My dog needs to go to the vet but Im BROKE?

Question

We have a 11 month old chihuahua. She has this strange red scaly rash on her back. Almost all the hair is gone on a strip of her back. It is also on the tip of her tail and her feet. I boutght some medicine from a pet store for 10$ but it does not help. I have no idea what it is or where she got it. I have gotten all of her shots that she has been able to have so far. I cant take her to the vet because we are broke right now. Please dont give me this if you cant afford a pet then dont get one story. We have provided for her very well, we just are in kind of a bad spell. School jsut started, lots of money on clothes and school supplies and lunch snack and has money does add up. Our dog is very entergetic and playful. She is an indoor dog, has been since she was born. She does go out side every once in a while. Please tell me what i can do to help her or what it is or something. Your help is very well appreciated.

I just wanted to say thanks to all of the people who gave good, kind answers. I try to do my best. For the people who think it is nice or cute or funny or whatever, YOUR TIME WILL COME WHEN YOU NEED HELP. I dont like to wish bad on people but for thos who have to be so rude and mean, I HOPE THAT NO ONE WILL EVEN ATTEMPT TO HELP YOU. Again thanks for all of the good help. All of the good answer have been a good help and i have taken some peoples advice allready, benadryl, antibiotic cream.

Answer 1

These are pictures of moderate to severe cases of sarcoptic mange (there are several forms of mange...)
http://vaat.org.au/images/sarcoptic_mange_dog_big.jpg
http://www.guaranteed-mange-cure.com/images/boomerrtview%20Lg.jpg
http://www.petplace.com/articles/images/153375482.jpg

Yours won't be this bad yet, but if her wounds resemble any of these images she needs to get to a vet asap... and she needs to see a vet either way. If it is mange, whether demodectic, sarcoptic, or other, your vet needs to treat it.

In reality it could be any number of things... allergies, flea bite dermatitis, a skin infection... the only way to know for sure is to do a skin scrape and look at in under a microscope.

Ignore the people being belligerent... office visits vary greatly depending on location. Some vets charge $60 basically when you walk in the door, others charge a lot less... the fees do add up... but what you should really consider is how much more expensive it COULD get if you wait. There are programs to help, a lot of vets will let you on a payment plan... there is also care credit which is a no interest credit program for vet bills.
http://carecredit.com/
check it out... the sooner you get her to the vet the cheaper it is going to cost you... please go... call your local SPCA as well, sometimes they offer free vet care to families in a bind...

Answer 2

If you haven't changed her food, introduced any new bedding or bathed her in a new shampoo, check for fleas. It only takes one flea for a dog to have an allergy. If she does have fleas, when you get the money go to Petsmart and get Frontline or Advantage, over the counter Hartz stuff doesn't work and cause more problems. You can bathe her in JOY. Just getting the fleas wet won't kill them. Lather her up, keep it on for at least 15 minutes, avoid getting any in her eyes, nose or mouth. Rinse her very well, then rinse her again. Dry her with a light colored towel to see if any fleas came off. Launder her bedding as well, use a small amount of bleach in hot water.

If it's not fleas you may have to plan a trip to the vet, in the meantime you can use a triple antibiotic on the rash which should help.

Answer 3

First of all call your local vet and explain the situation. They may
make pay arrangements with you to allow you to pay at a later date.
You can also the Aspca. Your vet may have the number or
try the American Humane Society. They do alot to help people with
expenses. Alot of people donate money or are willing to sponser
pets in need. It sounds like allergies or fleas but you can never
be to careful. I would definitely call some of these places. I doubt
they would turn you down. Good Luck. Give your puppy a hug for me.

Answer 4

An office visit only costs like $30, you would have been better off spending your money on that instead of on medicine when you didn't even know what you were treating.

There's just too many things it could be--fungal, mites, flea sensitivity. You can't treat it without knowing what it is, and you can't know that without a vet checking it. Some of these things can spread to humans, so it's worth it getting it checked out.

