The vet came and looked at Mira today and said that the pus in the anterior chamber of the eye cleared up, which is good, but her eyelid is still somewhat closed, meaning there is still pain. Not good. The ulcer is slightly raised and appears to him as if it has a fungal infection. Bad! If it were a melting ulcer I would just schedule an appointment to remove the eye right away. As it is, fungal infections are not fun to treat. A 3-week course of meds for that, at the cheapest compounded prices he can get, would be $500.00. That does not include vet visits. He said normally he prefers to see these cases 3 times a week, but due to my budget constraints and the fact that I am a very good nurse (quoting him) he could maybe just come every other week. The problem with fungal infections is they take a LONG course of treatment before there is any progress. It would be about 12 weeks, minimum. So, the cheapest it would get is about $2,500.00, which is over the amount I have set that I am willing to pay. A long time ago I figured out guidelines for what is and is not an appropriate amount to shell out based on my budget, and the fact that I don't want to get in a ton of debt. My new job will be several months before I am making that much money, just due to the inherent learning curve, and it is never wise to count on future income, anyway.
So, I am not sure what to do. Neither I nor the vet want to remove the eye yet. Removing the eye is about $500 and has very little aftercare, and almost no chance of complications, but it's not a fun idea. Right now I am trying to contact Gloria Garland, a Chinese herbalist, to see if there is any possibility of treating it with herbs. They would likely be cheaper, and I don't mind spending more weeks on her eye. I would prefer trying that before removing the eye, if possible. And since it would be cheaper, I wouldn't feel as bad as if I spent several thousand and then had to remove the eye anyway. We'll see what she says, anyway.
Anyway, tonight I'm really discouraged! It's so frustrating not being able to have any certainties, or even probabilities.
L
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3 comments:
Because it is a fungus and the cost is so high, I was wondering if it was a treatment you might get at an apothecary. I know when Dandy had EPM that was the case. Getting the drug from the vet or other places online etc were over $600 a month but I was able to find a local apothecary that mixed it for me for $250. It might be worth looking into.
We are getting them from a pharmacy and a compounding pharmacy - is that the same thing?
a compounding pharmacy is not the same as a pharmacy. Most pharmacies get their drugs all ready to dispense.
A compounding pharmacy will have the ingredients and mix things they dispense. They are hard to find but can be much cheaper on those special compounds like for treating fungi.
While it looks like her eye is clearing up ok and you aren't going to need this, if things change let me know. If you can't locate a pharmacy who does compounding, I can give the the information for the one here. Shipping expense might be nothing next to cost saving. It would just take better timing for refills.
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