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I understand that some people cannot afford an astronomical fee for a major surgery and I do not fault their incredibly hard decision for it. I am seriously considering vet insurance myself with the 11 I have now. But I do remember when working as a vet tech a father came in with his 4 kids and the 'family dog,' a mutt x of the best kind. The kids were in tears, major tears. Apparently, one of the kids had left the gate open a bit and the dog ran out and got hit by a car. It was minor really, a broken leg. The father said he could not afford to have it fixed and asked for the dog to be put down. After watching the kids, this vet, said, he could set it, tape it, and the dog would be OK but probably walk with a limp and he wouldn't charge anything for this. The father still said no, citing the reason is that the "Kids need to learn a lesson about taking care of the dog." I would just bet that in under 6 months they got another "free puppy." It was my job to help with the euthanization of this dog, and it just killed me. I remember when I moved out on my own the first time (approximately 1 million years ago) I got a dobie x pup. There were days that I couldn't eat, but she never went without. I had her for a glorious, incredible 17 years. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her. I so agree with you MAK802, dogs are expensive and it isn't a secret.
That is so sad that the dad was teaching his kids a lesson. What lesson, to kill a dog that could have been saved.
I don't think I could ever be a vet or vet tech, it would just break my heart. I do feel for you for having to be part of having that poor dog put down.
That is sad. I would eat Ramen noodles every night if I couldn't afford my dog's food. He eats better than the rest of us and we will never switch him to a lower quality food. When people get pets, they know what they sign up for. Two weeks ago, we ended up at the e-vet and spent $600 that we did not plan on spending, but he is our baby and we will do anything for him. Our neighbors have a 6 month old doxie, and their Lab was playing a little too rough and accidentally broke her ribcage. The vet suggested euthanizing, given the cost, but they said no and paid over $6000 for surgery. She is as good as new today. I wish more owners were like them.
I hear people questioning rescues and shelters about their steep adoption fees. If you can't afford the $250 to adopt the dog, then you can't afford the care. Dogs are expensive, but we made a commitment to our boy and will do anything to keep him healthy. I can't imagine ever turning down medical care for him, no matter what the cost.
Our county shelter only charges $45 and that includes microchipping, all vaccinations and registration for a year... and people STILL ***** and complain about it. My dog (who we adopted from that shelter) eats food that costs $60 for a 30# bag... that's way more than the adoption fee. I just don't get some people. I also talked to one of my vets a few days ago (large animal) and he said that business is waaaay down, and people are starting to purchase their own meds online and administer it themselves. I just hope these people know what they're doing
No ramen noodles for me, but pleanty of tofu. Enough tofu for lunch and dinner for 1 person for the entire month costs less than $40. Be healthy! I used to eat meat but now I can't afford it. My dogs/cats still eat the regular stuff but not me.
I cut down on vet costs by giving my own shots wormings ect. the only thing I can't give in this state is a rabies shot so my dogs gets a vet shot once a year. Around here they do rabies clinics and you can go to the feed store and get a shot for $15.
As much as I love my critters I know I couldn't afford a $6000 surgery. Some of us have to draw a line somewhere and it's not easy.
I know when I owned horses they were all no colic surgery. I've had friends who did go thru it and many horses don't make it and many of the ones who do have a poor quality of life afterwards.
I still consider myself a good and responsible pet owner even though I wouldn't not spend thousands of dollars on a surgery.
I cut down on vet costs by giving my own shots wormings ect. the only thing I can't give in this state is a rabies shot so my dogs gets a vet shot once a year. Around here they do rabies clinics and you can go to the feed store and get a shot for $15.
As much as I love my critters I know I couldn't afford a $6000 surgery. Some of us have to draw a line somewhere and it's not easy.
I agree with you. In tough times, we need to balance needs and do what makes sense. Veterinarians are going to have to provide a variety of options, too, and accept payment plans.
If you put yourself in the poorhouse over your animals, what happens if an emergency comes up and you're broke? You AND the animals become homeless? That doesn't make one lick of sense. And, sorry, there is no way on God's green Earth that I would jeopardise my own health and nutrition so the dogs could have expensive bags of dog food. Sheesh, one could feed them home-cooked rice, vegetables and meaty bones from the butcher cheaper than what those designer foods cost.
That is so sad that the dad was teaching his kids a lesson. What lesson, to kill a dog that could have been saved.
I don't think I could ever be a vet or vet tech, it would just break my heart. I do feel for you for having to be part of having that poor dog put down.
Yeah, it was sad. What got me was we offered to do the whole thing for free! Being a vet tech for so many years (large and small animal) was some of the most rewarding and humiliating experiences I have ever had. It was not all bad, but some things do stand out in my brain even after all this time. The vet there had a great sense of humor too. One day, he calls me in to the room by saying he needed me to 'help hold down' this dog for a shot. OK, I'm thinking, we do that all the time. I get in there and it is a 200 pound Mastiff. HA HA. I said, I'll be happy to pretend that I can hold him, sure! He didn't need to be held down, obviously, sweetie pie that he was, but the vet and owner sure got a laugh out of my expression when I first walked in the room.
