Someone I know has a dog who has a slipped disc. The vet wants a deposit of £2.500 before he will operate. Some kind soul has told her that it's disgusting because if she was on benefit the vet wouldn't charge her. I thought if you were on qualifying benefits you could go to the PDSA for treatment. A friend of hers who is on benefit has offered to pretend the dog is hers, very naughty.
Does anyone know what the situation is please.
There is no NHS for dogs I'm afraid, you have to pay the bill yourself unless the vets operate a charitable scheme of their own. The PDSA may well be able to help, but I don't know.
I think the PDSA would only help if your friend was receiving benefits. I am not sure if they would consider doing an operation for a slipped disc anyway if the treatment was going to be so very expensive. Could your friend maybe shop around to see if their was treatment available for her dog at a better price or different treatment available elsewhere that could be effective. After all how many humans have slipped a disc and not had an operation and recovered? I hope your friend finds good treatment for her dog at a price she can afford.
Her & her partner both work so the PDSA won't do anything. I suggested speaking to a chiropractor which she said she will do & she is looking at homeopathy. She has a bee in her bonnet after being told people on benefit get free vet treatment. I don't think the dog has had an xray or scan.
Pdsa would probably not pay to sort out a slipped disc , we were told by our vet that the treatment they offer is very limited. Insurance is the only answer, but it is too late for that now.insurance is quite expensive as well. Ours also has a £90 excess. Sorry I could not be more helpful.
Quote from: grannyjanny on April 03, 2011, 20:51:34
She has a bee in her bonnet after being told people on benefit get free vet treatment.
People on benefits don't get free vet treatment.
Quote from: grannyjanny on April 03, 2011, 20:51:34
I don't think the dog has had an xray or scan.
I'd be surprised if the vets were to recommend such an expensive operation without such a basic preliminary investigation.
You could try Glucosamine Sulphate for dogs available from Simply Supplements.
http://www.simplysupplements.net/search.php?keyword=pets&go.x=18&go.y=10&go=Go
It can take a few weeks to work though.
My dog was having difficulty jumping up into the car and the vet said there was something wrong with her spine as when he touched the middle of her back she shivered.
He put her on expensive medication but when I looked it up on the web there was an element of danger attached to it. I was not happy about her taking it and put her on GS. That was over two years ago and since taking the supplement she is fine. I believe it alleviates the pain so could be worth a try.
The poor dog is paralysed. I called at the local vets & they said vets don't offer free treatment & even the PDSA expect large donations.
If the dog is paralysed I suspect all the PDSA would offer is to put the poor thing out of its misery. You could try the RSPCA and see if they know of anywhere (student vets??) who may be able to do the op.
My dog has currently got a problem with her spine.
She is a very active lurcher and somehow managed to twist her back so is in a fair bit of a state.
I. luckily have insurance - as the vet has been talking that down the line an operation or a steroid injection into the disc that is causing the problem could be an option. Mine is not immobile but it is difficult to keep her quiet and still.
We have not yet had an Xray or anything like that but I am dreading the prognosis if she doesn't respond to the current "rest" period.
If the dog is paralysed then the kindest thing is to have it put down regardless of expense. The PDSA do a really good job at helping some folk who don't have the the money either they are retired and very poor or unemployed. But to expect something for nothing when they are both working is not what it is about.
O B :(
My feelings too. A cat adopted us & we knew who the owner. She was attacked by a dog & the bill was well over £100 which we paid. We then spoke to the owner & suggested we took responsibility. She said when they saw her they tried to catch her but she just ran away ::). We then got her insured.
Poor dog. Hasnt your friend at least got the vet to give the dog some kind of pain medication? I am surprised that an op was sugested without even scaning or xraying the dogs spine. It may be that cage rest and antiinflamitory medicine could help. The thing that I would be very worried about is that the poor dog cant pass urine or feaces and would get bunged up leading to a burst bladder or bowel. Really he needs help now and if your friend cannot or will not find a vet to treat the poor dog than she should contact the RSPCA as he shouldnt be allowed to continue in so much pain with nothing being done. Sorry if that sounds a bit blunt but you know I am only thinking of the dog.
They emptied her bladder today. She hadn't passed urine since Friday ::). They have treated her in some way as the bill is going up daily but the £4.000 is needed for the big op which doesn't have any guarantee of success. There has been no mention of the dog being in pain but with a slipped disc humans are in agony. I think if she is they will be giving her pain relief.
I am a dog owner and do understand the trauma the owners are going through but £4.000 is extracting the urine, at the end of the day you have to work out the cost against the value would you spend this amount of money on a car with no guarantee it will ever work again, I know its a pet/friend/companion but there is a time to draw the line say sorry this is the end of the line we dont want you to suffer any more and drop the hammer, tears for a couple of days look in the paper and get a replacement.
Think of the dog, do the kind thing, sorry to be so blunt but really, what else can anyone do. They are with us for such a short time, vets take six years at least to qualify and still don't earn tons, they are not out to stun us just to be realistic. we can't expect anyone lto take on our pets needs. c'est la vie. Sad, but true.
My poor mum passed away 5 years ago and had paid 3 pounds a month to the RCPCA for 20 years. She was a true animal lover. I rang them when she died and asked if they could take her elderly cat. They did not want to know. There is no way I would give them another penny.
Hi - I have no idea if this will be of any help, but I have had a chiropractor work on animals with great success.
I had a great dane who was in great pain (I think the vet seemed to think it was heart trouble) but I noticed that when the dogs back was touched the pain came on, so I contacted the chiropractor I was using myself. He worked on the dog 2 or three times and it was fine, and went back to one of her favourite habits of jumping the stock fencing
I also had a sheep try to lamb in a ditch and twisted. Lamb died and sheep totally paralyzed from middle of back. Chiropractor came. One twitch on sheep's back and she got up and started grazing. Went on next year to lamb with twins unaided. I think the vet had offered to put her down.
This is a Linky (http://www.mctimoneychiropractic.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=1)
which might help
All the best
Sue
I spoke to my chiropractor last night & she is prepared to work on the dog. She does work on animals. The vet hasn't done an MRI scan until he knows the op is going ahead.
Seems rather odd to me, surely the scan should come first and then the decision whether or not to operate.
Lets hope the chiropractor does the job.
She has over 900 friends on facebook & one of them has suggested that each of her friends donate £2.00 each so a paypal account has been set up. I hope she gets her 2 other dogs insured ::).