Vet Bills Force Pet Owners to Skip or Delay Care

“Our cats went to the vet today for an exam and rabies vaccine. Our youngest Lola is now very sick. She had a rabies vaccine and microchip. Also bloodwork, xrays, exam and Gabapentin. She is not acting right. She is falling, very wobbly, foaming at the mouth and gagging. I am very worried for her. She has never acted like this before. We need help. I've never seen any of our cars sick like this or have a reaction to any meds. She is a jet black American short hair. She just turned a year old”

“So a kitten showed up on our doorstep with scabs covering the backs of its ears. We can't afford a vet and we already have a cat and a dog. We can't effectively quarantine it without the dog getting curious and wondering why it's crying. I want to help it but I've never dealt with something like this before and all sources I've checked online tell me it's highly contagious and extremely bad. What do I do in this situation? submitted by /u/digixana [link]”

“I live in the US, and heartworm preventative is quite expensive here. I’ve had both my dogs for a collective 14 years now, love them to death, and their other ailments over the years have flipped my wallet inside out consistently. I read on here and other subreddits about places like Pets Megastore in Australia, and everyone I’ve spoken to assured me it’s legit and safe. I ordered some, spent half what I would here in the US, and have given it to my pets with absolutely no issues. I brought one”

“My mom is concerned that we may be unable to afford to take care of them anymore due to the costs of flea-and-tick and heartworm medications, as well as vet visits. Is there any way in the area to cut down on these costs? We have one 12 year old and one 4 year old kuvasz, both around eighty-eight pounds. I'm sorry if this is an excessively medical or impossible question. Species: kuvaszok Age: 4 and 12 Sex/Neuter status: one m one f not neutered Breed: kuvaszok Body weight: both around 87-90”

“Long post, but I would appreciate any input. Important questions at the bottom. This is my first ever cat. I thought I did enough research, bought the right stuff (food, treats, elevated feeding bowl, fountain, stainless steel litter box, etc., etc.). I saw a sweet girl on Facebook. Between 4-6 years old. According to her owners she was a stray they trapped a couple months back. They said in the post she had some mild hair loss from stress but it was starting to grow back. I messaged, and everyt”

“Hi everyone. Located IL broadview I’m really worried about my kitten and would really appreciate if any vets/veterinary professionals here could look at the attached photos/videos and let me know what you recommend I do tonight until I can get him to the vet tomorrow at 8 AM . My kitten was born June 11 , so he’s still very young. He weighs a little over 2 lbs. He has been vomiting and hasn’t been eating as well as usual. He is still having periods where he plays and acts relatively normal, but”

“Today my cat came in limping and I’m worried, if I buy Figo from Costco and take her tomorrow will they cover most of the bill? submitted by /u/FuzzyUniversity3800 [link] [comments]”

“Hello, So last night two of my cats headed out and one ended up scratching the other in the eye I noticed a chunk of her little eye was peeping out and I had my husband bring her to the emergency vet just to make sure that didn’t get infected overnight or anything or she was rubbing it so we got antibiotics and we got a cone, but they referred us to a cat ophthalmologist. I’m from Ontario for reference. I’m curious about the wait time to get into an animal ophthalmologist, but also the cost of j”

“Hi there, I have an annual checkup for my kitties tomorrow. I currently have pet insurance, but the plan is set to renew a week from now (9/6/2026). I'm getting paranoid that if my kitties get diagnosed with something at this appointment (on 9/2/2026), that my new policy cycle won't cover it. Is that a real risk or am I overthinking? If something comes up should I ask the vets to wait to record it in their charts ? submitted by /u/Ok_thyme_3396 [link] [comments]”

“Yesterday I took her to the vet because I’ve noticed some behavioral changes in my 5yo unspayed rottie (got her from my mom who refused to spay her for whatever reason) like increased sleepiness, lack of appetite, and nonstop panting. I also noticed a bit of vaginal discharge running down her leg for the first time that morning which is the main reason I decided to take her in. I’m broke so we just started off with an ultrasound to see the urgency of the situation where they said everything seem”

