# Can't afford vet care :( suggestions?



## tizzie (May 8, 2011)

I recently got a 2 year old hedgehog named Winchester (Winnie). His previous owner had a job that offered very little free time and she wanted to find him a home with someone who could pay more attention to him. When I got him he had an eye infection, but I was told it would go away. After weeks of it getting worse and 3 extremely expensive vet visits, it's been determined that he will probably need his eye removed  which costs over $1000. I am a college student and do not have the funds for this but I love him so much! I would really like to keep him. Does anyone know of any kind of help I can get for payments?

Otherwise would you suggest that I put him down?  He doesn't seem to be in too much pain but his eye looks really awful and I don't know if I'd be able to find him a new home with someone who'd be willing to take on all of his vet bills.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

The Hedgehog welfare society will take him http://hedgehogwelfare.org/


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Okay, there are a few things I have to address.

First, I commend you for taking in a pet who wasn't receiving the care and treatment he deserved. And I understand how quickly these little hedgies burrow into your heart 

I am also a college student. A month or two ago, my little Regina had some poop problems that required vet visits, tests, and medicine, which came to over $300 in total. It was expensive, but completely worth it, and I would have spent more if needed. I don't make a ton of money at my on-campus job, so I had to adjust my financial priorities for a while. I put off buying something expensive I had been planning on buying so I could make sure Regina was okay.

One of the things you have to consider when taking in any animal is that there may be unexpected situations, like this one. You have to be willing ahead of time to pay for any medical care or surgery that may be needed. It's something a lot of people don't consider until after the problem has occurred, and then the poor animals are made to suffer because their owners didn't realize that owning a pet might be expensive.

Now, your situation is a little more difficult. You took Winchester in because you saw that he needed more time and care, and it's a wonderful thing that you did. But you made a commitment to this little sweetie, and you should follow through completely.

I don't know what your situation is, but is there anything you could do without for a while? Anything you don't mind giving up to pay for the surgery?

I would not put any animal down unless I had done everything possible to make it better, and there was no other alternative because the animal was in so much pain that it got no joy out of life anymore. You say Winchester is not in too much pain. You should not even consider putting him down because you say you can't afford to pay for the surgery. Many vets understand that money is tight and offer payment plans. There is no reason for an innocent hedgie to be put to sleep because money is too tight.

Some people may disagree with me, but I believe that there is practically no situation in which it is acceptable to make an animal suffer or die because money is tight. I'm sorry if I come off too strong, but I am very passionate about this. Money, or lack thereof, is not an excuse.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

Different vets charge different amounts. I'd suggest calling around and seeing if you could find a vet that was more reasonable, or one that offered a payment plan.

The original owner probably knew it was a serious problem and rehomed him rather than spend the money to have it treated. Otherwise, I'd suggest contacting her and seeing if she'd be able to help in any way.

Don't feel like you're a bad person because you're having trouble affording this. Anyone who thinks a college student should be able to afford an unlimited animal care budget probably has a parent who pays her bills. $1000 is not a reasonable amount to plan to spend on animal care a month or two after you adopt an animal. I love my pets, but I would seriously consider having one put down rather than spend $1000 on surgery.

Maybe you could describe the medications that were prescribed and see if anyone here has experience with them or that particular problem, or if anyone has had to have a hedgehog's eye removed, they could post what they paid for the surgery. Find out what's reasonable and shop around for a different vet. Some are caring and reasonable, others are only in it for the money and make up all kinds of ridiculous charges.


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Judi said:


> Anyone who thinks a college student should be able to afford an unlimited animal care budget probably has a parent who pays her bills.


Or perhaps she holds strong beliefs, is fiscally responsible, and knows where her priorities lie. And perhaps her parents taught her from a young age to be informed ahead of time and follow through on her commitments, whether they're to people or animals.



Judi said:


> I love my pets, but I would seriously consider having one put down rather than spend $1000 on surgery.


That's unfortunate. I don't consider animals to be disposable once they become sick or costly, especially if they aren't suffering and possibly still have happy years ahead of them.

@tizzie: Hedgehogs have very weak eyesight to begin with. Life without an eye would be practically no different for Winchester than it is now. Please do not put him down because you can't afford it. LarryT is right, the Hedgehog Welfare Society could help you if you really need it.


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## Darth Vader (Sep 8, 2008)

I understand that things are tight money wise, but its not fair to the hedgehog to have it put down for something that can be fixed. A lot of vets will work with people as far as costs. Please explore all your options and worst case, place the hedgehog with someone that can pay to have the surgery done.


