We received our final bill from NC State. The day of Cat’s surgery, they asked us to pay a deposit of $8000. I felt like I was just frisbee-ing my visa at anyone who could catch it that day. It was just like, “Here take it — then go save my dog!”

For the emergency service, splenectomy, and 4-day stay in the hospital, the actual total came in a little lower at $7335. There was then a follow-up exam to remove her staples that was $133.

On the day of her collapse, we’d also taken her a different emergency vet first (Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital) — the one that nearly killed her, giving us the run-around for several hours, knowing they were incapable of performing the surgery. That bill was $2105 — for nothing except a dog who will forever suffer the effects of that clinic’s negligence as they let her blood pressure drop to the point that her body was shutting down.

The cost of the oncology consult was $365.

Credit card: buckle up.

This is just the start.

I will say this: I was complaining about the skyrocketing cost of Cat’s pet insurance – now $64/mo. I started her policy before I even officially adopted her because I was utterly smitten with that puppy & remember thinking I could never make a decision about her life based on money. Not complaining anymore. Not that it covers everything. Also, I did overhear some folks in the emergency checkout on the day of her surgery saying that their insurance was refusing to pay, so I guess nothing is guaranteed. More on pet insurance later…