My Dog Needs Stitches But I Can’t Afford It : 8 Better Alternatives

It is a very important thing to take care of your pet. Some dogs accidentally get cuts or another health issue. Many people say that their dog needs stitches but they can’t afford it. It would be best if you saw the health care cost for your dog before keeping dogs. It is best to consult with a vet. In this way, you will know the complete expenditure and average cost for health care and feeding expenses.

My dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it. It would help if you did not do stitches at home because you are not familiar with them. Furthermore, many programs are also there like Mosby Foundation, Red Rover, and ASPCA that are assisting in the health care of a pet if the pet has a serious injury.

In this article, we will discuss what I can do if I can’t afford my dog’s surgery, my dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it, how I can deal with this situation, the average cost of stitches, and many other things related to these. Let’s dive into the details of this topic.

Does My Dog Wound Need Stitches?

It depends upon the cut. Some cuts are wide and deep that require stitches. You can deal with much deeper cuts with the help of stitches. If the skin of both ends is close enough, then you need no stitches. You can use other treatments like antiseptics like distilled spirits. Spirit can remove germs on the wound site. My dog has a chunk of skin missing and I panicked initially. You need to care to save him from infection just like I did. My dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it.

The vet knows the situation, and they will tell you the treatment method after checking up on the wound. If he is prescribing antibiotics, then you can use antibiotics for treatment. If the cut is much deep, the vet will prescribe the stitches because it is the only option left for healing.

It is very difficult to tackle with a deep wound. There is much debris or dirt on the wound, and you need to feel difficulty while cleaning the wound. That is why proper vet care is very important in this regard. Many cuts in dogs require sutures to be closed for calm dogs while stitching the wound. Vets don’t use sedation or anesthesia to make them unconscious. Although it is a painful process, some dogs are okay with this.

Many dogs need sedation or other methods to make them unconscious, like anesthesia. Many dogs are crying while stitching. That is why making them unconscious is an important thing to do. The wound due to scuffle and fights with other dogs is very dangerous because it can cause infection. When the dog bites other dogs, then the dog will sink its teeth deep into the skin. That results in infection at that site.

You can clean the puncture site with antiseptics and antibiotics. The bite can cause an infection. That is why you need to be extra conscious if dogs have bite infections. Not all the dog’s bite is infected. Household or vaccinated dogs cannot cause infection in dogs.

How Much Does It Cost To Put Stitches On A Dog?

The vet’s fee depends upon how severe the disease is and the time duration to cure those diseases. On average, the vet fee ranges from 30-45$. The stitches cost depends upon the wound severity and the equipment that is used to do stitches. There is a different way to stitch the wounds. Some stitches are traditional, others are dissolvable.

Small wounds may require about three to four stitches, and you will have to pay about a hundred to three hundred USD to vet. This is the total cost of anesthesia that is used to make the dog unconscious. This price also includes a tranquilizer.

If there are bigger cuts, you can stitch this wound, and the cost for these stitches will be more than five hundred USD. There may be many wounds in dogs, so the total cost can be more than expected. Total cost also includes Antibiotics and pain killer medication. The vet also used an E-collar that can prevent the dogs from wound licking.

How To Know If Your Dog Needs Stitches?

My dog got cut by glass. Does the dog need stitches? It depends upon the wound. If both ends of the skin are close, then you need not suture.

If there is a big cut and there is constant bleeding from that cut, you should use a treatment method like stitching. It would be best if you made your dog unconscious while doing this procedure because dogs get scared and wild while undergoing stitches.

Average Cost Of Dog Stitches

How much is it for a dog to get stitches? On average, the examination fee for stitches is about 35 to 45 USD. You need an extra amount of about 100 to 300 USD for banding material and anesthesia costs. Many other expenses are also there. It is a pain killer and other things.

In case of severe lacerations and cuts, you need stitches. But if the wound is shallow and not deep, you can use antibiotics for this.

What Is An Emergency Vet Stitches Cost

When we need vet consultation in an emergency, we need to pay an extra fee for getting this facility. Emergency evaluation and treatment are expensive as compared to the normal checkup or treatment.

When you visit the vet on an emergency basis, you will have to pay about 800-1500 USD for an emergency checkup. If the vet prescribes they operate, then you can add thousands of dollars to that bill. Many pet owners do not afford that.