I do agree with both teatime and returning west. You do have to balance what you can afford. In going through the nasal cancer with Coco, I have spent quite a bit of money. I still have to balance that with taking care of my other ones too though. Ellie, a min schnauzer, somehow managed to hurt her back leg; came in limping. So I took the "let's see and watch" approach for 12 hours. Still in the a.m. she wasn't walking on it. Afraid there was a perhaps a small hairline fracture instead of just a muscle strain, we had to take her to a emergency vet. It was on Thanksgiving. (Ain't it always the way?) When I talked to the vet, I told her exactly what I wanted done (x-ray) and why. She wanted to run tests, and blah, blah. I was adamant that I wanted the x-ray first. So that's what she did, and no fracture. It was just a muscle pull after all. My point is that when you're in with the vet, explain your financial situation, let them know exactly what your 'cap' is and for the most part, all with work with you. I am sure there are a few who could get snotty, but you can go to another vet. If Ellie had a fractured leg and needed surgery and it would've cost over 2000; there is no way I could right now have paid it. And I love that dog. I probably would've waited (yep, not terribly good for the leg, but not completely dangerous/life threatening) and talked with my regular vet when he got back about taping it up. Does that mean I don't care/love/want Ellie? God, I hope that people wouldn't think that.
We have had meds prescribed a few times for "babies" and when we go for a follow up visit, if they no longer need the meds we leave them behind. The vet uses them for his patients that can't afford meds. I recently had a tenant (human) move out of my property and she left behind a lot of dog food and meds, took it to the vet. Sadly, the shelter won't accept opened food. I understand the policy but thankfully my vet knows me.
No ramen noodles for me, but pleanty of tofu. Enough tofu for lunch and dinner for 1 person for the entire month costs less than $40. Be healthy! I used to eat meat but now I can't afford it. My dogs/cats still eat the regular stuff but not me.
I am with you on that! A big crock pot of pinto beans is also inexpensive and goes a long way...! My babies get home-cooked meat (usually chicken) as treats, and it would stink to not be able to do that for them, so even though times are tight I cut out other items from my personal food regime to compensate...not having ice cream and expensive cheese (oh, how I love cheese...) is a little bit of a downer, but my little ones are worth it...besides, I actually really LIKE tofu...!
when i got my second dog i thought long and hard about how much i could afford. i got pet insurance for them both and have a credit card that is only for animal emergencies. the pet insurance is only a little more than it cost me to have my 18 year old cat euthanized after she suffered from a leg clot and heart failure. so putting them to sleep isn't always the most cost effective way to go.
I agree with you. In tough times, we need to balance needs and do what makes sense. Veterinarians are going to have to provide a variety of options, too, and accept payment plans.
If you put yourself in the poorhouse over your animals, what happens if an emergency comes up and you're broke? You AND the animals become homeless? That doesn't make one lick of sense. And, sorry, there is no way on God's green Earth that I would jeopardise my own health and nutrition so the dogs could have expensive bags of dog food. Sheesh, one could feed them home-cooked rice, vegetables and meaty bones from the butcher cheaper than what those designer foods cost.
I totally agree. My dogs needs are met, but I still feel people need to do what is best for their situation. You also have to think about people with children, its not just "oh i can eat ramen noodles everyday". Ramen noodles are not healthy, actually can lead to health issues depending on the situation, they certainly are not nutritious for a growing child. Yet some people can't afford groceries or medical not only for themselves but for their kids, they are not getting state help or benefits, they have a low income now and can barely scrape by. You have to decide your priorities.
A dog is a commitment so you should include their needs but expensive dog food isn't a need (unless its a specific one for your dog, I know some dogs have issues with all but what seems like one food). You might not have to feed total crap either but a less expensive food that is still good might be an option that some people have to take. In other cases skipping an annual vet visit might be another. If you have a young, healthy dog that has been given clean bill of health previously, is UTD on vaccines and shows no ailments now if you miss an annual visit or put it off for a few months until you get more income or a little extra aside for it you're not a horrible dog owner.
If something big comes up I hope people have an open credit card, can qualify for care credit (amazingly we couldn't once and that was a few years ago, it was shocking with the fact we just qualified for a new car-loan but not $200 worth of that credit. I could afford the bill so I just wrote a check, but I was still checking it out as the desk lady told me about it), or their vet will take payments (mine will take payments from us, though not everyone is allowed that option). If it is something they can't afford but the dog is suffering I'd rather see them have their dog PTS rather then dump them off somewhere injured or sick or just let them die miserbly.
Two what seem to be mostly healthy (one had pale gums and I wormed both), well mannered dogs were dumped off here a little more then a week ago. Both were intact males so that was nice. Just tossed out of the van and left behind. Maybe the people couldn't afford to feed them (why not surrender them rather then dump them?) as they were underweight or maybe they were just tired of them and didn't want them around. We've had dogs dumped out here numerous times before the economy was bad so it's hard to say.
People can also consider cutting out unneeded expensive. That way they have a little breathing room. If they're dog needs a vet visit or their car needs to be fixed by cutting those other expensive might allow for that. I know a lot of people cut expensive just so they can pay other bills and live so it wouldn't leave them extra money.
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