by Marinepits » February 24th, 2009, 10:42 pm
I just wanted to add something to clarify why I posted this thread:
Many people are going to go through this situation with their own dogs. I've worked in and around the veterinary industry long enough to know that some treatments can be very expensive due to many reasons, including the expertise and education of the doctor, the medications involved, the special equipment involved, etc etc. As kind of an "industry insider", I want to share my experience with others who don't know what to expect, and I know that many people won't realize just how much of an undertaking canine cancer treatment will cost them -- physically, emotionally, and financially.
I fully expect Indy's final cost for the entire cancer experience to top $10,000. That includes the surgery he just had (about $1,900), the daily bandage changes ($25 each), the tests needed before the radiation treatments can begin (xrays and bloodwork to make sure he's healthy enough to handle the treatments), the radiation treatments and all that entails, the follow-up appointments, the gasoline needed to get to all the appointments, and other miscellaneous items that will pop up along the way.
It's a staggering amount of money, but we're mostly prepared to deal with it. Without going into our personal financial information too much, we've made some sacrifices and juggled some stuff, and should be sorta okay. Yeah, it's going to be tight for a while, but we made the choice to do this for Indy and we're prepared to do what we have to do to make this happen.
We so very much appreciate the kind and generous offers of financial support. I actually don't know how to express my gratitude because mere words seem so.....lacking. So please know that you all have truly touched my heart.
With all that said, I want to thank everyone for the amazing amount of emotional support we've received from this forum. That makes going through this damn situation FAR easier than it would have been otherwise.
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.