What it Cost: COPD Diagnosis

It's been forever since I blogged about my own horse.  Or you know, blogged in general.  But I am back to working full time and then some, so pony time has been limited.  Mollie literally could not care less.

She's always this excited to see me.

Mollie is almost 3 weeks post-prednisone treatment and is (knock on wood) doing really well!! She gets a little huffy under saddle but as long as she gets plenty of walk breaks she seems ok.  I put her back on the Freeway from Hilton Herbs and I'm hoping that can maintain her through the cooler months, and then we'll have to make a plan come next spring/summer depending on how she presents.

A little while back someone (maybe Beka?) did a "What it Cost" post to break down the costs of a vet visit.  I figured I hadn't read one on COPD before, so it would be a devastatingly sad fun topic for a post.  The total cost wasn't QUITE so bad because it was broken down over a couple of payments (I paid for the bottles of prednisone as needed) but it still is a lot of money that I tend not to think about unless I actually blog about it.

So to recap, I made an emergency vet call because of respiratory distress.  The vet did a visual assessment, a lung wash, set the samples out to the lab, and then I bought 2.5 bottles of prednisone.

This is how it all breaks down:

*Partial Call Fee (7-3 Clients)___________________________$24.00

Respiratory Exam (visual)______________________________$78.00

Broncho-Alveolar Lavage (lung wash)____________________$110.50

Sedation IV_________________________________________$31.25

Fluid Analysis (lab work)______________________________$115.60

**2.5 Bottles of Prednisolone Tab_______________________$323.09

S&H on additional pred_______________________________$28.50

Grand Total________________________________________$710.94

*yay for 2 other people who decided they needed the vet that day too!!

**a total of 1,250 tablets

So there ya have it.  A little over $700 for an entire COPD diagnosis and treatment.  Luckily Mollie requires vet visits very infrequently (knock on wood!) so this should keep her healthy for a while ;)