By law in a lot of states, he is required to get the dog medical care, would breaking the law change his mind if your state has one of those? If so, you could check your local laws.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html … there is a list of some financial aid programs for vet care from the HSUS.

Some rescues will take in dogs that need vet care, but you would have to surrender him to them, but they would save his life.

You could look into Care Credit and as far as having an appointment – you can always do a drop off appt. I always do that with my rabbits and would do that with any animal since I work during the day as well.

If you drop him off they still have to call you before doing any tests that require spending money. One of the vets I’ve been to even requires a signature before any test so that you’re 100% educated about the cost and risks. Just be upfront about this and tell them that nothing should be done without your permission. At least this way he’ll have an exam and you’ll know what it might be.

You can clearly state what you allow them to do – when I dropped my dog off for boarding/testing over the weekend (we were out of town) the vet had me sign a basically a contract with each test I gave permission for them to do on it and anything more would have gotten them in trouble. Especially if you state your funds are low, they aren’t likely to do tests that cost them money they know they can’t get back.

Clinics are fine, especially if there are no other options – you can discuss things with the vets to make sure they know what they are doing, but generally they are vets who care and volunteer or vet students who take extra care with what they are doing since they are being graded on it (at least the ones I have been to with my grandmother). They just do things a bit more cost effectively than a vets office would (IE: spays at the clinic by my home are done with glue not stitches, but other than having to be a little more careful they don’t tear it open, there isn’t much difference).

I’m not really sure what the difference is…clinic or office, they don’t mean the same thing? Are you talking about a clinic as in, there are more than one vet that practices there? Sometimes that is a plus.

You said he isn’t neutered? There is a good chance he has some sort of prostate cancer because of that. Taking him to where ever you can afford is certainly better than doing nothing, so there is nothing wrong with a clinic. I have had dozens of animals spayed and neutered at clinics. Just be upfront with how much you have and can afford to pay.

Sarita, depends how the word is used. Some vet offices are called clinics. But there are also clinics designed to give affordable health care to owners who can’t afford regular vets. My grandmother has used the ones designed for low income patients in the past, they were staffed by volunteers and students and the cost of care was very cheap (they are usually backed by a shelter or rescue, at least the ones I know of are), at least half the cost at a regular vets office. Some of them are also mobile, so they travel to a certain area that is easily accessible for those who can’t drive.

Got it, thanks Stickerbunny. Like the spay/neuter clinic. I think they probably would just do the basics wouldn’t they? Like routine care and vaccinations…but I’m not sure.

They can do basic procedures usually – set a bone, do a checkup, basic tests (leukemia/heartworm/etc), spay/neuter, prescribe medicines, etc. But, since a clinic is unlikely to have an in house lab, any lab tests are still going to cost whatever the lab charges to process. And things like x-rays, aren’t likely to be available, unless they have a partnership with a vet who has an x-ray machine that they can rent time on. To find an honest, good, caring vet a good way is to call the local shelters and rescues and see who they recommend.

Keep in mind that the vet might not be trying to just get money out of you. Some vet simply learned different ways to practice medicine. While one was taught how to do a rectal exam, the other was taught that xrays can eliminate more possibilities or does not feel comfortable doing a rectal exam.

Has he been tested for heartworm and/or is he on prevention?

Yes, it is very possible to treat cancer in dogs. In fact, if you or a loved one is ever diagnosed with cancer, thank a dog, cat, rabbit, pig, monkey, mouse, etc because those medications were first tested on many of them.

If he does not have a UTI, chances are he is going to have to have some sort of surgery at this point. It is very expensive to put a big dog under because they need a lot more medication. When my boyfriend’s dog had ear surgery (and a neuter at the same time), it was over $500 and that was at a very low cost clinic. I am not saying it will cost you that much, but at this point you need to expect having to do some sort of surgery if it is bladder stones or prostate problems.

Have you asked about drop off appointments that would work for you?

I’ve had two dogs that refused to eat – one I dropper fed chicken broth for the protein/fat, the other I managed to get to eat rice and chicken breast on the vets advice.

I’m so sorry. It can be so stressful when pets are sick.

As Sarita has mentioned, care credit might be able to help. http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

Have you got something saved up for Mollys spay? If so, you might be able to use some of this to attend Luckys vet needs. If Molly is young, it should not be a problem to
postpone her spay a few months. You might be able to utilise care credit or look into low cost spay/neuter programs that could help finacially when/if you reschedule.

Would your work do any advances on pay? Does your father know of this current dilemma? It may be devious….but…. would he give you assistance if it were something not pet related? Like a loan to help you pay a utility bill? If your good for it and repay them, then they don’t need to know what the money is being used for. I feel bad suggesting it! But your in a bind with his dog so…

Or could your family members assist in just taking Lucky in or picking him up?

I hope you’re able to find a solution. {{{Lucky}}}

Did the offices tell you they don’t take credit cards? I pay for everything with credit cards, including all vet care (I like to get the travel miles from the card) and I’ve never been turned down. I’d think they would like credit cards as they get paid whether you pay back your bank or not.

