Very Concerned.

[NickM]

Well first off, a guinea pig should never be compared to a child. No animal is as important as a human child, including guinea pigs. I would save humans from a fire before any animal, sorry if that is offensive. I had many untreated injuries in my personal past and my parents never wasted their money making sure I was treated for every little thing no matter how painful it could have been. Some things need to be bleed out.

Do you know how many owners would not even think to take their pig to a vet? My animals, including my pigs, are far better off than most other out there. Their luck to be in my home is out of this world. In a world that consumes 62 million guinea pigs per year and abuses millions more as pets, I think my baby will forgive me for not affording 250 dollars for x-rays and stains for his injury which he fully recovered from thanks to my hard work and education.

Your comments are incredibly offensive to me and even my religion. I can not believe a fellow adult is telling me I am in-competent in any way, while this fellow adult knows next to nothing about me. I am truly saddened, not angered, by your ill-informed, aggressive and un-kind comments about my life. I hope I do not come off as offensive myself; this is the last of things I wish.

[VoodooJoint]

Terribly sorry to compare children to animals. I was only trying to compare the similarities in the legal requirements of caring for both. Such as:

If an animal is injured and requires medical attention you have a responsibility by law to seek medical treatment - just like a human child

If an animal is hungry/starving you have a responsibility by law to feed it - just like a human child

If an animal is thirsty you have a responsibility by law to give it something to drink - just like a human child

If it is raining, snowing, etc you have a responsibility by law to provide shelter for your animal- just like a human child

A person does not have the legal right to beat, neglect, injure, etc and animal - just like a human child

Sorry if several laws for humans and animals are similar and upset you. I didn't write them but I sure as heck uphold them.

PS - leave religion off the boards.

[HowietheGreat]

Offended? You, who would allow a pet you willing took responsibility for, to suffer because you didn't feel like spending $250? Where did you get that sum? I just went through an eye injury and the expense was less then $70-with a eye stain-in Maryland-not in a rural community. That same pig was ill again and so far between two more visits I have spent over $250. He goes again this friday. Do I feel like dropping another $60 or so dollars? It isn't an option. When I adopted him I knew that there would be expenses. Sometimes that means giving up Starbucks so that they can have ample veggies everyday and sometimes that means me eating pasta for three days straight because he needs to go to the vet and I am more then able to sacrifice for them. Animals aren't objects-how dare you make them suffer because you feel like risking that they may heal. Your animals are lucky??? Lucky they haven't recieved a serious injury/illness that you would let them suffer through? So it is okay to base your parents neglect when it came to your injuries upon your pigs but how dare VJ compare basic humane principals that apply to children to pigs as well? Get off your high horse and do NOT tell our members to refuse treatment because it may cause money!

[Hooray4Ashley]

I just wanted to chim in because I work at a vets office...so I know the pricing. I would also like to add we tend to be higher priced than a lot in the area. Eye stain (Flourescene type) we charge around 20 dollars for, give or take a few dollars. Our most expensive eye ointment is 9.80 and our most expensive eye drops are 32.00. Not unreasonable if you consider how painful an eye injury could be. Secondly, why would you need x-rays for an eye? Eye x-rays are not done, simple as that. 250 dollars for x-rays and stains on a guinea pig? I don't believe it. We charge WAY more than most in our area and when my dog was brought in prior to my adopting him an x-ray of his upper body for gunshot (his entire thorax) was 140 for two shots (he weighs 80 lbs...those are BIG x-rays). Most places charge around 80 for two views...we charge 140 for two...so that's big bucks.

Now...more importantly. Onto the original poster. We have a rule in our clinic. We tend to book up WAY in advance, so when we have people call on a day to day basis we have our three primary things to consider...is the pet eating/drinking...is it alert/lethargic/not acting like itself...is it an EYE injury. Eye injuries don't even wait 24 hours. They are a...get in right here right now why did you even call you should have just showed up. Eyes can go really bad, really quick... not to mention they get really painful. We will stay after hours if we know we have an eye injury on the way. It may seem extreme to say you need to try to get him in there asap...but around the time an eye enoculation is needing to be performed (removal of the eye) they will have wished they got you in sooner. I would call and ask if there is any way to be worked in. Let them know you understand you may have to wait, but you would really want him to be seen sooner. If you schedule an eye injury for the next day, even, you will be in trouble by our doctors.

