Cost of Chemotherapy for dog lymphoma?

[boldenbeau]

Hi DOL members,

 

My dog sadly has lymphoma cancer and we have only just started chemo treatment. Fortunately, I have pet insurance, however, at the current cost the vet is charging I am not sure I will be able to afford the entire protocol treatment until her insurance renews.

 

Initially, the vet roughly estimated the cost would be 12k during consultation, then it jumped to 15k from a phone conversation and finally, from her last visit, the vet charged $300 more than estimated from previous visit. I did the math, and it appears the vet is aiming to charge up to 20k in total for the full protocol.

 

At this going rate, my dog will not have the opportunity to receive enough chemo treatment sessions cause I will not be afford to pay her treatment once the insurance benefit maximum  limit runs out.

 

I am curious if other members have encountered a similar scenario, and is this typical for a vet to charge this much?

[Dogsfevr]

Treatment is normally at a specialist vet centre did they not give you a full info sheet in writing before treatment was considered on required initial dosage & costs??
Have you asked them why the price has jumped so much??

[boldenbeau]

4 hours ago, Dogsfevr said:

Treatment is normally at a specialist vet centre did they not give you a full info sheet in writing before treatment was considered on required initial dosage & costs??
Have you asked them why the price has jumped so much??

 

The treatment is done at her general vet. No information sheet was provided regarding the full cost, it was only verbally stated during consult and over the phone. I did question the cost and they said it was due to the rising cost of the chemo medicine ordered in.

 

I was considering a referral to a specialist centre, however, vet said it could cost up to 25k and logistically it would be tricky for me to take her there but at the rate the vet is charging, I am now wondering if it would have been better going there instead.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by boldenbeau

[Deeds]

At SASH the Specialist Vet Clinic in Sydney they give you a quote when you pay for your initial consult and they often ask for a deposit as well. 

 

You receive a fully itemised quote as to the treatment cost with an added proviso the cost may change due to unexpected complications or extra treatment etc.

 

Yes and Chemo is expensive.

[Papillon Kisses]

I haven’t had a pet needing cancer treatment, but the figure your vet provided tracks with things I’ve read online. I’m relieved to hear you have pet insurance. This is one reason why I tell people that setting aside a few thousand in a savings account is no substitute for insurance. Do you think you could cover the in-between period with a personal loan?

[jemappelle]

I think you need to ask your vet for an itemised quote and explain that you are worried you will be unable to complete the dog's course of treatments due to possible financial difficulty. 

[boldenbeau]

Hi everyone,

 

I appreciate the responses. My dog is having her 4th treatment this week. The first and third treatment showed promising signs, however, the second course had no affect. We may opt out the 2nd session and replace with an alternative treatment or skip the 2nd session for future treatments which would definitely alleviate the financial burden.

 

We will do an x-ray for the next visit and then see if there are definitive signs the treatment is working. Overall, she may not be on the usual protocol as she has an abnormal form of cancer, so it is hard to tell what the overall cost will be.

 

Regardless of her diagnosis, she is considerably a well active senior dog and has a lot of life in her and deserves a fighting chance. I'll keep going with the treatment as long as she continues to show healthy signs of progress.

[kayla1]

My previous little girl went through chemo and it gave her quality of life for longer. I can't remember exactly the cost of the chemo itself as she also had surgeries and CTs (different type of cancer), but it was less than what you were quoted. Throughout treatment the vet oncologist adjusted medication and dosing based on response and side effects (which were minimal). All the best with your girl. 

[Little Gifts]

I have a shar pei, now almost 11.5, who went through chemo (IV Vinblastine and Palladia tabs) for a high grade mast cell tumour last year. He is seeing an Oncologist at a specialist centre. I was told each fortnightly visit would be $1000 - $1200. Many were as low as $750. Surgery at the end of chemo to remove the shrunken tumour with good margins was $5200. Since then he has either monthly bloods or monthly staging. So with meds to last the month those visits are also around $800 and will continue until I think October. On top of that the Palladia has seriously affected his pigmentation (about his only issue throughout this whole thing) so he just had laser surgery to remove a whole heap of hemangiomas at a cost of $3200. I don't even want to calculate what I've spent. I was on the poverty line all last year (my other oldie also had a serious health issue that cost around as much) and ended up with 3 jobs just to keep the household bills paid on top of the vet bills. But I have zero regrets because he has handled it all like a champ and it did it's job. We've had no signs of it anywhere and no other health issues (besides the hemangiomas, but he was already getting those). Oh and I had no insurance because of his breed and insurance company exclusions.

 

I'm a bit confused though when you say it is not working though. How has your vet determined and explained that so early? Because our tumour was outside (plus in a lymph node) we could see it shrinking by about the third IV chemo session. His bloods stayed within range the whole time (there was some movement of course) and we only had one vomit session and a few runny poos, all managed with a meds adjustment (his Palladia was reduced for quite a while). Our oncologist was adamant about making my boy feel as healthy as possible during treatment and we had days where he was acting like a teenager again. He lost some weight and a lot of his pei wrinkles but that's a small price to pay really.

 

I do know I can buy all his meds (tablets, not the IV stuff) with an online vet far cheaper than they are dispensed by my oncologist and that is he biggest part of the bill. If I was really struggling I know she would write me scripts for the meds, but I just haven't wanted to interfere with a system that has worked so well for my boy. I don't think we've missed a pill in all these months and sometimes he has needed them 5 times a day (currently 3 times a day). I get a print out every single visit with his blood results and all his meds listed and when his next visit is due and why. Honestly I would be lost without such a professional group of people guiding me and predicting his needs. It's so easy to get in a head spin during this process.

 

Here is a pic of him the week before his big surgery. We caught up with friends who knew him and they were all surprised how healthy he looked and acted for a dog with such a poor prognosis going through chemo. His oncologist is of course over the moon that he proved, and continues to prove her wrong. Good luck with your bubba!

[batgirlbc]

My dog had lymphoma - he was 5 when diagnosed. So hopefully I can offer you my retrospective thoughts, and feel free to ask me anything.

 

Firstly, I'm very sorry - I know what you're going through.

 

We left our dog with a sitter for a month in their new house, and her dog and my dog dug up the garden. Both ended up with T-cell lymphoma so I believe from weed killer. They were insured so went through chemo, but we weren't insured so opted for alternative methods - keto, CBD, prednisolone.

 

Our oncologist offered a number of options, including IV chemo and tablet chemo (much cheaper). IV chemo was quoted at around $12k. Tablet chemo wasn't much at all, but obviously an ongoing cost. Our costs with the keto/cbd/prednisolone weren't much at all (we fed him raw anyway).

 

I know it's hard to hear this stuff but we had another 6 months with him. Apart from a couple of lapses he actually did really well, and the day before he passed he was running along the beach like a puppy. The next morning he didn't have energy. He tried to play with a ball but couldn't. An hour later he fell asleep in my arms. We had time to say our goodbyes and I thanked him for all our happy days.

 

The other dog lived 2 more years, so chemo worked.

 

For me, in hindsight, I have no regrets. He wasn't afraid, and wasn't in pain. All the hard stuff was my emotions.

 

For the owners of the other dog, they went through 2 more years dealing with the hardship of knowing their dog was sick. As hard as it was with my dog, I didn't envy what they continued to go through. Acceptance is the hardest part.

 

We now have our girl BG. She's 7 now. She's amazing. I still miss my old boy, but I have so many happy memories!