Vet Bills Force Pet Owners to Skip or Delay Care

“Meatloaf is 17 spayed female Maine coon I took her to the vet Friday morning because when I woke up that morning the entire left side of her face was, and still is, paralyzed. She cannot blink, she cannot move her ear, she cannot move her lips. The vet said she had a severe middle ear infection and the build up of blood was pushing on nerves in her face. The vet cultured the blood and pus in her ear, said she would send it to the lab to find out the exact bacteria, then give her antibiotics to f”

“This is my daughter’s cat’s belly. She cannot afford taking her to a vet at this time and she’s waiting to hear back from rescue or low-cost programs in the meantime what can we do. The cat is otherwise in great health. Eating, drinking, playful and sleeping well. It looks really bad. Any vets or cat specialists can offer any guidance from here I understand all disclaimers and waive any kind of liability. I just want to help my daughter help her cat. To all of the ppl wondering this is our first”

“Hi everyone! First off, I wouldn't be here if I had vet money. I may next month, but I'm doing my best on my own right now. My baby is a 6yo pittie mix. He's 60lbs, up to date on all vaccines and flea meds. We've dealt with skin allergies, which are now controlled since we've avoided wheat, corn, and chicken. Now that context is out of the way, he's been having shoulder issues. He initially hurt it jumping into a tall car last summer, and he fell and strained something in”

“I’m not sure how these are cost, but he was not using a harness, his elbow pad also came back inflamed, which happens when he lays on a hard surface for a while. Trying to understand what causes these they are right under the armpit. https://imgur.com/a/wJ64CM7 submitted by /u/jim_1986 [link] [comments]”

“It's not really the greatest timing for it to happen. I did bring her to the first vet visit and got some oral meds and eye drops for her. Now they want me to do the surgery next and pay $500-800 with no payment plan and 100% of the fee up front! I was just about to finish paying off some traffic court fees that has taken me far too long to pay off already. I get it that my dog comes first and my dog means the world to me more than anyone else on earth but she's even worse off if I end u”

“I'm posting because I'm incredibly scared and need someone to help me understand that our internal medicine doctors approach makes sense for a cat with heart issues. Our sweet 10yr old blind boy Scooter had an ultrasound Saturday after being rushed to the ER that revealed thickening and inflammation affecting his stomach and gastrointestinal loops/slightly inflamed lymph nodes. He also has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, elevated proBNP, heart murmur, mild interventricular septal thickening”

“I'm honestly at a loss here and hoping someone might be familiar with these symptoms. I know this is a long post, but the more detail the better I suppose! I have a 7.5-year-old male mutt (pitbull/lab/foxhound mix), neutered, & 72lb. We moved to North Carolina about 4 years ago and ever since, he's developed seasonal skin allergies during the spring/summer. This year has been by far the worst. He's been on Apoquel for about 2.5 years which helped previously, but this year it seem”

“Hello everyone! 🥺🐾 I’m humbly asking for help and advice po regarding my cat. Unfortunately, I can’t afford a veterinary checkup and laboratory tests at the moment. Is there any veterinarian here who would be willing to offer some free advice or guidance? My cat is a 1-year-old male Persian . He actually came into our house one day as a stray and never left. When he first arrived, he was very dirty, had several wounds, and was already sick. We decided to take him in and care for him. Thankfull”

“The situation: My cat has jaundice and diagnosis is still a mystery, we have a ultrasound scheduled for Monday, we went to the er and a animal hospital which leaves me with a pretty big bill(800 for er and 500 left for the ultrasound) I left a 200$ deposit for the ultrasound Saturday and another 200 for iv fluid with mirataz for his appetite to take home. I live in nyc, am 19 living with my parents, dad’s unemployed and moms working full time with a lot of money issues. I’m a home health aid and”

