Will it hurt me to apply for a vet care credit card before discharge

[empowered]

I only recently had my 341. I thought that though my (laughingly referenced) "reserves" were exhausted I might just make it through but today I had to hospitalize a beloved cat.

I don't have a lot of options so it's not really useful to suggest borrowing from friends or trying to work out payment plans with the vet's office. I'm already there, grasping at all the straws I can.

Out of desperation I did accept a brochure for a health care credit card that can be applied to cat care. I have not seen any indication so far that they will do business with someone with a low credit score or a fresh bankruptcy.

Will it hurt me if I give it a try and they pull my report? Can it endanger discharge or anything else? This is the first major illness that one of my cats have had and I am not going to give up easily if the issue is money and not pain or quality of life. I feel so badly that I was not sufficiently prepared. I would have taken her to the vet sooner if I'd been working. I managed to put what I've got so far towards rent money to a day of hospital care but I'm going to have to pick her up in the morning and take her to a regular vet and try to negotiate a second deal now.

If anyone has been in my situation and knows of a bad credit pet care credit provider, by all means, speak up. Please.

Thanks.

[tobee43]

oh empowered...i really feel for you...(we lost our cat in our move...we think a neighbor shot him)...

my daughter's cat got hit by a car and she did get the insurance, however, it was really like a "credit" card...with a limit based on her credit.

i would really run this by your atty because i think it may be considered applying for credit.

unfortunately the courts don't feel the same way about our animals as we do..(

my heart really goes out to you. i think i would talk with the vets office again...(those darn people) and be honest and explain the situation...maybe they can work with you? or maybe they can suggest someone who can help.

best of luck and i hope things work out for you!

[AngelinaCat]

You have already had your 341, so that means you have already filed. For all intents and purposes, everything is over and done.

Now, draw a new line: ___________________________________

Anything after that new line is New Debt.

What you are doing now, with your beloved pet, is incuring NEW debt. This new debt should not be related in any way to your OLD debt, that is included in you BK. However, it may/can impact upon you getting new credit for anything. And that includes care for your pet.

I suggest that you make arrangements with your vet, especially if you have long-term history with him/her, to make payments as you can. They don't like that; nobody does in this economy. But I do not percieve trying to buy pet insurance at this time as being a wise move.

BTW, I have had many beloved cats for years, and years. I have always taken care of their shots (low-cost pet clinics) and their reproductive needs (get clipped at the Humane Society clinics) and have done the best I could.

Including when Sailor got poisoned by the Chinese cat food kkrapp in 2007. I would have given ANYTHING to have saved him, but no Pet Insurance--no matter the amount of money involved, would have saved him. I had to have him put down.

So an insurance policy would have been a waste of money. This is only my opinion. My best~

[empowered]

Hi tobee43. Thanks for your quick response.

I am pro se so have no attorney to go to on this one.

However, your response makes me think that I should double-check to see if the bankruptcy filing means that I agree not to apply for credit until discharge or something. I thought I'd read a thread where someone was talking about applying for a car loan before discharge so was thinking that an application for credit might not be, on its face, verboten.

I hate it that a lack of money affects not only the care I get, but my ability to provide care to a dependent, human or not. If only they would accept cats at the county hospital, at least I'd have that. I could pay for this over time, and even in a relatively short time, if I were allowed it.

Thanks for your empathy.

[AngelinaCatHub]

My sympathy is with you.

However as Mrs. C stated, your new debt you would be stuck with. Not only that, technically, you are NOT ALLOWED to incur new debt until after your discharge. You have to have your Trustees permission to do so. It is loosely enforced, but could bite you if some creditor took note of this.

Best bet is to work out something with the vet. They are vets as MD's are MD's and they don't want your animal to suffer either. There does come a time though if an extensive mega buck operation is needed, that practical sense must come into play. You are here because you are bankrupt. I would certainly do anything within your power if I were you, up to the point of harming your new start and current personal problems. Do your best is the only advice worth anything in this case. 'Hub

[empowered]

Thanks for your responses AngelinaCat. That's what I needed to definitively know. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't already make an application (which almost certainly would have been refused) from the vet's office today.

It's renal failure but she's only a middle-aged cat and the research that I'm doing about that online is beginning to indicate that I may be able to take her further from home if IV or subcutaneous fluid can be accessed from here. There are numerous mobile vets in my area these days so I might be able to set up at-home care for her, which would undoubtedly be less expensive in addition to being more comfortable. I'm going to see what the possibility of that is. Because of the day, I also got stuck going to emergency care so I might have a limited view of my options. For reasons of cost, I did have to commit to picking her up in the morning, ostensibly to take her to a less expensive vet -- they wanted to keep her three days but wanted me to pay for half of it up front.

Thanks again.

[AngelinaCat]

Dear empowered,

My beloved Sailor was only 11 years old, and otherwise healthy. The Chinese cat food poisoning took out his kidneys almost immediately. I couldn't believe it. I was told that if Sailor had been a human being, he would have been on the list for an emergency kidney transplant. I was also told that there were things I could have the vet do that might extend his life by a week or two. But why? He couldn't walk; he could not eat. All I would have done is prolong his misery. I chose to let him go. But I held him as the shot was administered, and brought him home afterward to be buried on our property.

