So I was at the vet today and asked them how the recession is hitting them... - Dogs - - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

Woof Woof Woof! · 02-08-2009, 07:55 PM

I talked to a woman the other day who said something like, "If someone wants to adopt a dog, they should have $10,000 set aside for vet expenses."

I said, "If we only let people with that kind of money adopt dogs, we'd be putting a lot more dogs down."

Fact is, you can give a dog a good life without spending a fortune. My friend recently spent $900 (more to come, I'm sure) on her dog whose body is riddled with cancer. Well, she could have just as easily put the dog down a little sooner or gone without all the expensive tests and done the minimal to make the dog comfortable. Truth be told, all the thousands she's spent on this dog diagnosing its three different cancers (nasal, bladder, and liver) haven't gone very far in giving the dog a better quality life.

We can't all be heroes and spend tens of thousands on our animals. But we can still love them and give them what we can. It doesn't make us bad pet owners.

Woof x3

teatime · 02-09-2009, 02:57 PM

Great post, APBT-Samara. You brought up some excellent points. For those of us who have owned dogs for a long time, we can save money by doing a lot of things ourselves. A lot of the innoculations are sub-cutaneous and easy to do. A few years ago, I had to learn how to give myself weekly shots of a chemo drug, so I wouldn't have a problem giving my dogs some of their shots if I could no longer afford to have the vet do it. I can trim nails and do basic grooming, too.

Since I became disabled, I can't afford the premium food I used to feed. With three dogs, it's WAY too expensive! Merrick's Beef 'N More is available at Sam's Club and is decent food at an affordable price, so I go with that. I also give the kids Pet Tabs plus treats of fresh meat and veggies at least once a week.

deb8997 · 02-09-2009, 06:19 PM

i think if we had a crystal ball we would have our dogs forever. unfortunatly i have to put my dog down tomorrow due to kidney failure. i've had him since he was a pup.15years. just a mutt. but a great friend he is. now if i have 6 grand i could maybe start treatment. but i dont. i myself have major dental work to be done or die from infection. i love how some people on here act like they are so holy they would eat ramen noodles forever..i dont think so.. what happens when you die of high blood pressure from the sodium content in them and your dog is left all alone..i know i gave my dog the best life i could and he enjoyed it. its now time. i will always love him and never forget him. rip zero....

skchi · 03-21-2009, 09:23 AM

I don't think people should feel bad when they simply can't afford expensive medical treatments for their pets. I also don't think people should resort to living on ramen noodles so they can afford expensive medical treatments. Like other people said, you can usually make better food for both yourself and your pets for less than the expensive pet foods.

That being said, I hope that people who can't afford expensive medical treatments for their pets are honestly looking at their expenses and seeing what they spend their money on. What's more important, a medical treatment for your pet or a new tv? How about a nice vacation? I think we all probably know people who would choose a new tv or a nice vacation. I personally think that there is something wrong with that. A lot of people see their pets as basically disposable.

On the other end of the spectrum are people who will pay anything and put their pet through anything to keep them alive. That's bad, too. What kind of quality of life does your pet have at that point?