“My cat that's around 7 months now has ear mites and scabies, my mom took her to a better a 2 or 3 weeks ago, the vet said that We'd need to visit her again on October 9, but my mom still hasn't gone because she's feels like my cat might die from a post she saw on FB. im getting really concerned because my cat no longer has a fever and has been getting better but I've been noticing that my cat as been trying to scratch her ears a lot (she has a cone on) so I remembered that we”

“Im 17 and i live alone funded by the local aurthories is there also any way to make it less because i dont think i can afford it if hes broken his leg -16weeks -male not neutered -black shorthair -idk his weight hes little - idk his history but since with me hes been ok - limping on back leg and refusing to put any weight on it -maybe a few hours i hust got home -northampton england submitted by /u/Upstairs_One9151 [link] [comments]”

“Country: United States Vet info: there are emergency vets nearby but i dont know how expensive it will be. Main Issue: cat has mucus discharge from both nostrils, watery eyes and is mouth breathing Cat Age: about 1 Cat Sex + neuter info: boy & not neutered Financial situation: not great :/ I have a colony of stray kitties in our complex and one of them seem to be getting sick. They’re probably around 1 year old and weigh around 5-7 lbs. The one that im concerned about has watery eyes, mucus”

“hello my cat keeps closing her eye!! i don’t know why this is and the vet can’t see her till next week!! should i take her to a emergency vet??? it’s watering but she doesn’t cry or anything…she licks her paw and rubs it but nothing indicative of pain! but she’s a very quiet cat!!! i can’t tell if she’s in pain or not female cat, orange, 1(almost 2) years, spayed, just got rabies shot like a week ago! (maybe this is the reason??) located in reno nv, symptoms started 3 days ago! submitted b”

Might be worth a trip to the vet, just to be safe! [re: Am I screwed?]

“So for a while now, probably since 2025, my dog has had random issues with his skin. Yes he's been to the vet, no we haven't looked into anything other than a standard treatment of antibiotics and steroids. In summer 2025, he started presenting himself with severe what look like hot spots. We assumed it was possible mange, ticks, fleas, etc but turns out everything seems to be negative including heart worm. He had successfully completed a round of steroids and ABs in 2025. Thereafter thi”

“Hello. My Pug (8 - female - neutered - 9.3kg) recently got an eye infection and we took her to the vet. She had a small bump (swelling - wart-like) on her eyelid. They recommended antibiotics, and the vet squeezed the wart a bit and got some fluid out. He said it was blocking the tear canal, so if it got bigger, I should try to squeeze it gently myself. This was a month ago and the infection got rid of, but the wart kept getting bigger. I tried to squeeze it and nothing came out, just a bit of b”

“My 5 year old staffy mix (approx. 60lbs) has a sore of some type on his belly. Took him to my vet that he has gone to for several years and they said he needs a biopsy. The biopsy is prohibitively expensive and doesn't even get any treatment done. * Species: dog * Age: 5 * Sex/Neuter status: M/neutered * Breed: staffy mix * Body weight: 60 lbs * History: has been a tri-paw (rear right leg missing) since age 1 * Clinical signs: not sure what to put here * Duration: 4 months * Your general loc”

“Hi everyone I have a couple of 2 year olds healthy male brothers. My question is about the vet visits. Last year, I took them to the vet for vaccination and a check up and the vet told me I wouldn't need to go every year because they are indoor cats. I was a bit surprised but he told me I could extend it (not sure if he says 3 or 4 years) but I'm a bit unsure of it to be honest. What's is your opinion about it? Thank you submitted by /u/issoequeerabom [link] [commen”

“14yr old 21lb female indoor cat, lives with its mom and adopted little sister, the image is here. submitted by /u/Agitated_Ear7421 [link] [comments]”

“I got a call from my mom this morning that our family cat was in the emergency room (I no longer live at home but adore him regardless). He was in there for several hours and had been sick for days before and seeing the vet..., from what I heard on the phone he was lethargic and not eating. The situation now is that everything is dilated and though they dont know for sure what is wrong the woman my mom was speaking to suggested a surgery to see if there was an obstruction, though she said he&#39”

