Our Injection-Site Sarcoma Journey + Zoetis Reimbursement Experience
Hey everyone I posted in this group a few months ago after my cat Dexter was diagnosed with injection-site sarcoma, and I just wanted to come back and say thank you again for all of the support, advice, and kindness people showed us during a really scary time. Especially thank you to the Redditor who reached out and mentioned the possibility of reimbursement assistance for some of the medical costs I honestly would not have known to even look into it otherwise.
I also wanted to share our experience with the reimbursement process in case it helps someone else going through this incredibly painful situation.
After Dexter’s diagnosis, we contacted Zoetis directly and opened a case. They gave us a case number and asked us to have our primary veterinarian contact them as well. Our vet was wonderful and reached out to them pretty quickly, which I think helped move the process along.
One important thing to know is that this appears to be a voluntary/case-by-case reimbursement program they are not obligated to reimburse anything, and there are no guarantees. In our case, though, they were incredibly compassionate throughout the process.
The first reimbursement we received was around January for about $2,062. At the time, we didn’t yet realize how many additional expenses we were going to have afterward (additional scans, lymph node surgery, follow-up care, etc.).
Once we got further into treatment and realized we were nearing the end of his major care plan, we gathered ALL of the remaining invoices and receipts and submitted those as well. We submitted the additional documentation in March.
Because the second reimbursement request was larger, it had to go through veterinary review on Zoetis’s side, which took longer. In May, we were approved for an additional reimbursement of about $3,700. Altogether, they essentially covered the full cost of his treatment.
The biggest things I’d recommend if anyone is going through this:
Open a case with the manufacturer directly
Keep every invoice and receipt
Make sure your primary veterinarian is involved and has the case number
Be patient, because the review process can take several weeks
For us, Zoetis communicated both with our vet and with us directly throughout the process.
As for Dexter himself — he’s thankfully doing really well right now. We ultimately decided not to pursue chemotherapy after discussions with our vet because of the aggressive nature of the cancer and concerns about quality of life versus benefit. Right now we’re focusing on monitoring and keeping him happy, and he’s currently back to acting like a very energetic three-legged menace 😅
I know how terrifying and isolating this diagnosis can feel, so I just wanted to share our experience in case it helps someone else feel a little less alone. 💛