“My almost 3 year old Aussie was diagnosed with dry eye in both eyes about 2 years ago. his vet recommended us to an ophthalmologist since he was so young & he was unsure how to proceed. they put him on eye drops & medications & they helped for a while, then stopped. we then found one closer to us & had his info sent over there. they changed up his meds but then same thing happened, worked for a while then stopped. i recently took him to his vet again because one eye was very swol”

“​Hi everyone, (english is not my main language sory if anything wrong) ​I was living away and my family was taking care of my tortoise. They didn't notice, but when I came back home, I saw his nail was broken from the root, hanging loose, and looked crooked. I have no idea when the injury actually happened. I made the mistake of pulling it so it would fall off and not grow back crooked, but it just ended up bleeding. ​There are no exotic vets where I live (they are way out of town), and I co”

“Idk what to do because I dont have the money to pay for a surgery or to pay for the pet insurance for a couple of days. Is this an emergency? Or will she be able to wait until I can get money for pet insurance? She’s playing perfectly fine and eating. She’s also pooping/peeing normally. Please help. I’ll post a pic in the comments. • ⁠Species: Cat • ⁠Age: 2 months • ⁠Sex/Neuter status: Spayed Female • ⁠Breed: Domestic Shirthair • ⁠Body weight: 2lbs • ⁠History: Took her to the vet because she had”

“Hello, I live in a rural area and have a vet appointment nearly 2 months out. I can call daily to check on cancellations (what my vet calls emergency visits) but I’m an hour away from a vet and work etc. My 1 year old void has small, what I would call warts around his ears. This presented when he was about 5 months old but went away with in a week, that time the bumps were inside his ears, a few on the outside. Well, the bumps are back, this time outside the ears. They do bother him and he is it”

“My 6 month old persian kitten has been struggling with inflammed anal glands for the past 2 months. I have visited 3 different vets including the biggest ones in my city some of them who are 2 hours away from home and still nobody has been able to fix him. Here are his current symptoms that have only been getting worse, I cannot see him in pain and discomfort anymore. - passing slightly liquid stool. - His rectum protrudes when he passes stool. - There is mucus, some blood, and stool sticking ar”

“Last year in September, a cat crawled through my parent’s screen door and is now their cat. Her name is Betsy. She is a snowshoe cat, weighing 9/lbs. My parents still haven’t taken her to the vet, so I would assume she is completely unvaccinated. She is not spayed. I do not know her age based on the circumstances of her arrival. I apologize for not having a substantial amount of information. Betsy’s personality is very subdued, but she can be affectionate with new people (very snuggly). She does”

“im sorry if this isn’t the right sub for this kind of question, i don’t use reddit often. i know he has a respiratory infection because she took him to the vet once before for his coughing, they gave him antibiotics, and he got better. but it’s come back and he’s been losing weight. im extremely worried about him and have told my mom several times that he’s sick and getting worse, to which she tells me she’ll take him to get checked out. she hasn’t followed through, which is a common occurrence”

“Our town recently had a vet office close due to retirement, my vet office. I was able to get my cat's food prescription uploaded to Amazon before they closed but I failed to get his lactulose prescription uploaded. Looking for over-the-counter substitute, if available. Species: * Age: approx 14 * Sex/Neuter status: male, neutered * Breed: tabby * Body weight: 9lbs * History: bladder crystals 12 yrs ago and on Royal Canin SO since then- lactulose on occasion for past 4 years or so * Clinical”

“I took my dog in due to eye redness and discharge. This was 2 days ago and I took him to the emergency vet because I couldn’t get an appt elsewhere. The vet seemed really judgmental and got butthurt that he was a little dirty but I bathed him 2 weeks ago and I’ve read not to bathe my breed too much. Anyway, he had a fever and uveitis and they wanted to charge me $2k to do scans and stuff. Now two days later, after instead paying $600 for eye ointment and pills and an injection, I took him to a p”

“To preface, I've already brought her to the vet the day after I noticed it, but I wasn't given a diagnosis, besides ruling out ringworm and fleas. Now that some time has passed and the symptoms have changed a little, I wanted to know what you guys thought. Also, I have two cats, and only this one has this sudden problem (both fully indoors). A week ago I discovered a bald patch under my cat's chin. It was a little crusty and hair fell off easily with black specks on it. And the borde”

