Would you refinance your house to give your pet cancer treatments?

[NHP Guy]

I love animals, particularly dogs, but I wouldn't turn my life upside down to prolong my pet's life if the prognosis was pretty grim and/or the pet was quite old. If it was a young pet and there was a good chance that this would extend its life for a fair amount of time, I'd be willing to spend a decent amount of money, but I certainly wouldn't go through a refinancing to do so.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by gt776

I hope you are never, ever a doctor.

I hope you are never, ever a veterinarian.

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by S.I.B.

I'd say there's a large group of people who fall in the middle between those that would go into signficant debt for their pets and those that view pets as "things".

Put me in that group.

I don't even think that parents who go into significant debt or sacrifice or endanger their retirement finances in order to bail out their financially-feckless children are doing the right thing. But that doesn't mean I view children as "things", it just means I believe that people should make responsible financial decisions for their future and never forget that life will always have the capability of throwing totally unexpected negative financial c**p situations at you when you least expect it and can least handle it.

Do you think all those people who are in that situation now, ever expected to be underwater on their mortgages and forced into bankruptcy or short sales because the economy would suddenly collapse???

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by LIMAMA4

After $800 in testing, and to find out that our cat had leukemia, a stomach tumor and needed dialysis, my husband and I had to make a very tough decision to put her down. She was very sick and we felt that we made the right decision. For the people that would pay anything to keep their pet alive, let me encourage you to buy some pet insurance.

If my pets had all that at once, I would have made the same decision as you.

When it comes to pet insurance, they do not cover pre-existing conditions, so it is best to start the insurance policy when your pet is young and healthy.

[TeamExit]

hey if u refinance your house to a higher payment, then lose your job, at least you will have the dog to keep you company on that park bench

[Egobop]

Originally Posted by TeamExit

hey if u refinance your house to a higher payment, then lose your job, at least you will have the dog to keep you company on that park bench

I agree with this statement 100%. We have five dogs and four cats. I will do my best to keep them alive and spend whatever I CAN to keep them alive. I would not max out credit cards or refinance my house though. I have a wife with cancer and three young children. If I put myself in such severe debt for the animals what would I do if I needed those options for an emergency with one of my human family members?

I do care for my animals and they are a part of our family. Of course I was never happy any time I have lost a pet and do not want anything bad to happen to the pets I currently have.