Cancer Tumor

[cinnycinnamon]

It's okay you guys. No worries.

But Ritzie is right though about the vet prices and such. It is unbelievable!! I had to find $21.00 dollars the other day just so I could get Bubby (my diabetic cat) a bag of lV fluid. I mean, I was counting pennies, dimes, quarters.....looking through coat pockets.

I love the animal hospital where I take my four legged children, but the price for their services kill me! And yes, payment is required at the time of service. I've paid over $400.00 dollars to have Milo's (my other cat) teeth cleaned.

Anyways, Billy is still with us as I type this. He wanted to come out and play last night so let him out. I'm trying to keep him as comfortable as I can during this time and giving him lotza of attention.

[tracy]

Hi Cindy,

I'm sorry you and Billy are going through this. I hope he is acting his normal self and I'm sure he's enjoying your loving care.

Tracy

[cliveandcharlie]

Just to let you know that I'm thinking of you and Billy. I completely sympathise with you - vet care's extremely expensive here too.

This story was on the CBC last week. You may find it of interest:
www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/28/cat_got_your_wallet/

Give Billy some extra sunflower seeds from me.

Linda

[RitzieAnn]

Thank you for that link. I'm bookmarking it for sure! It's incredible! (and incredibly long...)

I've always known that many pet meds are smaller doses of human meds. I think I'll make this into a stickie. (the video at least)

[cinnycinnamon]

Many thanks Kristi, Linda and Tracy for your replies.

I tried several times to watch the video.....it kept buffering. So I re-started my computer. *shakes head no* It didn't help. I only got sound and no picture and it still continued to buffer everytime I restarted the player. It looks interesting from what I've heard. I will try again tomorrow. Thank you for the link.

Let me get a past vet bill and read off what the costs were and for what.

Okay, I found Teddy's bill when I took him to have his scent gland removed this past July.

First Office Visit

Office Visit-$42.00
Enrofloxacin 20 mg Suspension-$36.82

For Teddy's Surgery (a week later)

Metacam-$35.34
Mass Removal Small Mamal- $0.00 (charged me nothing for that)
Chamber Induction- Addtional Charge- $40.00
Mass Removal Single-$40.00
Pain Management (Buprenex)- 20.00

I honestly think they do an excellent job. The vet we had prior to this place didn't handle small animals. I wasn't very happy anyways with their services because I always felt like I was being rushed in and out of their offices so they could get the next appointment in. They weren't as thorough, either. So after doing much searching for a new vet, I came across Bells Ferry Veterinary Hospital and was pleasantly impressed with the staff and how well maintained the building was. Bubby has a huge folder with them. And one day, just out of the blue, his vet called my husband to tell him that she was going over Bubby's folder and she thought that maybe we could try (I don't recall what it was) to see if it might help Bubby any. Now Bubby didn't have an appointment or wasn't even scheduled to go there anytime soon. But his vet took the time to look over all the stuff in his folder because she cared about his well being. To me, I think she went above and beyond the call of duty. www.bfvh.com/

The vet who sees my gerbils when they are sick (or when I had to have them PTS) was so very nice. She had the people working at the hospital sign a sympathy card and another time sign a condolence card for me. She included a packet of seeds so that I could plant them where my dearly departed gerbils are resting. How cool is that??

*sigh*

But as for Billy, I can see that the growth is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day and it's killing me to see him like that! I mean, he "appears" normal in every other way, but I feel like I could have prevented this or at least taken him to the vet because it would be the right thing to do. But without money, it's just not possible at this time. Bubby now needs to go as he has a runny nose. Everytime he sneezes, it ends up on the wall (usually he's in his bed and the bed is next to a wall). Although, last night when he sneezed, he was walking past Milo and Milo ended up with Bubby's boogers on his face. LOL! Okay, it was funny at the time. ;D

Anyhow, thank you all for reading this and for your thoughts about Billy. Linda, I gave Billy a few extra sunflower seeds from "you". And I gave him a banana chip as well tonight.

[gerbilmummy]

Hi Cinny, It must be veery distressing for you seeing Billy as he is. It is certainly very distressing reading about it. I haven't posted before now as I am trying to come up with an idea of how you could take Billy to the vet. You last post describes what I think is a very good relationship with your vet surgery and I was wondering if they would let you have the treatment for Billy and pay in installements seeing as you are such a good client with them. Surely it is worth an ask. Also couldn't you ask freinds/family to help out with the costs? I do hope you can find a way to take him

[cinnycinnamon]

Hi gerbilmummy,

I wish my vet would let make payments. I already asked when not once, but twice when I took my cats in for their shots and such. The bill came to over $300.00 dollars. And then, like a month later, I had to take Milo in for his teeth cleaning and they charged me $400 and something dollars!

