Rant: Life loves bills and hates dogs

[Misomie]

A few months back, one of my dogs got very sick while I was at AC. I was able to get CareCredit and pay his 2k bill. Still paying that off.

I'm currently covering my boyfriend's car bills while he has no money (he just started a new job so that will clean up again).

Bf's tire blew with another being flat and a third being too worn for repairs. Yay car bill.

The newest thing just sucks. Finally starting to catch up but then my younger dog snapped down on my sister's small dog (45 lbs vs 4 lbs).  My sister was eating dinner and I was showing off these cool rain jackets I bought my pups (Laika and Fenrir). Her dog (Fritz) was on her lap and growling at my dogs. They usually keep back when growled at so I just brushed it off. Anyways, Laika got to close and Fritz snapped at her (he is a hardcore resource guarder). She snapped back and grabbed his chest, pinning him to the ground. She just held him there and refused to release at first until I stuck my fingers in her mouth. 

He had no puncture wounds but was crying and had pooped during the process. My sister is taking him to the 24hr vet right now. I of course will  pay back the bill cause it was my dog that did the damage. Hope he is doing alright, but I gotta admit these constant money things won't stop popping up and are driving me nuts. 

[Enigma]

Damn, don't over burden yourself. Though it seems like you have a handle on things, It is not fun digging yourself out of financial debt.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. 

[Misomie]

It feels like everytime I feel financial freedom again I get smacked. TT^TT

Her pup is ok, vets found one puncture wound towards the end of his ribs after shaving the area. Xrays revealed no internal trauma. Man, ER vets are expensiveeee. My vets gave my dog a butt ton of tests to find out why he was sick, six meds, bloodwork, fluids, and a few xrays and his first  bill cost the same as Fritz's (my vet is known in the area as being super pricey). 

[Feelwell]

Lessons learned though, glad the pup is okay.

And hopefully that dog will learn to be less growly.

[Vallium]

You take really good care of your dogs, That makes me happy. In my family we absolutely never take our dogs to vets they wouldve shrugged something like that off, which makes me really mad because with my dog she has a tumor and it could be getting worse, a vet would be able to see if it was bad or not and treat any circumnstances.

I've recently been hit with cat bills which are a matter of necessity since it comes with the burden of owning animals. Its a damn shame but you love them so you it comes with the territory.

Bills are bills, they'll probably follow you down the road, you might catch a break sometime. You seem like you're pretty responsible with finances though so hang in there

[Gamedog]

A dog should never be scolded or stopped for growling to tell another dog to go away 

restricting a dogs methods of saying "please leave me alone" is what causes dog bites to occur

[Gamedog]

I've been able to avoid fights by simply redirecting my dog away. If the owner of th other dog scolded their dog, all it would have done is told the dog that he can't tel other dogs he's uncomfortable and to go away.

 

in fact I've trained my dog using entirely force free methods and without yelling, despite being told many times that Rottweilers need more "firm" training techniques.

[Conker]

Man, when it comes to bills the "when it rains it pours" expression always seems to fit. I get ahead, buy a thing I want, and then have to take a hospital visit. Then the CC bill comes in and then rent is due and oh, water bill this quarter is here already and on and on and on.

/shrug. Not much to do but pay dem bills and keep going.

[Gamedog]

Op, I just wanna know, what caused your dog to become sick and rack up 2k vet bill??

[MissFleece]

Her dog started the fight, it isnt your responsibility to pay for the damage that SHE caused by bringing a hostile dog into your home. Tiny dogs tend to be more aggressive. 

[Vallium]

My dog growled at me all the time whenever I handled her wrong or did something she didnt like, I knew her well enough to know it wasnt a blind aggression growl but a communication growl, if I pushed too far she would also nip and bite but even these werent too terribly painful because she wasnt trying to hurt me. It's all about understanding your dog and how they communicate

 

When you have two dogs together, you have to be wary of reactions, most dogs will leave at a warning growl, others will take that as a threat and respond back in turn. 

[Gamedog]

2 hours ago, MissFleece said:

Her dog started the fight, it isnt your responsibility to pay for the damage that SHE caused by bringing a hostile dog into your home. Tiny dogs tend to be more aggressive. 

A dog growling to tell another dog to leave is not aggressive or hostile.

your dog responding by grabbing that dog and throwing it around IS.

i think the owner of the growler shouldn't have brought their RA dog into a house with other dogs though

[MissFleece]

On 10/28/2016 at 3:29 AM, Misomie said:

her dog (Fritz) 

Anyways, Laika got to close and Fritz snapped at her 

Edit: I realize now I misread the post, sorry @Gamedog ^^;

3 hours ago, Gamedog said:

A dog growling to tell another dog to leave is not aggressive or hostile.

Except tiny dog escalated by biting first. Growling isnt an issue, but it seems like this guy is protective of food/owner's lap and those issues need to be addressed, or maybe it'll be a person he bites next time.

[Misomie]

8 hours ago, Gamedog said:

Op, I just wanna know, what caused your dog to become sick and rack up 2k vet bill??

