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Dog Has A Broken Leg And You Can’t Pay Bills – What To Do?

Written by: Bojana Radulovic
When you get a dog you can be sure that unplanned things will happen continuously. Most of those situations will often require high veterinarian costs. Check this article to learn how to deal with unplanned expenses, like when your dog breaks a leg.

Meeting the dog’s needs is much easier when there are certain resources to apply to proper care.

Experienced dog owners know that owning a dog is much more than getting cuddles and having those puppy eyes staring at you all day long.

Dog ownership is a lot about proper care, meeting dogs’ needs, and being financially stable to handle all planned and unplanned dog-related costs.

From dog food to dog accessories, owning a dog is costly, and this is something that people often realize when a major thing, like a dog breaking a leg, happens.

This is one of those moments when dog owners are not stressing only about their dog’s health, but also about veterinarian bills.

Many dog owners are faced with the challenge of not being able to afford vet care each year, or not being able to deal with high veterinarian expenses that may occur.

This is something that usually happens when a dog experiences a sudden injury or medical emergency that requires an urgent veterinarian check-up, expensive surgery, or long treatment.

What to do if your dog suddenly breaks a leg and you cannot afford veterinary care?

Find the most effective options below, and learn how dogs break their leg.

1. Reach Out To Your Veterinarian

In perfect condition, you should have a trusted veterinarian before your Fido arrives. Once you get a dog you should have a veterinarian ready to give your Fido a full

Payment plans are a common option for dealing with enormous vet bills. In fact, this is usually the first option that dog owners explore.

Asking your veterinarian about payment plans is OK, nothing to be ashamed about it, as veterinarians as well want to help animals live longer.

Many vets will even introduce you to payment options on your first visit to their office.

It is common for veterinarians to offer certain help once they establish some confidence with you, while some will even have a fund set on the side to help pet owners deal with unplanned situations.

We know that asking for help can be tough, but it is also human, and it is always worth asking.

2. Check Out Local Charities

This option is commonly overlooked, but it should not be, as many charities are doing an amazing job helping dog owners already.

In fact, many local charities have funds that can be used to pay for pet care.

Not sure if your local charity covers this type of situation? Feel free to contact them and ask. Even if they can not help you with certain situations, they may know someone to guide you.

3. Start A Go-fund-me Page

GoFundMe is a great way to search for additional help. This platform is carefully crafted to help people in the most challenging moments.

In addition, GoFundMe is a great place to raise money if your dog had an injury.

Setting the page is easy, tracking the funding is easy, and it is free. All you need to set up your GoFundMe page is a computer and a stable internet connection.

Make sure that you share your story in an easy and friendly tone and ask just how much your Fido needs to get better.

Once you set up your GoFundMe page you can start accepting donations from not only friendly, families, and colleagues, but strangers of soft hearts as well.

Strangers love dogs as well and they will be more than happy to help you and your Fido get better.

4. Ask Your Friends And Family For Help

Do not underestimate the resources that you already have.

Reach out to your loved ones and ask for support. After all, you are asking for help due to a specific reason, and everyone will have hearing for unplanned situations.

If your dog doesn’t have health insurance, one of the best places to ask for help is your people.

Start with people who already know your dog and love, and those who have dogs already.

The chances are that they may already have some emergency funds for their dog.

Friends and family can also help you raise the money or just spread the word that you need help. If not, they can also provide some financial advice that can help you deal with this kind of situation.

5. Pet Insurance

Do you have pet insurance already? If so, you might want to go back to it and check what kind of unplanned situations your pet insurance covers.

Pet insurance is a great investment and something that can take the burden off your shoulders when it comes to paying veterinary bills.

You don’t have pet insurance yet? Before you buy one, make sure that you research your options. There are various types of pet insurance, and they all cover different things.

Did you know that some dog insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

Think about monthly premiums, deductible amounts, payout maximum, etc.

Know that pet insurance works differently than human insurance does. This is why you should research pet insurance thoroughly and do your best not to buy it in a rush, but focus on what you and your pet might get.

6. Credit Line

Online credit is always an option. To get online credit, you will have to find proper provides such as care credit, scratch play, etc.

A credit line can help you finance veterinary medical expenses and various pet emergencies. Plus, they usually offer flexible terms.

Before you run to get an online credit, make sure that you do your research first and that you can really afford to get an online credit.

7. Veterinary Credit Lines

Veterinarians are humans as well. They understand the struggle and know that massive corrections or unplanned situations can burden pet owners a lot.

This is why they want to help both pet owners and pets to deal with challenging situations stress-free as much as possible. This is why veterinary credit lines are specially designed to help pet owners to deal with veterinary emergencies.

