Kitten has broken hip!?

Question

My sisters kitten has been limping around for a week or so and she finally brought him in to the Vet, they say its a broken hip and it will be around 900 dollars to fix, my sister doesnt have the money right now, and I cant believe they sent the poor thing back home broken. Is there any kind of cheaper vets in Eau Claire Wisconsin that anyone knows of?? Please help, I am just heart broken for this little guy.

Answer 1

There are a couple of options for you.

1. Our cats recently had severe medical problems and the vet bills were several thousnds of dollars. We had rush one to the animal ER. The animal hospital told us about a financing option called Care Credit. Not all vets accept it, but it's like a credit card with lower interest options. Click here for more info about Care Credit:

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/whycc.html

2. You could try to find a vet or shelter that will do this surgery Pro Bono. There are a lot of caring vets out there and I'm sure someone could help you.

3. You could take your cat to UW-Madison school of Vet Med. They do a lot of Pro Bono work there. A friend of mine had to go there for her dog.

Good luck. I hope that little kitty gets the help it needs.

Answer 2

My kitty had both back legs broken - one on the knee plate, and one at the hip. She was hit by a car and dragged herself into a backyard. The homeowner dropped her off at an all-cat vet's office from which I adopted her.

The vet and a vet who specializes in surgery saved her. The surgeon did the surgery pro bono and the vet kept her in the hospital for a month. Didn't want to release her until after she'd been under anesthesia again to remove the pins that were holding her little body together.

She is fine now. She lists a little to the left when she runs, but a broken hip is no reason to put an animal down.

Check with your local SPCA and ask for a recommendation on a vet who will work with your system on a payment plan, even if they won't do the work pro bono.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I would call around to the vets in the yellow pages. There maybe one that will be cheaper and/or offer payment options, like making monthly payments. If you really can't afford it I would try to keep the kitten as stable as possible. Cats are incredibly resilient and I'm sure it would probably heal on it's own, maybe with a limp.

Answer 4

Please take Chef Steve's advice and look into the credit arrangement and call to find which vets will accept this. I think the interest rate there is minimal and I hope it won't take a great deal of time to arrange for the credit.

It's a great site. You can put in the cost of the procedure, enter your zip code to find a vet who accepts it and find out right away what it will cost you.

I can't give Chef two thumbs up and I think his other suggestion about the veterinary school is also an excellent one. He obviously knows the area.

Answer 5

Try the local SPCA. Sometimes they have resident, on-sight vetrinarians that do regular treatment of pets. They may also be able to refer you to a clinic type of vet who charges less for services. A simple splint or cast is usually more comfortable to a cat than the frame-type of stablizer some vets use for broken limbs on animals.

Answer 6

call around the area to find out which vets offer whats known as "care credit"
this is basically, a credit card for your pet. they will cover the costs now, and your sister can make monthly payments
i know theres a website but i can't remember the url. it might be easy like "www.carecredit.com" but i cant remember for sure.
good luck!

Answer 7

I think she should take it to a shelter that will care for it and find it a good home. How did it get a broken hip? Sounds like abuse to me.

Answer 8

Best thing is to get it neutered. The cat will survive. My ex-wife ran over my kitten about 5 years ago. They'll learn to live with it.