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## tizzie (May 8, 2011)

@ReginasMommy, I realize that I should have been prepared for something like this, but honestly I thought I was. I researched hedgehogs and possible illnesses for a long time before I got him and this is a pretty rare case. I have no problem with Winchester having his eye removed, I know it would only benefit him, but I have already spent over $1000 in vet bills and medicines and literally have no money left.

@Judi, thank you for the advice and being so understanding. The previous owner has helped with some of the vet bills, but ultimately he is my responsibility now.

@Larry, thank you, that seems like my best option.


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## gpmo (Jul 12, 2010)

There is also a program called Care Credit, it is a no to low interest credit card that can be used for vet bills as well as human health care (only purpose of credit line is for health care costs). They have pretty lenient lending practices and most people qualify. You can apply online, and many veterinarians accept Care Credit. Hope everything works out for you both!


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

gpmo said:


> There is also a program called Care Credit, it is a no to low interest credit card that can be used for vet bills as well as human health care (only purpose of credit line is for health care costs). They have pretty lenient lending practices and most people qualify. You can apply online, and many veterinarians accept Care Credit. Hope everything works out for you both!


I was going to suggest something like this too. It's a huge amount to pay out at once (I am a grown woman with a 40 hr a week job and cannot conceive of having $1000 to spare all at once) but if you had some kind of payment plan set up with your vet or through a credit card like this, it would make the burden much easier to bear.


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

I agree with pretty well everything Judi mentioned. I think it's an excellent idea to phone around to different vet clinics to get pricing. I know where I live vet clinincs really vary in their prices. A long shot would be going through a university vet program or trying to get help possible through a humane society in your city. It's all worth looking into


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

tizzie said:


> @ReginasMommy, I realize that I should have been prepared for something like this, but honestly I thought I was. I researched hedgehogs and possible illnesses for a long time before I got him and this is a pretty rare case. I have no problem with Winchester having his eye removed, I know it would only benefit him, but I have already spent over $1000 in vet bills and medicines and literally have no money left.


I'm sorry I came off harshly. It's just that I've come across a number of people who don't want to spend any money at all and would let the animal suffer, so I usually just automatically assume the worst. $1000 is a ton of money, and of course you can't know everything ahead of time. It's obvious that you care about him a lot.

Any time I see something about someone possibly putting down an animal that could be saved, I get pretty worked up. I've always had a soft spot for helpless animals, and my parents give me a hard time about spending money on Regina the way I do. It just kills me to think of a poor, innocent animal being put down unnecessarily.

I wish you guys both the best of luck. Please keep us posted as to how Winchester is doing.


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

Darth Vader said:


> I understand that things are tight money wise, but its not fair to the hedgehog to have it put down for something that can be fixed. A lot of vets will work with people as far as costs. Please explore all your options and worst case, place the hedgehog with someone that can pay to have the surgery done.


If you have vets that will take payment plans, that's fantastic. I have never met one here that does. It sure would make life simpler.I know I have had to take one of the two dogs in at different times and it is all pretty expensive.
Doubly fantastic for the hedgehog welfare society to pitch in


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I have had several surgeries done on hedgehogs, most run between $300-500. I have had only 1 that cost more than $500 and it was $1,000. But that was with a specialist and the surgery was a very delicate procedure. The four surgeries we had done last year all cost around $350 each. All were tumor removals and 3 of them were fairly difficult or delicate surgeries due to the tumors location.

Most hedgehog eye removal surgery costs I have seen have been within the $300-500 range. I have seen $1,000 quoted before, for hedgehogs and other animals. Ask your vet what the $1,000 includes. Usually when I've seen that high amount it is because they are including a pathology, CBC panel, and various other tests. While the tests are good to have done, some often are considered optional and can be removed. You just won't find out what exactly was happening. 

If the $1,000 doesn't include a lot of extra tests, I highly recommend calling around to other veterinarians. Veterinary costs can greatly vary even within the same city. You may even post where you are located for recommendations.


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

I am in agreement that I would never have a animal "put down" unless their quality of life was at risk. Surgery yes can be expensive but I don't think that putting him down is in his best interests when he will still have a great quality of life after the eye removal.

We have a girl who went through exactly this she is now completely blind with the loss of one eye completely and her other eye intake but completely no sight from it. She does amazingly well and gets around better than most of our sighted hedgehogs. Hedgehogs use there smell and hearing the most to get them by.

There are quite a few vets in the states (if this is where your from) that will help and work with you on a payment plan. As for contacting the HWS, I think they will be a good option as well if they can help you out. Calling around is a very good option to as I know for most eye surgeries it is under the $500 mark in the US. They could quite possibly be adding other things on top such as testing to find out what the possible cause was.


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