We are not financially well off by any stretch, so this is one of the few places in the universe where I can post/talk about this without getting ridiculed for "wasting money" because it's "just a cat."
Anyway, my old cat needs dental work, sooner rather than later. He's 15. He very well could live another 5+ years and I feel that it's my responsibility to ensure that the rest of his years are not lived in constant pain from bad teeth. We adopted him last year, so though we've been consistently brushing his teeth and using dental spray for several months, his teeth are way beyond the point of preventative maintenance.
My vet is very reasonable. He charges just $125 for a full dental cleaning under anesthesia, which I know is a great deal. The pre-op bloodwork isn't very expensive either.
Still, financially it is stressful right now. I'm especially worried about the potential of the bill going up if he needs multiple extractions. The vet tech reassured me that it wouldn't be a surprise $1,000.00 bill. She said that the worse bill for a dental that she's seen in 20 years, was $400.
Still, I'm stressed and worried about it. An estimate of $400 would make it expensive enough that we would have to postpone it until after tax return. And what about if they find more decay than expected and even though the estimate initially is lower, my bill skyrockets?
I'm also concerned about the risk of side effects, even though I know that the pre-op bloodwork helps to lower that risk and the risk of living with rotted teeth is higher.
Anyway, just rambling. We'll see what the vet says after our initial consult on Tuesday.
Has anybody else known that your cat badly needed a dental, but felt stressed by the logistics?
Anyway, my old cat needs dental work, sooner rather than later. He's 15. He very well could live another 5+ years and I feel that it's my responsibility to ensure that the rest of his years are not lived in constant pain from bad teeth. We adopted him last year, so though we've been consistently brushing his teeth and using dental spray for several months, his teeth are way beyond the point of preventative maintenance.
My vet is very reasonable. He charges just $125 for a full dental cleaning under anesthesia, which I know is a great deal. The pre-op bloodwork isn't very expensive either.
Still, financially it is stressful right now. I'm especially worried about the potential of the bill going up if he needs multiple extractions. The vet tech reassured me that it wouldn't be a surprise $1,000.00 bill. She said that the worse bill for a dental that she's seen in 20 years, was $400.
Still, I'm stressed and worried about it. An estimate of $400 would make it expensive enough that we would have to postpone it until after tax return. And what about if they find more decay than expected and even though the estimate initially is lower, my bill skyrockets?
I'm also concerned about the risk of side effects, even though I know that the pre-op bloodwork helps to lower that risk and the risk of living with rotted teeth is higher.
Anyway, just rambling. We'll see what the vet says after our initial consult on Tuesday.
Has anybody else known that your cat badly needed a dental, but felt stressed by the logistics?