Thank you everyone for your get well wishes for my kitty, Lilly. She has been doing well and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she is over this bout of illness. She has her appetite back and being 17 pounds little, that's a good sign for sure.
Like many of you pet parents out there, when she became ill, I was so devastated as I've had her for over 10 years and during that time, she has never been sick. Of course, she goes once a year for her annual vaccinations which cost a minimum.
So, the trip to the veterinarian was an eye opener for sure. She was a lovely, young doctor who was so kind. She didn't have an answer right away but suggested a plan of treatment and then told me she'd give me the estimate. I was perplexed but I waited and the assistant brought in the estimate which had a total price of $713.00! Wow, a bit costly for sure. The blood work was approximately $250.00 and the x-ray was $250.00. Luckily, after a little discussion with the assistant, she suggested I give Lilly the medicine treatment (which was $201.00) and see how it goes. Lilly received two medicines; one for acid reflux and one an antiobiotic, for one week. So far, so good. But, she's my baby and if the symptoms return, of course I'm going to proceed with further testing. It broke my heart to see her ill.
Many parts of our beautiful, tranquil setting here in Southern California are up in flames at the moment. Yesterday, a fire broke out which they named the Thomas Fire. It started at 50 acres and this afternoon is has grown to more than 50,000 acres! It's northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County and many structures have burned to the ground. It's heartbreaking to see it on the TV. There are a couple of more fires that broke out today. The culprit is the Santa Ana Winds which started yesterday. They are very strong, warm winds that wreck havoc with our dry, parched land. They're expected to blow until early Friday morning. Luckily, I haven't heard of any fires here in Orange County where I live. Although, we have taken precaution and put away things outside and shut off the pool filter since it's filled with leaf debris. We are in a wait and see mode. There are dry, parched hills which border both sides of the area where I live.
I hope you are safe and warm wherever you may be. I had a fun post ready to publish today but it's going to wait until another time.
With my best wishes to you,
Pat
So glad Lily is doing better. Yes Vet bills can be a shock. A few years ago one of our cats was bit by a dog and ran up an $800 vet bill and did not survive the bite. The Vet was wonderful and cut the bill in half. Then 3 years ago our daughter left her cat with us when she moved to Japan, he got ill and ran up an almost $1,000 vet bill before he died. Heartbreaking and expensive.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well for Lily. Pets are family, for sure!
ReplyDeleteHoping Lily continues to improve. She's beautiful. It's been an expensive time with QT recently. He's ok and settled on meds for thyroid treatment. I understand when you're powerless with more questions than answers. Sometimes we just have to trust the experts. Thinking of you, Cathy x
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased to hear that Lilly's doing well, it's heartbreaking when our furry friends are ill. Vet bills can be huge, we've got insurance for Archie but there's an excess so it's not worth claiming on unless it's a big bill. Even so, all the smaller bills add up and the insurance itself isn't cheap. The fires were on the news over here in the UK, my heart goes out to all those involved.
ReplyDeleteWe heard about the fires on our news, something we do not have over here in UK. I hope you stay safe and Lily is improves.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that Lilly is recovering, and hope it continues. Please give her a kiss from me.
ReplyDeleteThe fires are breaking my heart. I hope they can be controlled soon.
Oh Pat. We were watching the fires on our Tv just now. It must be so very frightening for you. Praying you stay safe and yours and your neighbours properties are unharmed.
ReplyDeleteA visit to the vets is always rather painful here too. Just to have the two dogs vaccinated so they could stay in kennels cost us over 140€. We rarely have to go with the cats I am glad to say. I hope Lilly continues to improve so the extra tests are necessary. Kate x
Hoping each day your baby feels better
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that Lilly is feeling better. I've (very) recently said goodbye to my extremely elderly cat child, so it's lovely to find a blog that posts about some of the challenges of being a cat Mum.
ReplyDeleteI was horrified to see the images of the fire on UK tv this lunchtime. I hope that everyone you know stays safe. Jx
Hello Pat... I thought that I'd posted on comment on your blog but it doesn't seem to have appeared. Will call back tomorrow! Jx
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that Lilly is feeling better, dear Pat! My goodness, though, the vet bill is incredible....I have one very elderly kitty right now - 18 years old. Every day is precious, as you can imagine. We love our sweet fur-babies. The fires have been so tragic. My heart just breaks for all the people in the path of this devastation, and I pray for them and the brave firefighters that are fighting so hard. I've even heard stories of some losing their own homes while they try to save others. It's also so sad for the innocent wild things. I am glad to know that you are safe, my friend. Sending hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteSo glad your beautiful Lilly is doing better!
ReplyDelete