I’d like to introduce you to Luna, whom we rescued from an animal shelter several years ago. Luna is now an old lady of ten years, but at the time, she was barely past one. She was picked up as a stray, as so many shelter pups are.
We had gone to the shelter in search of a companion for Cooper, our beloved Boxer. This shelter allowed us to go into each dog’s pen on our own, with caution and good judgment, of course. This large white ball of fluff drew me in, so I opened the door so that we could officially meet her. Luna was so excited that she jumped up on me, but it was in the gentlest, most loving manner. Given her size, I was taken aback at this. I was smitten, and she officially came home to us the next day.
In her younger years, Luna was driven towards adventure. She would never miss an opportunity to sneak out the front door when someone wasn’t watching, even if just for ten seconds, for a taste of freedom. There are quite a few memories of me chasing behind her, leash in hand, with her always a house ahead of me, and running when I got closer to bring her home. Funny now, but not at the time!
One day stood out. She taught herself how to pull open the front door with her paw and push the storm door outwards so that she could leave on her own. This resulted in her grandest adventure yet, with her running far down our street, and me having to pull her out of traffic. I am still grateful to the CrossFit guys from the nearby gym who helped me out with her. Those days are now behind her as she has slowed down both physically and cognitively.
If you’ve ever been a dog owner, you understand that health issues often arise, especially as old age creeps in. Luna was diagnosed with epilepsy early on in her life after sustaining a head injury while playing too roughly in our backyard. However, after the initial diagnosis, this was easy to manage. As we moved toward summer last year, I noticed that she was struggling with an eye issue. I will spare you the descriptive details, but her right eye was obviously causing her a great deal of discomfort and kept looking worse.
A trip to the vet confirmed that her eye was, in fact, doing quite poorly. I had been told for years that she may eventually need eye surgery due to a breed-specific condition called entropion, so this was not a huge surprise. Two options were given as treatment. We could treat Luna’s eye with medication and monitor closely for hopeful improvement, or we could move forward with eye removal surgery (enucleation), which would fix the issue even though there were risks due to the anesthesia. Eye removal was the best option by far. However, the cost of surgery was daunting.
Emancipet
I do not carry pet insurance as the cost is far too high for multiple pets. I also do not have a ton of extra money. When the idea of eye removal surgery was mentioned, I knew it was the right option, but the thought of the cost of surgery had me concerned.
When the initial discussion of treatment options arose with my veterinarian, she mentioned Emancipet to me. Emancipet is a nonprofit organization here in Texas that offers low-cost surgery and wellness options for animals. While I had heard of it before, I did not know much about it. I was skeptical of an affordable surgery. However, my vet spoke positively about it, and I didn’t have any other options, so I knew that I needed to give it a shot.
Emancipet Experience
Setting up surgery for Luna was easier than I expected. I was able to reach someone by phone on the first try and  was asked a bunch of intake questions. Once done, I was able to schedule Luna for a consultation, which is a requirement before all surgeries.
The Emancipet surgery consult happened just a few days later.. The cost of the consultation appointment was $20. It was determined by the Emancipet veterinarian that the enucleation (eye removal) was indeed necessary. Before I left, surgery was scheduled for the following week on one of their designated surgery days. Before leaving, I had to complete financial paperwork to qualify for their payment plan for the upcoming surgery.
Surgery Day
Emancipet has designated surgery days. We arrived for Luna’s appointment early that morning. The large waiting room was very crowded with others doing the same thing. I was impressed at the efficiency of their operation, however. After checking in at the front desk, a vet tech met with us shortly after to take Luna back. There were at least four or five other vet techs doing the same thing with other pets, and I was impressed at their efficiency.
Getting her checked in was a fast and straightforward process, and we were able to leave quickly afterwards. Once surgery was over, we received a call from the veterinarian to let us know the surgery was a success. We arrived to pick up Luna later that afternoon to allow the anesthesia time to wear off.
Surgery Outcome
In case you were wondering, Luna got through her surgery very well and she has fully recovered! We had big concerns about putting her through surgery due to the risk of anesthesia for a dog her age, but everything turned out well. Recovering from surgery was not the easiest for her, as her eye area was itchy from healing and the cone was not fun, but she did it! Luna quickly adapted to having one eye instead of two and her health seemed to improve quickly. She feels much better these days and is doing well!
Need to know more about Emancipet? Â
Cost and Payment
While Emancipet is definitely a no-frills option, it was affordable! The pre-surgical consult cost me $20, which was payable that day. The surgery cost was $350, and I was able to set up a payment plan through their ZIPP Program for $25/month to be automatically deducted from my bank account each month. This payment plan did not require a credit check and is interest-free.
How Emancipet Works
Emancipet is a nonprofit organization that offers low-cost surgery and wellness options for animals. Their website has a list of services offered, including specific surgeries that they handle. Their cost for pre-surgical consultation is $20, and surgery costs range from $350 – $650. They offer interest-free payment plans through ZIPP, which makes the cost even more affordable.
Emancipet Locations
According to their website, Emancipet offers services primarily in Texas (Houston, Austin, Killeen, and Central Texas), along with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If these locations are not an option for you, then I encourage you to look for a local nonprofit or low-cost option for pets wherever you are located.
