Vet's estimate(s) for treatment

[BlazingFlames]

Background - dear dog (9yrs, been very healthy up to now) saw local vet and will be going back for a check up after short course of meds. Told not to give dog anything other than water from midnight the night before in case they decide to take x-rays to inform whether further treatment needed.

Asked cost of X-Ray as will need a general anaesthetic and Vet said he'd email cost to me. This still hasn't arrived so rang to chase up this morning. Receptionist not that helpful so I will phone back later today if I haven't heard anything.

This got me thinking, if DD needs further treatment/surgery they'd want to do it then and there whilst under GA, surely? At what stage do they discuss the cost of treatment and aftercare? Will I have enough 'thinking time' to make any necessary decisions? Do they just assume that DD's pet insurance covers everything and that I can afford any shortfall?

My problem - A previous dog had excellent treatment from same Vet and went on to live 3 more years. However, in hindsight those years were very poor quality ones for him and affected the family in various ways. Insurance didn't cover everything. It would have been better to let him go at the first GA exploration if we had been brave enough to make that decision ......... we didn't know what a painful condition it would be going forward.

My question - What has your experience been? Got any advice for me? Are Vets generally transparent about costs of treatment, meds and aftercare? DD may have nothing, may have something, may be extensive, may be minimal.

We do have savings we can use if needed, but I know that bills can run to many £ thousands.

Thanks for any guidance.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I can only speak from the experience of our current vet, but they are always transparent about costs and then potential costs involved if something unexpected comes up. They will ask if they have permission to proceed if something not quoted needs doing.

My advice would be to ask the vet to be honest with you if they know that prolonging life will have a significant cost (both financial and emotional to you, and emotional and physical to your DD), and what they would do if it were their pet.

Be that person and quiz your vet. I will always have a face to face consultation sometimes without my dog so we can not get sidetracked and discuss all the options.

I like to be prepared so can than make decisions I am happy with. Some vets are more reluctant that others to discuss the implications of an illness so it is worth asking very specific questions.

If there are 20 scenarios I would like to know that and have time to discuss each one with my family.

It would be extremely stressful to have to make a decision whilst your dog is still under GA.

Of course illness does not always follow the route predicted but if you have had a detailed discussion you will have some idea of the path you want to follow.

My dogs are insured but I also would want a rough indiciation of treatment and cost and outcome.

I hope you get the answers you need soon and that your dog is ok.

Sorry to hear your pup is unwell.

I’d definitely encourage you to have an honest conversation beforehand with your vet so they know where you stand - for instance if you wouldn’t in any situation consider surgery/chemotherapy/lifelong medication/anything over your insurance limit, then it’s useful for the vet to know that because then they can make a plan / options that are going to be feasible for you and exclude those that aren’t.

If investigations under anaesthetic show that, for instance, surgery is needed, then in many cases we would aim to proceed straight away to avoid another anaesthetic. There’s usually time to have a brief discussion with owners when an animal is under anaesthetic but it helps if you have an idea beforehand of the possible outcomes/options, so you’re not having to get your head around it all or talk it through with family, under a time pressure.

We always try to be upfront about costs but it can be really difficult because we don’t know how things will pan out (I often say to people, if I knew exactly what we would find, I wouldn’t need to do the tests!) but I would always try and call owners before doing anything that significantly increases the cost from what they are expecting. Similarly with things like what to expect with aftercare, we can tell you what the ‘normal’ recovery usually is but unfortunately there are always some patients who have more complications and longer recoveries.

Just ask your vet. Ours has always given a rough idea of what we are letting ourselves in for.

I have just been through a similar experience in that my uninsured dog needed urgent treatment, I was honest and upfront with the vet that whilst I could afford a certain amount I most certainly didn't have limitless cash and they quickly knocked up an estimate, and the eventual bill was less than expected and I trust my vet and they do seem to ultimately want to help.