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Despite being financially poor the young man is moral gold.Any kid that has the fortune to be his friend is blessed.The vet is in need of moral cleansing.
Despite being financially poor the young man is moral gold.Any kid that has the fortune to be his friend is blessed.The vet is in need of moral cleansing.
So the veterinarian and his staff are supposed to personally finance the surgery this poor puppy needs? How about the next one, and then the one after that? Where does it end? I can assure you the gas station and grocery store won't accept $3.50 a month from me because I'm a nice person who will surely make good on my debt. A veterinary clinic is a small business, there are real people with real bills to pay who are directly affected when an owner doesn't pay. Sometimes (many times, actually), they will write off or reduce costs to help an owner out but there is only so much you can do. I can tell you that vet techs all over the U.S. are losing their jobs because the practice owners can't afford to keep them. That is bad for the patients as well as bad for the technicians.
And yes, if you give me a choice between euthanizing a pet and letting him suffer with an untreated broken leg...well I don't suppose you'd like my answer.
Sorry, this is a soapbox of mine and I resisted as long as I could.
Our local Human Society offers a program to have low-cost spaying/neutering to residents of the county. There aren't even any income requirements either, just a few forms and then you get a coupon to take to a local participating vet (there's about 15 in our county that participate, including our regular vet).
It drops the cost down to about $100-150 total. And I agree with Viralmd - if they can't afford a one-time $100 procedure, then they shouldn't be trying to support a dog. That's like 2 bags of food for my dog, so I thought the price was extremely reasonable.
Through the HSUS I work with and my rescue, I've offered to help assist locals that need their pets to be vaccinated or spayed / neutered. I've offered to off set their costs ($60 for all vaccinations, HW test, rabies vacc, S/N, and extra pain medications) and all I've gotten so far are people telling me they can't afford anything at all and they'll have them done if we pay for it. If not they'll just breed them to make money. Great. So now I'm racking up vet bills like mad trying to cut down on the severe over population problem where I am and in all honesty, I'm starting to wonder if it's even helping.
Through the HSUS I work with and my rescue, I've offered to help assist locals that need their pets to be vaccinated or spayed / neutered. I've offered to off set their costs ($60 for all vaccinations, HW test, rabies vacc, S/N, and extra pain medications) and all I've gotten so far are people telling me they can't afford anything at all and they'll have them done if we pay for it. If not they'll just breed them to make money. Great. So now I'm racking up vet bills like mad trying to cut down on the severe over population problem where I am and in all honesty, I'm starting to wonder if it's even helping.
Some people just shouldn't have pets.
Sometimes I feel like there's not enough compassion, time or money in the world to offset the actions of all the irresponsible people. They just gobble it all up until you're dry and then beg for more. I don't know how you do it, mrs1885, I lost the majority of my tolerance for this kind of thing a long time ago.
Sometimes I feel like there's not enough compassion, time or money in the world to offset the actions of all the irresponsible people. They just gobble it all up until you're dry and then beg for more. I don't know how you do it, mrs1885, I lost the majority of my tolerance for this kind of thing a long time ago.
It's not easy. Then I go home and walk through the door and see 21 (as of this morning) happy tails wagging, knowing only a tiny fraction would be alive if not for us. They make it worth it. The only hard part about animal rescue is to be effective you still have to deal with humans. Although, that said, I am very blessed to have met some of the most wonderful people through rescue as well; both other people in rescue and some wonderful people that have opened their homes and hearts to my fosters and truly made them part of their family. It's the light at the end of a much to frequently dark tunnel for me.
I worked at a couple for a few years when I was in college. This kind of thing happens all the time. Irresponsible owners can't take care of their pets and expect the world to make accomodations for them. It can't happen. If they could have paid half up front and paid out the rest, it probably wouldn't have been an issue. 3.50 a week though??? No.
It is common for vets to ask owners to sign over their pets to the hospital if they cannot afford to pay the bill. I cannot imagine most vets putting down a dog just because of a broken leg. The most likely scenario - whether you want to know this or not - is that the vet would take the dog and treat it, but tell the owner it was PTS. It is not uncommon. The reason this is done is because if the vet offers to treat the pet for free and adopt it out to someone who can actually care for it, the people who brought the pet in feel like the vet should treat for free and give it back to them.
We had this situation at the hospital I worked in. A college girl left her shihtzu on the kitchen table and it jumped off. She brought it in because it was injured but couldn't afford to pay the bill. She signed it over to the hospital since she couldn't afford the initial treatment or the followup care. She the proceeded to harrass the hospital and found out who adopted the pup (my coworker), threatened them with a lawsuit and the hospital. It was a mess. This is why vets would prefer to pretend to PTS.
