Having to pay medical bills for a sick or injured pet is a difficult task for just about everybody. It is even more of a problem for those who already have a limited income, are homeless, or have financial problems. However, there are some options. 1)Pet Insurance. Pet insurance is a contract between the client and the insurance company that does not involve the animal hospital, so you must pay the hospital’s fees up front and then submit your bills for reimbursement after you have already paid. There is not a guarantee that all the fees will be reimbursed, however, so read the fine print. 2)Talk to your veterinarian to see if they provide any options. Some veterinary hospitals will allow payment plans to help defray the costs. 3)Care Credit is a credit card that can be used at most veterinary hospitals and emergency clinics. You do have to apply and get approved just as for any credit card so those with poor credit may not get approval. 4)Finally, there are numerous non-profit organizations aimed at helping those in need pay for their veterinary bills. Most of these organizations are funded solely by private donations and volunteers so their available funds are limited by the donations they have received. Most are also very specific about whom they will provide funding for, and sometimes there is a long wait for approval of applications. a.Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Foundation (www.fveap.org) b.The Pet Fund (www.thepetfund.com) c.Angels 4 Animals (http://angels4animals.org) d.In Memory of Magic (www.imom.org) e.The American Animal Hospital Association’s Helping Pets Fund (www.aahahelpingpets.org) f.Help A Pet (www.help-a-pet.org) g.Feline Outreach (www.felineoutreach.org) h.Cat’s in Crisis (www.catsincrisis.org) i.Shakespeare Animal Fund (www.shakespeareanimalfund.org) j.United Animal Nations (www.uan.org)   « less

Since he has gotten a taste of the outdoors, it is going to take some work to get him to stay inside. You will have to be diligent and consistent to get the new kitty to mind and it will take some time to get him to cooperate to where you can trust him not to bolt. First, you will need to figure out a way to squeeze out the door without allowing the cat to run out or, if you cannot, you will need to keep him confined in the short time while you are training him. Start by just standing at the front door and jiggling the handle as if you are going out the door. More than likely, kitty will run to the door ready to run. After kitty runs over, walk away and go sit down until the kitty returns to what he was doing. Then repeat the process over and over again until when you jiggle the handle, he does not respond. Then move to the next phase where you not only jiggle the handle but also open up the door (just a little). Again, kitty will come running at the sound at which point you close the door, walk away and go sit down. Repeat the process over and over again until he does not respond to this action. This process will desensitize him to the sound of the door opening so he does not bolt out every time somebody goes to the door. It will also make it impossible for him to tell when the door is just going to be closed or when someone is actually going to walk out the door giving him the opportunity to run.    « less

There are a couple of reasons why your cat may be doing this. It could be a medical issue - for instance, it could be a variant of pica (a desire to consume abnormal things). Pica can be a result of many things such as anemia (low blood count), gastrointestinal disease and hyperthyroidism to name a few. It could be a nutritional issue - for instance, he may be craving the salt on your skin because of a deficiency in his diet. Or it may be behavioral - a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. It would be a good idea to have him examined by a veterinarian first to rule out the medical causes.   « less

The oily hair and dandruff may be an infection in the skin which requires antibiotics. Some cats have allergies which cause them to develop pyoderma (an infection in the skin). In general, cats (and dogs) can have allergies to three basic categories – Food/dietary allergies, Environmental allergies, or flea allergies. In general, flea control is recommended year round for most pets with skin problems (even indoor only cats) in order to prevent flea allergies from playing a role. A food or dietary allergy can develop even if the food has not been changed recently. Usually food allergies are directed toward the protein content of the food so changing the food to a novel protein source (one that the pet has never been exposed to before) is usually recommended for 2 months. Environmental allergies (such as toward pollens, trees, molds, etc) can also occur in indoor-only pets because most of us do not live in a hermetically sealed home. Often these allergies are seasonal and can cause skin problems to develop only during certain times of the year. Pets can also have a combination of allergic problems, just because a pet has a food allergy does not mean they do not also have an environmental allergy. This would be one explanation why a pet with environmental allergies does not appear to have seasonal symptoms. The two allergic causes together build on one another making them even worse and compounding the problem. There are many different treatments for skin problems in cats (and dogs) such as fatty acid supplementation, antibiotics (if necessary), dietary changes, other skin supplements and topical treatments (medicated shampoos and sprays).    « less

