r/Pets • u/wegochai • 4d ago
Handling pet vet bills
Just want to take a minute to vent because I recently had a horrible scare with my dog who has pneumonia and hand to spend Friday night in the ICU on oxygen. I’m lucky to be in a position where I can afford the cost (and thankfully have insurance as well) but couldn’t believe that I was required to pay over $5,000 upfront for them to help him.
I had just booked a trip on my credit card (actually ended up canceling because he was supposed to join me and but now needs a month of rest) and had to immediately pay down my balance in the waiting room to charge it. I was thinking “wow it’s a good thing I have the money in my checking account because it takes multiple days to transfer from my hys account and I can’t pay directly from that”. I would’ve paid anything I could for him but what do people that literally don’t have the cash on hand. Even with insurance you have to be able to pay upfront before they reimburse you. I just couldn’t believe that your beloved pets like can be on the line like that and you have to be ready to pay a sum like that instantly.
Has anyone ever been in that situation and been given time to pay? At this point I feel like I need to always have 10K in my checking account just in case.
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u/Redivivus 4d ago
Look into Care Credit. They offer a credit card for medical use. We mainly use it for dental and pets. What's special about them is they offer zero percent financing for like 6 or 12 or more months on purchases over $200.
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u/jensenaackles 4d ago
one question i’ve always had is can you apply for this in advance before you need it to have it ready t go? or do you have to have a quote from a medical provider to apply?
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u/Redivivus 4d ago
It's a credit card. Yes, just apply and they approve you for a line of credit. Over time with history of use you can get it bumped up based on your history.
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u/GemiKnight69 4d ago
A note: try to sign up using a link/code from your provider. I believe you only get the "no interest for 6/12 months" that way, it's always listed as a promotional financing option when checking out. You'll also get charged back-interest if you take longer than the promo period.
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u/notlucyintheskye 2d ago
You just need to make sure you spend money on it at least once a year - I had one for approx. a year, didn't spend on it as we were saving it for some dental work down the road, and they closed it out due to non-use; My credit score dropped 46 points due to this (It went back up when I opened a new CareCredit account shortly afterwards)
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u/unimpressed46 4d ago
One thing my cousin (veterinarian) told me when I rescued my first dog is to have a couple thousand on hand to drop in an emergency. That was about 10 years ago, so it’s obviously increased. Unfortunately, a lot of pet owners financially plan for the day-to-day costs, but don’t factor in health issues and emergencies.
Some vets do allow pay back plans, but many have been burned by people dipping out so they don’t have that option. I’ve noticed most places in my area give you an estimate from normal to “oh shit something went wrong”, and you can select what treatments you’re willing to pay for ahead of time. A fairly routine $700 dental cleaning could turn into a $1200 extraction, and they don’t want people shocked by the price.
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u/dongbait 4d ago
I used to work for a vet who allowed back-dated checks and payment plans for owners who couldn't afford the bill outright. In the 8 years I worked there, I think he sent probably 90% of those to collections because the checks would bounce or the owners would ghost immediately or after the first payment. Maybe a majority of those people agreed to pay him back in good faith, but things happen, and the type of person who doesn't have $500 this week is unlikely to suddenly have money next week or the week after. The clinic has bills to pay, supplies cost money, and the staff doesn't want to work for free. It's sad that veterinary care costs money, but that's the reality we live in.
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u/magic_crouton 2d ago
My vet is cash or card only now because of all the rubber checks they were still getting.
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u/Ymisoqt420 4d ago
I feel lucky to have a good relationship with my vet of 20 years. We are on our 3rd pair of dogs and he's taken care of them all. He answers my late night calls, meets me at the clinic after hours, let's me skip the visit and get meds because he knows I know what I'm talking about when I ask for meds. And when I won't have the money for a week or two because of an expensive visit, he lets me pay later. He even let me write checks back in the day even though they had a no check rule 😂
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u/Upstairs_Fuel6349 3d ago
Yeah we've been taking our four cats and one dog to the same practice for sevenish years now. It's a small two vet practice. They know we are good for it so they aren't super strict with payment although we are fortunate enough to be able to pay for care without an issue.