“Both pepper and shadow had their first vet checkup today and we're in good health other than worms which I knew. They got vaccine and flea/worm treatment (nexgard combo) The only thing that is bothering me is that Both were energetic when they got home. They ate a ton and were good. Then they both took a long nap and pepper was back to her usual self but shadow is still super tired. He just wants to sleep and doesn't want to be handled either. It seems to have hit him harder. Im just a w”

“Hello, my has recently been limping a bit and I’m worried about it. I came here for advice because the vet quote was so expensive just for a consultation, then idk how much more it would be if he needs further help. He is a domestic shorthair that just turned 12 a month ago All thats changed about him is hes been limping on one of his front legs and a bit slower because of it. Hes still eating, not hiding, stretching, able to climb his tower, he can scratch his post and even isnt pulling away wh”

“Hello, I am looking for some advice and recommendations regarding my 13-year-old female calico cat. Over the past few months, I've noticed a combination of physical and behavioral changes from her that are really concerning me. Here is a breakdown of her symptoms: Daily Sensory Episodes (FHS signs) : This has progressively gotten more frequent. She generally has an episode once or twice a day now, usually when the house is quiet and calm. She will sit on the floor, randomly stare up for a fe”

“I got home from work this morning and it looks like her lip is swollen a bit, but I don’t really look at her face like that so I don’t know if it’s supposed to be like that or not and I get paranoid ever since I lost my last cat to leukaemia back in December I know I can’t send pictures so I’ll have to send them. She’s a year old female cat weighs 11 1/2 pounds. I just had her at the vet yesterday for seasonal allergies and she’s on eye drops for it. submitted by /u/ComprehensiveOne5”

“https://imgur.com/a/UyR720u Appointment booked for tomorrow at 4pm EST. Looking for some perspective before our vet appointment. We recently lost our cat to cancer two weeks ago, so my anxiety is already high and I want to make sure I’m not overlooking anything. Dog Details: 9.5-year-old Lab mix, indoors ~80% of the day. Symptoms: Acting anxious (possibly sensing the upcoming vet visit). Eating and drinking normally. No sneezing, coughing, or abnormal breathing. Diet Change: Recently transitione”

“I currently have 2 cats , one of which has FIV and i would like to be bringing both of them to the vet regularly but appointments are insanely expensive. I dont figure pet insurance would fully cover any kind of visit im not sure but i just need reccomendations for insurance that wouldnt break my bank... I dont make alot of money and my price range is about 100 a month or (preferably less) as im not even insured myself. Any tips or reccomendations? submitted by /u/Neither_Degree8877”

“Hello all! I have a 3 (almost 4) y/o female domestic shorthair cat! She was about 7 lbs at her last vet visit. She has been spayed. Currently in Southern USA. I just recently enrolled my cats into pet insurance, seeing as they are both due for wellness visits in October. With this on my mind, I decided to check them for any new issues I could see (I.e, checked their ears, eyes, mouth). I noticed my cat has super red gums, she is an ex outdoor stray who loves to snuggle, but hates being prodded a”

“I am 34 years old living in U.S. Spent $1K (THANK GOD FOR CARE CREDIT) to have a full work up done: labs including thyroid and diabetes screening, dental and physical exam, urinalysis to check for infection, crystals AND bladder stones as well as a full x-ray to see is there is any visible signs of what could be causing possible pain and you know what? All results back NORMAL!🥲 Soooo my cat is just a dick?😹 My cat, Rajah has been spayed. Do cat behaviorist really exist? Can they come into my h”

“Long story- but I am desperate to find help for my boxer- he seems to be in pain and nothing has really helped. I don’t know what to do- The local dermatologist can’t see him until december submitted by /u/Emergency-Advisor-40 [link] [comments]”

“My best friend and I share a beautiful calico, Spooky. She‘s suffered on and off for the past 5 years with what we’ve finally gotten the vets to agree is thyroid issues and allergies. For a while, things were great. her weight leveled out, the chronic ear infections stopped, her fur stopped feeling greasy and gross, we’ve…mostly gotten her to stop peeing on things. but the one thing we could never solve were her eyes. the vet said it was her eyelashes, inverting and causing her pain and irritati”