“Hello, We have consulted with the vets and they told us my dog has gotten an insect bite on his hind leg, we can't afford the treatment and my dog ended up chewing off the hair and ripping his skin open so it's formed a wound. We have tried spraying both antimicrobial spray & saline solutions and he now walks around with what we like to call a donut ( an inflatable collar), It was getting better and healing well until I found him licking it again as he managed to turn the collar arou”

“Hi everyone!!! i took my girl to a new vet yesterday because they have $25 first visits; ive had her since February this year and we took her to the Banfeild inside of petsmart and she was fine! she was also spayed and i believe thats why she reacted the way she did. she was growing and hissing at everyone including me and it broke my heart, they didnt even want to take her out of her carrier. She was given liquid gabapentin for her next visit and i was told to put it in her wet food, the night”

“https://imgur.com/a/QIKUQVR Cat had this for a couple of days and it shows not sign of scabbing. Should I take it so the vet for this or it takes more time? Also I read online triple antibiotic is not harmful to cats, should I place a little bit on the wound if I let it scab naturally so it does not get infected? submitted by /u/KasumiKeiko [link] [comments]”

“She just had a little water this morning so far. It's 1pm and I can't get her to eat lr drink more water. She got bit, and there's a puncture next to her bits; a gash where the skin lifted a little and is open. I wouldve thought shed get at least one stitch. What now? Im concern. Should I force food or water down in order to give her the pills? One said to administer before food (or with, they said it didnt matter, but preferably before). Should I give her the one medicine, eveb thou”

“Hi guys my cat bean has had eye issues in the five years since I’ve got her and I’m so confused she’s had blood tests and poop tests and they always come back fine so I wanted to see if anyone knows what’s going on? It also fluctuates so quickly like day by day but in the first photo I’m putting in an image of it at its worst with the weird red line that appears above her eyes and what I think is blood? Also her eyes are just very very watery sometimes! Then I’m putting in an image of how it loo”

“Looking for advice on how to handle situations where vet clinics perform unauthorized tests and exceed discussed cost limits. How do you protect your budget while ensuring your dog gets proper care? submitted by /u/2daytrending [link] [comments]”

“LUMP* This lump grew in my cats chin once before so I hadn’t surgically removed, but couldn’t afford the biopsy at the time (already $1000 procedure and I’m trying to pay my way through college). Then it came back. I’ve been to 4 different vets and none of them have a clue what it could be, but all agree it’s probably not cancer considering my cats behavior hasn’t changed at all, nor his appetite. And not enough cells came out of the needle aspiration test to diagnose it. We’ve be going a topica”

“I met her 4 days ago after a call about a cat that was extremely sick and had a wound on her belly. She was skin and bones. Took her to the vet, Xrays were done, basic blood test as well: they said there are 3 mammary tumours, metastasis has occured - can be visible a bit in her lungs, and her WBC is very high. Since she was severely dehydrated, they gave her some IV. Then they gave me 3 options: Start with antibiotics, check if the infection has reduced after 7-10 days Surgery now but risk of h”

“I'm going to start off by saying I was able to call the vet and get my boy in for a vet appointment first thing tomorrow morning. My boy is an 11 year old neutered mutt around 68-70 lbs. We're on the mid Atlantic area. I just noticed a new dime size growth on his side. The fur around it had been licked which suggests to me that he may be having some discomfort with it. He does have some small warts and larger skin tags but those are all more skin toned whereas this new growth is red, fir”

“My senior dog has severe allergies and a few weeks back began having issues opening an eye. We usually only take him to the vet when it’s absolutely necessary because he doesn’t do well and always has to be sedated prior to and they usually sedate him there. It’s getting too risky with his age to be constantly sedating him. Nevertheless, we took him to the vet and he wouldn’t let the vet get close to his eye to put the fluorescent drops in. She sent us home with antibiotics and eye gel. This see”