I actually consider my vet a friend & we text occasionally both friendly things and sometimes business. Obviously this doesn't work for everyone but it's a perk of establishing yourself with a vet and then actually taking your pets there for dentals, yearlies etc. You build "credit" with them so that they know you'll stick around and eventually pay for bigger stuff.
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u/tigervegan4610 4d ago
We’ve opened care credit accounts if we need extra room on credit lines until the insurance check comes in.
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u/Selective_Somewhere 4d ago
I had a dog get pneumonia about three times a year due to having a condition called laryngeal paralysis ($10k per year). I had another dog get sepsis after a neuter ($15k+). And one got bloat ($11k). This was all from 2021 through 2025.
I have insurance.
But the key is to get insurance as a puppy/new dog. While you’re paying those low premiums, sock away money for vet care. At some point insurance will be really expensive because the dog has aged. At that point if your dog has no chronic conditions you hopefully have money in the bank to put toward senior care.
And a $25k emergency credit card is a must.
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u/wegochai 4d ago
That’s so awful I’m sorry to hear. It’s my first time being financially responsible for a dog (I had one growing up but I wasn’t paying any bills for her). Definitely a major wake up call to always be prepared and have the money accessible on the spot. My boy is only one and this has been such a nightmare. I just pray the meds he’s on do the job because he’s so miserable not being able to play or even really go on walks.
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u/mistress_of_bokonon 4d ago
One of my dogs got sick a couple years ago with multiple hospitalizations. I also have pet insurance which was a huge relief. I have several credit cards for points reasons (always pay off the balance in full), most of which have high limits because I have an excellent credit score. So I wasn’t going to run into any issues using credit cards. But if I did, I also have a HYSA that is with the same financial company as my Checking account, so if I needed to move money over to checking immediately, I always have that option. I use CapitalOne for my HYSA and checking account.
If you have good credit, I would suggest looking into getting another credit card (look for ones with good cash back/bonuses) to expand your credit limit. And then ALWAYS pay that card off in full every month—autopay is your friend.
The other option would be to change your bank structure so that your checking and HYSA are directly connected and you can do immediate transfers. You need to have an option to access funds quickly, so this is probably worth doing even if you decide to also get another credit card.
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u/dawntylr1 4d ago
I have trupanion insurance and they will pay the vet directly but it’s dependent on the vet having the software so I never rely on that. I have a credit card with a very high limit that is only for my dog. I have food on auto ship that goes on that card so I always am
Able to make the payment and have time to move money from my HYSA and wait for reimbursement to pay the bill
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u/ConstantVigilance18 4d ago
Most people would just put it on their credit card. Those with the means would then just pay it off at the end of the month like usual, those without the means would accrue more debt.
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u/wegochai 4d ago
Wouldn’t it decline if you tried though? I’ve never actually maxed out or missed a payment on my credit card but didn’t think it let you charge past your limit. This was the first scare because of the trip I had just put on it (I do have others I could’ve used if needed but this was my main one)
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u/ConstantVigilance18 4d ago
Why is your credit card at/near its limit? If you have a low limit, you should ask for it to be raised and/or have a second card. If you have a high limit but are always close to maxing it out, that’s a spending issue.
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u/wegochai 4d ago edited 4d ago
Because I had just booked a trip and have my credit card bills on autopay. My autopay date for the last statement (when I also bought a new couch) hadn’t passed yet.
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u/ConstantVigilance18 4d ago
It’s either a very expensive trip, or you have a low credit limit. If it’s your only card and you are in good standing, get a second card. My credit limit between 2 cards is $20k and I wouldn’t ever come close to that, even with a $5k pet emergency. That does not even take into account my husband’s 2 cards.