[Hooray4Ashley]

Originally Posted by HowietheGreat

Do I feel like dropping another $60 or so dollars? It isn't an option. When I adopted him I knew that there would be expenses. Sometimes that means giving up Starbucks so that they can have ample veggies everyday and sometimes that means me eating pasta for three days straight because he needs to go to the vet and I am more then able to sacrifice for them. Animals aren't objects-how dare you make them suffer because you feel like risking that they may heal. Your animals are lucky???

You hit the nail on the head...it's not an option to deny medical care because you don't see the sense in spending the money. Right before christmas my dog got really really sick. He had bloodwork, x-rays, IV fluids, injections, etc, etc. I was worried my husband would be annoyed...because he doesn't really like the dog a lot, he's mine from before we were together. He said "it doesn't matter if it bothers me or not...it HAS to be done" That cost me a pretty penny, but he's alive today.

We had a dog come in whose testicles were SO swollen it was UNREAL. THe owners had let it go for a few days to avoid spending money. I said "If it were YOUR testicles you would have been in here in a second right?" No comment from him of course.

[envisionary333]

I'm going to have to agree that getting to a vet immediately is absolutely necessary. I have had several experiences with my pets where they had a small injury that became life threatening very quickly. My dog had escaped the backyard and when we found her she was extremely withdrawn. We took her to the vet to be on the safe side, and it turns out she had been hit by a car and had severe internal damage. If we had not gone to the vet she would have died. Just recently my cat had a small puncture wound from a cat bite. The wound started out so small it was almost invisible. It became infected and the infection spread up his leg very quickly. I took him to the emergency vet in the middle of the night while I had a migraine on top of it, then waited there for him even though I was in severe pain. The infection could have threatened his life if I hadn't taken him in. I'm not trying to scare you, but I think these examples illustrate how a symptom that seems irrelevant can escalate very quickly. Please seek help ASAP and keep us updated.

[evilnumberlady]

NickM,

I don't think anyone is going to support your callous remark about denying an animal treatment. What you said was terrible and you should seriously think over what VooDooJoint has said, for the sake of the animals and any future animal in your care.

If you are unwilling or unable to spend the amount of money necessary to treat a sick animal, you should not own animals. End of story.

[Calliso]

Originally Posted by NickM

Well first off, a guinea pig should never be compared to a child. No animal is as important as a human child, including guinea pigs. I would save humans from a fire before any animal, sorry if that is offensive. I had many untreated injuries in my personal past and my parents never wasted their money making sure I was treated for every little thing no matter how painful it could have been. Some things need to be bleed out.

Do you know how many owners would not even think to take their pig to a vet? My animals, including my pigs, are far better off than most other out there. Their luck to be in my home is out of this world. In a world that consumes 62 million guinea pigs per year and abuses millions more as pets, I think my baby will forgive me for not affording 250 dollars for x-rays and stains for his injury which he fully recovered from thanks to my hard work and education.

Your comments are incredibly offensive to me and even my religion. I can not believe a fellow adult is telling me I am in-competent in any way, while this fellow adult knows next to nothing about me. I am truly saddened, not angered, by your ill-informed, aggressive and un-kind comments about my life. I hope I do not come off as offensive myself; this is the last of things I wish.

My parents didn;t rush me to the doctor for alot of things either. But there is a big difference between lets say falling off your bike and scraping your knee and an eye injury that could possibly cause you to lose that eye. Judging by the fact that your guinea pigs eye took weeks to heal your lucky he still has it. Also I am curious you say he recovered due to your hard work and education..just what did you do to help him?