“The Cat from my Grandma has something in her Eye after fighting with another cat or somehow injured her eye, Now there's a foreign body floating around in her eye, she is crying from that eye and is trying to close it My Vet is opening Tommorrow at 9pm, can this wait till tomorrow? The cat is 3 years, female, neutered submitted by /u/Birthday-Nervous [link] [comments]”

“i recently adopted a kitty from the humane society. she has a few health problems, but my main concern is that they said she may have trouble using the bathroom. come a few days later and she is having problems. since i just got insurance, it’s a 14 day wait to cover illnesses. my question is, how much will i have to pay? does it even matter that it was pre-existing, or is it all on me? thanks! submitted by /u/Kitchen_Remove5911 [link] [comments]”

“I'll try to keep this as short as possible. Backcound context: 19 1/2 year old spayed female cat. Got her at 10 1/2. This January I moved to a new place due to my old place being awful to say the least. Pretty much right away, my cat did NOT do well. She had (me assuming and extensive googling) dementia symptoms: howling, forgetfulness(this one seems a little on going with forgetting where I am sometimes), pacing, aloofness, change in normal behavior; from a huge snugglebug to snuggling sign”

“Hey, I'm just seeking advice because I'm getting anxious. My cat is turning 14 soon, and she's our family cat, since I'm currently living with my parents. She's an outdoor cat and my dad constantly lets her outside, even at night. Recently for these past few weeks, we noticed a shift in behaviour of her. Her breathing seemed to be a bit faster. She can run fast, but also she has been laying down more, and she's naturally really cuddly and still will cuddle with me, but se”

“The title is the extremely short version of the long. Here’s the long: My cat has had swelling under his right eye for about a year and a half. I’ve monitored it, taken him to our local (and beloved, but old school country) vet several times. We’ve had antibiotics— liquid Clindamycin, he had a dental cleaning last November, vet said there was a lot of plaque and tartar build up and it was irritating his gums, thus causing the swelling. Great! Amazing! Should clear up! And it did. For a little. B”

“dog is a shitzu I think, been on an iv drip for 3 days now, owner doesnt know what the vet prescribed or gave it, some antiparasite, been to the vet 2 or 3 times. condition has deteriorated, but was sitting upright earlier today, now struggling breathing and not very responsive. https://imgur.com/a/03Uy85V well this was just awful timing, she passed. just 30 min ago she was sitting upright bobbling looking at me kinda. What was going on with her eyes, why didnt the anti-parasitic work? but to fo”

“hello! i have had to make my kitten an appointment to get spayed at my hometown vet, which is an hour and a half drive away from my college town. my college town vet was just too expensive for me ($780 for a spay, it’s insane). her appointment is on a thursday, and my dad will be coming to me to get her on the wednesday before. i won’t be able to be with her because i have my internship here that i can’t miss any days of. would she be okay to be driven back to me on thursday after her spay? i al”

“Hi, my pet Daisy (female GSD, 5 years) has been experiencing certain skin issues. The images in the link would do a better job of explaining the symptoms Prescription also attached. Also, I need an opinion as to whether this is a case of allergies or infection or both. Species - GSD Age - 5 years Sex - female Neutered - No Body Weight - 35 kg Location - Bengaluru, India History - nothing major Clinical signs - balding patches all over the body specially the elbows on the front legs. Duration - 2”

“I’ve never posted here before, I usually just lurk but I logged back into this account cause I’m so scared and this is urgent I’ve had my girl for 10 years now, she just turned ten this year and I found out recently that her foot has been injured and I have no idea how, I can guess it’s been because of excessive licking is what other forums and sights have said, but it’s at the bottom of her foot and it’s open and fresh, I had no idea she was in pain she hasn’t been limping, she’s still be layin”