Three vet visits. it was going to be four but they knocked off the fourth one because the second one revealed the info they needed. I was away for a week and he stopped eating. He is a pretty muscular dog (intact) with a small waistline (his vets compliment me on his figure when he visits). Anyways, he dropped 20 lbs during that week. I just thought my boyfriend was being overdramatic cause  he's a drama queen. The first visit was the main part of the bill (it was under 2k in all but I tend to round  bills up). His muscle mass was gone and all his fat (which he had barely any to begin with) was gone. Guy looked and felt like a skeleton. Vets did the whole "could be something stuck" and had an Xray done for that but revealed no blockage but instead found a very swollen intestine and empty belly. The bloodwork revealed he had a major infection going on and another test ruled out parasites. His parvo was up to date as was his rabies and heartworm. 

The weren't really sure what it was but ruled it down to one of two things. One being a hernia and I forgot the other one. His meds consisted of a probiotic for gut flora, two meds to combat either idea, a pill to make him less queesy, and one to fight the infection. He was very dehydrated so they gave him one of those saline shots. 

They sent me home to come back in a few days for Xrays to see if the swelling has gone down and then two weeks for bloodwork to see if the infection was completely cleared up.

Second trip was scheduled because he became even worse and lost two more pounds in those two days since the first visit. They ordered a way more expensive xray test (barium test) to 100% rule out any blockage that wouldn't show up on the initial xray (ie. something spongey). That test consisted of several Xrays taken every 15 minutes or so over the course of an hour. They took him on a walk to see if he'd pass the barium but he didn't so they couldn't get a clear yes or no if it was something spongey or just fecal matter (as I was able to get him to eat a little bit). They gave him more fluids and told me to take him to the ER vet if it gets worse over the weekend. Luckily it didn't. That second visit they were able to see that the swelling had gone down a little bit though so they canceled the fourth appointment. Then the bloodwork came back perfect on that last trip.

He is back up to 47 lbs (usually sits a bit above 50) and starting to get his mass back but it might take awhile yet until he is back to his normal muscle build. The vets I go to are known to be a bitd pricey for the area but I don't care because I like them and because the clinic is small and helps my pups feel less stressed when visiting. I've been to larger clinics and I don't like them at all, plus they are pretty far away comparitively. 

20 hours ago, Gamedog said:

A dog should never be scolded or stopped for growling to tell another dog to go away 

restricting a dogs methods of saying "please leave me alone" is what causes dog bites to occur

I actually do not interfere with my pups when  they are working stuff out (unless it starts to get out of hand). I also haven't scolded either of mine for growling at people and neither of them have guarding issues (plus both were taught bite inhibition over bite prevention). Very proud of my pups over this. Laika usually doesn't growl but instead raises her hackles (she probably did raise them at Fritz but I couldn't see them cause she was wearing that cute jacket). I did notice her posture but it was just a tad too late to recall her as it happened right before I could speak. No cute costumes and outfits when Fritz is around then. I have snapped her out of it before though cause she breaks that mindset really easily when called. 

5 hours ago, MissFleece said:

Edit: I realize now I misread the post, sorry @Gamedog ^^;

Except tiny dog escalated by biting first. Growling isnt an issue, but it seems like this guy is protective of food/owner's lap and those issues need to be addressed, or maybe it'll be a person he bites next time.

Fritz is incredibly resource guardy. Can't take anything  from him or even move him away from a spot he wants without a bite threat. He has bitten people and drawn blood on them. I tell people not to mess with him but because he is so tiny they don't listen and just aggrivate him on purpose. He's not my dog but I try to to teach him some stuff at least and he's getting a bit better with me but it's so ingrained at this point I don't see myself making much progress if no one helps out. Him and Laika have gotten into "arguments" before but she usually yields and backs away. I think the snap is what triggered her response cause she tends to rely oddly heavily on her instincts and make super speedy decisions. 

[Gamedog]

Woahh!! That's scary! It's even scarier that they didn't seem 100% on what it was

almost sounded like bloat, but couldn't be due to the dog not undergoing surgery

very weird 

[Misomie]

18 minutes ago, Gamedog said:

Woahh!! That's scary! It's even scarier that they didn't seem 100% on what it was

almost sounded like bloat, but couldn't be due to the dog not undergoing surgery

very weird 

Yeah, they even ran specific tests but they kept coming up as negative.

He was vomiting though and I heard dogs can't vomit while experiencing bloat. His stomach was obviously putting him in a lot of pain to the point that he wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. 

 It would be nice to know what it was though to make preventing it in the future easier.

[Misomie]

On 10/28/2016 at 5:07 PM, WolfNightV4X1 said:

You take really good care of your dogs, That makes me happy. In my family we absolutely never take our dogs to vets they wouldve shrugged something like that off, which makes me really mad because with my dog she has a tumor and it could be getting worse, a vet would be able to see if it was bad or not and treat any circumnstances.

I've recently been hit with cat bills which are a matter of necessity since it comes with the burden of owning animals. Its a damn shame but you love them so you it comes with the territory.