BTW Did your cat get into antifreeze? That is the first question we were asked about our cat.....

HHUGGSS and my very best wishes and sympathy....

[empowered]

Hi AngelinaCat. That tainted cat food thing a few years back was horrible. I was very lucky not to be using one of the products thought to be affected. I'm so sorry it affected you. That was so upsetting.

My kitties are indoor-only though since I now live in a house I wanted to make an outdoor area for them to access once I started work again and had a little cash for lumber. So, no, anti-freeze shouldn't be a possibility. I don't know. I'm careful about the food I feed them. This is the kitty that barges right in to get her share of pad thai, croissant and smelly cheeses even, though I don't believe I should give them dairy. Maybe it's because she's purebred. She seemed like she must have been the runt of the litter when I got her -- maybe she has some physical weakness. I hope what little dairy I've recently allowed them didn't do it.

Thanks. I wrote an e-mail to a mobile vet to see if there was a possibility of treating her further from home.

[AngelinaCat]

Still, my very best wishes and prayers go for you and your furry baby.

[tobee43]

My sympathy is with you.

However as Mrs. C stated, your new debt you would be stuck with. Not only that, technically, you are NOT ALLOWED to incur new debt until after your discharge. You have to have your Trustees permission to do so. It is loosely enforced, but could bite you if some creditor took note of this.

Best bet is to work out something with the vet. They are vets as MD's are MD's and they don't want your animal to suffer either. There does come a time though if an extensive mega buck operation is needed, that practical sense must come into play. You are here because you are bankrupt. I would certainly do anything within your power if I were you, up to the point of harming your new start and current personal problems. Do your best is the only advice worth anything in this case. 'Hub

yes, this was my general understanding as well with incurring more debt prior to discharge...

You have already had your 341, so that means you have already filed. For all intents and purposes, everything is over and done.

Now, draw a new line: ___________________________________

Anything after that new line is New Debt.

AngelinaCat ....i must admit your answer is somewhat puzzling to me with respect to whether the bankruptcy is considered over after the completion of the 341...it was, and i may be incorrect, my understanding that adversary proceeding could still apply...or objections still entered at this point...for or at least 60 days preceding the 341. OP did not give the date of the 341....there is still plenty of days left in the month so...i'm not even certain if that's a "scheduled" 341 or a completed one.

this poses a very interesting question in respect to what does one do in the middle of a bankruptcy when there is an emergency such as this?

[empowered]

this poses a very interesting question in respect to what does one do in the middle of a bankruptcy when there is an emergency such as this?

Hi tobee43.

Yeah, my question too. Because so far I'm just screwed. The illness turns out to be quite severe and complex with life-long issues. It's not what they initially thought and the diagnosis that I first was trying to figure out how to handle.

I had to move my cat out of the 24-hour care she needed because the emergency clinics do not provide much in the way of payment plans. In fact it seems that now that I am without credit my cats are left without options to treat severe medical issues. I've thought of everything I can, I've been asking around. I'm not finding workable options and my cat has only be in the day-care only place for two days now. Tomorrow, if she does not significantly improve overnight alone in the clinic with IVs in place, they have indicated they want to discuss whether her life should be ended.

I may not have been able to afford insurance for months, but at least I could show up at many hospitals and still get care that my cat is not entitled to because of my finances.

Perhaps this is part of the pre-bankruptcy planning that many people do. I guess I should have gotten Care Credit when I still had credit. Now my cat has to pay.

[rjmwx81]

I guess I should have gotten Care Credit when I still had credit. Now my cat has to pay.

Don't beat yourself up too much over this. Hindsight is 20-20; you couldn't foresee that your cat would get sick, and it's not your fault that she did get sick.

Yes, if circumstances were different, perhaps you could afford better care. But circumstances are what they are...and you shouldn't blame yourself for them.

[warren49]

There might be some volunteer animal rescue/care organizations in your are who could help.....just an idea. You might need to commit to some volunteer work in exchange for their help.

[dumpinmydebt]

Hi tobee43.

Yeah, my question too. Because so far I'm just screwed. The illness turns out to be quite severe and complex with life-long issues. It's not what they initially thought and the diagnosis that I first was trying to figure out how to handle.

I had to move my cat out of the 24-hour care she needed because the emergency clinics do not provide much in the way of payment plans. In fact it seems that now that I am without credit my cats are left without options to treat severe medical issues. I've thought of everything I can, I've been asking around. I'm not finding workable options and my cat has only be in the day-care only place for two days now. Tomorrow, if she does not significantly improve overnight alone in the clinic with IVs in place, they have indicated they want to discuss whether her life should be ended.

I may not have been able to afford insurance for months, but at least I could show up at many hospitals and still get care that my cat is not entitled to because of my finances.

