Should I keep my dog or return him to the shelter due to cost of vet bills?

petco dog crate 800 image

Rhapsody

I adopted a mixed dog from the Humane Society on May 20. I was told he was heartworm positive, but otherwise he was healthy. 2 days later my dog developed Kennel Cough and I found traces of intestinal worms in his stool. I took him to the vet and they charged me $231.51 to treat these problems and to do bloodwork for his upcoming heartworm treatment. I was told heartworm treatment would cost $600 to $1000, which is way more than I thought it would be. I had to wait for his cough to go away before scheduling his first heartworm treatment. When I took him in it cost $321.61 for part 1 of treatment, but in the x-rays a foreign object showed up. Now, I've been home with the dog constantly or he's been in a crate so I doubt he swallowed something at my home. He was severely underweight when I took him home and he has had a lack of appetite since I got him. It's been a struggle to get him to eat, sometimes I have to feed him by hand to get him interested. Now the vet says it'll cost me $176 to bring him in and induce vomiting to see if the object will come up. If not, then the dog will need stomach surgery, plus his second part of heartworm treatment which will cost another $400. I don't know how much surgery will cost.

I still have a week and a half to return the dog to the shelter and get a refund, return all of his belongings to Petco, and get a refund on the pet insurance that I bought but won't cover because these conditions are pre-existing.

I was willing to cough up the $800 heartworm cost because even though I was mistaken about the cost (I thought it would be $200-$300) I knew that my dog had this problem. I am irritated about the other problems that the Humane Society didn't tell me about, although they probably didn't know cause he didn't show any symptoms.

My mom and my fiance think I should return the dog since they think it's ridiculous that I might have to pay for surgery. I've already spent $600 on vet bills and I really love the dog, so I don't want to take him back. However, I only saved up enough money to get a dog and cover any minor health issues; I just graduated from college and I have to pay back my loans in 6 months so I shouldn't empty out my savings account to care for the dog.

I'm really torn about what to do. I can't stop crying when I think about it. I know the reasonable thing to do would be to return the dog since I was under the impression he was healthy and wouldn't cost too much. But I have really enjoyed spending the last 2.5 weeks with my dog and he's the sweetest thing. What should I do?
Yes I should have researched how much heartworm treatment cost, but I could only put the dog on hold for 24 hrs, my family was visiting in town, and I had to get supplies and clean house to make it ready for the dog. I AM WILLING TO PAY for the heartworm treatment, but can't pay for the surgery too.

He has shown NO symptoms for the ingested object aside from being underweight with a low appetite, which he already had when I got him. It has not created a blockage, he poops 3 times a day. It's unlikely that he ate it at my house since he hasn't been left alone.

I have pet insurance just for situations like this one. BUT it doesn't cover this because it happened during the policy waiting period.
Turns out he didn't swallow anything. Additional x rays show that he has a BB embedded in his skin and the object near his stomach is a pellet from a gun. Somebody shot him twice.

Answer
Get back to the rescue and see what they say and see if they can help with this.

You shouldn't be getting a dog and within a couple of weeks spending that sort of money.

Rescues usually have their veterinary treatment at a lower cost and the least they should do is put it through their books. This should of all been done when you took the dog on.

Do go back to them.

crate for an escape artist?

Biscuit

I got my dog from the shelter about 3 months ago. I don't know his breed, he's a true mutt. He's almost 2 years old, over 60 lbs, and has separation anxiety. Most of his behaviors have improved over time, and I was developing confidence in him.

Until yesterday, when I came home from work to find he had dug through the carpet right down to the tile underneath. He had never done serious damage to the house, I wasn't expecting this, but now I'm really upset with him.

I want to put him in a crate while I'm at work. The reason he's in the house in the first place is because he escapes from the yard when I'm not home. But how do I know what crate will keep him in? He is strong and if determined, I can see him breaking out, or digging or chewing his way out. I know people always say positive things about crates, how it helps dogs feel secure, etc. I just don't want to make the investment only to find my dog managing to destroy it too.

Answer
Buy a metal crate, one that has permanently attached sides as the ones with side that all come apart are not sturdy enough to hold a dog like yours.
By extra clips to hold the top on. It should be permanently attached on one side, so use the clips to reinforce where it attaches to the sides of the crate. Take time to get the best you can afford and it will outlast your dog. The crates at Walmart, Petco, Petsmart aren't strong enough. You need to go on line to find the good ones. Plastic and cloth won't work for you. Try talking to these people about crates. Explain what I've described here. That's where I got my best crates;
http://www.kvpet.com 1-800-423-8211
Use a padlock to help hold the door shut and I can guarantee the best "escape" artist in the dog world will not get out of this.

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Title Post: Should I keep my dog or return him to the shelter due to cost of vet bills?
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