Bills are bills, they'll probably follow you down the road, you might catch a break sometime. You seem like you're pretty responsible with finances though so hang in there

I would never get pets anymore if I wasn't willing to pay their bills and care.

One time Fritz was playing with Fenrir (about 2.5 years ago) and they were running through the house. Fen could turn really quickly and sprint off but when Fritz was trying to do the same and catch up, something went wrong and he tore something in his leg. No one bothered bringing him to the vet and I was unemployed so I couldn't do anything. We put him in the crate to rest but that was about it.

My mom also had a rabbit that got an abbsess on her neck due to a fight with the other but she was never brought in for vet care. I thought it had healed but my sister pointed out that it had grown and was still open and oozing. We decided to bring her in and split the bill next check but she passed before then (at the time she also developed what looked like a respitory infection with gooey eyes and snotty nose). 

Both of the adults in this situation could have done something but didn't. I know they had the money for it. The wound on the rabbit especially. Laika cut her face and the whole thing cost me $70 to examine, clean, and prescribe antibiotics (it looked minor but was an under the skin cut- you could pull the detached skin up- and had swollen over night). My vets take care of rabbits and probably would have charged a similar amount.   

On 10/28/2016 at 7:11 PM, Sylver said:

I can't help but notice that besides the 2k vet bill for one of your dogs, the primary cause of your expenses was other people.

I don't think you should have to pay for your sister's vet bill. It may have been your dog that caused the damage, but she chose to do nothing about her dog growling and snapping at a dog over 10x its size. Every dog owner I've met had enough common sense to stop their dog from growling at a far larger dog. It's comparable to a scrawny teen harassing a far larger kid, and then being surprised when the larger kid actually responds.

If I understand the situation correctly (no blood or clear cause for concern), I think your sister acted irrationally & on impulse. From what you describe, her dog seemed a little scared and shocked (for good reason), so it baffles me that she would take her dog to the vet, knowing how much it costs, for such an insignificant thing. It's like taking your kid to the ER after they scrape a knee. My advice is to not let it bother you; it's not your job to pay for it.

Being selfless can be a good thing, but sometimes it can negatively impact your own life. (no idea what I'm typing anymore)

Yeah, that's true. 

The reason he was brought in was because we weren't sure if she crushed any organs. She didn't bite the chest area by the neck but rather over his back and lower rib area. She could have easily broken something especially because he looked like he was hobbling and hunched up and would cry out whenever touched or if he moved wrong. Plus since he pooped, we weren't sure if he did it out of fear or because she forced it out with her pressure and crushed an organ in the process. 

She initially didn't want to take him in but everyone else disagreed because of all the above. He actually stayed in a state of shock for the whole next day. I gave him his meds today and he still seems shocked but is acting a lot more normal. If he didn't go in then, he probably would have been brought in later anyways. 

I do see what you are saying though. 

[Gamedog]

Yeah, always good to Bing your dog in after a scuffle anyways

just recently I saw a post on Reddit where someone's puppy was hit by another dog and they just shrugged it off cause no blood and dog wasn't screaming in pain

later on the noticed a puncture wound hole in the puppys back

[Vae]

I've always grown up in the kind of financial situation where both people and animals don't really go to the doctor unless they're quite literally dying.

I can't imagine vet bills are cheap though.

[Gamedog]

5 minutes ago, Vae said:

I've always grown up in the kind of financial situation where both people and animals don't really go to the doctor unless they're quite literally dying.

I can't imagine vet bills are cheap though.

I spend $35 every month at the vet for flea drops unless I need to see the vet himself, then it's at least $50. Usually $100+ whenever I see him 

[Vae]

2 minutes ago, Gamedog said:

I spend $35 every month at the vet for flea drops unless I need to see the vet himself, then it's at least $50. Usually $100+ whenever I see him 

I'm talking about medically significant situations like OP's. What you describe seems more akin to paying for a prescription than "going to the doctor."

Although $100+ is also an unreasonable amount of money when you're left scraping by to keep food on the table.
Especially when similar medically significant situations involving your kids would end in advising to "walk it off," like I did several times when I got fucked up or thought I broke something.

[Misomie]

32 minutes ago, Vae said:

I'm talking about medically significant situations like OP's. What you describe seems more akin to paying for a prescription than "going to the doctor."

Although $100+ is also an unreasonable amount of money when you're left scraping by to keep food on the table.
Especially when similar medically significant situations involving your kids would end in advising to "walk it off," like I did several times when I got fucked up or thought I broke something.

I too grew up with the no doctors/vets thing unless it was a concern. 

To be honest, before I got my promotion I was basically doing the meal thing except it was with tips. If I didn't get enough for the day, I didn't eat.

[Gamedog]

7 hours ago, Vae said:

I'm talking about medically significant situations like OP's. What you describe seems more akin to paying for a prescription than "going to the doctor."

Although $100+ is also an unreasonable amount of money when you're left scraping by to keep food on the table.
Especially when similar medically significant situations involving your kids would end in advising to "walk it off," like I did several times when I got fucked up or thought I broke something.

I know

im telling you what it's like to bring pets to vet in non emergency soruation

very expensive