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Post by annieox15 on May 3, 2015 15:06:53 GMT
Hi, I'd really appreciate any comments. We have an elderly cat, rescue so no real idea but probably about 10. Over the last year she has developed entropion in both eyes (eyelids curling in and eyelashes causing irritation/inflammation and worse).
We changed vets recently because the people we were seeing, though supposedly specialist, were actually causing the cat a lot of stress through trying out things like contact lenses, different tests and ointments and really they wanted to refer her to an opthalmologist but our insurance is refusing to pay.
The cat was clearly never socialised properly (her early history is that she was found in a box with three kittens and rehomed by the RSPCA, we are her third home as far as we know) and she finds car journeys and too much handling stressful. She used to be relaxed with us but putting in endless eye drops is hard for her.
The latest vet has offered to do the operation on both eyes for around £800. That is a lot of money to find. I've looked around and realise that, where you can find quotes, it's anything from £200-£2000 for operating on both eyes.
Has anyone ever done any shopping around to find a vet who is cheaper than what has been quoted to you? This is all a new world to me. I must say, we've sat and tried to work out how you could come up with these figures and we suspect it's all about the insurance companies and vets working hand in glove to ramp up the prices.
That aside, we are pretty stressed ourselves at how to handle this situation and are sadly thinking maybe we should just decide to put her to sleep but she is still pretty healthy though she sleeps a lot, as cats do. Which way to go???
Thanks for reading.
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Post by ebony on May 3, 2015 15:46:32 GMT
Which insurance are you with and which vets are you with? I've recently switched vets because I wasn't entirely happy about the way the vet was handling one of my cats problems.
At 10 years old, chances are she's got more life left in her but you've got to consider the following:
1) Is she suffering at the moment (by suffering I mean is she in pain) 2) Is she behaving normally (I know you said she sleeps a lot as cats do, what I'm getting at is has her sleeping patterns changed - is she sleeping less than she used to and when she's awake does she seem distressed)
In order to give medication of any kind to a cat, you need to be calm and relaxed so she doesn't pick up on anything being "wrong" and get distressed. What's the vets advice and what do you feel is the right thing to do?
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Post by pixiepops on May 3, 2015 15:48:24 GMT
Hello annieox15 my own wee boy (2 years old) went through this a few months ago. He had it in one eye and our vets had given us 3 different ointments. Which all helped to begin with but after treatment stopped, the problem would reoccur (this is how they were able to diagnose the condition). They never tried contact lenses (not sure why they would do as that is nothing to do with the eyelid but rather the eye itself) and the only tests they had done was a test to ensure his ducts were not clogged (which can cause infection) and they also took a sample of some of the goop that was in his eye to test it to see if they could pinpoint the bacteria or possible infection that could be causing it (this was at the beginning before it was realised he would need an entropian). He hated the drops and I dont blame him, the thought of putting anything in my eyes is frightening enough. I am shocked at the estimation you have been given for having the entropian done! My wee boy had his done in one eye and everything came to a total of around £100 max...so with that being said, it should only cost you around £200 for both eyes. I would most definitely look around at other vets in your area or even a vet you can get to easily enough outside of your area. I never had to shop around but I suppose you could find out which vets are availble near you, call them all up, explain that your cat needs to have an entropian done and that you are looking for the best vet who could do this. Ask for their quote and go from there There is no need to have her put to sleep, it is a minor problem that can be corrected very easily.
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Post by annieox15 on May 3, 2015 16:08:28 GMT
We are with Direct Line. They paid out last year for her eye investigations and now of course they are refusing to pay for more than a year for one condition!
She has always been quite a relaxed cat and she sleeps a lot anyway. It is possible she is sleeping more because she is in pain but it's hard to know. She is going out in the garden quite a bit now that the weather has improved and she gets up to eat or beg for treats if we are in the kitchen! Some days she is obviously squinting but sometimes not. We do put lubricant in her eye if she appears to be bothered. The vet did give us vast quantities of Metacam but we thought this was a bit over the top and don't use it because all these things have side effects and it doesn't seem that bad as far as we can tell. The current vet agreed that you don't want to be putting in five lots of drops a day which the last vet had us doing.
The fact that the current vet recommended an operation makes us feel we have to do something. However, we have twins at university, just finishing, and although people seem to spend oodles of money on masses of crap these days, we are not like that, we don't have loads of money to flash around, we are supporting our kids financially and £800+ is something of a blow. I suppose I am a bit angry about vets and insurance companies, I've owned dogs and cats all my life and the combination of what you are expected to spend on vets these days and the automatic assumption that your insurance will cover it is infuriating.
Anyway, that's a side issue. I thought I would post because everything seems up for bargaining and reviewing these days and so, rather than think you have a relationship with a vet, I wonder if you can just shop around as with everything else. I mean how come one vet can advertise this op at £160 and yet some vets in Swindon say close on £2000? It doesn't make sense.
But presumably if you go for a vet in say Bournemouth at £160, then can you go back to using a more local vet for the annual vaccs etc.
