I can be frugal but it allows me to have expensive hobbies, like guns and travel.

I've decided not to let money be a factor in deciding when to euthanize my cat. As long as he has the prospect of having quality of life, I'll pay whatever it costs to enable that.

Right now that means subcutaneous fluids every other day, Vitamin B12 shots once a week, and a couple other medications. I'm so good at giving these fluids right now, I don't think my cat even realizes I've stuck a needle in him. I know I made the right decision. The doc was so pleased and surprised at the last visit. My cat is gaining weight and seems happy.

I'm writing about alternative sources for the fluids and needles. I think my vet is gouging a bit. I can find the fluids online at about 1/3 the cost. I think I need a prescription. I have a slight mental hangup about being perceived as cheap, but I'll have to get past that with my vet if there are good alternative options. Are there?

I used to have the same reservation about buying my dogs' RX meds online, but it turned out both my previous and current (I moved 500 miles away) vets are fine with it. I'd say go for it.

Prayers and love to you and your cat.

We did the subcutaneous fluids every other day and our loved one lived a quality life for years after the vet said it was over.

We also made batches of healthy cat food with chicken, rice, supplements and vitamins. Then froze it in an ice cube tray. It was real food and she loved it.

Good luck with your search.

We order my Dogs meds online . They contact the Vet directly and get the prescription . We don't have to deal with any of that .

My spouse worked in a Level 1 trauma center.

We got the saline and Ringers that were recently expired for our cat. He did fine for three years, before getting euthanized due to rapidly metastasizing cancer.

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
I can be frugal…

…I have a slight mental hangup about being perceived as cheap, but I'll have to get past that with my vet if there are good alternative options. Are there?

You got yourself right the first time.

One option; can’t vouch for them.

Our dog had CKD and I administered Ringer's every day for three years until it passed this past January at the age of 17 1/2.

I went through a bag every 8 days and I've bought a lot of Ringer's and needles. This is where I found the cheapest supplies.

Your Costco fills pet prescriptions at their pharmacy. The discounts are very good with membership. 22 gauge needles and meds were never a problem to get with them and most things were in stock.

Ringer's was purchased from Chewy. Admin kits come with the bags. Chewy works with your vet on the scripts. Also, I could get meds from Chewy too. Mertaz was inexpensive and less than Costco.

Don't worry the least bit about buying Ringer's on-line! We did it for many years, several different cats, even several different Vets prescribing it. I can't remember where we got the lines and needles, but most-likely from the same supplier we used for the fluids.

You are showing your Vet that you are committed to caring for your cat, at the very least, and that's a positive to them.

My favorite story about giving fluids was a cat that I frankly didn't like and she didn't like me, either, but was my GF's favorite. The Vet said that if we didn't give her fluids, she'd die soon of kidney failure, but if we did, she maybe had six months to live.

I did the sticking while my GF held the cat, but just for a short time since the cat realized quickly that she felt a lot better after getting fluids. She became friendly to me again, took the needle sticks like they were nothing, and the best part, she lived another six years!

The only caution I have for you is that Chewey and some of the other suppliers ship by FedEx, which had a habit of screwing up deliveries, so track the shipments carefully. FedEx is good at finding your street number on the wrong street, not finding the address at all, or leaving a box of fluids in the bushes by the wrong door so you don't find it for two weeks (actual fact, they did it to us!). Our current Vet is happy to receive shipments from Chewey and hold them for us to pick up, so if you have trouble with FedEx, ask your Vet to help.

Allivet.com is less expensive than vets. I believe vets are ethically required to send out prescriptions.

We did the same for one of our cats. Kept him going almost a whole year, with good quality of life.

We had a cat with diabetes the last 10 years of her life. Two shots a day; barely noticed we gave her anything at all. However, those needles were really small.

I did the SubQ injections daily for my cat when she had advanced stage kidney disease. It improved her quality of life and she lived an extra 4 months because of it. That loose skin on her neck would fill up like a water balloon and her body would slowly absorb the liquid without her kidneys having to process it.

I never found a way to save money on it. Hoping the OP finds a way to save money.

Your correct Paul, you are cheap. You are also extremely picky!
We just lost one of our Cats this week. The Emergency Vet wanted to put him down but my Wife refused because the Cat was not in apparent pain.
My Wife hydrated the Cat and feed him with a syringe for a week until he passed.
I mentioned this to you before,Its well worth the 2hr drive to the University of IL. at Champaign/Urbana. The Vet school there is FANTASTIC and will work with you on what ever treatment you decide on.
Easy drive and when you leave you will be proud of yourself for taking your pet there for treatment.
I'm sure the hospital there will fix you up with whatever you need at a reasonable price.

Thanks for all the replies.

It's true--I am picky, but I'm not sure how it fits here.

I like Allivet. I can even get some of the supplies from Amazon.

I made a spreadsheet. I calculated the cost for a year of treatment. With my vet, the cost is about $1,700. Online, it's about $620. That's not insignificant. I know online folks don't have the overhead. The vet can't compete with that. I feel somewhat guilty. I have the means. Other people may decide to euthanize if they didn't know about the savings that could be had. I know I'm overthinking this. I'm going to call Allivet and see if they can contact my vet so I can avoid that conversation.

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:

...I'm going to call Allivet and see if they can contact my vet so I can avoid that conversation.

Sound move! We've been getting meds from them for several years, and my GF says we can select USPS delivery for the pills, don't know how good they would be for a box of 12 1-liter bags of Ringers since we haven't needed it for many years.

And I'll reiterate what we've said, your Vet most likely won't view your move as a loss of income. The reason Vets charge so much is the business costs of supplying meds for you, and now he can shift his resources to more efficient avenues. You're making a good decision in the care of his patient, I don't see him objecting. In fact, I think it was a Vet who first got us into buying Ringers from a supplier, years before online shopping became a thing.

Keep us posted.