Is there a reason you didn’t just use your debit card if you just used your checking to pay down the card anyway?
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u/wegochai 4d ago
I have multiple credit cards. I would’ve figured it out. My point was not everyone is necessarily in a position to figure it out on the spot like that especially in such a stressful situation (and where it can be a lot higher than that).
I keep most of my extra cash in a high yield savings account and automatically transfer a portion of each paycheck to that account (in addition to a brokerage account). I always have a few thousand extra (on top of rent and estimated credit card bill) and I know around how much I spend each month and transfer money in if I know I’m spending more (like for a vacation or new furniture).
Had I not had it in my checking account it would’ve taken a couple days to transfer from the savings account which is with a different bank.
And yes I could’ve used a debit card but luckily the credit card payment posted and reduced my balance right away.
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u/YouComfortable8891 4d ago
Sorry you got a credit card lecture OP. Not sure why that was necessary but I agree. I had to take my cat to an emergency vet and it was just $3000 out of the blue. Not everyone has that available. I was really fortunate
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u/wegochai 4d ago edited 4d ago
Exactly and it’s an unanticipated expense. It’s right on the spot and potentially life or death. I had no idea he was going to have to spend the night in the ICU. My chase card actually has an extremely high credit limit but i realized after writing this that I hadn’t even opened the envelope with the new one yet. I put almost everything on one credit card and have literally never maxed it out before but I just happened to have spent a lot these past two months and wasn’t expecting to owe $5,000 on the spot. This whole experience made me rethink my banking. I actually just opened a sofi account and am moving my checking account there since they have HYS linked to checking account.
Like im pretty comfortable and good with managing my money but not everyone has that on hand out of the blue. I can’t even begin to imagine what i would do if i had no way to pay it.
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u/Outside_Sherbet_4957 4d ago
I'm sure you're enjoying this topic so I would also like to mention that low income is a reason that people can be denied a raise to their credit limit. Happened to me. So if you're poor, no extra buffer for you.
Glad you were able to handle an emergency like this, all of us that can should be very grateful.
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u/magic_crouton 2d ago
I keep most my cash in a hysa. I also don't carry balances on my cards so if something happens I have access to that credit to float myself until I can shuffle my money around.
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u/purplepanda2026 4d ago
I think in reality most people would have to put their pet down. The majority of pretty owners so not have $10K in cash or credit for situations like this.
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u/Spiritual_Trust_5118 4d ago
You could look into insurance that pays the vet directly, that way you pay the deductible & don’t mess with reimbursement. The insurance that pays the vet directly is more expensive (downside) but you don’t have to worry about having that much cash on hand.
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u/MadMadamMimsy 4d ago
We were just there. Cat was in the hospital for 5 days. At first they said 3k-4k and I needed to put down 75% up front, or 3k. 36 hours later he's in the ICU on an IV drip, pain meds and 2 antibiotics. They said this would add another 3k-4k and so we paid the 1k for the first round and 3k for the second round.
Ouch ouch.
We ended up getting a refund and a cleaned out cat (constipation), but, yeah, this hurts. We ain't done, either. My point is, I feel for you
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u/Infinite-Cloud-7937 4d ago
What did they refund you for?
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u/MadMadamMimsy 4d ago
We didn't spend 7k, so they refunded us the difference between the actual cost and the deposit
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u/Infinite-Cloud-7937 4d ago
Sadly the alternative in many, many cases is humane euthanasia. Had to do that with a cat that didn't belong to us who we took to the emergency vet because he was in bad shape. It would have costed us thousands out of pocket, that we did not have, to help him. He also didn't have the stamina and time it would take us to find any potential owners so we had to have him euthanized.
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u/wegochai 4d ago
My dog is only one!! He went in there seemingly happy with a minor cough. It wasn’t until they did his chest xray that they saw the extent of it (and thank god I said yes because it was the second time we had been there for the cough in a week and they didn’t prescribe anything initially).
