Our cat, Liberty, was diagnosed with reduced kidney function this week. She has been vomiting more, drinking water more and eating less. And at the age of 15 it was definitely something to check out. Her numbers are not severe yet, but higher than normal. She is now on prescription food and a supplement which appears to be probiotics. Our cost at the vet was $302.
We paid with our American Express card and received a $5 credit through their Shop Small promotion. As we always do, the card will be paid in full on payday.
We do not specifically set money aside to cover vet expenses, as they are usually manageable just through cash flow. In this case, I did pull a little bit from our emergency fund in the budget to allocate towards the payment. That's what it's there for, to cover expenses that we could not foresee.
I know some have pets with chronic conditions and must plan for larger vet expenses by setting aside funds specifically to cover the expected cost. This is definitely a good idea! We will shift our budget slightly now to accommodate for the higher cost of prescription food, and more frequent vet visits.
We go back in one month to have her condition evaluated and we hope to see good results.
Do you have a pet? Do you set aside money in your budget monthly for vet expenses?
I have a column for the regular yearly vet expenses. When I've had a cat that needs medicine I factor it in to my monthly pet expenses. If an unexpected vet visit happens it gets paid with the "slush" fund.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Liberty has had a couple big expenses over her life, but nothing chronic, so this is a little new to us.
DeleteI hope she's ok!
ReplyDeleteShe seems a little better, but she isn't a fan of the new food. She still needs to eat, so it's a little stressful, but trying to stay positive!
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