“My friends dog has weird eyes (they are red on the inner corners with mucus and blocks part of his eye.) and coughs in the morning especially. Should they be taken to the emergency? I'm worried. Species: Not sure, they are white, medium sized and brown spots. Floppy ears and a medium snout. Age: 4-5 years Sex/Neuter status: Male, Neutured Body weight: not sure. Over 7 lbs for sure History: hasn't ever happened before. Clinical signs: red on the inner corner and covers part of his eye, wh”

“my dog has always had sensitive skin (she has special food for it) and is a senior so no surprise she has skin tags, but recently (the past two or three months) they've gotten bigger and shes been scratching/licking and biting them until they bleed. she doesn't like it when I try to touch them, but still lets me. she hasn't been to the vet for a regular checkup in a couple of years, she's my parents dog so I don't really have a say in what happens to her, and never had the mo”

“Hi and welcome to my shit show My 6 year old fat cat fell off the ledge of our window inside and injured her front paw. After many vet visits (-$1500) they have diagnosed her with severe carpal luxation. I have emailed back and forth with the vet and the only treatment option they have provided me is having her joint fused unfortunately the surgery cost has been estimated at $7800 without hospitalization which is about $800 a day and rehab of course. Thats literally a damage deposit on a house.”

“I’m an adult in the US whose 1yr old male (neutered) cat is currently in the ER. I’ll try and keep this short. Note: Saturday morning he was completely normal. Sunday @ 4am we took him to ER due to diarrhea accident(noticed protein shake with caffeine was broke into), activity level drastically changed, no eating, and hiding. His vitals were fine and sent home with meds for nausea + diarrhea. By Monday we saw no improvement went to a vet. Blood test was taken, they were under impression that he”

“One of my cats has chronic pica, and gets diarrhea every so often. Everytime i ring or call or even talk to our vet in person I always get the impression they change the subject, talk over me, and never allow me to finish my questions in general. I'm really overprotective of my cats so of course I don't let anything slide. I've been to 2 different vets in our area and both have been dismissive about my concerns. This led me to do a Facebook post anonymously. I didn't add too much”

“I have made him an appointment, but it’s still going to be another week and a half for him to be seen. He’s a 2 year old domestic longhair, about 13lbs and was neutered/vaccinated when he was 3 months old. He is indoor only. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed one of his eyes was very red and irritated inside, sort of like what “cherry eye” looks like, then it went away after a day or two. But since then, he’s very squinty when the lights are on, and has some eye and nose crusties that were not present”

“We have three dogs that have recently caught fleas for the third time from our neighbors (duplex) who refuse to treat their cats with the proper medicine. I’m not trying to be cheap but when the costs come up to 200-300 ALONE in exam or visit fees it starts to get a little insane. Asking to see if there are any resources that will help us get what our pups need. submitted by /u/Echnobi [link] [comments]”

“My cats been seen by a vet because she has blood in her stool and has inappropriate peeing. She has a bright streak of blood after she poops. I sent in a fecal sample for around $130 and I called about the results after two weeks. They said they lost it. LMAO. How exactly do you misplace poop? She’s talking about doing a urinary sample instead and upcharging me for it. The vet never brought that up during the exam. You lose the fecal sample, and now you’re talking about doing a complete differen”

“tryna seek advice , my cat has a uti he had crystals, he taken him to the vet multiple times already but spend close to a band each time and I just don’t have the money anymore. Vets are so expensive, they recommended the prescription cat food and I’ve been feeding him that as well but he’s still straining, should I give it more time to see how he is or does anyone recommend any low cost vets in Chicago that would be less than $500 or anything I can do without going to the vet, help pls su”

“the area i'm from has poor veterinary services and the best one is extremely expensive so please try to help me as much as possible without taking him to the vet again. my kitten is 6months 10days old. male. has taken all of his vaccinations and he was supposed to have his second deworming and pests shots in four days. two weeks ago, we were in an incredibly stressful situation and left him alone for longer hours (12hours or so daily for three days) even if i left him food and water. he had”