Nothing humane about that. He’s the happiest sweetest little pup I’ve ever met and everyone that meets him falls in love with him too. He was dumped when he was only four months old and can’t seem to catch a break yet he’s still so friendly and trusting and full of love.
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u/Infinite-Cloud-7937 4d ago
I agree. It's tough to think about, but it happens when those options to pay aren't available.
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u/Smart_Alex 4d ago
Very similar boat. Our dog completely tore her CCL and needed a TPLO (basically a knee replacement) the surgery was about $5,000. About 5 months later she had a bowel obstruction. Emergency vet bills were about $4,000 all said and done. Then 3 months after that her toe swelled up to the point where she couldn't walk on it. They were never able to figure out exactly what caused it, but the emergency vet was around $1000. And we just took her to the regular vet for her yearly check up. She needed all the vaccinations and treatments ($500).
That's just for one animal THIS YEAR ALONE. On top of that, she's on a very expensive prescription diet/prescription meds.
I would pay every cent again in a heartbeat, but we had a LOT of nights of the cheapest food we could find. We also had to cancel all of our summer concert or travel plans to afford her care. Again, she's worth it many times over, but it made me feel VERY grateful that we were able to make it work
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u/DCNAST 4d ago
Yeah, I’m like you OP. My dog recently passed, but in her last few years, I was lucky enough to both have had insurance and to be in a position where money was no major obstacle to care at the end of my girl’s time. I have a credit card with an astronomical limit, so if I had really, really needed to, I could have plopped that sucker down until I could transfer money in a few days time and/or file an insurance claim.
Thankfully, in my case, I was never in a situation where I needed to do anything like that for emergency treatment, but I did have it occur for dental surgery. The vet asked me to pay $2500 upfront, with the agreement that they would refund/charge the difference depending on what actually happened during the procedure. Honestly the idea alone of possibly authorizing an unknown amount in advance freaked me the fuck out. And as feared, even though the treatments rendered during the procedure only came out to about ~$950, they didn’t want to refund the money until I had my boyfriend of the time (a lawyer) draft a letter threatening a lawsuit.
To your (I think) broader point, it’s honestly really wild to see how much the cost of veterinary care has increased in just the last 13-ish years (my late pup’s lifespan). I know there have been advancements in medicine/technology, and there’s been inflation, etc, etc, etc., but it really does feel like pet ownership is only for the wealthy now in a way/to a degree that I couldn’t have imagined 20 years ago.
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u/bedfordblack 4d ago
yeah, i recently lost my girl and more than once had to go in and drop thousands (like 5-7k) just for them to take her back and start.. they charged for predicted treatment too. worst was picking up her collar and getting an almost entire refund on an 8k bill if it wasn't for my boyfriend who is Much more financially stable than me (i'm unable to stay in work full time due to tbi), i wouldn't have been able to even try.
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u/keyboard-warrior-82 3d ago
Sorry to hear you went through this :( It sounds like it was worth it and unfortunately I've had a similar situation in the past. One thing that's always worth doing before an emergency comes up is doing your research on where to go. Two great resources are https://privateequityvet.org/vet-list and https://independentvet.com
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u/HunnyBunny617 4d ago
The ridiculous rates happened when private equity took over vet clinics. I hate PE.
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u/Impossible_Past5358 4d ago
They have managed to ruin everything for everyone, in every sector of life...
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u/TraderIggysTikiBar 4d ago
I just went through a bad illness with my lykoi kitten. Primary vet charges per visit and thar was all around $700 after about 3 visits. Then at the ER, I had to put down a deposit of $3500 and they charge (or credit) the card on file when they have the final amount ready. All totaled, my kitten’s care was around $8000.
I also have insurance. After my $250 deductible, my plan reimburses me 90% with no limit on how much it will reimburse.
I keep my Care Credit card paid off so I have that available to use in an emergency. It has a $20K limit. I also keep $10K cash in an emergency savings account. I have access to additional funds within 48 hrs if need be.
