Anonymous wrote:
>Unfortunately, this very sad time for us was made even more difficult
>by the $120 vet fee charged to us for the euthanasia. I think this
>amount is outrageous.

One of my pet peeves is how much some vets (mine included) charge to
euthanize, especially an animal who has been their patient through an
extended illness. However, that's part of pet ownership. If you know
it will cost that, you need to set that aside for future use. I can't
imagine needing to euthanize an animal and feeling I couldn't afford
it, and allowing the animal to suffer, or rigging up some homemade
contraption that I couldn't guarantee would work. I don't think I
could ever forgive myself for that.

My pets seem to choose the middle of the night or major holidays to
need euthanization. While my regular vet clinic becomes an ER clinic
after hours, the prices definitely go up. I mentioned in a previous
post that I had to have a pet rat euthanized on Christmas Day. As you
can imagine, the ER costs don't get any higher than that. My petsitter
called to tell me that the rat was in distress so I sent her to my vet
clinic. I had to handle it all over the phone, which made it even more
difficult because I wasn't there to make my own assessment. The fee
just to walk in the door was $119!! The euthanization costs were over
and above that. Was I happy about it? No. Did I make a stink? No. Did I
decide to let her lie there and suffer until the next day when it would
be cheaper? No. I just sucked it up. It costs what it costs. I've made
many trips in the middle of the night. I deal with the emergency and
worry about how much it costs afterward. Luckily, I have a wonderful
relationship with my vet clinic and they collect the next time I am in.

If you have a good relationship with your vet, you should be able to
work something out beforehand, perhaps to pay the fee over a few weeks.
To do that requires that you have been a good client and paid your
bills on time. Of course, the best thing is to set the money aside
before you need it. Don't let that final cost ruin the whole experience
for you.

Katharine
Florida 

[Posted in FML 6338]