Search online companies that offer these special veterinary-oriented credit lines. The best thing about these credit lines is that they offer immediate access to approved funds.

How can you pay back this veterinary credit line? If you do get approved for the credit line, you can usually pay it back monthly like a standard credit card.

What about interest charges? Interest charges will vary based on the option you are approved for.

To avoid any additional headaches or additional stress, double-check interest charges before you apply for a veterinary credit line.

Now that you know what are your payment options, let’s see how dogs might break their leg, what is the best treatment for broken legs in dogs, and how long is the recovery time.

Can The Vet Keep My Dog If I Can’t Pay?

This is something that dog owners see as the biggest nightmare. Losing your dog, or having to say that final goodbye is one of the scariest things that dog owners must experience at some point. This is why many may wonder if you miss paying bills to your vet can you lose your dog, as well?

No, no veterinarian can keep your dog as a ‘hostage’ if you can’t pay your bill.

In the worst case scenario, any veterinarian can refuse to treat your dog or treat your dog further until the bill and surcharges are paid.

In some situations, there is also a possibility of a lawsuit, which is why when it comes to choosing your veterinarian, you should know how to choose the right veterinarian and someone who has that strong empathy line but also can offer you certain payment options in case of an emergency.

Check what is their practice when it comes to unplanned situations and what is their approach to a financial situation.

It is always great to be upfront and discuss possible finance-related moments.

Proper communication with a vet will always help you build friendly and professional communication on both sides.

How Much Is A Vet Bill For A Dog’s Broken Leg?

There is no strictly defined price on this matter, as it may vary on your location, the veterinarian’s geographical location, and the severity of the fracture. That being said, the cost may vary from $200 up to $2,000 and above.

The cost may exceed $2,000 and above if there is a need for a piece of equipment, or if there are multiple bone fractures within a leg.

Also, veterinary costs may go higher, considering the dog’s age and other medical conditions.

For less severe cases veterinary bills should not exceed $600. Aside from that, think about extra costs that may be included in your bill.

If an x-ray is performed, expenses may be higher. If a medication prescribed to your dog for pain and swelling treatment is needed you can expect extra costs between $30 to $50.

Now, let’s see how a dog might break a leg and how long is the recovery time.

How Can A Dog Break A Leg?

When it comes to accidents, no matter how small or big they might be, dogs are no different than humans.

Fractures of a leg bone may happen due to many reasons, a rough play, an unfortunate jump, a car hit, poorly structured training, high stairs, and so on.

In most cases, a dog’s broken leg may appear deformed or bent at an odd angle, while in some cases fractures may be open or exposed.

If you notice an unusually moving limb, swelling around the leg or joint, frequent whining, or your dog holding the leg up when coming, make sure that you contact your veterinarian. These symptoms are mostly indicators that a dog has a broken leg.

Treatment For Broken Leg In Dogs

The standard treatment for a broken leg in dogs will vary based on the severity of the break.

Simple fractures will usually require a splint, followed by a no-exercise recommendation (this is usually a very strict direction, actually) for a period between 8 to 12 weeks.

In some cases, more severe ones, orthopedic surgery might be needed.

To determine just how serious the feature is veterinarians will include an x-ray in their check-up to check the extent of their injury and allow the veterinarian to explain to you the treatment options or the best treatment option for your dog.

Another unpopular option that some dog owners might go through due to lack of funds is leg amputation.

The possibility of a leg amputation is something that is always an option, but it should be your last option.

Know that a broken bone is technically fixable, but it requires time, extra care, and some investment. Although dogs can have happy lives with three legs, know that in the long run, it may lead to additional joint stress on other joints.

In most cases, tripod dogs do not require special veterinary care after the initial amputation and rehabilitation, but they do require additional care from their owners, especially in terms of exercise.

Tripod dogs can still enjoy outdoor time, but they can have less stress if they have more frequent, but short walks a few times a day than long walks.

The Bottom Line

Seeing dogs in any sort of pain is horrible and often isn’t something that dog owners can easily cope with.

Seeing your dog’s leg broken is stressful, especially if you are on challenging days of the month money-wise.

Know that you are not alone in this situation and that your primary goal should be to help your dog gets on all four.

Thanks to different sources, resources, various platforms, and the power of the digital world, you can get the money that you need to keep your dog’s leg.

Before you start panicking and make a dozen of different phone calls, make sure that you have an honest conversation with your veterinarian.

You’ll be surprised to learn just how many different options veterinarians can present to you. Even if your veterinarian cannot offer any type of payment assistance, there might an input from an organization that might help.

Even if that is not the option, you can try different options listed in this article above and help your Fido get his leg back healthy and strong.