Comments by "SepherStar" (@SepherStar) on "Vet bills for dogs and cats: Are they too high? (CBC Marketplace)" video.

  1. It's not absurd because a lot of people skip out on the payment. Anyway most vets have signs and make you sign a contract that state fees are due upfront.
    8
  2. A lot of vets where I am don't recommend regular vaccinations for cats because of this. They will recommend vaccinations as kittens...typically feline leukemia, and maybe rabies every few years if you are in an area with it, but they recommend you keep your cats indoors.
    7
  3. I've never heard of a vet recommending dry food for cats with kidney problems. They typically recommend wet food because cats with kidney problems have difficulty staying hydrated. Protein restricted diets for cats with kidney problems is controversial. Some vets say the problem is the protein, while other vets say the problem is high phosphorus content that is often found in high protein foods, and that the cats actually need the protein but not the phosphorus. With both my cats who developed kidney problems, I did subcutaneous fluid therapy. That is a completely prescription thing here in the U.S. which makes it somewhat expensive, but in Canada it's over the counter. If you have to do it, just be sure you follow your vet's directions.
    4
  4. Why $700?
    4
  5. Actually at the dentist you are really just paying for the cost of the business, student loans, and living expenses plus some savings. I know this for a fact. My home town dentist had horrible teeth and it took him over a decade in practice to afford veneers himself because he was paying for his practice, staff, student loans, mortgage in a middle class, suburban neighborhood, a wife and three kids, one with special needs. He wasn't making off with a lot of spending money.
    3
  6. Depends. I've used cheap stuff from the drug store and expensive stuff from the salon. I had to use a lot less of the expensive stuff....but it's expensive.
    3
  7. Not everything is a diet problem. In fact most things aren't.
    2
  8. I would take the car in once in a while to have kidneys checked. Particularly after the age of 10. Also be sure to keep the liter box super clean and have an idea of your cat's litter box habits. Both of my cats developed kidney problems eventually. The first one, her stools became dry and then her fur became clumpy, and the second one, the box started smelling like ammonia but I thought they had just changed the formula of the litter and didn't realize it was a kidney problem until he was going to the water bowl every five minutes and then planted himself there. We thought it was chronic kidney disease like the first cat, which is progressive, but a year later, the vet said his kidney values weren't making sense for chronic kidney disease, and what probably happened was he had a UTI at some point that went to his kidneys (probably when the box started smelling like ammonia) and damaged his kidneys but it wasn't progressive.
    1
  9. Most areas have a low cost spay and neuter clinic. If you adopt from the country shelter here, the cost of spay and neuter is included in the adoption fee, as well as vaccinations and a microchip.
    1
  10. It's not a matter of milking you...at least not at all vets. Most vets will try to work with you to keep your pet alive and healthy, and offer different care options. There is the ideal level of care, and then there is a level of care that they hope will save your pet but may not.
    1
  11. I'm pretty sure it's not legal in the U.S. either! I have no idea what scaretfluerr is doing.
    1
  12. They don't scrape the enamel off. In fact dental scrapers are softer than enamel.
    1
  13. Or people, and people and dogs died of things that could easily be prevented and treated by modern medicine.
    1
  14. Sometimes they can't tell until they get the tartar off.
    1