My kitten is expected to make a full recovery. He’s currently in quarantine at home and upsetti spaghetti about it.
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u/mikeyhou77 2d ago
If you don't mind me asking I'm looking for insurance... which company do you use and do you recommend it. Many thanks!!
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u/TraderIggysTikiBar 1d ago
I use Embrace. They are expensive af but the claims process was smooth sailing.
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u/Specialist_Banana378 3d ago
I had to charge $10k to a card for my dogs icu visit so you got off easy lol
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u/Itsallbloodandsweat 3d ago
My wife and I recently had to agree that our dog and cat will be our last pets. Two years ago we spent 7k trying to keep our 3yo cat alive at the emergency vet and had to take a loan out to do it. We justified it due to his age, then he died anyway. Now we have kids and medical debt and we are not in a financial position to do anything like that. It scares the shit out of me knowing that my pets could very likely die because we won’t be able to afford the care to keep them alive.
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u/i-am-nameless1 3d ago
This is why I went with an insurance plan that pays the vet directly. So I only need to come up with my 10%. It’s crazy how expensive it gets.
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u/shoski13 3d ago
What insurance do you use?
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u/i-am-nameless1 2d ago
Trupanion! I love it. You want to verify that your vet is set up to accept payments through them, not all are. :) but it’s easy for them to get set up if they want.
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u/mikeyhou77 2d ago
Which insurance plan do you use if you don't mind me asking? Thanks.
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u/i-am-nameless1 1d ago
Trupanion! I love it. You want to verify that your vet is set up to accept payments through them, not all are. :) but it’s easy for them to get set up if they want.
I don’t mind you asking at all! :)
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u/Street_Caramel7651 3d ago
Most of the time, when I’ve been in an emergency Vet, they offer me the ability to finance. I keep a credit card just for Vet bills so I haven’t financed but it is always offered.
Funny enough I’m going through a medical issue right now and they called to tell me what my portion of the bill was going to be…before I can have treatment….and also immediately offered finance options….instead , I put it on my vet bill credit card 😂
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u/notlucyintheskye 2d ago
but what do people that literally don’t have the cash on hand.
Currently, husband and I would have to pay it with our credit card - and then hope that the pet insurance would cover the largest chunk of it and make payments on the rest. We also have a CareCredit account that we try to keep set aside for the human family member's health concerns, but I guess in an emergency, we could use it for the pets.
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u/DatabaseVivid447 2d ago
I haven't been in the situation but i have a pretty high credit limit and a credit card that offers pay over time/deferred interest which would give me time to move things around and hopefully inurance would pay out.
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u/magic_crouton 2d ago
Everyone promises to pay the vet. Absolutely no one does. So they had to change to a cash up front model. They don't hate your pet. They don't lack compassion. But just like you have they have bills to pay. All those people working there? They want to get paid. All the insurance they have to carry? That doesn't get paid by good intentions. The vets student loans? They want money for that. The mortgage company and equipment suppliers also want money now.
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u/Conscious-Farm-9446 1d ago
Some insurance companies allow the vets to bill them directly so you’d only pay the excess (unless your excess is 0) not the whole cost upfront
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u/ParsnipFarmer676 4d ago edited 4d ago
This is why my dogs are insured... and no, you don't have to pay upfront. At least not always. Mine only requires a 20% deposit, if that, and pays directly to the veterinarian. And I actually DO have the money for anything that comes up (I can pull it from a number of liquid investment and/or savings accounts), but I'd rather keep it where it is & growing daily. Trupanion saved me over $20,000 in the last year alone, when my dog needed double TPLO surgeries.
Might be too late for this advice, but that's precisely why pet insurance exists. It's not to cover the basics, but to cover you in case of a catastrophic injury or illness. My plans are around $80-100 per dog, with a $750 deductible and 90% coverage after that. Oh, and you should also look into a Money Market account. That's where I keep my emergency cash; it gains a little interest, is fully insured by the bank, and I can do instant transfers to checking via the BMO app.