Perhaps this is part of the pre-bankruptcy planning that many people do. I guess I should have gotten Care Credit when I still had credit. Now my cat has to pay.

Don't blame yourself. You could have NEVER foreseen your cat getting a chronic illness. NEVER. Even if you had good credit, whose to say you would've been able to afford the care of a chronically ill cat for the rest of it's life?

Pet Insurance and Care Credit are 2 different things. Care Credit is a credit card that is used at vet's offices (and yes you need good credit to get approved. I applied when I had decent credit, and wasn't approved. This was before things went down the drain credit wise). Pet insurance is like human insurance, with co-pays and everything.

Funny story...

I have 2 cats. I freaked out when I thought one of my cats was having a seizure. But here I was shoving everything out of the way so he wouldn't hit his head on anything (I broke a lamp in the process) and looking at his mouth making sure he wasn't going to choke on his tongue. I was preparing for the worst, and thinking about how I would do CPR.
I'm a nursing student. I was taught to clear the area when someone is having a seizure, make sure their head was on a soft surface, and make sure they do not choke on their tongue.

Apparently he was just sneezing all weird, no seizure. Something was tickling his nose and he couldn't get it off. LOL! Well, I'm glad to know I didn't panic and instead went into rescuer mode. ha ha. My cat probably thought I was a big weirdo.

But, if he was having a seizure, I would not have the money for his care. It's hard to not blame yourself, but your cat isn't going to blame you. We don't know how they feel. The last thing I would want is for my cat to have a chronic illness where they will be in pain all the time. We have medications we can take, and so do they, but it's not the same. I would rather them be put to sleep. I couldn't stand to see my pet suffer on a daily basis. It would break my heart. While it would break my heart to lose them, it would break my heart even more to see them in pain. I believe that putting a pet out of their misery is a selfless act of love.

I hope you find the care your cat needs and if there is no care that can take care of their pain, I hope you make the right decision and not beat yourself up for it.

[empowered]

Hi dumpinmydebt and all.

Thanks for your posts. Dear dump, I do like your Monty Python quote. Maybe if we all farted in their general direction they'd leave us be once and for all.

I wanted to follow up, not so much because I wanted to say what happened with my cat, which I'm still coming to terms with. The disease she had would have been treatable if I had taken her to the vet sooner. It may well still have cost a lot but I would have stabilized her if I could have, and I could have had years more with her, years of good quality life for her too.

But I wanted to say that earlier this year I had considered pet insurance but saw that it was generally considered to be a poor investment and that savings accounts were instead recommended. I thought I had time to deal with the issue of establishing savings this Fall so I let it go knowing that I would soon be out of work. However, in the last days I found an excellent article about 10 reasons why pet insurance can be helpful and found that there is a pet insurance recommended by Consumer Report, Trupanion, that can be obtained for cats (and probably other animals) to the age of 14. It would have paid up to $10,000 for this specific event had I only taken her to the vet earlier. And I might well have taken her, just to be on the safe side, if I would have known that we were protected. An initial visit isn't so much.

So in answer to tobee who asked for ideas on what a bankrupt should do when such an emergency happens, in addition to having an emergency fund that can be exempted if at all possible, I'd consider pet insurance like Trupanion. It would have cost me little to cover my cats during this period of financial debility. I will get it for my other cat as soon as I can.

warren49, thanks for the suggestions about trying to borrow or to appeal to animal rescue places. I did in fact quickly get to the begging and borrowing stage and not only tried to see if I could barter with the 24-hour care place (no luck there -- it was pathetic and I'll bet I wasn't the first either) but I did try to apply for any medical care grant I could apply for. Sadly, nobody seems to have money. The websites that advertised funds seemed to generally be out of funds and to have closed down applications. Very sad. Someone else suggested trying a veterinary school and though the one closest to me is hours away, I called up and tried to do what I could, but because they had had such a high number of people failing to complete payment plans for the half of the cost of care that they were allowed to delay, they'd changed their policies to the typical veterinary center policy to collect the total cost of service at the time the service was rendered. Of course, ironically, the person I spoke to kindly informed me that they had in fact just changed the policy the previous week. I couldn't have gotten her there in time anyway though. It was just too late. One more thing that might have helped me would have been having established a regular vet. We'd been moving around a lot and with all of the movement and finances I hadn't yet gotten back to that. That was another thing I expected to do in Fall when I hoped to also finally get health insurance again for myself. But it seems like when you've got a regular relationship and are a known quantity, at least in a daycare situation there is less reluctance to give you a break. I did get a partial payment plan from the daycare situation I used but for the critical illness that my cat had, even if I had gotten her there earlier she would have needed ongoing 24-hour care in a critical care vet center.

dump, I did also read in the last week someone's story of giving their own kitty mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and then getting terribly sick afterward. Of course, she didn't regret it at all.

The link to the virtual vet article about 10 reasons why pet insurance can be a great thing to have:
http://virtuavet.wordpress.com/2010/...surance-today/

Here's the Trupanion link:
http://www.trupanionpetinsurance.com...FRpaiAodHHCObw