Agreed, I pay everything with a credit card, including all vet charges and never heard of one that won’t take them… are you sure they don’t think you mean care credit since you were talking to them about that too? Not all vets take that, but I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t take credit/debit. o.O

Most vets that I know of will accommodate you if you have a scheduling dilemma. Or you could try an emergency vet, but they are $$$! Some vet offices even offer emergency hours after their normal ones. But yeah if you call up a vet and say it is an emergency, most will not turn you down.

To get him to eat, try wet food. Or a small amount of boiled meat mixed with rice.

Also I hate to say, but given his age, and intact status, it could be a prostate problem. But it could also be a kidney stone.

Don’t you just hate when parents do stupid crap like that? OMG it makes me so mad at them!

That’s fantastic news! I’m glad it was something easily fixable and that you got some extra money to help out with the surgery. He’s a lucky dog to have someone like you to take responsibility for his care when your dad won’t (I’m still steaming about your dad not taking him to the vet!)

I’m glad you found a vet and he’s getting the treatment he needs! For neutering, call your humane society and see if your town has a neutering program through them. It’s usually pretty cheap if your county has one.

And yes Elroh, I think we all are pretty steamed about that! :s

Is there any way to have him neutered while he is under for the surgery? That is what my boyfriend’s family did when their dog had a horrible ear abscess. It would save you the cost/stress of having to put him under again, even if it adds some money to this time. Plus, hey, they are already in the area, lol.

I am glad you found a good vet. I know the feeling of relief knowing your pet is in good hands (even if he is your dad’s dog, you might as well consider him yours now because he would be dead without you!).

Ah well. Did you at least ask how much more it would be? I don’t mean to push the issue, but it might be way cheaper than you think since he is already under. I think it was between $15-30 for my boyfriend’s dog. Of course that was at a low cost clinic, but still. It is at least worth asking. If it is way more it would be worth just coming back to do later, or maybe finding a low cost spay/neuter only clinic in your area. I know that my local shelter does “Spay Day USA” where they do free spays and neuters for local residents.

Oh, okay. lol. I understand completely. Like I said, see what your town/city has available. My local government run shelter partnered with my local SPCA and they provide very low cost neuters, but you have to get on the list (especially for big dogs, they tend to squeeze in the little dogs), and it takes a couple of months. They also do free spays and neuters for cats, which has been the most helpful for me, at least for tame cats! Also, depending on your income, you might qualify for some sort of voucher that gets you a free/low cost certificate that you can take to vets that accept them! I can’t remember what that program was now, but it was state wide (for my state, obviously, but yours might have one too!). It was good for spaying/neutering two pets per household per year.

So what is going to happen with his diet and such? I don’t mean to be nosy, but I am always curious about this kind of stuff! I know that there are things you can add to the diet that make the urine more acidic (thus dissolving/preventing stones), but they don’t work for rabbits because their urine is already acidic. But they work for dogs. lol. That is what matters in this case!

There are definitely some really cheap neuters available through clinics (like under $100) so hopefully you can find something like that.

Can you ask the vet what’s in the diet food that makes it better for him? You might be able to find another brand with those ingredients, or the vet may be able to prescribe those ingredients specifically while he’s on his regular food (I know this applies for join health prescription food – not sure if you’d be able to do it for his type of food). Just ask the vet what you may need to add or subtract from his diet and see what they say.

Ask them what is special about the food and you may be able to find something different. I personally don’t like the prescription foods anyway, our vet tried to give my mothers chihuahua one at $10 a can when she had a stomach issue and the poor thing went on a hunger strike for 3 days rather than eat it. But, don’t let the prices of certain foods throw you off, the commercial store brand dog foods are cheap – but they are mostly filler so the dog has to eat a LOT more to fill up. My mother recently switched to good quality dog food with no fillers, real meat, etc and it is $40 for 30lbs but instead of her Dane having to eat 3-4 bowls to be full, the serving size satisfies her and she’s in such better shape since she started eating it, fewer vet bills in the long run. And a 30lb bag lasts her longer than a 50lb bag did.

If you’re dad is giving him bones, just make sure they’re raw!! Cooked bones are extremely dangerous, but raw bones are actually healthy for dog’s teeth and digestion (they just need to be chewed up slowly). Cooked bones are completely different though – they splinter in the digestive system and can cause all sorts of problems.

Look at the first three ingredients of the food he is on now, then on a higher quality food – if the first three are not meat, it’s usually a bunch of fillers. Then go to the web and look up the protein/fat ratio your dog should have by breed/size. You can break down the numbers easily and since you serving size it out to feed, you can easily show how many meals each bag will be for the dog.

Calcium stones are made by too much OXALIC acid, which comes in the form of parsley/spinach and those types of foods. Oxalic acid binds with calcium and produces small crystals. Usually, the crystals are expelled in urine. But, if the dog is not intaking enough water (a water fountain can make animals much more interested in water btw, than standing water, it tastes better), or has too much oxalic acid, or something wrong with how they process it the crystals are produced too rapidly to be expelled and so they form a stone. Processed wheats and the like are also to blame a lot of the time, so again, a filler dog food with a lot of rice/wheat in it will make it worse. So the prescription food might be a gluten free food?