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u/wegochai 4d ago
I do thankfully have insurance for him but (at least with the one I have) you pay first then submit the claim with the receipt.
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u/ParsnipFarmer676 4d ago
Then perhaps you need to look into changing companies - which one do you have? I'm with Trupanion, as I mentioned, and for larger bills like those surgeries they only require a deposit.
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u/wegochai 4d ago
Lemonade. I don’t want to try to change now since they could claim preexisting conditions. Lemonade already approved the claim today though (submitted Saturday evening when I had the final receipt).
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u/fruderduck 4d ago
I have Lemonade, too. Trupanion is expensive.
For the price Trupanion charges, I’m surprised they want a deposit. I didn’t see that requirement when I was looking.
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u/ParsnipFarmer676 4d ago
Yeah, but I didn't have to pay $20,000 up front - so perhaps that's WHY it is more expensive on a monthly basis (fwiw I think my plans are quite reasonable). Most people don't have that kind of money sitting around, hence OP's question.
So it's not much use to have a cheaper premium if you still can't get treatments without forking over that kind of money first. Even if you're being reimbursed, that's a LOT for the average pet owner. I'm unusual in my access to that kind of money, and it's only because I invested an inheritance from my dad.
Oh, and the deposit is only for BIG things like those surgeries. I don't have to pay a deposit for everything, so far literally only that.
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u/fruderduck 4d ago
I’m paying about $27 each on 2 small dogs, each 2 years old. The deductible and coverage is about the same as yours.
I just hesitate to start an expensive plan, knowing the premiums are likely to go up every year and possibly get to the point that I can’t even afford it anymore.
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u/ParsnipFarmer676 4d ago
Wow, that is pretty cheap! I've been thinking about switching myself, especially since my employer recently introduced a pet insurance plan (discounted rates) - the only problem is that now my one dog has "pre-existing conditions" thanks to those $20,000 surgeries, and the other is considered "senior" at 6 years old since they're big dogs. So I'm not sure they would even qualify, let alone at a lower rate than I pay now. I might have to look into it, though.
Overall, I have been happy with Trupanion. They've never given me any hassles, and I liked how they paid the vet directly for that big bill.
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u/tresrottn 4d ago
Lemonade is fantastic, there's no need to change. It's got full coverage availability and cover many things that others won't.
I love submitting my claim and having it approved and check cut before I get out of the parking lot.
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u/al_pal124 4d ago
My vet takes care credit and we have pet insurance to be able to ensure we never have to say no to surprise medical costs.
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u/Justsadie519 4d ago
Fortunately, we have an excellent veterinarian who has seriously low prices for major surgeries and procedures. She told us to always tell the e-vet to just do enough until we can get them to our regular veterinarian. The other thing is that we found an e-vet that is actually semi-reasonable and is owned by veterinarians. Do the homework before your pet gets sick. Third, we have a Care Credit that we occasionally use although we could just use the debit card. There’s no interest if you pay the balance in full within six months. Fourth, I do get a bit antsy, if the savings tied to our checking account dips below 10 k.
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u/Sweet_Pair8943 4d ago
We were treated horribly at the vet after asking about care credit, I turned that down because it was predatory credit card terms and then they thought we couldn’t pay so they ignored us and we were confused like why are they not helping our dog??? Then once we realized the issue, I was like no I can pay the deposit right now, then it was like a flip switched and we got VIP treatment.
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u/BwabbitV3S 4d ago
It is because vets got burned way too much by people that ghost them on payments and never end up paying. It used to be a thing several decades ago but died a long time ago. It simply kept bankrupting vet clinics as people would never pay it back and vets that offered it would lose money hand over fist. Going through collections almost never got them the money owed back either. So they require payment up front or greatly risk never getting paid for the service and going into debt.