they suddenly can't afford bills, say if they lose their job. Especially as some people choose never to work (I am NOT criticising people who can't) and completely misuse the NHS.

People's circumstances change. Divorce, bereavement, redundancy, ill health. Its not a choice to not be able to afford veterinary treatment.

I’ve wondered the same OP. My daughter’s much loved cat needed treatment earlier this year for a rare reaction to something unknown that caused hepatitis… her vet, the emergency vet and finally the local university vet hospital (I think they were curious as no one could work out the problem). Cat is now very well.
But the total cost for treatment was very nearly £10,000. My daughter earns well and doesn’t have children and took out very good insurance which completely covered the bills. She was very aware however that many people (even those with insurance) would have had to had their beloved pet put to sleep and it made both of us very sad.
I’d happily contribute to a vet welfare fund.