Need advice for my sick Beagle...

Hi. We have a beagle, Boss, who just turned 6 and had surgery back in August of 09 for a ruptured disc. IVP, I believe it is called. Anyway, he has been doing fine but now we think another disc is causing problems. We took him to the animal ER in Bensalem, PA and they put him on pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills. He was doing okay but recently, he has gotten worse. He can hardly walk and when we move him, he yelps real bad. He's been sleeping all day. I think it's coming to another surgery and we just can't afford it because the last one wiped us out. It was around $5,000. I am desperate and looking for ways to afford the surgery if one is needed again.

I am looking into VPI Pet Insurance but it's so over my head, I don't know what I'm doing. Does anyone know of any options that are available that people might not know of or know somewhere that would be able to help us? Boss is so much more than a dog to us. We see him as our son and I want to fight as hard as I can for him. He was given to us on my wife's grandfather's deathbed and that makes him even so much more special to us. We have loved him so much and have given him the best life. He makes us so happy in ways that I can't even describe. If you are a pet owner, you will understand. I am not ready to say goodbye to him yet. He is still young and could have a long life still ahead of him.

They say that most dogs do very well after the surgery and he was doing great until this new problem. I'd hate to have to decline surgery that would fix him because we just didn't have the money. I would feel like a complete failure and that I killed him. Any info or advice that people could give me would be deeply appreciated. Thank you so much, we are desperate.

have you looked into acupuncture ?

No, it's more serious than that. He had a ruptured disc last time and the surgeon took it out. Now, the vet is saying that another disc is causing a problem. We woke up today and he is much worse and cannot walk at all. Also, we found out that no medical coverage will accept him because this is a pre-existing condition. We don't know what to do. We don't have the money to fix him this time.

have you discussed payment plans with your vet?

The plan they offer has an APR of 20%.

Its better than nothing. I just put my beagle down a 4 1/2 yrs because she had a disk in her neck that desinigrated. What ever you do needs to be done ASAP. Emma had cord damage, and if you leave it to long your boy may have his cord damaged.

Is that CareCredit? If not, look into that. I'm sure their rates are high, but it's better than nothing if you can swing it ...

Are there any beagle rescues that have funds set up for emergencies like this? I know of some rescues that do this, but for other breeds. Can you go on a beagle forum and see if anyone knows about some finacial help out there? This is terrible and it sounds like surgery is the only way and yes, it has to happen before the disc causes more serious damage. I am really sorry for you and your dog. That is a really serious problem.

Thanks everyone. We were denied insurance because this is a pre-existing condition. We took him to the ER today because of how bad he was. They wanted to do an MRI, which was $2,000, to determine what the problem is but we just can't afford it. It's not definitel if he needs another surgery but we decided we don't want to put him through that again. My wife is a teacher and was able to stay home with him during the summer for his recovery. We won't be able to do that again. Plus, he has never been the same since his recovery. He can't walk normal or climb stairs. The doctor gave us some new pain meds, steroids and muscle relaxers. They gave him an injection for pain before we left and he has been sleeping all day since we've been home. We're going to see if these help for a little bit. If nothing changes, then we'll have to say goodbye. Today was one of the hardest days of my life. He is like a son to us. We looked into the CareCredit, but with the amount of things he needed, the APR would have practically doubled the bill.

I hope that the steroids, etc. help--it is so difficult to make decisions like this. Keep us posted on how he does!

Thank you all so much. I have e-mailed a beagle rescue in NJ and explained our situation to see if there is anything out there that could help us. We just took him outside and he was able to walk, although he wasn't stable. That leads me to think that if he can walk, then maybe the disc isn't ruptured. Back in the summer, when a disc DID rupture, he could not walk at all. We are trying to be hopeful. This is so heartbreaking. He seems to be resting comfortably. We just gave him his first dose of meds.