Monday, February 9, 2015

Can't Afford Surgery? Meet Helping Hands.

Cali.

If you have followed me for any length of time you know that the backbone of who I am and what I plead for is loving and treating your pets as family and providing them with their needs. This requires being a responsible parent who isn't afraid to exhaust all options in the fight for keeping your pet safe, healthy, and happy. I know it is not a short simple list. But, then again, neither is pet care with its complicated intertwined biological processes, often cryptic disease, potentially life jeopardizing behavioral challenges, unavoidable accidents, and the often mysterious twisted, exhausting, expensive path to a diagnosis or treatment options. But, even with this maze of confusion, questioning, and periods of helplessness, there are people out there trying to make the seemingly impossible possible. So remember, there are always options. (Some of them even lead to happy endings).

Here is a place that is changing the landscape of veterinary medicine, providing help in an unconventional way and saving pets from facing death due to simple economics.

Daisy.
Meet Helping Hands.

Here is their story;
After 10 years in private practice Dr. Pasternak decided she wanted to fill a much needed void by providing low cost surgeries to pets in need so she opened Helping Hands with her partner Jacqueline Morasco. At Helping Hands all prices are fixed and no additional costs are incurred (unless an e-collar, biopsy, or bloodwork is needed). They can do this by limiting their services to surgery only. No appointments, no diagnostics allow for minimal overhead and staff. They essentially fill a much needed niche that provides needed surgeries at a fraction of other clinics prices.

"Our “Bare Bones” fees are fixed, all inclusive and posted here on our website. NO SURPRISE FEES! PREVENTING  ECONOMIC  EUTHANASIA. We keep our costs low by limiting what we do to only surgery and dental care, cutting out office consultation time and fees, and providing our services outpatient because we believe parents make great nurses.Why do we do it?  Because we believe in what we do, we love the animals and simply put...We can and we will!"

You can visit their page at Helpinghandsvetva.com.


Visit their Facebook page here.



Here is their Procedure Price List  for  January 2015


ACL (Cruciate ligament repair done with the lateral suture technique) $995
AMPUTATION LEG FELINE $455
AMPUTATION LEG CANINE $655
AMPUTATION TAIL $325
AMPUTATION TOE $325
ANAL SAC REMOVAL $575
BLOAT $995
BLOODWORK $50 (recommended for all pets, required for older pets)
CHERRY EYE REPAIR $255
CHOLECYSTECTOMY (removal of the gall bladder) - $855
COLECTOMY (removal of colon to treat megacolon in cats) - $855
CYSTOTOMY (opening the urinary bladder to remove stones or growths) - $655
C-SECTION $555.00 with spay - $655.00 without spay
After hours C-SECTION $1,555 with spay - $1,655 without spay (includes after hours fee)
DENTAL SCALING / POLISHING (includes all extractions and medications necessary) - $175
DEWCLAW REMOVAL (adult dogs) (per claw) - $125
EAR CANAL ABLATION - $995
ELONGATED SOFT PALATE - $255
ENUCLEATION (removal of the eye) - $355
ENTROPION/ ECTROPION REPAIR (folding in/out of eyelids) (per lid) - $175
ESOPHAGEAL FEEDING TUBE - $125
EXPLORATORY (includes diagnosis and treatment, if possible) -$855
FOREIGN BODY REMOVAL - $855
FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy) $995 *we only offer this surgery for animals under 25lbs
GROWTH REMOVAL- EXTRA LARGE (greater than 5 inches in length) - $725
GROWTH REMOVAL - LARGE ( 3 - 5 inches) - $525
GROWTH REMOVAL - MEDIUM (1 - 3 inches) - $325
GROWTH REMOVAL - SMALL (less than 1 inch) - $125
HERNIA REPAIR (DIAPHRAGMATIC) - $995
HERNIA REPAIR (INGUINAL) - $455
HERNIA REPAIR (UMBILICAL) - $255
LATERAL EAR CANAL RESECTION (to aid in chronic ear infections) - $705
MEDIAL PATELLAR LUXATION  (deepen patellar groove, imbricate joint capsule and medial release only) $995
NASAL FOLD RESECTION (removal of excess skin between eyes and nose) - $655
NASAL STENOSIS (opening nasal passages to aid in breathing) - $255
NEPHRECTOMY (removal of kidney) - $855
NEUTER - CAT (in addition to other procedure) *- $25
NEUTER - DOG (in addition to other procedure) * - $55
NEUTER - CRYPTORCHID - $175
PERINEAL URETHROSTOMY (to treat or prevent urinary blockage) - $755
PERSISTANT AORTIC ARCH (birth defect causing blockage of esophagus) - $1205
PYOMETRA (infected uterus) - $455
RECTAL PROLAPSE (external repair) - $205    (internal repair) - $855
SPAY - CAT  - $105 * (in addition to other procedure)  
SPAY - DOG  - $225 * (in addition to other procedure)
SPLENECTOMY (removal of the spleen) - $855
STOMACH TACK (to prevent stomach twist/ bloat) - $255
THIRD EYELID FLAP ("natural eye patch" to treat lacerations or ulcerations) - $205
THYROIDECTOMY (removal of the thyroid gland, to treat hyperthyroidism in cats) - $405
VAGINAL FOLD RESECTION (removal of excess skin around vagina
to help prevent chronic UTI's) - $655
WOUND / LACERATION REPAIR - LARGE (greater than 5 inches) - $325
WOUND / LACERATION REPAIR - MEDIUM (2 - 5 inches) - $225
WOUND / LACERATION REPAIR - SMALL (less than 2 inches) - $125

They are yet another instance of an entrepreneurial vet filling a pet parents need and saving lives in the process. The next time I am down Richmond way I'm stopping in the give her a hug, a high five, and thank her for standing true to her heart.

Big Love

Related Blogs;

Jarrettsville Vet Price List 2015

Making Vet Care More Accessible. How Comfortable are You Thinking Outside of the Box?

How To Get the Best Deal at the ER

There Has To Be Mercy before Money

What Are You Building?

Crowd Funding Meets Crowd Sourcing

Too Afraid to Fail. When Fear Costs Your Patients


If you have a pet related question of any kind you can ask it for FREE on Pawbly.com. Pawbly is a community built by those of us who love pets. If you would like to visit me in person find me at Jarrettsville Vet. Please visit our Jarrettsville Vet Facebook page, and the Pawbly Facebook page, or chat with me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

1 comment:

  1. I first took my dog to Helping Hands several years ago for a dental. We received excellent care and I looked forward to making the trip to see them again if needed. I had planned on taking the same dog for another dental last year, but that never happened. My wonderful regular vet discovered my dog head developed a heart murmur with age (11 1/2 years at the time). I had told him about my plans to go to HH and, out of concern for my dog, he contacted them to find out what their monitoring procedures were like. He was promised a return call. That call never happened, even after he contacted them several more times via phone and e-mail. I was very disappointed with this and ended up having the dental done with my vet practice (my regular vet monitored but didn't feel comfortable doing the actual dental, which the head vet did). The murmur did end up causing some issues and my dog was touch and go for a bit. While it really messed up finances, I'm ultimately glad I went to my regular vet for the procedure since HH wouldn't provide any information.

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