So last year I took my young cats age 4 and 5, now age 5 and almost 6 for their dental cleanings. The vet did blood work and found borderline high creatinine levels in both cats but said it could be the cats just didn’t have anything to drink that day. During the dental the vet wanted to take urine samples to make sure the cats were concentrating their urine. The vet was unable to take a sample from Bella and didn’t say anything, sent her home with a done dental and a few extractions. Mickey had 13 tooth extractions and if that wasn’t enough she said Mickey’s urine was just a little bit dilute and wanted a second urine test to make sure there isn’t something going on with his kidneys. She said it may be because he was pumped up with fluids during his dental but on the other hand it’s borderline dilute and he should be concentrating his urine. I said neither one of my cats have signs of kidney disease and it’s really hard to get them in a carrier. I already spent almost $2,000.00. I am done. If they have any symptoms I will bring them in. A year later my cats still seem really healthy, no signs of kidney disease but it’s time for their wellness exam and I spoke with a friend from one of my Meet Up groups who convinced me to get Mickey’s kidneys tested because she had a cat with no symptoms of kidney disease for years and then had kidney disease and convinced me to be concerned about a borderline reading of a blood test. So I transferred my cats records to a different vet clinic, a mobile vet clinic instead for a second opinion. One vet suspected stage 2 kidney disease in Mickey and another vet thinks Mickey is fine but suspects Bella might have kidney issues. So I had the vets come to my home and do blood work on my cats and try to get urine samples. They got the blood work but I have to get the urine samples because they couldn’t. They gave me a special kitty litter and I will have to separate the cats overnight to get the urine samples. Today I received an e-mail from my new vet that my cats lab tests based on their blood work look fantastic but they still want me to do the urine test. Fine. I’ll do it. I do believe that if the blood test passed with flying colors then the urine test probably will too. But you know what upsets me? I just spent a whole lot of money and emotional stress, got myself about a thousand dollars worth of credit card debt just to find out that my 2 relatively young cats are healthy and do not have kidney disease when all I really wanted from the beginning was to get their teeth cleaned. It’s ridiculous!
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Rant! Vets drive me crazy sometimes.
- Thread starter moggiegirl
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This is why I like Europe and Canada and almost anywhere else, health care wise… I hear you! This shows what a decent and dedicated cat lover you are dear: soak your dogs and have a martini. Tomorrow is a new day.
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- #3
I really hate to accuse vets of making their clients spend extra money for unnecessary procedures to get their clients to spend more money but that’s how I feel. Perhaps that was not their intent but it turned out that way. My vet wanted me to get booster vaccines last year for my strictly indoor cats too. My cats are not exposed to Rabies, therefore can’t catch Rabies and already had that vaccine when I adopted them. It’s not that vets don’t care, they really do but they also seem to want as much money as they can get us to pay. It makes me afraid to take my cats to the vet.
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With chronic kidney disease, there has to be a loss of around 70% of kidney function for it to show up on blood work, in the creatinine. Unless the cat is very thin, then there isn't enough muscle mass for it to show up. Hyperthyroid can also mask kidney disease. Therefore, a urinalysis is done to see if the kidneys are able to concentrate the urine. The specific gravity of the urine is checked, and if dilute, you can consider kidney disease as something to investigate further, So, perfectly normal to back up a borderline creatinine with a urinalysis. Also, kidney disease cannot be staged without a urinalysis. It would be negligent for a veterinarian to put a cat under anesthesia for any procedure, but especially something as time consuming as multiple extractions, without first doing blood work.
What I don't understand is that it would be the BUN that would be elevated in dehydration. The creatinine could be as well but the first to look at would be that BUN Blood Urea Nitrogen. Of course, you look at both numbers. As for doing the urinalysis on a cat that has hopefully been on fluids all day to check the specific gravity (concentration) of the urine also makes little sense to me.
I don't vaccinate my indoor cats. They had vaccines when I got them but not since. Mine are indoor only and this is what works for me. I am in no way advising anyone else to do what I do.
Unfortunately, things such as dentals etc. cost allot of money. Dentistry in general is expensive. I think the price you paid is quite low. At the cat hospital where I worked you could spend $5,000.00 per cat with multiple extractions, and a 3 to 4 day hospital stay. Then again I right now have an estimate for myself for dental work that is $60,000.00 so I guess the $5,000.00 isn't al that bad considering.
I do think that human health care and animal veterinary care is unrealistically expensive. This is why allot more people are leaning towards getting their cats insured and some employers offer it as a benefit. Not veterinarians, regular employers.
My cats need to have their teeth done and I cannot do it right now. It sucks for lack of a better word but that is the reality of it.
What I don't understand is that it would be the BUN that would be elevated in dehydration. The creatinine could be as well but the first to look at would be that BUN Blood Urea Nitrogen. Of course, you look at both numbers. As for doing the urinalysis on a cat that has hopefully been on fluids all day to check the specific gravity (concentration) of the urine also makes little sense to me.
I don't vaccinate my indoor cats. They had vaccines when I got them but not since. Mine are indoor only and this is what works for me. I am in no way advising anyone else to do what I do.
Unfortunately, things such as dentals etc. cost allot of money. Dentistry in general is expensive. I think the price you paid is quite low. At the cat hospital where I worked you could spend $5,000.00 per cat with multiple extractions, and a 3 to 4 day hospital stay. Then again I right now have an estimate for myself for dental work that is $60,000.00 so I guess the $5,000.00 isn't al that bad considering.
I do think that human health care and animal veterinary care is unrealistically expensive. This is why allot more people are leaning towards getting their cats insured and some employers offer it as a benefit. Not veterinarians, regular employers.
