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My dog needs open heart surgery.

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fuzzle
Regular Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

There is no negotiating wtih the hospital to pay some upfront and the rest later? 

Message 11 of 30
FlaDude
Established Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

Sorry I don't have any insight on how to best borrow the money, but to potentially add some perspective, I'm sure there are plenty of uninsured people in this country who would not be able to finance 50k for surgery for themselves, much less a pet.

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Message 12 of 30
pinkandgrey
Senior Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.


@Anonymous wrote:
We all choose what matters most to us. No judgement as I would be doing the same thing. It's only money, and trading money for a life makes sense to me.

As for your question about creative ways to fundraise, I think your daughter is on the right track and CareCredit is also a wise move. Raise as much as you can and take out a personal loan for the remainder.
My little beast is about 6 years old. Chihuahuas live up to their late teens and give you as much as they can in their life time.

Good, productive thoughts for you in this stressful time.

^^^^This^^^^

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Message 13 of 30
pizza1
Community Leader
Super Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

Im sorry you're having to go thru this, and I know this is a very difficult time for you and your family, but Im sorry, its not worth going into debt for. Yes, animals are a big part of our lives...they are family, and your animal is like your kid, I get that.

But I would concentrate on the time you have left with your animal, and remember the better times. Its hard to be realistic about the situation when you're thinking with your heart, and not your head. As hard as it would be for you, I would consider hospice for your dog. $50k is a lot of money for an experimental open heart procedure that you don't even know if your dog will make it thru.

But, you do what you feel is right for you and your situation, and if you want to go forward with trying to do this, then start with Carecredit for some of it, and then look into PL like Prosper, Marcus, Discover, etc. for the rest.

Good luck in your decisions, as I know it will be a tough one.

Message 14 of 30
Hex
Valued Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

@FlaDude
Sadly you are correct. I’ve actually already thought about this and many even worse injustices. There are many more worthy ways to spend that much money. I could help thousands of dogs or thousands of humans with that much money. But he’s my dog and I love him. He is my friend and my responsibility. He would do it for me. He gets really sick and has a hard time breathing. It’s very hard to watch. Then they increase his medication and he looks so much better and seems happy. The medication can only be increased so much and then it stops helping. I don’t think the fact that worse problems are being ignored should be a reason not to try to solve this problem. The world is basically wrong and I can’t fix that but I can try to help my dog. Smiley Sad
Message 15 of 30
xaximus
Valued Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.


@Hex wrote:
@FlaDude
Sadly you are correct. I’ve actually already thought about this and many even worse injustices. There are many more worthy ways to spend that much money. I could help thousands of dogs or thousands of humans with that much money. But he’s my dog and I love him. He is my friend and my responsibility. He would do it for me. He gets really sick and has a hard time breathing. It’s very hard to watch. Then they increase his medication and he looks so much better and seems happy. The medication can only be increased so much and then it stops helping. I don’t think the fact that worse problems are being ignored should be a reason not to try to solve this problem. The world is basically wrong and I can’t fix that but I can try to help my dog. Smiley Sad

Completely understand your situation as I have had pets as well. But as others have said, sometimes, you have to let the heart go and think with the mind. Is it worth putting yourself in debt for, for something that isn't really proven? A surgery that's experimental? What if it doesn't work? That's 50k down the drain. For a billionaire, that's chump change. For us average people, that's a pretty significant amount. I know it's not what you wanna hear, but think about it. I've had pets come and go and it sucks when they do go, but it's the circle of life. It's sad and definitely sucks but what can you do?



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Message 16 of 30
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

Hex,

 

If you have a primary vet, please have a sit-down with him/her and ask for their professional opinion.  They can even do a consult (via phone/teleconference) with the surgeon who would be doing the surgery (or the coordinator of the procedure/scheduling/whom to consult, etc).  They can even consult with a specialist not necessarily involved with UofFL.  Don't go into this blinded.  Any surgery such as this might be considered "experimental", and since it is among the first at UofFL, you might try (or have your primary vet) try to get the costs reduced solely for that reason.  Think of it like clinical trials, most people (subjects) are paid, or, NEVER should have to pay costs to be included in a clinical trial or study - but a surgery considered 'new and innovative' should at least be provided at a reasonable cost.  Also ask your primary vet to consult with the surgeon or coordinator to send verified clinial studies of the surgeon's published material, so that your vet and you are completely aware of the risks vs benefits (a published trial with good results of course is to your favor - whereas a published trial with "inconclusive" results or, "more research is needed to conclude efficacy" may not be to your favor).  Someone needs to be your advocate, whether that be your primary vet AND another vet or specialist your primary vet can consult, BEFORE you sign up for this surgery (you need to see/verify prior results this surgeon has had with other dogs).