“My kitty needs help. I’m hoping someone can crack the case for us. Nox, female, 5yrs, fixed, indoor only (pics in comments) We have seen 4 different vets, done all the tests and nothing has worked. Below is a summary of what we have tried. 2 yrs ago - noticed a red rash on her belly. Seemed from over grooming. Vet prescribed her ZD Hills food and gave her a steroid shot. Slightly better but came back. 4 months later - rash has grown to be her full belly and is red. Went back to vet, they prescri”

“⁠Species: • ⁠Age:12 • ⁠Sex/Neuter status:female, not spayed • ⁠Breed: pit bull mix • ⁠Body weight: 70ish • ⁠History: none • ⁠Clinical signs: swollen eyelid • ⁠Duration: 8 hours • ⁠Your general location: Georgia USA Found her with a swollen eyelid this morning, had my mom put a warm rag on it softly throughout the day. Not sure what to do, don’t have any extra money to take her to a vet right now. Any advice appreciated. https://imgur.com/a/0nPIJpz link with most recent pictures submitted b”

“Hi was wondering if anyone knew why vets cant prescribe antibiotics to animals unless they see them. My cat went to the vets with a wound on his face and was infected they gave him antibiotics and we was on our way but hes diabetic so the wound didnt full heal at the end as takes longer to heal with diabetics so asked for more and they said they cant unless they physically see him but he panics every time he goes, he poops a couple of times and looks unhealthy poop and pees everywhere and hes a”

“I'm in a small town in Alberta Canada. Found him at around 3am in a parking lot and he seems to have broken/hurt feet. The earliest a normal vet is open is 9am around me unless I call them for an emergency. Right now he is in my spare bathroom with wet food and water within reach, and a litter box that I don't think he can climb into because of his busted legs. Is it OK to wait 5-6 hours for the vet to open or is this an emergency call type situation? The cat seems to be well taken care”

“hello! my name is jess and i have a fur baby by the name of ellie. she is three years old, and before i jump into the stressor, i do want to say that i have scheduled a vet visit for next week for her (the rest of the days were booked out) i also have a video of her coughing fit to show the vet. i suspect my baby may have asthma or bronchitis. this started about 4-5 days ago i’d say, of her having these coughing fits. she’s never thrown up a hairball and she’s the first kitty i’ve ever had, so i”

“me and my boyfriend (both 18) adopted a rescue kitten together who was previously a stray. she is underweight and very sick, everything was good at first except for a bloated tummy but we took her to the vet and got tests done and it was not worms or parasites. I then noticed eye discharge and sneezing and now shes lethargic and overall in bad shape. we are taking her to the vet to get to the bottom of it but the bill will be around 1k and who knows how much treatment will end up being. its star”

“Hello everyone, I have 2 cats. We found out that they have some autoimmune problems. We aren't sure about the reasons or the next steps as it is quite new. However, cat foods our vet suggests will become far out of our budget in the upcoming months. We can manage for a few but it's not sustainable. They had some skin problems in their paws and their mouth so we switched to hypoallergenic food but they are very very expensive. Is there any other solutions you can suggest? I'm at my wi”

“My German shepherd has a mass on one of his paws right on top of the dewclaw. My vet (who doesn’t do surgeries) said it could be a complicated mass removal case due to the likelihood the dewclaw might need to be removed with the mass. Looking for a recommended specialist in the Vancouver/Portland area who could do the surgery without breaking the bank. First specialist quoted 4-6k and I’ve found that each initial consult for specialist is $100-$200 so jumping from clinic to clinic for one is har”

“I've had my vet for 8 years, she comes to the house and was great with my cats when they were alive. Very gentle, very sensitive to their needs, very patient and takes time with us. Now we have a 13 week old mini poodle. She came for his vaccination update today and told me he doesn't need to be napping in his pen anymore, doesn't need as many naps, I shouldn't use a dremel on his nails (she then proceeded to show me how to clip his nails and made a nail bleed). She also told me”

