One family is facing financial shock after their kitten's surgery came with a price tag of over $30,000, highlighting the soaring costs of veterinary care.
Pet owner Ginger, who asked us not to use her last name, loves her Persian longhaired cat as if it were a child. When a pet hospital found a kidney stone blocking the kitten's normal function, she was willing to pay whatever was necessary to save him.
After the cat’s first surgery was unsuccessful, doctors delivered a grim prognosis.
“He was end of life renal failure,” Ginger explained, “and he would have a day, maybe two days left to live.”
Faced with the option of euthanasia, Ginger wasn't ready to say goodbye.
“I said I’m not willing to accept that, so please do whatever you need to do,” she recalled.
A second surgery was successful but then came the bill totaling “well over $30,000,” Ginger said.
Skyrocketing surgical costs
Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, a veterinary medical advisor for the company Rover, says surgical costs have skyrocketed since the pandemic.
“Our anesthetics machines, the cost of skilled labor, all of those things have gone up quite a bit,” she said.
To help cover unexpected costs, Greenstein says pet insurance is becoming “a given” for many owners.
“Most of my clients who have insurance and had their pets have an emergency surgery, for example, they sing the praises of insurance over and over again,” she said.
According to Forbes Advisor, a typical pet insurance plan with $5,000 of annual coverage and $250 deductible averages $46 a month for dogs and $23 a month for cats.
Greenstein says the best time for pet owners to insure their pets is when they’re young and healthy.
Other ways to protect your wallet
Experts say there are other ways to help prevent huge vet bills:
- Get a second opinion for elective procedures that can wait
- Keep your pet healthy with a good diet and regular exercise
“Some of these things are preventative,” Greenstein said, “making sure that your sock-loving golden retriever isn’t left alone with a laundry basket,” for example.
The veterinary hospital told Scripps News that Ginger was informed of all costs the entire time, and was given the option of euthanasia as the costs built up.
Ginger did not want that, and has now paid the bill in full.
But she says she hadn't purchased insurance because the cat was so young.
“This happened a little before turning one, so we hadn't gotten pet insurance,” she said.
Her advice to other pet owners is to get coverage for your pets to avoid a similar financial burden, so you don’t waste your money.
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