Chronic vomiting has many potential causes and having your pet examined by a veterinarian is the best way to determine what may be causing it or what the best course of action is to determine what the cause is as well as the corresponding treatment. Some potential causes of vomiting include Primary gastrointestinal diseases such as – foreign material obstructing the intestines (either partially or completely), inflammatory bowel disease, infections, internal parasites, food allergy, and gastrointestinal cancer – and Systemic diseases – Kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, liver disease, pancreatitis, reactions to drugs or medications, toxins, and cancer. There are no specific over the counter remedies which will help, unfortunately, and some may actually make the problem worse. Projectile-like vomiting is especially serious and an examination should be performed as soon as possible.   « less

The department of public health has very strong views on animal bites. Veterinarians are required by law to report animal bites if it breaks the skin (even just a little). And pets that have bitten a person are required to go into quarantine for 10 days to make sure they do not show signs of developing Rabies. Even if a pet has been fully vaccinated against Rabies and has no exposure risks, they are still required to do this because of the human health hazard. Unfortunately, these kinds of things happen quite often in a veterinary clinic because even nice animals will sometimes object when handled in certain ways.    « less

Yes, it is OK to give to her as long as it is not in excess because it can add fat and calories to the diet. However, if you are giving it in order to improve the hair coat, there are much better options out there. Some people add oils to their pet’s diet in order to improve a dry coat or to help with allergic skin diseases. The oils which are better suited for this are fish oils which are high in omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Most high quality commercial diets should have adequate amounts of these fatty acids in the diet, however some dogs with skin problems can benefit from the added supplementation.   « less

I am sorry to hear about your cat. Euthanasia (putting your pet to sleep) is a difficult decision for every pet owner. However, it is also a very humane thing that you can do to provide your beloved pet with a painless, quick passing. Euthanasia is offered at all veterinary hospitals as well as most animal shelters. In addition, there are some mobile veterinarians who can perform the service in your home. The medications used to euthanize pets are drugs that used to be used for anesthesia in people many years ago, so we know there is no pain or discomfort associated with the injection. Most veterinarians will offer the option to have your pet euthanized while you are present so they can have your comforting presence there when they pass. There are also many options for care of their remains. You can have them cremated at a group crematorium (most common), you can have them cremated and have their ashes returned to you in an urn, you can purchase burial plots and headstones at local pet cemetaries, or you can take your pet home with you to bury (although you need special permission from the city to bury animals in your yard).    « less

There are a couple of reasons why your cat may be doing this. It could be a medical issue - for instance, it could be a variant of pica (a desire to consume abnormal things). Pica can be a result of many things such as anemia (low blood count), gastrointestinal disease and hyperthyroidism to name a few. It could be a nutritional issue - for instance, he may be craving the salt on your skin because of a deficiency in his diet. Or it may be behavioral - a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. It would be a good idea to have him examined by a veterinarian first to rule out the medical causes. But if you want to try to get the behavior to stop, first start by ignoring him. YOU should always be the one to initiate interactions and never the cat. You determine when the interaction begins and when it ends. If he starts licking, stand up and walk away. Return a while later when he is relaxed to initiate interaction again.   « less

I am so sorry to hear about your cat. Stomatitis is an extremely painful and debilitating disease in some cats and is frustrating for both owners and veterinarians. It sounds as though you have tried just about everything for this little kitty. The cause of the inflammation is thought to be a severe allergic reaction to the plaque and bacteria on the teeth. Some cats who do not respond to extraction of the back teeth alone will respond to full mouth extractions of all the teeth. Other thoughts as to the cause of the stomatitis is an allergy to something in the diet and some cats have responded to changing to a hypoallergenic diet. There are also other medications which can be tried to help manage the inflammation aside from steroids (such as cyclosporine). Brushing the teeth and rinsing the mouth with oral hygiene rises can sometimes help keep the inflammation subdued. Unfortunately, there are some cats who do not respond despite the most aggressive treatments. I hope that your kitty is not one of these few.   « less