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Post by annieox15 on May 3, 2015 16:15:27 GMT
pixiepops, that's helpful, thank you. I replied to Ebony. It's interesting that you paid so much less. I wonder if it's to do with where you live, i.e. the south east is more expensive? The contact lens is about giving the eye time to heal. The vet got a set of three and we went through two being inserted. The thing is it is difficult for the vet to get them into the eye because the cat tends to put up their third eyelid. The vet who tried had a real fight with her and in the end asked us to bring her in and leave her for the morning so she could do it with an assistant. Once the contact lens is in, they have no way of knowing how long it will stay in so it might fall out within an hour or be in for two weeks! This vet also used local anaesthetic and stuff to stain the eye every time. She did the various tests for herpes etc and used those little sticks to measure for tear production. All in all, it seemed endless and I'm not surprised the cat got upset. She now runs from the basket when she sees or hears it coming and she never used to do that. We lost confidence in this vet which is why we changed to the new vet. The one we saw this week was much kinder and more sympathetic but still thinks we need to consider an operation.
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Post by ebony on May 3, 2015 17:40:59 GMT
annieox15 if you find a cheaper vet could you see if the insurance will pay out SOME of the cost and you pay out some? I'd say (from what you've said) try to find a cheaper vet and arrange the operation
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Post by tonib on May 3, 2015 19:35:16 GMT
I've no experience of shopping around for for vets - I must admit I think ours is reasonable but then we're in the north-west, the south-east is another matter annieox15If it was me in your situation I would find the means to have the op done (& I do appreciate that it can be difficult) but would also talk to other cat owners in your area to see what they think about their vets & try & find a good but chea[er one is possible. There has to be a balance between cheap & quality of service. Not sure how easy it is to be registered at 2 different vets (one for the eye op & the other for the regular vacs etc.) others may have had experience of this.
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Post by zahada on May 3, 2015 19:38:01 GMT
I've no experience of shopping around for for vets - I must admit I think ours is reasonable but then we're in the north-west, the south-east is another matter annieox15If it was me in your situation I would find the means to have the op done (& I do appreciate that it can be difficult) but would also talk to other cat owners in your area to see what they think about their vets & try & find a good but chea[er one is possible. There has to be a balance between cheap & quality of service. Not sure how easy it is to be registered at 2 different vets (one for the eye op & the other for the regular vacs etc.) others may have had experience of this. There is no reason not to be registered at more than one vet. The new vet needs to ask for history from the previous vet so they know the animals problems and treatments.
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Post by tonib on May 3, 2015 20:32:40 GMT
Thanks zahada wasn't sure, knew they'd ask for the history but wasn't sure how/if the transfer of information occurred after that
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Post by migsy on May 3, 2015 20:48:06 GMT
A neighbour shopped around for an operation his dog needed on its leg,vets wanted to do blood tests etc.(dog wasn't insured).He went into one vet and told them his dog needed to have the opp but couldn't afford to pay for blood tests etc (he thought they were a rip off)and they carried out the opp which owner was happy with. Many years ago my daughters cat had that eye operation,we were charged £50 which was a lot of money then,but it was a great success and lovely to see the cat healthy and out of pain.A crescent shape was cut out of the eyelid,lifting eyelashes away from the eyeball enough to stop them causing irritation.Thinking of the time lapse,£200 sounds reasonable,but hope you can get it done cheaper.
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Post by pixiepops on May 3, 2015 22:00:33 GMT
I know it may not be something you would be happy with doing but I have seen a lot of other owners having a just giving page or similar where people, family and friends can donate what they can towards the costs to help. Definitely phone around the vets in your area and ask about the costs and then ask around for reviews and see who would be the best option. The operation really does work as my wee boy has not had any problems with his eye since he had it done. I know it was only a few months ago but the difference was amazing from day 1. You have a right to refuse anything that you feel doesnt sound right for your pet. Also if a vet has a problem with you having the operation done at another vets then they are not the vet for youas it is surely about ensuring the animal gets the best help and treatment, regardless of who carries it out I hope you do find someone who can help and who is affordable for you to have the entropian done.
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Post by annieox15 on May 6, 2015 12:06:14 GMT
Hello everyone, thank you so much for your replies. Sometimes forums are very helpful indeed. Just to let you know that we have been on an interesting mission discovering more than we realised about different vets and how much the price for the same procedure can vary. I suppose, when we have insurance and the condition in question is covered, we just don't think about it. Our elderly dog had £1500 of treatment on her bad back before she died, quite shocking really.
Anyway, we have found some local vets whose price is £5-600 which feels more reasonable in our terms and they want to monitor her eyes for a few weeks before plunging in to an operation, so that gives a little breathing space too.
We live in Oxford which is part of the expensive south east I suppose, another good reason to move away!! Thanks again.
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Post by tonib on May 7, 2015 0:21:45 GMT
Glad to hear you've had some success with the vet search annieox15. Hope all goes well & do let us know how you & your cat get on
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