mopydream44
06-21-2008, 10:00 PM
So I've been pretty busy (as I've said repeatedly), and I didn't get to post any of my recent rattie "adventures" but I wanted to post them now because it may comfort/inform other forum members.
Penny, my first and eldest rat (1.4 years), had a couple of issues in the past two or three months. A while back Dan found a lump on Penny but I was pretty certain it was benign from my experience with Teto's benign tumor. The vet also felt a cyst in her neck, so we had both removed (approx 200$) and Penny sulked for a few days because she had to stay overnight at the Vet's Office!
It couldn't have been more than two and a half weeks later when Dan discovered yet another lump. The first lump was on the lower right side, and the newest lump was on the upper left hand side, so I figured they weren't connected but I still had a pretty emotional day. I briefly thought it was malignant then I cam to my senses and started stressing out about the money. I'm definitely not hurting for cash but potentially dropping 400$ in a month can be a bit stressful!
We took Penny into the vet again, at which point we knew Penny had a high risk of developing additional benign tumors throughout her life, so we were presented with preventative options (because let me tell you Penny is NOT a happy girl when she's away from home). The first option was using drugs intended for humans to reduce the risk of developing more tumors OR a spay. I was a bit apprehensive about the spay because it's more invasive than a benign tumor removal but apparently the drugs would be way more expensive, and they aren't even sure if they help or not. Dan and I basically decided to have her spayed during the time of the tumor removal. The two procedures ended up costing 300$ total, which was in the middle of the estimate. We could have paid it all off at once; however, we opted to sign up for Care Credit.
It's a bit like a credit card for your health, and the first three months of payment are interest free. We haven't got the bill yet but it seems like it'll work out nicely, and I think it will be essential if an emergency situation ever arises. What's really neat about the care credit card is you can use it for your whole family not just your pets.
I know some of our members are too young to consider this for themselves but I wanted to let people know it's an option! Also it might make some parents of our younger members more inclined to get vet care for the animals.
Care Credit (http://www.carecredit.com/?dtc=D066&WT.mc_id=GoogleSearchTextcarecredit)
you can check it out at the link above. I'll let you guys know if I have any problems with it but I don't expect to have any.
Oh btw Penny is doing great but she rebelled by chewing on her staples a bit. They put a collar on her, and they told me she just rolled on her back and pouted! She's such a funny little rattie :D OH YEAH she likes her medicine!!!!
Penny, my first and eldest rat (1.4 years), had a couple of issues in the past two or three months. A while back Dan found a lump on Penny but I was pretty certain it was benign from my experience with Teto's benign tumor. The vet also felt a cyst in her neck, so we had both removed (approx 200$) and Penny sulked for a few days because she had to stay overnight at the Vet's Office!
It couldn't have been more than two and a half weeks later when Dan discovered yet another lump. The first lump was on the lower right side, and the newest lump was on the upper left hand side, so I figured they weren't connected but I still had a pretty emotional day. I briefly thought it was malignant then I cam to my senses and started stressing out about the money. I'm definitely not hurting for cash but potentially dropping 400$ in a month can be a bit stressful!
We took Penny into the vet again, at which point we knew Penny had a high risk of developing additional benign tumors throughout her life, so we were presented with preventative options (because let me tell you Penny is NOT a happy girl when she's away from home). The first option was using drugs intended for humans to reduce the risk of developing more tumors OR a spay. I was a bit apprehensive about the spay because it's more invasive than a benign tumor removal but apparently the drugs would be way more expensive, and they aren't even sure if they help or not. Dan and I basically decided to have her spayed during the time of the tumor removal. The two procedures ended up costing 300$ total, which was in the middle of the estimate. We could have paid it all off at once; however, we opted to sign up for Care Credit.
It's a bit like a credit card for your health, and the first three months of payment are interest free. We haven't got the bill yet but it seems like it'll work out nicely, and I think it will be essential if an emergency situation ever arises. What's really neat about the care credit card is you can use it for your whole family not just your pets.
I know some of our members are too young to consider this for themselves but I wanted to let people know it's an option! Also it might make some parents of our younger members more inclined to get vet care for the animals.
Care Credit (http://www.carecredit.com/?dtc=D066&WT.mc_id=GoogleSearchTextcarecredit)
you can check it out at the link above. I'll let you guys know if I have any problems with it but I don't expect to have any.
Oh btw Penny is doing great but she rebelled by chewing on her staples a bit. They put a collar on her, and they told me she just rolled on her back and pouted! She's such a funny little rattie :D OH YEAH she likes her medicine!!!!