“I took my cat to ER vet Thursday night because I was afraid of the dehydration since she threw up 2x the day before and 4x when I got home (I didn't wait for vet appt the next day because I was too scared of how much she been throwing up). Fast forward, they diagnosis her with gastro-enteritis. Took her home Saturday looking fine and she moving better but Sunday morning found out she threw up 3x in the night and took her back. Went back to ER vet and they added Escophagitis and Sliding Hiata”

“I have a 15 year old cat who's always been a little strange. We got her as a kitten from some random person selling their litter. As long as I can remember she's overeaten / thrown up often, and is generally wobbly / uncoordinated. She's got a lump that's attached on the outside of her stomach, but I can touch it and move it around without it bothering her or seeming like it's painful. It's not stopping her from doing anything, and she's carrying on like she normally”

“We have a kitty with seizures and chronic UTIs. He's had surgery, overnight stays, catheters, you name it. When we have to take him to an urgent vet because our normal vet is closed, they always itemize every procedure and test and medication for us so we know what we're in for price-wise. Sometimes we have to weigh the cost with the urgency and prioritize what we take care of. So my question is, because I have a lot of anxiety about this, are the staff looking at me like I'm a terri”

“I don't have the financial resources right now, and I'm looking for options or assistance in my city. • Age: ~10 years (Senior Cat) • Weight: 6.5 kg • Duration of symptoms: 4 days (since Thursday, August 4) • Reproductive status: Neutered • Male • Symptoms: ◦ Initial vomiting after eating dry food and a hairball. ◦ Complete refusal to eat dry food and drink from his usual water bowl. ◦ Accepts wet food and drinks water only from the faucet. ◦ Behavioral changes: Very clingy/affectionate”

“https://imgur.com/a/u8EhRkH My grandma’s cat came home today with severe abdominal injuries. From the pictures it looks like as if someone had tried to cut her open :( I’m not close to where she lives and it’s the weekend most clinics are closed. If she does take the cat to ER service, could an injury like this be healed? Or should the cat be put down? For those that recommend an ER visit, roughly how much money should my grandma bring? submitted by /u/East-Fair [link] [comment”

“Hi, I will continue to fight for her, I just wanted some insight since I’m having issues finding a decent vet after moving to Eastern Europe from a Western country. I apologize that it’s long, I’m trying to be thorough. - 5 year old, spayed female cat, shorthair mix rescue - Past and ongoing issues have been contact dermatitis, which she was on Atopica for. - She IS obese at 13lbs, we are on a diet now - Beginnings of arthritis in both front elbows - About 5 months ago, after our move, she start”

“Like the title says. I got an 11 month Aussie who is blind from what looks now to be a TBI from being hxt by a car. I say that bc at the vet we ruled out any eye diseases and we are waiting on nuero eval. She’s a stray so god knows her pre-existing conditions, but I know her blindness or tbi prob wouldn’t be covered. For background: she was picked up by ACS injured from a car accident and starving. That’s the extent we know. The shelter didn’t even realize she was blind and chalked her off behav”

“I have a 1yr old female mixed breed that’s about 60-70 lbs and we are in Texas. She has had really horrible allergies that cause her to be itchy and as a result develops scabs and hair loss. I feel like we’ve tried every route and nothing is working. Is there anything else we can do? List of things I can think of right now that we have done: -We’ve done 4 cytopoint shots, and every shot it seems to work less and less. -Changed food from chicken to salmon -put like a high omega salmon oil in with”

“My cat is 3 years old and has been diagnosed with ccs it’s a skin cancer. The surgery to get it removed it’s 1.7k I don’t have that money it’s so much money. She doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong with her she doesn’t act any differently. I’m so stuck because if she looked like she had a poor quality of life I’d be more able to put her to sleep yk like i wouldn’t want her to suffer. But she seems completely fine and idk what to do. I love her so very much I’m so stuck and defeated. Please”

“Hi everyone, I recently submitted a post here about my two cats and their spay which turned into an unwarranted exploratory surgery on both of them without my consent. Though this is a separate concern. Today, I had taken one of my cats back to the vet because her wound had been leaking puss and after calling the vet I was told to bring her in. They gave her an antibiotic through a shot after they had learned it was infected and then gave me oral medicine to give her twice a day, Though the medi”