 

I can't blame you in the least for wanting to go above and beyond for your pupper.  That said, before you commit to applying to CareCredit, you might want to talk to a rep first to see how high a CL could be awarded.  Keep in mind that most people, whether for dental or veterinary, usually top out at a 25K credit limit with Carecredit, and some only have a low starting CL to begin with.  Also as important, the vet or clinic MUST allow up to a 24-month term period for a high cost surgery such as this, otherwise, many vets only allow their customers 6 months to pay in full on the CareCredit 6-month term.  You should find out about these things before you apply, as well as what term the clinic will allow to pay it off before you incur interest (which is retroactive with Carecredit, if you're late or miss a payment, you'll be charged the full interest rate on the full initial purchase price).

 

Find out if you can give a deposit, and make suitable payment arrangements each month thereafter with the surgeon/clinic - this is generally the only way you will get this paid for unless you have a bank or credit union who would consider giving you a personal/signature loan to cover such a large amount.  That, or try to come up with a large cash deposit from your own resources, then discuss payment arrangements with the surgeon/clinic.  

 

I really ticks me off that innovative surgeries/treatments for pets cost far more than for humans (because most people don't buy pet insurance and so many policies don't cover pre-existing conditions).  For this reason, I would discuss with your primary vet who can both be your advocate in some ways, as well as can consult with the surgeon or another specialist on your behalf.

 

Here's wishing you and your pupper much luck and success.  You're not alone with wanting to do what you feel is right for your best buddy!  It's that one look, it's that one nanosecond that you have that unconditional love from them, those moments they feel healthy and happy, and the lifetime of love and companionship they provide you Smiley Happy

Message 17 of 30
Hex
Valued Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

@R-n-J Thank you for your long and thoughtful reply. This surgery was mentioned to me by my dogs Cardiologist at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton Massachusetts. The surgery is new to the US but this Japanse surgeon has been doing it for a few years overseas. Tufts has sent one dog overseas to have it done and that dog is doing well, is off all cardiac medications and it’s heart muscle even appears to have returned to normal. This surgeon has never done surgery here in the US. Others have done it in he US but have only had 50% success rate. This surgeon had a 90% success rate. It’s a huge surgery- it takes a 17 person team and the dog goes on a heart lung bypass machine. They dogs heart is stopped then repaired and the started again. I realize that Hector could die on the table. Hector’s cardiologist provided me with great information about the procedure and the risks:

https://smallanimal.vethospital.ufl.edu/clinical-services/cardiology/mitral-valve-repair-surgery/

https://smallanimal.vethospital.ufl.edu/clinical-services/cardiology/degenerative-mitral-valve-disea...

I am still waiting to hear from Hector’s cardiologist as she is contacting them in Florida to present Hector as a possible candidate for the surgery. She thinks he probably is. I am just trying to figure things out in case it works out. I didn’t even want to tell his cardiologist to call them until I was sure that I could pay for it first. I should be able to with my savings and by raiding my retirement. I am hoping to figure out a way to finance it without using my retirement money due to the steep tax penalty. That’s why I reached out to the myFico community- in hopes of getting ideas for alternative financing.
I applied for CareCredit today and was approved for $4K. I think I should be able to get my limit up pretty high. I will ask the University of FL about payment plans and their relationship with Carecredit once/if Hector is accepted. I believe there is a waiting list.
Hector has had pet insurance since he was a puppy but he’s pretty much maxed out his benifts for heart problems for the year. I think if I can get them to pay for $2K of his surgery I’ll be lucky. He has covererage for mechanical ventilation that has not be used and maybe restarting his heart will count as CPR (they pay $250 for that).
Thank you for making sure I was considering the most important factors when deciding if to proceed.
I think doing the surgery would be the right thing if Hector qualifies but I still need to wait to see what his cardiologist says after speaking with them. He would need to have and pass a ton of screening tests before he would be accepted for surgery. This would be a good way to show some use with my new Care Credit account.
Thank you. Smiley Happy
Message 18 of 30
Remedios
Credit Mentor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

I hope it all works out for you and your pet buddy

Good luck!
Message 19 of 30
wasCB14
Super Contributor

Re: My dog needs open heart surgery.

My father had valve replacement surgery and I understand how it can add years to a life, animal or human.

That said, I don't think I'd ever spend that much on a pet for anything...even if the surgery was guaranteed to be effective.

If you had 20 years' worth of expenses saved, I'd say go for it. But while you earn a good income you really have no financial cushion. What if something happened to you or one of your kids?
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Message 20 of 30
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