“After reading some recent posts about food and kidney and urinary problems, as well as as astronomical, veterinary bills, I realized as someone without pet insurance and as someone with a pet that does not go to the vet. What are the important things that I am missing? She’s nine years old Ish female spayed and definitely got her first rounds or two or even three, but once she was an adult cat, I can’t control her or get her in a carrier. That’s a story for a whole other day and a whole other co”

“I’m just asking because several family members think I’m insane. I make good money (salaried, tenured professor) as does my partner. We have 4 adopted senior Persian cats. As you know, brachycephalic = vet bills, but we knew that going in. MRIs, specialist, etc. aren’t cheap. All of our Persians have had nostril opening surgeries, too. If it’s something I can’t pay out of pocket, I finance and pay it later. The specialist hospital joked that they should name a whole wing after us, lol. But I’ve”

“My 7 year old female dog has a rash (small red bumps) going across her belly and legs. I have pictures but this sub doesn't allow it. She is neutered (about 4 years ago) and I'm in Florida she is around 50 pounds and is a Catahula pit mix. submitted by /u/The_Athiest_cow_45 [link] [comments]”

“Hey guys, I really need some assistance. I noticed my bunnies eye was bulging more than his other eye and was looking strange in June of this year so I took him to the vet and she did a few eye tests. His invoice said they did these listed tests, Fluorescein Eye Stain, Tonometry, and Schirmer Tear Test. My vet said that she suspects it’s glaucoma. He had an eye pressure of 65 and it was supposed to be between 15-20. We started him on eye drops to reduce the pressure and then two weeks later went”

“My cat is towards the end of her pregnancy and started leaking clear fluid 2 days ago. Now tonight I’m noticing bleeding which I know isn’t normal. I don’t qualify for care credit or scratch because Im still rebuilding my credit from old fuck ups, and no vets are offering payment plans. I get paid in 2 days but I feel that may be too late. The life of the kittens are the least of my concern, I just need her to be ok. She’s eating, drinking, and walking around but she’s been in labor for entirely”

“My cat has started to lose patches of fur on his back so I took him to the vet they took his blood work and scanned him and everything came back clean bit yesterday morning he started scratching his ear and now its swollen so they told me to buy zymox but I have to wait until Monday to get any kind of of prescription because the vet that saw him is out for the weekend. My cat is indoors only and his sister is having no symptoms if mites or anything but im getting concerned. His energy levels are”

“we found this 3 month old kitten on the streets. we took her to the vet and did virus kits and blood test. everything was good other than the irritation in her eye and body. her eye had a virus but her body defeated the virus and we do ciplox eye drops for the wound to go away. the vet did two shots of antibiotics for her body infection and sneezing and runny nose. we also gave her a bath and parasite therapy and pills. she was fine for a week but since 2 days ago she hasnt eaten anything. she v”

“I recently posted about my 7mo old female puppy getting spayed and some post-op issues she was experiencing. It turns out she had a full blown intestinal obstruction that was completely unrelated to the spay. She ended up having to have surgery tonight to have it removed. We have a tricky road ahead, but the vet seems very optimistic about her recovery. Without pet insurance, this would have cost us $16,000. We would have either had to go into pretty severe debt to save her, or euthanize her. I”

“Hi, I am having some strong regrets about adopting a second cat. Some of it is relating to some ongoing medical issues. Is it OK to ask my vet for advice about this? submitted by /u/AdAccomplished12345 [link] [comments]”

“I've never posted on Reddit for help before, but someone recommended that I try here. I'm hoping to get some advice or guidance on what I should be asking my vet to investigate. I have two domestic shorthair cats, a brother and sister from the same litter. Both are spayed and neutered. They're about a year and a half old, adopted from a shelter about a year ago, and are both indoor cats. She is 10 lbs and he is 13lbs. Both cats were tested for FIV and were negative, and their mother”