Money Talks News lists what they call the 10 most expensive pet health problems. I'm not sure if this list is really the ten most expensive or the ten most common (they do rank them by the number of occurrences) pet health problems that cost more than $1,000. The reason I say this is because I've seen/read about/known many people who have had claims for many thousands of dollars (for cancer treatments or transplants, for example.) Perhaps the difference between these and what I've seen is that what people often quote are total costs for treating a disease while the items listed below are single treatments that could be part of a series to get rid of a disease/problem. Anyway, here's the list along with the average cost per claim:
1. Torn knee ligament/cartilage - $1,578
2. Intestinal – foreign object - $1,967
3. Stomach – foreign object - $1,502
4. Intervertebral disc disease - $3,282
5. Stomach torsion/bloat - $2,509
6. Broken leg (plate) - $1,586
7. Laryngeal paralysis - $2,042
8. Tumor of the throat - $1,677
9. Ear canal surgery - $1,285
10. Ruptured bile duct - $2,245
No matter what the numbers actually mean, the conclusion is clear: there's potentially a $1,000 to $2,000 expense lurking around the corner for almost any pet owner. As a result, my advice is to bump up your emergency fund accordingly when you get a pet so you can cover any unforeseen large expenses easily without having to go into debt.
I would add hip replacement to that list. My vet says it will be about $2500 PER HIP to have our dog's replaced. Definitely makes you think about how much you value your animals over your financial health...
Posted by: STRONGside | July 21, 2011 at 05:54 AM
Went through the torn ligament thing twice with my dogs hind legs. Not only is it an expensive surgical procedure, but we had to buy quite a few items to keep her comfortable in the future - including stairs and a cage so she didn't run around and hurt herself. Overall I estimate it cost me about $4,000.
Posted by: Danielle | July 21, 2011 at 09:13 AM
Total for dog repairs Stomach torsion/bloat $1262, surgery to straighten the stomach and remove the spleen caught in the twist and a couple nights at the animal hospital. Luckily, I got great deal on a used weimaraner about 9 years ago so if you have to put a little cash into him now its not so bad.
Posted by: Bruce | July 21, 2011 at 09:17 AM
My family all chipped in ($2800 total) so that our 14 year old dog could get eye surgery (LASIK for pets, $1400/eye at the Cornell Vet School). He had two cataracts and spent a solid year laying around the house, bumping into a ton of stuff when he would try to go out or just find his food bowl. He was a beautiful and healthy dog (Collie/Chow mix) and since the vet said he could have a couple more years of life left we went through with it. We've had him since I was 11 so he was extremely important to me while I was growing up.
After the surgery he got back almost all the vision in his right eye and 50% of the vision in his left eye. It seemed like we turned the clock back on him. He was back to his old tricks, herding the cat around the yard, greeting us at the door when we came home and being the playful dog he always had been. He died this year of natural causes at the age of 17. I'm glad I could contribute to the last three years of his life being significantly more dignified than how he would have been.
Posted by: Patrick | September 03, 2011 at 10:41 AM