My Vet Bill

The Meeting Place > Dilemmas > My Vet Bill

9 yrs ago

I am on a disability pension. I qualify for public housing, but even classed as "high Need" I was told I will probably die of old age (i'm only 59!) before I get a place. So i pay $560 out of my $930 pension for private rent. I live alone so have to live somewhere safe, and have a dog (who keeps me semi-sane) so that limits my choices. I can pay ONE bill per fortnight. This week it was the vet bill, which leaves me with 10c to last till next Monday.

Anyway the point - the vet told me today that my dog Chubba HAS to have surgery on his totally torn cruciate ligament or i risk him not walking. The other back leg was merely torn slightly and a 6month diet of sardines has hardened it so he can walk on it.

The surgery is $1300 (the vet will give me a dicount because i am a pensioner) Does anyone have any ideas how i can get the $1100??

I have probably only 3 weeks to do this. I already have a loan from Centrelink to pay for just 6 months on my car rego. when that is paid off it will be time to start again.

I have been looking for work for 10 years with various agencies; but because of my brain injury i am only physically and mentally able to work for 4 hours twice a week. I was a Nuclear Medicine technologist before I injured both my knee and had a ruptured aneurysm which didn't kill me but required brain surgery to repair it. Because I had private health insurance I was out of pocket $12,000 of the total $36,000 bill in just the first year. Since then I have used all of my savings just to live on.

Please can anyone suggest where i can get help???

thank you - Deborah (and Chubba the Psych dog)

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52 comments

I have put this up again in case you missed it Debs.

There is such a thing as "crowd funding" over the internet. Lots of people are doing that now.

You put it out there on the internet and if everyone just gave say a dollar each you would have the money you require.

https://ozcrowd.com/?gclid=COPRhZCCxsACFVgRvQod6ggApg

debs

9 yrs ago

Thanks Radish. I DID miss it; and even missed it again when i re-read the whole thing after i saw your post!! Blame it on the brain fart!!

Anyway, a friend has told me about a similar site www.mycause.com.au

so I have started a campaign there; as all other things are beyond me.

Debs, I am so glad you have done this and I note you have raised $280 so far. I will send you some money as well. Just cooking tea but will do tomorrow.

debs

9 yrs ago

that would be lovely of you Radish <3

Tadpole

9 yrs ago

I haven't been around for a while ,nice to see Davey is still his charming , caring self

Deb I had some unfeeling person say to me when my dog needed a $2000 op why not just get rid of her and get a new one, they are more than our pets are't they they are part of our family aren't they?

Was just wondering if you have accessed your Super yet if not you are fully entitled to, although in all probability you have already needed to do so with such horrendous medical bills. Hope something comes right for you.

debs

9 yrs ago

some have made that comment on here - 22 cents for a bullet, etc

Thanks for your support Vivity, I don't have children, so he's mine. Had him since he was 5 months, he's now 7

catsahoy

9 yrs ago

DEBS, do you live anywhere near MELBOURNE, if so the LORD SMITH ANIMAL HO orSPITAL will do the op for you at a greatly reduced price, also they let you pay the debt off, if you are near melbourne and cannot get to the hospital youself they have an ambulance service that will go and pick the dog up and take him to hospital, and when well, will bring him home again, i would try ringing them, if they couldnt help,[ and i see no reason why not] they could give you the best advice about care, or just ask your vet if you can pay it off, may take a couple of years but could be done, animals do get expensive, but if we want them , have to be prepared for these things, good luck,

debs

9 yrs ago

Thanks for that but no, I live in Woody Point, just north of Brisbane.

My Vet's practice is now owned by a big company otherwise he probably would have let me pay it off.

I can handle most expenses for my dog, but this is a biggie

PS i love your pic

Abby

9 yrs ago

Debs

I've had a look at https://www.mycause.com.au/search

but could not see you listed ?

debs

9 yrs ago

Hey Abby

It's listed as Chubba's Leg Surgery

Abby

9 yrs ago

The link for it is

https://www.mycause.com.au/payment/frp_donation/82246

I'll pass it onto my friends via email and hopefully the sum will grow.

How does one make the payment - do they accept Paypal ?

debs

9 yrs ago

Thanks Abby, I think it is credit card, not sure if they do Paypal. I only just heard about the site yesterday.

bookwyrm

9 yrs ago

Do you have any items you could sell on your local Gumtree that you wouldn‘t miss? And Ebay? I always have rainy day items that I know I can sell on Gumtree and Ebay if I need a bit of cash. About to go on a selling spree soon to get some pin money. Two screen prints, a few collectible books etc

debs

9 yrs ago

good idea, thanks

catsahoy

9 yrs ago

hope you are getting there with the dog deb, its a worry, but even if the vet has been taken over by another company, they still may let you pay it off, i would think a larger company would be more flexible, a smaller vet would have no backup where a larger place would have more equity to carry you, you can only ask, you wont be any worse off, reling on the donations of others is not very feasiable in my opinion, as most on here are in the same position, live from one pay to the next, are there not other vets available?

debs

9 yrs ago

larger companies don't care at all. They're just out for profit. The only way they do it is VetPay which charges 14% interest with payments starting straight away. Or GE money has a 3 month no interest but the rate is way higher. Tomorrow I will ring another vet, who some other friends go to, and see what his options are.

So far we are up to $450 from friends of friends, which is fabulous - getting there slowly....

My vet has a brochure that lets you borrow the money for your pet's treatment and then pay it off over time. Check out if your vet has this information. You could try the RSPCA to see if they can do the surgery for free or if a local vet hospital could do the same.

All we need to do is ask, it will be either yes or no and I'm sure you will eventually get a Yes.

Good luck and I hope your dear animal friend is soon recovered

debs

9 yrs ago

thanks, i have that VetPay info, they charge 14% interest and it has a short payoff time. and i tried the UQ vet clinics and they don't. and never did hear back from AWL. I'm still collecting on the mycause website - up to $450, so that will help.

bookwyrm

9 yrs ago

Cash Converters has two loans available, short 6 week loan and a much longer pay off time personal loan. You could apply online for the latter and borrow up to $600. The personal loan gives you plenty of time to pay it off, though the interest is high of course. Never done it myself but it is an option just in case you are stuck.

debs

9 yrs ago

thanks. People on the mycause website have been wonderful and I now have $450.

I also found a vet who is $400 cheaper for the surgery and friends have given offline as well, plus another friend from the dog park has lent me the total upfront, so Chubba can have his op on Tuesday; and I will pay him back with what I have collected.

So thanks to a wonderful set of friends I am OK and have the time to pay them back without a time limit.