Dog Stitches Open But Not Bleeding

When there are superficial cuts, then this type of cut will not bleed. It is because there are fewer capillaries in dogs’ and cats’ skin layers compared to us. That is why you see that dog stitches open, but this will not bleed. This type of wound doesn’t require any treatment. If there is an infection at that site, you need to take your pet to the vet as soon as possible because it will save your dog from health problems.

If there are fresh and uncontaminated sutures, then chances of healthy healing will be more and this type of sutures will be healed within one week. If you are delaying the repair or treatment of the wound, then the chances of infection will be more than normal.

The vet will not stitch the wound that has an infection because it can lead to severe problems. In this case, you need to use bandages and antibiotics to get rid of the infection. When the wound is disinfected, the vet will stitch that wound. It takes about three to four weeks to heal this type of wound.

Even that, if the wound is very small, then you should examine it. It is because, in case of a bite, this tiny hole may lead to severe infection. The teeth of other pets can rupture the tissues that are underlying the tiny hole. It is best to use antiseptics to clean the wound. After that, you need to consult with your vet for safe treatment of your dogs.

What Can I Do If I Can’t Afford My Dog’s Surgery?

It is the most common problem in lower-class families that own pets. When pets get sickness or injury, some dog owners don’t have many expenses for the treatment of their dogs, and they do self-medication that is very destructive for dogs. 

It is important to know the complete expenses of the dog that you want to own. Many effective and creative ways will save your money, and these tips reduce the cost of treatment. In this way, you can save money and treat your dog in effective ways.

My dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it. Here are the tips and methods that you can adopt if you don’t have much money for the surgery of your dogs.

Choose Insurance

This will not help you if treatment and surgery are in motion. You should see the insurance plan for your pet. There are a lot of companies that provide such types of plans for pets. My dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it.

The insurance plan will cover all medical treatment, and this also includes emergency costs. In this way, you can save thousands of dollars by availing of such types of insurance plans.

Get Credit Line

You can get a credit line. CareCredit is an online system that provides credit for the beauty and health expenses of your dogs. This also includes vet medical expenses. They also provide a pet emergency vet consultancy facility.

Consider Crowdfunding

As we know that in this modern era, social media has become a powerful weapon. We may use this weapon for our pets. You can also start the fundraising programs on this social media site like many people are doing this type of work.

My dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it. You have seen many fundraising campaigns that are very helpful for owners who are not affording their vet expenses. They can easily get upcoming surgeries costs, vet bills, and other related procedures. You can see many sites that do the funding, and you can get help from them. In this way, you can manage the expenses of a dog’s surgery.

You have seen numerous sites doing a similar thing like CoFund is one of the best sites that is helping the pet parents that are not affording the vet expenses. They get donations from rich people and distribute this donation to poor and needy pet owners.

Host A Yard Sale Group

Yard scale groups are also very good in this regard. You can ask your neighbors for old furniture and clothing, and in this way, you can sell these items and meet the needs of your pet. You can start a campaign in this way as well.

Use Low Cost Or Free Clinics

This is not much recommended, but you can search for a low-cost medical clinic and get benefits from it. But many low-cost clinics do not have good equipment for spaying and neutering surgery. That is why this thing is not much recommended for your dogs.

Ask family or friends

My dog needs stitches but I can’t afford it. You can seek family members and friends and other supportive and rich people in churches for seeking financial assistance. Although this process is not very easy, this is worth it, and you can help your pet in this way.

Pet Saving Account

You can open an account for your pet, and the purpose of this account is to save money in case of emergency vet consultation. You can save money in this way. This will be very helpful for you on rainy days. You can cure your dogs in case of an emergency.

Nonprofits Foundation

Many nonprofit foundations are also there that will provide you financial assistance for your dogs in your critical time. Some foundations are international, while others are only in a particular state. You can seek help from these.

Final Verdict On My Dog Needs Stitches But I Can’t Afford It

Many owners don’t have enough money to consult with a vet in case of an emergency. Pet care needs money, and when you are going to operate or stitch dogs, you need hundreds of dollars. In case of an emergency, you need thousands of dollars for proper treatment.

Many ways are there that will be helpful for you in cases of no money, like fundraising campaigns, pet assurance, nonprofit organizations, etc.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️