My cats need to have their teeth done and I cannot do it right now. It sucks for lack of a better word but that is the reality of it.
If anyone came over to your house and got bit, or a bat got in, or your cat bites at the vet, not having an UTD rabies record is a death sentence for a pet. $20 every three year is a small price to pay imo.
Some US states require a rabies vaccination for all cats and dogs regardless of indoor or outdoor status. The owner of an unvaccinated pet who bites / injures someone, no mater how minor, can be sued by the injured person for pretty much anything under the sun.
Most vets aren't out to make money off people. They have a business to run, staff to pay, supplies to purchase, equipment to maintain, etc. All of that costs money. To pay for all the business related stuff, the vet exam fees etc have to be priced accordingly. Many vets offer some sort of financial help to pet owners. One could also look into using a low cost vet clinic for basic needs and have a full vet hospital as a back up for more comprehensive needs if that's ever needed.
Most vets aren't out to make money off people. They have a business to run, staff to pay, supplies to purchase, equipment to maintain, etc. All of that costs money. To pay for all the business related stuff, the vet exam fees etc have to be priced accordingly. Many vets offer some sort of financial help to pet owners. One could also look into using a low cost vet clinic for basic needs and have a full vet hospital as a back up for more comprehensive needs if that's ever needed.
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- #7
Just because you think the price I paid is quite low does not mean it wasn’t a lot of money for me. To clarify there was no hospital stay for my cats. I am also paying a lot of money now just to find out my cats do not have kidney disease. Yes, I am glad they don’t but let’s face it no one wants to be $1,000.00 or more in credit card debt.
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- #8
I live in California. My state does not require indoor only cats to get Rabies booster shots. I just don’t believe in over vaccinating pets.
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- #9
The chances of a bat getting into my condo where I live is pretty much zero. I pay for what is necessary. I also think that overvaccinating pets does more harm than good. I wouldn’t want my cats to get cancer from too many unnecessary vaccines. They got their shots when I adopted them and for my strictly indoor furbabies that’s enough for life.
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The price is low compared to what we charged where I used to work and compared to what other places in CA charge. It’s still allot of money and as I stated, I couldn’t come up with it for my cats.
I’m on your side.
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- #11
Okay. I will just have to use the Snowball method to get out of debt again and it’s going to take some time and it just sucks but it is what it is. It’s one thing to pay for dentals or for treatment of a disease. It’s another thing to pay so much extra just to find out my cats are fine and don’t have kidney disease because of a borderline test reading and needing to retest it. But there is nothing I can do about it.
I totally understand and feel your frustrations. I do. I borrowed over $3000 to get a surgery done, and my cat had to be euthanized two days later. It's devastating.
I'm glad your kitties are well. That's the most important thing!
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- #13
Yes, having to spend a lot just to find out they are fine. I understand the dental cleanings but testing for kidney disease and they don’t have it? Crazy. I’m really sorry for the loss of your kitty. In your case you spent money to save him and couldn’t. That’s worse. So now even though my cats blood results are fantastic I still have to get urine samples tonight to complete the test, use specific cat litter that doesn’t absorb urine…separate the cats so I will know which cat peed…a headache and they haven’t told me the price of the urine test yet. I did ask. Um was the answer. I should have asked them again but now it’s Sunday…I can’t call them today and I am doing it tonight so it’s ready tomorrow.
Hopefully your cats are better than mine at using the perler beads. Mine just looked at me like "how am I supposed to pee in this?" And instead peed on the floor right in the main hall.
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- #15
I can tell you what I am going to do if that happens. I won’t attempt it again. My vet will keep telling me the test isn’t complete with only fantastic blood work but I am going to look at it as well, we risk our lives crossing the street every day (my cats are indoors only), I think the small risk of my cats having kidney disease at age 5 and 6 with no symptoms is something I am just going to have to live with. That said if I see any symptoms I will contact the vet immediately.
I had to get a urine sample for a cat a few weeks ago, and I can't remember the cost but it wasn't much. I thought it was included in the blood work panel I'd asked them to do. Of course not. The cat who was tested is in a room by herself, so getting the sample was pretty easy. I hope you can get yours just as easily! Now I have to do the same thing with a dog, which is totally different, and I don't look forward to that at all!!
At those ages I would seriously doubt CRF. It usually affects much older animals. 5 and 6 is still well within the prime age especially for indoor cats. ARF or acute renal failure will always have symptoms since it is caused by something (poisoning, illness etc).
Personally if it was my cats I wouldn't even bother with the urine test. If they were seniors and they were doing it as part of a senior panel I might have it done.
I'm on disability and have a limited budget so kind of need to balance how much I spend though YMMV.
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- #18
I wanted to skip it but my vet insisted if I don’t do the urine test it is incomplete. I have already spent so much on the exams and blood work I might as well finish it. That said if I am unsuccessful I am not going to do it again and I am going to be conservative about vet care, only doing what is necessary. I have over a thousand dollars credit card debt now and I need to pay this off as soon as I can.
I will try to make it as comfortable for them as I can putting feeding stations in separate rooms and a generous meal of Fancy Feast and hope they don’t pee on my carpet or under my bed. Locking either cat in my small bathroom is not an option. I think that would be cruel.
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- #19
I have my cats in separate rooms with food, water and their non-absorbable litter in order to get each cat’s urine sample and they are not happy. How long do you think I should wait until both cats have probably peed. It’s 5:00 right now.
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- #20
At 11:19 pm Mickey decided to pee on my couch blanket instead of in the litter box with the pearls but I did get a urine sample from him. I used the syringe to extract it from the blanket. I am never doing this again. I’m also losing sleep and may end up calling in sick tomorrow morning. I’m giving Mickey his old litter box back. We’ll see how it goes with Bella.
