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I just have to paraphrase this from another forum I read.
Person A mentioned in a group that she had spent $XXX amount of money on vet care for her pet. Person B spouted, "How can you spend so much money on an animal when there are people suffering in Texas and Florida?" (It was right after the hurricanes)
Person A replied, "Because I am a horrible, horrible person and you should know that about me RIGHT NOW."
No more peeps out of Person B.
Not only was that a great reply, as person B had no idea what person A may have done to help, but hell...if I ever found myself the victim of a natural disaster, one of the first things I would wish for would be that someone would help me save my pets.
That kind of either/or thinking never fails to tick me off.
We had a cat for over 14 yrs
He developed an ulcer inside the crease on one rear leg--
We didn't know it for long time because who looks at that area if your cat doesn't want you to
Once we saw it and took him to the vet it was very hard to treat/kill infection
We took him to vet for irrigation therapy every other day and put him on very strong med that was danger to his kidney
Likely he had already started into CKD and the meds pushed him over the edge--
Vet didn't do blood work to check
We had lot of expense with him--trying to get that open sore to heal---which it never did--
And the CKD to deal with
He had good days when he wanted company and wanted the loving and days when he turned himself to face the wall in his bed...
Finally he just got very weak---
Took him to vet for euthanasia but he basically would have gone on the table--
Probably spent more than 3K on him over almost 12 mo
We could afford it better than most---but some vets have developed a real neat trick of making you feel cheap if you aren't willing to spend uber money--
They will back off if you just plain tell them you won't do it--but they try...
i know some people will pay anything for a pet's health issues. is it heartless to say at X dollar amount we can do no more? and for you (i know it will vary greatly) what is that X amount?
I dont put a dollar amount on my pets health but I will put a suffering amount on it, I wont be the selfish one to lets my pet live in hell just because I want to keep her alive.
not like a pet has an emotional attachment or anything
Please, for the sake of what's left of my faith in mankind, let this be sarcasm...
I have pet insurance for both our cats. I've also shelled out $600 for a tooth cleaning to make sure my mom's cat doesn't have to resort to drinking his kibble through a straw in his old age. I don't have a pre-set limit, as long as it's not a). in the multiples of thousands and b). there is some kind of quality of life ROI. I will not spend a four-figure sum to watch one of my boys suffer through an extra month of pain simply for the privilege of having him around for that month. But when I adopted both of them, I knew what I was getting into and how much pet health care could be, even after insurance is factored in (fun fact, a simple EKG for a cat costs twice what insurance covers - at least in my area where one clinic basically has a monopoly on doing them).
Why? Whether you like it or not, everything in life comes down to money. It's cynical, but it's true. While I agree that pet ownership should be left to the responsible people who know what they're getting into, I don't believe simply asking the question in the OP is reason enough for you to deem its author unworthy of having a pet.
On the other hand, maybe you meant to reply to this one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by fly_me
But being logical and not wealthy, I do like what another poster stated. Can the dog be replaced for the same amount? Most can for 2k. Not going the adoption route.
not like a pet has an emotional attachment or anything
Can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not.....
When our 16 year old house cat was on his death bed 4 years ago, we spent $800 on an ER visit, tests, and 2 overnight vet stays under 24 hour care. His internal organs had given out and another penny wouldn't have cured anything. We decided to put him down under the circumstances. Sad, but he is in a better place and he was worth that $800.
Well i just dropped thousands to fix my dog's ACLs...he tore both of his back ACLs. He's otherwise healthy and 6 years old, going to be 7 soon. The surgeon was like, "oh, this dog's gonna live ten more years!" So I don't think it was a waste of money or foolish to do so. I know some people have no way of coming up with it, I was very fortunate that I did. I regret not getting pet insurance though. I told my other dog that he better not tear his ACLs.
Now if my dogs were suffering and the $$$ I spent was keeping them alive but in pain that's another story. It's not the monetary amount to me but their quality of life. In my dog's case not fixing him would just be cruel, he's got a long life ahead of him. If he was 15 and suffering from an illness I would not pump $$ into him just to prolong his life if he was in agony.
I just have to paraphrase this from another forum I read.
Person A mentioned in a group that she had spent $XXX amount of money on vet care for her pet. Person B spouted, "How can you spend so much money on an animal when there are people suffering in Texas and Florida?" (It was right after the hurricanes)
Person A replied, "Because I am a horrible, horrible person and you should know that about me RIGHT NOW."
No more peeps out of Person B.
That's classic. Like literally any discretionary spend could be directed at those less fortunate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by loves2read
We had a cat for over 14 yrs
He developed an ulcer inside the crease on one rear leg--
We didn't know it for long time because who looks at that area if your cat doesn't want you to
Once we saw it and took him to the vet it was very hard to treat/kill infection
We took him to vet for irrigation therapy every other day and put him on very strong med that was danger to his kidney
Likely he had already started into CKD and the meds pushed him over the edge--
Vet didn't do blood work to check
We had lot of expense with him--trying to get that open sore to heal---which it never did--
And the CKD to deal with
He had good days when he wanted company and wanted the loving and days when he turned himself to face the wall in his bed...
Finally he just got very weak---
Took him to vet for euthanasia but he basically would have gone on the table--
Probably spent more than 3K on him over almost 12 mo We could afford it better than most---but some vets have developed a real neat trick of making you feel cheap if you aren't willing to spend uber money--
They will back off if you just plain tell them you won't do it--but they try...
Some vets, especially those in boutique or simply upscale areas, that develop a "brand following" charge an arm and a leg in general will try and pad the bill as best they can.
Your pet's health is a sensitive thing to you, and many times we don't think critically about whats being suggested or whatever.
I had a neighbor with a 14 year old dog, on chemo, dying...to what end? He extended the dogs life by a few months, and what kind of quality? I know the bill was four digits. I think I would ask for pain meds and make the call when it needed to be made.
I know a woman that had a dog that was shot by a neighbor (a horrible accident,) and a vet recommended several thousand in operations and rehab to save the dogs leg. The neighbor (relatively poor) said, "amputate it." The vet was horrified, but the neighbor pointed out that the dog was a house and yard terrier sized dog, that didn't work for a living and mostly served to alert her of the presence of the EVIL MAILMAN. Which he could do perfectly well on three legs. Last I heard the dog is 13 and happy and hale, albeit not as mobile.
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