It sounds horrible to the outside world, but if you knew what kind of horrible owners there were out there, you'd understand better. And being financially prepared for a disaster is being a good owner. My own dog cost me about $650 this week alone after breaking and lacerating her tail simply because she wagged it too hard and it got stuck in a vent in the hallway. Add that to the $1200 I spent about 2 years ago when her large intestine folded in over itself and blocked. If someone can't afford to pay in a pinch - or can't qualify for care credit - they shouldn't own a pet. Period.
Whoa I have to say I find that VERY sickening... Hypotheticly I if was in that pinch I'd MUCH rather have the vet sit me down and tell me that if I sign my dog over, he can try to find someone who will be able to pay for the dog's medical issues & give it a good home. If that was my only option, I would sign the dog over then and there to give it the best chance at life. On the other hand, if the vet told me that since I couldn't afford treatment the dog would have to be PTS (even though the injuries were very treatable) and he wanted me to sign the dog over/wouldn't release it, you can bet your bottom dollar I would fight & battle that with all my heart. I can't stand being lied to and if a vet ever lied to me about something so serious you bet I'd raise heck. Imagine thinking your pet had been killed and then several months/years later run into someone at the park walking your "dead" dog... I expect complete honesty from my vet, no matter the situation. Anything less is IMHO not acceptable & not professional.
To prevent desperate situations, I would suggest pet owners keep one or two emergency credit cards specifically for a pet emergency, with a line of credit totaling at the very least $1,000. That way, if you hit hard times you have a saftey net for your pet. I know not everyone can get approved for credit, but if you can it is nice to know you have that security for your pet if the unthinkable happens.
Whooooaaaaaa folks. Judge not least you be judged. Situations change, pets grow old and need medical attention and at today's rates rising like they are "the pinch" has been depleted for other humanly necessities. It's not always a situation of neglect. How can you be so righteous to condemn one who may be struggling and emotionally dealing with the aspect of having to put their beloved pet down because they can't afford the month after month expenses of daily medication and tests/lab work. Along with their need to try and provide for their family and the demanding daily care it takes to care for an aging pet. When faced with these situations as humans their is usually medical insurance you pay for that will cover some or all of the expenses. And if their is a need for extended care for patients their are facitilites and agencys to assist. This however is not the case with our pets. So, I ask you not to assume everyone is a irresponsible pet owner. So for 16 years we have provided a happy, healthy, loving home for our beloved dogs (2) and are struggling now with where to turn. At times putting out "the pinch" money to get them through a medical need (EXAMPLES: $650.00 to have an ear drained and medication for ear infection. $875.00 for a cat with a urinary blockage and was willing to extend to the possiblity of more if the path taken did not work. With an expected cost of another $1250.00) We've been the responsible owner of not only dogs but cats too, vaccinations, tags, respectfull pet neighbors, leashed when walking, shall I go on or have you already judged me and moved on. I shall pray for your compassion and for my family pet.
Family can't afford vet bill to fix pup; vet to put pup down; so teen kidnaps own pup from vet to save it
Quote:
Originally Posted by kansas sky
So the veterinarian and his staff are supposed to personally finance the surgery this poor puppy needs? How about the next one, and then the one after that? Where does it end? I can assure you the gas station and grocery store won't accept $3.50 a month from me because I'm a nice person who will surely make good on my debt. A veterinary clinic is a small business, there are real people with real bills to pay who are directly affected when an owner doesn't pay. Sometimes (many times, actually), they will write off or reduce costs to help an owner out but there is only so much you can do. I can tell you that vet techs all over the U.S. are losing their jobs because the practice owners can't afford to keep them. That is bad for the patients as well as bad for the technicians.
And yes, if you give me a choice between euthanizing a pet and letting him suffer with an untreated broken leg...well I don't suppose you'd like my answer.
Sorry, this is a soapbox of mine and I resisted as long as I could.
I agree with you! Too many people just don't think when it comes to pets. I dearly love my dog, but my dog is a dog, not a human child. Vets have a business to run, like any other business, they can only do so much and not charge for it. This Vet didn't have the right to 'hold' the pup, what he should have done is just refused service because service couldn't be paid for. Not an easy call to make but when you run a business it is easier to understand.
Through the HSUS I work with and my rescue, I've offered to help assist locals that need their pets to be vaccinated or spayed / neutered. I've offered to off set their costs ($60 for all vaccinations, HW test, rabies vacc, S/N, and extra pain medications) and all I've gotten so far are people telling me they can't afford anything at all and they'll have them done if we pay for it. If not they'll just breed them to make money. Great. So now I'm racking up vet bills like mad trying to cut down on the severe over population problem where I am and in all honesty, I'm starting to wonder if it's even helping.
Some people just shouldn't have pets.
You are correct, and there are people who shouldn't have the right to vote, either, but they do. I'm 100% anti Humane Society because when you really look into their program and what they promote, they are scary.
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So now I'm racking up vet bills like mad trying to cut down on the severe over population problem where I am and in all honesty, I'm starting to wonder if it's even helping. 
Family can't afford vet bill to fix pup; vet to put pup down; so teen kidnaps own pup from vet to save it
