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Original poster

cat asked to stay in hospital 3-5 days after blocked bladder surgery

15 replies

Nofunbuyingproperty · 08/08/2023 09:13

We sent our 15-year old boy to emergency yesterday as he's not able to wee. Vet did a surgery to unblock the bladder and said he would need the urinary catheter for 3-5 days. We are looking at a bill of 2800-3200 (!!!). They then suggested a surgery to take his stone out. Which would add i don't know how much to the bill. They were lovely on the phone and were the only one that could take us in at the time. But the numbers are ridiculous. My fault for not asking earlier.

My question is in this type of situation does 3-5 days make sense? He is old and we don't want him to undergo unncessary pain. His x-ray shows only one stone. Can we just leave it there and use medication and diet to keep it under control?

Can we bring him home today?

Thank you

OP posts:
purpleme12 · 08/08/2023 09:26

Wow that's shocking money.

My female cat had stones taken out years ago.

I think it depends how big they are?
Have you asked the vets if there's any other way?

Original poster
Nofunbuyingproperty · 08/08/2023 09:43

purpleme12 · 08/08/2023 09:26

Wow that's shocking money.

My female cat had stones taken out years ago.

I think it depends how big they are?
Have you asked the vets if there's any other way?

Am going to see them in a couple of hours. Will ask alternatives. But just now on the phone the nurse was shocked at my suggestion of taking the cat home. He weighs less than 8 pounds. Been slowly losing weight the past year. Some of his blood test readings are outside the normal range. Some related to the bladder problem. And others i would say just old age. He's 15. Bound to fail some test.

OP posts:
beguilingeyes · 08/08/2023 10:57

Are you insured? Our cat had an injured leg a couple of years ago that required an operation and it cost thousands. Pet Plan paid up without a quibble.

SomewhereWithSomeone · 08/08/2023 10:59

Are you not insured?

PuffingPuffin · 08/08/2023 11:03

They were lovely on the phone and were the only one that could take us in at the time.

It sounds like he may not have been to the vets for a while prior to this?

fullbloom87 · 08/08/2023 11:08

4 years ago our cat had a blocked bladder due to stress induced spasms in his penis (common in some cats) no stones but needed op to rectify the issue. It was out of hours so we took him to vets now. Luckily we had insurance but the bill was £1000 and that included operation, tons of meds and special food.

Survey99 · 08/08/2023 11:09

Vets are very expensive so the numbers don't surprise me at all.

You do have choices which include seeking second opinions, but whatever happens the priority is your pets quality of life and absolutely ensuring they are not living in any pain or discomfort (short term just after the op or longer term). If you are not insured and the vet costs are not within your reach you may need to make a very brave decision and do the right thing for your pet.

fullbloom87 · 08/08/2023 11:09

Why could they take the stone out during the op? During my cats op they filter anything that was found in that area so why did they leave it?

caringcarer · 08/08/2023 11:54

fullbloom87 · 08/08/2023 11:09

Why could they take the stone out during the op? During my cats op they filter anything that was found in that area so why did they leave it?

I was wondering this too and I'd be asking the vet this question.

Dillane · 08/08/2023 12:00

Survey99 · 08/08/2023 11:09

Vets are very expensive so the numbers don't surprise me at all.

You do have choices which include seeking second opinions, but whatever happens the priority is your pets quality of life and absolutely ensuring they are not living in any pain or discomfort (short term just after the op or longer term). If you are not insured and the vet costs are not within your reach you may need to make a very brave decision and do the right thing for your pet.

But it’s not the right decision for the cat, responsible owners take out insurance, so they’re not faced with making a finance based ‘decision’ 🙄

Clefable · 08/08/2023 12:06

At 15 I don't know if I would be doing surgery on a cat that sounds like it is declining due to old age anyway. My cat is 15 and I think we would probably decline surgery. She's been lost weight and getting that 'old cat' kind of look. She's had tests etc and nothing is 'wrong', she's just getting old. If something happened where she needed surgery, we would really have to weigh it up. My vets are quite sensible about this kind of thing though.

Survey99 · 08/08/2023 12:22

But it’s not the right decision for the cat, responsible owners take out insurance, so they’re not faced with making a finance based ‘decision’ 🙄

There are many reasons a responsible owner might not have insurance for a 15 year old cat. The financial commitment to insurance 15 years ago might have been possible, but with todays increased premiums, COL problems etc a responsible owner has tougher decisions to make. Even with advanced veterinary care owners have very different opinions where the line is drawn between the balance of quality of life / comfort and whether you agree or not money. Even with insurance there is a financial line when policies are not enough and although £3k may not seem much to you it is a significant life impacting number to others.

It is not as black and white as you make out so take your eyerolling elsewhere.

fullbloom87 · 08/08/2023 12:31

@Dillane

My cat had this surgery paid for on his insurance but if it were to happen again (very likely) then it wouldn't be covered the next time.
If I didn't have thousands to operate would you consider me an irresponsible owner?
Insurance companies don't just pay out. Sometimes you have to pay then fight for the money back. Sometimes they refuse and make up petty excuses why they won't pay out. Insurance doesn't guarantee payment.
I think there needs to be an option to pay a monthly fee to a vets surgery like an insurance, that will guarantee treatment up to a certain amount. I would rather pay £100 a month to my vets then have to battle with petplan for a claim.

fullbloom87 · 08/08/2023 12:33

Clefable · 08/08/2023 12:06

At 15 I don't know if I would be doing surgery on a cat that sounds like it is declining due to old age anyway. My cat is 15 and I think we would probably decline surgery. She's been lost weight and getting that 'old cat' kind of look. She's had tests etc and nothing is 'wrong', she's just getting old. If something happened where she needed surgery, we would really have to weigh it up. My vets are quite sensible about this kind of thing though.

My cats have all lived for over 20 years. I wouldn't be putting them to sleep for a stone which is very common in cats who are fed a dry diet. Mine have all been fed homemade food which has probably helped them to live longer but it's never too late to make dietary changes to lengthen their life.

PuffingPuffin · 08/08/2023 21:31

fullbloom87 · 08/08/2023 11:09

Why could they take the stone out during the op? During my cats op they filter anything that was found in that area so why did they leave it?

Blocked bladder "surgery" isn't actually an operation (although some may need perineum urethrostomy surgery if it becomes an ongoing problem) its passing a catheter via the urethra to drain the urine and then they flush saline into the bladder and express several times to wash out crystals, sediment etc. It sounds like OPs cat has a bladder stone that will require surgery to open the bladder and remove.

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