Answer 5

now I know that this might not be the solution for you but my sister was strapped for cash (hubby wouldn't give her more than 20 to feed a family of 4 for aweek and would not let her work) She went to the recycle bin with the newspapers clipped all the coupons for food that she could and bought enough food for her family for never more than 20 and sometimes for free because she bought things on sale and on double coupon day. She also collect about 100 dollars of empty bottles weekly while she took her children fo r walks If you did both you could have the money you need soon

Answer 6

I agree with the compassionate & sensible individuals such as "tripforyou" & the answer he/she provided. Abusing each other is unnecessary & just mean when you're going through a difficult time. No one can tell you how to spend your money or how you "should have" spent it. Those who have used your misfortune to do just that, should think multiple times before they submit answers like that, & ask if they would like to have someone tell THEM how they should have spent THEIR money?
I wish you & your family--which includes your precious chihuahua--all the best. I hope you find that your vet, who already knows your dog, agrees to treat your dog with a payment plan (vets still have bills to pay) or is in a position to offer free service (best case scenario).

Answer 7

It sounds like mange! There are 2 kinds, sarcoptic and demodedic. If it is the sarcoptic mange, you can buy some dip for it, where pet supplies are sold. You really need to find out what kind of mange it is. Sorry, but a trip to the vet is the best thing,

Answer 8

Call up your local animal shelters and find out if there are any low income assistence programs. You definately need to get her in because there are many problems that can be the underlying cause of this problem. It could be as simple as and allergic reaction or something bad.

Try 1/2 a benedryl for now and see if that helps. Our vet has recommended it to our dog for her congestion and watery eyes and has recommended it to family's dog because they came from another state and the dog wasn't used to grass.

OMG is that chick down there living in the 50s still?? Coupons aren't as common anymore. With stores like Walmart already having such low prices and other stores having their "customer cards" they don't have as many coupons out for you to clip. I haven't seen a double coupon day in over 5 years. Umm... collecting bottles, what is still served in glass bottles now adays and what little that is is only returnable in two states. It takes 1 ford f150 truckload of cans to earn about 15 dollars. That would take forever. I'm sure she is already aware of money saving tips and uses them.

Times have changed. Money is unexpectedly tight for a lot of people these days with the gas prices. No one expects this to happen but it's not fair for someone to give up their pet because of unexpected hardships, is it?

To the chick up above me saying to get rid of it, I highly doubt you are a pet owner otherwise you would know that pets are like family to most people. They aren't property that you dispose of when they don't work anymore. Like I said, no one expects to have money problems, these things just come up but I hope that when you do someone just tosses you out like an old peed on couch.

And as I type more idiots type. Did she say she didn't have a job??????????????????????????????? People with jobs have money problems all the time. Unexpected expenses come up all the time. Wages stay the same and cost of living increases. It's called life.

Yahoo= ignorant rude people?????

Answer 9

i used to groom dogs, and it could be something mild, such as from the heat or an allergic reation to a household product, to something severe, such as a staph infection. i've seen numerous dogs with staph infections when i was grooming. either way, it is best for the dog to see a vet.

vets are expensive at times, esp with medication. some vets have low rates, or run free clinics on certain days. some vets also have anonymous donors who will pay the bill when the owner is unable. my grandmother adopted a dog, and he was very sick (bronchitis, worms, etc) when she got him. she took him to the vet, but couldnt afford the bill due to a fixed income. she paid $20, and the rest was paid for anonymous donors to the clinic. check your local telephone book and call around to see the options you have, and be sure to explain the situation.

Answer 10

Go in to the vet and explain the situation, I did have the the same problem and I had to take a dog in with no money they just did a consultation, a no expensed exam (in other words the vet checked him with out charging) but billed me for the consult. and he gave some freebie meds but I had to make sure I brought him back for a re-evaluation.