PocketCoinage

Picture this: You just came back from an over budget vacation to find your pet unable to go to the bathroom.

First panic sets in because you notice he is in a lot of pain.  Once you bring him to the vet, you find out he is going to be just fine and will need to stay for a few days.  You request a quote for the approximate cost and they tell you $800.  A few hours later the vet calls you back to let you know your pet is doing well.  He’s also requesting authorization for more tests to determine why the problem started in the first place.  The new estimate is now peaking $1,000.  You then find out he needs to stay an extra night and he will need to be on a special diet; the estimate is now at $1,100.  Once all is said and done the total bill comes out to almost $1,300.

This was me the day we came back from our Maine vacation.  Our cat Rocky had bladder crystals that made it impossible for him to use the bathroom.  The vet needed to unblock him and watch him for a few days.  They said this is caused by the type of cat food he was eating.  The only thing I did was switch him from Meow Mix dry to Blue Buffalo wet and dry.  I guess this was a big, painful mistake for the both of us.

I learned that cats, especially males, should not eat dry food.  Think about it, if they were in the wild would they have dry food?  They should stick to wet food and make sure they have plenty of water.  Needless to say, all my cat are now on a wet food diet.  The vet also recommended a Drinkwell Pet Fountain.  I picked one up for my cats and they love it.  They play around with the water and drink from it more often than their old water bowl.  I think it’s because of the constant recirculation of water.

This whole experience didn’t come cheap.  I tapped my Emergency Fund for the $1,300 vet bill.  I thought about pet insurance even before this whole experience occurred, but I felt it was not worth the cost.  The plans the vet had me look at was roughly $20/month per cat, plus you have the $50-100 deductible, and 80% reimbursement.

Have you experienced a vet emergency?  Do you carry pet insurance because of it?