How much?

Cody is home safe and sound. Our first night home was a little rough. Since IV fluids are standard procedure during and after surgery I expected Cody to have to pee, but holy urination Batman! He peed and peed and peed and dribbled and peed some more. Stop reading if you get grossed out easily...

I just couldn't say no to my boy on his first night home, so I allowed him to sleep with me. Oh joy...we both woke up in a puddle of urine. Now that's love for ya! I was very tired, exhausted actually from helping out a family member who is in the hospital (that's another story) so I pretty much slept through the enlarging wet spot. I did wake us both up twice to change bedding and go outside. The good thing is that he seemed happy and pain free the entire night.

Today he has continued to need to urinate very frequently. I'm starting to wonder if he might have a urinary tract infection from the urinary catheter that was placed while he was in the hospital. It is not uncommon for a UTI to develop after catheterization. I'm also wondering if it is not being caused by the pain medication (Tramadol) that he is on. We'll see how he does tonight.

Because you might be curious about what I paid for his surgery I'll share. The final bill came to $4122.51. That was with some pretty good discounts. So if one is not in the veterinary field and doesn't qualify for professional discounts you might expect to pay almost $5000 for this surgery. Yikes! That is significant. Now, I live in a somewhat affluent area in California and I sought out a surgeon and hospital that has a reputation for "gold standard" of care, so that may have been a factor in the final cost. I just wanted to share this number because many people do not realize that the cost to care for your best friend can hit the five grand mark pretty quickly. I recommend pet insurance folks. It might make a huge difference for your animal friend who relies on you to protect and care for them. Nothing is more sad to me as a veterinarian than owners who choose to euthanize based on finances. It is just wrong in my opinion. And this is just my opinion as a private person. As a veterinarian I have to walk a finer line and try to counsel my clients as best I can to help them make a decision that they can live with. I live by the old saying that you can't put a price on love, or is it life? Well both! My buddy has been by my side for 10 years and I've made a commitment to him so what the heck. It's only money right? You can't take it with you!

Future topic: poop and diet again! And watch for a post with the results of the histopathology...
Thanks for reading.