My parents cannot help me financially at this time as my father will be going into the hospital next week for a balloon angioplasty. My mum doesn't work so she can't help, either. Believe me, she would if she had the money. *shakes head yes*

As for friends, I really do not have many. Most of my friends are online friends. Sad as it sounds, I know.

I will still continue thinkin of ways to generate money to help Billy ad Bubby. I feel guilty for goin to the doctor now two weeks ago. I could have used that money for Billy (I had a sinus infection and it was making my teeth hurt so very badly-I couldn't stand the pain anymore).

Thank you gerbilmummy for your very thoughtful idea.

I better head off to work now before I'm late. I have 6 minutes to get there.

[angielouise]

I've been searching and searching for that article I found on the web where a gerbil had a big lump on it's face or neck removed, but I just can't find it again Cinny. I'm so sorry.

I know how you feel, sadly. Rocky's ear lump is back now and is just the same size as it was when I had it removed a few weeks ago.

[cinnycinnamon]

Oh Angie, I do know exactly how you're feeling! Poor Rocky and Billy!

It's okay about the article. Things like that happen all the time on the web.

You know, I have three cats and six gerbils. And it's not that we can't afford all of our four legged children.......we spend $120.00 dollars a month on food for the cats. And then about $75.00 dollars a month on the gerbies (food, toys, bedding). Of course because of Bubby being a diabetic, that's an addition cost to us as well to buy the test strips (which aren't cheap, BTW), the lancets, his insulin. Please you guys, I am only trying to say that I DO care about the well being of my four legged kids. I'm not trying to offend anybody. So I hope I didn't upset anybody cuz that wasn't my intention. I can only do so much, though as my money permits. *sighs*

I have a very good friend online who is a vet. I've known him longer than I've known my husband. Problem is, he lives all the way in Pennsylvania. I know he'd let me make payments if I lived closer to him. But I don't so here is sit stuck between a rock and hard place about Billy.

Angielouise, my thoughts are with you and Rockey.........*sends Rocky healing vibes*

[Nameless]

Got a similiar thing going on with my gerbil. He turned 4 in November and has a lump on the side of his face but more near his ear. Also has a scratch/blood spot above his eye and I think it's from scratching himself so much because it's irritating him.

Otherwise..fine.

[cinnycinnamon]

Just wanted to let everybody know that Billy has been to the vet today. I wasn't able to take him because I couldn't get outta work sooner due to lack of people calling out. So my husband was home and sceheduled the appointment and took Billy in for me. This is what happened.........

The vet tried to see if she could drain it. All that came out was something that looked like saliva and blood. The vet then tested the blood and saliva to see if it was cancerous and it came back, she said it was not some sort of cancer (Lee can't recall the type of cancer she called it). The vet said the cells looked normal except for a few. The option she suggested to him was possibly surgery but she felt that because the lump is in a "tricky spot", it wouldn't be of any good to Billy. She feels it would cause more harm to him. So she said to put him on antibiotics for a week to seee if that would help. And other than that, she said the only other thing to do was to let it run it's course since Billy is still being active and eating.

This is what the vet did and charged me for-

Office Visit-$42.00
Needle Aspirate-$27.00
In House Cytology-$29.00
Trimethoprim Suspension-$19.60

At least now I know I can rest a bit easy knowing that Billy's finally been to the vet. This is how he looks as of tonight-

[RitzieAnn]

He looks like a chipmunk!

Glad he's sticking around for you. He's still chippy and running about? Chewing on toys and stuff?

[cinnycinnamon]

LOL, yeah he does sorta look like a chipmunk! ;D

And yes, he's still active and running about. In fact, he took his food bowl and pushed it inside his tunnel where he sleeps so he wouldn't hafta come out to eat! <giggles> I dunno how he managed to do that without tipping the bowl over, but he did. Silly gerbie!

[cliveandcharlie]

Oh Cindy... poor Billy. I'm glad to hear that he's still active and doing gerbilly things. Thinking of you both.

Linda

[cinnycinnamon]

Awww....thank you Linda! You're a nice gerbie friend to have.

Billy is still with us being active when he has the energy. At least he's still alert. I've stopped giving him the antibiotics because it obviously wasn't working. The directions on the bottle stated to give Billy "one drop twice a day until well". I don't see any improvement. In fact, the tumor is growing bigger and bigger with each passing day. And I feel so helpless. He has that red stuff all around his eye, too which he can hardly open now. I wipe it twice a day, but it doesn't make much of a difference. *shakes head no* I guess it's just a matter of time now. And now with Teddy, too.........might be saying goodbye to two gerbils very soon.

EDIT: Here are two pictures of Billy taken tonight. He didn't want to have his picture taken-he kept running away from me. I *still* feel helpless.





Billy in better days taken with Kenny and Henry: