These days, taking your pet to the veterinarian for a checkup can cost a small fortune. Not to mention if your munchkin needs tests, bloodwork or surgery.
But much like going to a human doctor, the best advice is to always get a second opinion before you make major decisions or spend thousands of dollars.
And here’s why!
Michael Ingraffia and his emotional support animal are inseparable!
“I am proud to be the guy who lives alone with his cat,” Ingraffia told Local 10 animal advocate Jacey Birch.
He adopted Zita from a local shelter 12 years ago. But recently, he was quite nervous when she seemed to have an infection.
“I noticed her ear was swollen, which I found out later was a hematoma,” Ingraffia said.
He took her straight to the closest vet clinic and immediately followed doctor’s orders.
“So the estimate was between $900-$1,200 -- in that range -- they gave me a ballpark between $900-$1,200 and I agreed to it,” he said.
Ingraffia said he paid the bill and left with his baby girl.
“Within 24 hours, not only was her ear not improving but she seemed lethargic, her balance was off, she seemed worse,” he said.
Ingraffia and Zita headed back to VCA Aventura Animal Hospital, and this time, the ear drain drained him out of another $300.
“Within four hours of me bringing her home, it’s engorged again,” he said.
Ingraffia claims the third time was not the charm, and that’s when he contacted Local 10 for help.
Hospital manager Michelle Sedeno reviewed the bills with us.
“The biggest question is, did a surgery take place?” Birch asked.
“Yeah, well it’s drainage. It’s called a procedure. It wouldn’t be a surgery, it’s a procedure,” Sedeno said.
Sedeno also answered our very specific questions about Zita’s care.
“Well, here it was $900, where every other time he came in just for the ear drainage, it was less than $300,” Birch said.
“Right, so there’s a procedure when it’s sedated versus just draining the ear,” Sedeno said.
After his disagreement at VCA, Ingraffia wanted a second opinion, so he ended up going to another vet hospital and a different surgical procedure was performed on Zita.
With the help of Local 10 and the Animal Welfare Society of South Florida, Zita had a full ear hematoma surgery, which included removing the infected damage and fibrosis to the ear.
“The infection has moved inside her head, so now it’s a life-threatening situation,” Ingraffia said.
Zita came out of that emergency surgery with an amazing recovery and now she is back home and all is right in their cozy little cat and dad world.
The second opinion surgery ended up costing Ingraffia an extra $1,300 so he is now out of pocket for nearly $3,000.
So the moral of the story is always get a second opinion -- not just for you, but for your pets too.