Edit: To add to Elrohs comment, it is best not to give poultry/fish bones as well.  

Pet stores often have no clue either unfortunately, so be careful about their advice – most also don’t carry the good quality meat foods, a lot of their foods are fillers so read the labels! If you could find a dog club, or a breeder who would be willing to discuss what foods they feed their dog, they usually have a lot of knowledge breed specific. I am all for adoption, so usually don’t have much interaction with breeders, but when my mother wanted help about her Dane that is where I got a lot of the information and it was backed up by vets, magazines etc.

No problem – the stones thing isn’t really dog specific, it’s the same in humans and most other animals too. My cousin has them badly and he’s on a gluten free, low carb diet and is supposed to watch his oxalic intake cause he’s had 5 in one year! Ow.

I don’t know what the calcium content is, but my boyfriend’s family feeds the Costco Kirkland dog food. It is the highest quality food they can afford. Is it perfect? No, far from it. Is it better than most supermarket brands, including Iams (which is often almost twice the price)? Heck yes! It doesn’t have corn or wheat (but it still has rice…), which helped to clear up the chronic ear infections their 90lb German Shep kept getting. It is just under $30 for a 50lb bag (or more for the one with lamb). Again, I am not sure if it would work for your dog, but it is worth looking into. It is the cheapest, decent dog food I know of.

All high quality dog foods in my area cost $50 and up for a 40+lb bag. My mom feeds Blue Buffalo and Wellness. Once I get my chihuahua here I plan on B.A.R.F.ing her, but I am going to guess your dad wouldn’t want to go through the trouble for that.

I am so glad to hear it was only a bladder stone. Lucky really lived up to his name there!

Yep here is an example of difference in ingredients list :

Popular store brand:

Ingredients
Whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), corn gluten meal, meat and bone meal, brewers rice, soybean meal, barley, whole grain wheat, animal digest, calcium carbonate, salt, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, added color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Yellow 6), DL-Methionine, manganese sulfate, manganese proteinate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

First is corn, which is filler and limited nutritional value to your dog. Second is a by-product, which is the random left overs that are not fit for human consumption usually – neck, feet, undeveloped eggs, etc. Third is an undefined animal fat – usually signals low quality fats processed out from meat in a factory, mostly glyceride esters of fatty acids. Corn gluten comes next, which is filler again.

Here is the list from a higher quality, popular brand :

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Tomato Pomace, Rye Flour, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Tomatoes, Rice Bran, Whitefish, Natural Chicken Flavor, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Ground Flaxseed, Ground Millet, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement], Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite], Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (added to preserve freshness), Taurine, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Garlic Powder, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products, Rosemary Extract.

Notice the second one has a lot more ingredients the average person can pronounce and the first ingredient is deboned chicken, as in real meat, not chicken by product or filler.

And here is a high quality grain free one, but totally grain free tends to be a bit more expensive –

Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tomato Pomace, Chicken Liver, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed, Salmon Oil, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Parsley, Apples, Blueberries, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.

If your vet thinks gluten may lead to more stones, I would try to find a grain free food, depends on what type of stone specifically and what they think would be best for the diet adjustment.

Brewers rice is a by product of milling rice, it is a filler and has practically no nutrients at all. Corn gluten is the residue left after the starch of corn is washed out. Purina smart blend also contains menadione, which has been linked to liver toxicity in some studies, though nothing 100% conclusive, it is not used in any high quality food for those studies. Reviewers have broken it down in testing and found it to be mostly grain, with very little meat, with soy added to boost the protein content. It rates 1-2 stars in most reviews. Some reviews have also pointed out that the minerals are most likely not chelated – making them more difficult for the dog to absorb.

So, out of the two it is the better… but I would keep looking for a better quality food.

Here is one review site that has a pretty comprehensive list of foods, along with a break down of each nutrient that may cause issues in dogs: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ … from scanning it, it seems to have pretty accurate information, at least it’s a good place to get some ideas to do further research.

would your father let you turn him over to a no kill spca. they would treat him. but your father won’t get him back. yellow labs are a favorite of mine. it’s not likely he will get better on his own. I’ve never been to a vet that didn’t do credit cards, I’m sure PetSmart does.

B.A.R.F. is Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. That is, feeding your dog like a wolf or feral dog would eat. Raw meat, bones, fish, some veggies, some fruits, eggs, etc. It is something I am considering for my dog because she only weighs 5lbs. If done right, it can be way cheaper than good dog food, but it takes more prep work. It is not something you can do half and half. It is all BARF, or all regular food. The dogs that I have seen on a good BARF diet (one in which the owner makes sure that all bases are covered for full nutrition), are some of the healthiest I have ever seen. Personally I am a little hesitant to feed with bones because of the risk of choking, so I will probably feed ground bones with some larger bones for chewing.