It is really important that the dog is seen by their vet to evaluate its health before making ANY decisions. There are way too many variables for anyone online to make any recommendations.

I read somewhere about an organization that helps people who can't afford to pay for treatment for their pets. Perhaps you can do a search on the internet to see if you can find it.

Also, they should talk to their vet about this. Maybe there is some kind of program the vet knows of that can help them or maybe the vet can defer payment until your friend's mother finds a new job.

Holy moses...This is like the worst case scenario for treatment. Have your friends talk to the vet and make payment arrangements....

Most vets don't take payments- they got burned too many times. I don't doubt that people really honestly want to pay back their debt to the vet, but they don't have the money to do it and never will. And nobody can afford to work for free.

Would the sun fall out of the sky if the vet took a chance and perhaps didn't get paid?

WOW, our vet takes payments and has actually thanked people for making arrangements instead of blowing off paying at all....

My vet will work with you as well, bless his heart. He has a sign in the waiting room giving his payment options, and then a note saying if the bill cannot be settled at time of visit, to please speak with them concerning making other arrangements. Thank God I have not had to be in that situation, but I feel comfortable talking with both he and his partner about how to give my animals good care and still not break my bank.

I am very comfortable with his expertise and that of his partner, but a major reason I have stayed with this practice over the years has as much to do with their philosophy toward their patients and their owners.

I was just saying don't EXPECT the vet to accept payment plans because many don't for that reason. Some do, including me. But don't ASSUME the vet accepts payments. The friend may have to make some phone calls and make sure the vet accepts payments if that will help afford treatment. Probably someone in the area does.

Jerzeegirl- Why is it OK for the vet not to get paid at all? How about YOU not getting paid for your work? And oh by the way you also owe $300 for the cost of the drugs you used to treat the animal for free. And of course you don't mind paying your staff out of pocket either. You love your job and don't have any bills to pay, right? And you have an extra couple hundred bucks laying around doing nothing, right? Then maybe YOU should pay for this dog's treatment.

i would do the 6 - 8 week real heartworm treatment and get it over with.

You can do the long drawn out thing, that is no guarantee, and risk further long term damage to the heart. Frankly, heartworm is still damage to the heart either way. Why drag it out?

Pets are expensive, its a fact of life. They should do what is right for the dog, or not have a dog.

I also agree with Meghane, it is NOT right for a vet to have to eat the expense. Their staff have families to feed too.