“I’m kind of freaking out here. I live on disability, and I’ve been saving for my dog’s yearly physical and immunizations. I also wanted her seen because she’s been licking her paws constantly. I tried putting socks on her, but she takes them off. And yesterday she wiggled out of the cone a couple times. Last week I called to make an appointment and the soonest they could get me in was tomorrow. Well, in that time, her feet have gotten really bad. I suspect that she has some kind of fungal infect”

“Yes I have a sick cat I have been turned away 2 times at the vet for no doctor being there, my friend is a vet assistant and said his symptoms sounds like anemia because fleas have gotten on him and he's an inside cat all my cats are. Question will tuna help raise his iron till I can get him into the other vet at 3 tomorrow? Please help I'm so worried the vet's office that turned me away done me the same way when my old cat passed they didn't have a doctor and told me to leave &#”

“Hello I want to start this off by saying I don't have enough money for a vet check. My mama cat and papa cat are strays I rescued and I've never taken them to the vet for check ups, vaccines, and neutering/spaying because I don't have much. However, they've been the sweetest and the most adorable and basically just normal cats. Right now, they have a 2nd litter of kittens. 3 kittens. And my mama cat was normal with the 1st litter (they've been adopted.) As of today, the 3 kit”

“so yesterday i noticed a lump on the side of my dogs neck, me and my family thought it was a bee sting at first, waited for it to go down. Well, it didn't go down and now its bleeding some. Since I cant submit a picture, ill try to describe it best i can. It looks like what a bee sting might be right under his ear and a little back, its solid and doesn't seem to hurt him when we touch it, only pain seems to be coming from the slight sore and bloody part on it. Can someone please let me k”

“My dog (lab, collie mix, 24lbs, 9 years old) had a strange rash and swelling yesterday. The vet office didn't have any openings until next week so I had to drop her off so they could fit her in between appointments. When I was able to pick her up, they informed me that she struggled a lot with being held belly up for x-rays. Only after we got home did I notice her limping badly. Today she still is limping a bit. I'm assuming she strained herself flailing and being be held down. I'm n”

“Looking for some help with knowing what this is and what I can do or buy to help heal this as I dont have a ton of money to go to the vet ATM. submitted by /u/NotSoAvgJoeRo [link] [comments]”

“We brought our 7 year old kitty to the emergency vet today because he hadn’t defecated for 3 days and was beginning to look bloated. The emerg vet did an X Ray of him and said that it looks like he has developed Megacolon and performed an enema on him (he did go at the vet yay) and prescribed him Lactulose (every 12 hours) and Cisapride (every 6-8 hours). When we brought him home he was certainly ravenous and ate his food and then some and he has defecated once (small) but since we gave him the”

“I shouldn’t be as concerned because it isn’t necessary my cat but, my other family’s American shorthair (male) got a little wound and it looks quite inflamed, he’s mostly an outdoor cat and comes home occasionally and it doesn’t seem like he’s limping, or at least for now, i’ve just seen him after a long period of his absence. Maybe he got into a fight, got hurt but just to be sure. I can’t take him to the vet because he technically isn’t my responsibility, but i just saw him after a long time a”

“My 5-year-old cat has always been very healthy. The only time I’ve ever had to take her to the vet was for something very simple. We take great care of her and love her so much. Last night, I noticed she seemed uncomfortable. She kept going to her litter box and trying to pee, but she couldn’t. She was still playing, active, and acting mostly normal, but I was very worried. I called an emergency vet, and they immediately asked for money upfront. The truth is, I don’t have the money right now. I”

“So I put him in the carrier to bring him to the emergency vet, and he peed in the carrier in the car. I went back home because I honestly can’t afford a huge vet bill. Do you think he’s okay? He’s acting completely normal and still eating He is around 6/7 years old, he is FIV+ I have a previous post from a few hours ago with more detail • ⁠Species: cat • ⁠Age: 6/7 years • ⁠Sex/Neuter status: male, neutered • ⁠Breed: orange tabby • ⁠Body weight: 18 lbs • ⁠History: FIV+ • ⁠Your general location: N”