VET Bills

[Pop_Rivit]

I have no problem spending a fair amount of money on one or both of our dogs should they become ill, but I maintain the same standards for them that I maintain for my own health and potential end of life issues.

If there's little or no guarantee that good health will be restored, I won't spend money trying to cure something that can't be cured. I will spend money keeping them comfortable and out of pain if possible, to allow them to pass with dignity. If keeping them comfortable isn't possible or they're in pain that can't be managed, then I will have them humanely euthanized and I'll be there with them at the end.

Not only are our dogs like our children, but since they're therapy dogs they've brought a tremendous amount of happiness to a lot of people. They deserve and have my ultimate respect and as a pet parent I'm committed to doing what's right for them. That includes spending money when needed, and doing the right thing for them when that time comes, no matter how hard the decision is for me.

 

[JHZR2]

We spend excessive amounts of money on people in their last few months/years. For all the personification that animal lovers put on their pets, why wouldnt we do the same for them, rather than kill them over a dollar value? If you cant afford to keep them, then dont take the risk.

I find it hard to swallow coming up with a dollar value for a pet that I love and is part of my family. As a result, I do not intend to get a pet since we lost our cat. She was put down because the clot had done too much damage already when we found her. In a way that was a blessing, as I DO NOT want to EVER be in the position where an animal I love and care for is equated to a dollar value... Yet I also dont want to spend a ton, and while $2k is probably OK, $25k is not. The middle ground which is surely easy to hit with some procedures is a touch call - is the right nmber $3k or $10k?

I hate this topic. Yuck. Sorry to think that people even have to go through this thought process - just makes me sad, and I cant imagine the sadness of these thoughts going through others' minds. Sorry if you have to deal with the pain and concern of such challenges. My condolences.

 

[grampi]

It's unbelievable how expensive the vet bills have become recently...one of our dogs has had diabetis now for 3 years and requires insulin and frequent trips to the vet to get his blood sugar checked...another of our dogs had cancer on his leg and it had to be amputated...that was $3000...it's crazy how expensive our pets can be, but as was said earlier, they are not just animals, they're part of the family...

 

[VNTS]

Very well stated. I have a 11 yr old dog,a Foxhound, he has been very healthy. I vist the vet for all his shots, yearly check up etc. I must be lucky because the vet isnt expensive, maybe 45$ a visit plus the shots.

My dog has had two surgerys to remove cysts/lumps. Each time he was under, they cleaned his teeth, gave him a manicure anddid the surgery and biopsy. they were in the 400$ range.

I guess as long as he can have a good quality pain free life I will spend the money.
If he will be in constant pain and have poor quality of life I would have him put down.
That has to be the worst part of the equation but you owe it to your pet, no point in
prolonging their agony if nothing much can be done.

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
I have no problem spending a fair amount of money on one or both of our dogs should they become ill, but I maintain the same standards for them that I maintain for my own health and potential end of life issues.

If there's little or no guarantee that good health will be restored, I won't spend money trying to cure something that can't be cured. I will spend money keeping them comfortable and out of pain if possible, to allow them to pass with dignity. If keeping them comfortable isn't possible or they're in pain that can't be managed, then I will have them humanely euthanized and I'll be there with them at the end.

Not only are our dogs like our children, but since they're therapy dogs they've brought a tremendous amount of happiness to a lot of people. They deserve and have my ultimate respect and as a pet parent I'm committed to doing what's right for them. That includes spending money when needed, and doing the right thing for them when that time comes, no matter how hard the decision is for me.

 

[kb01]

This may sound harsh but there's a reason why I don't take the kids along if we need to take a pet to the vet.

I'll spend $300 or $400 without thinking twice and I'd probably even spend in the $1,000 ballpark, if it was for a clear-cut fix, and not a bottemless pit of testing and treatment.

When it comes down to it, they're animals. It doesn't make sense to throw enormous sums of money into veterinary treatment, traumatizing them in the process, in order to get a few more months of life.

We adopt from the pound and if I can give an animal who had otherwise no chance at life, another 10 or 15 years, then I'm happy. I'd rather say goodbye, end things before they have no quality of life, and adopt another animal.

 

[Benzadmiral]

When my Maine Coon, Arizona, developed liver trouble, I paid willingly, and fed him pap through a stomach tube all that summer of '97. When he developed diabetes and had to spend time in animal intensive care -- which required me to pick him up each morning from the overnight care place, bring him to the vet, then return him at night to the overnight place, for several days -- I did it, and gave him his insulin injections without trouble. He ate, he sat with me, he sunned himself in the window, and even played a little. For nearly two years he seemed happy.

Then he began to sneeze blood. Tests said he had a tumor in his skull, pressing on his eye and nose. They suggested, not strongly, that there was a new procedure, an electrotherapy, that could kill the tumor and prolong his life for a while. But it would blind him in one eye. And he'd have to spend days in a facility an hour's drive away.

After 16 years, I realized, it was time. Sitting in a cage, half blind, wondering where his human was, and hating every minute -- that was no life for a cat who'd been with me since his kittenhood.

He had courage right to the end: He growled at the vet as she came to give him that last shot.

At the time, I said that my Visa bill looked like the national debt of a small South American country, but that there's a small, extra-warm corner of he*l reserved for people who abandon their animals for mere convenience. And I'm sensitive to heat.

 

[John_K]

We love our kitties and we don't mind taking them to the vet. But when it gets well into the thousands I think it is way too much. Put the animal down and spend the money on sheltering young healthy kittens.

John

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: kb01
This may sound harsh but there's a reason why I don't take the kids along if we need to take a pet to the vet.

I'll spend $300 or $400 without thinking twice and I'd probably even spend in the $1,000 ballpark, if it was for a clear-cut fix, and not a bottemless pit of testing and treatment.

When it comes down to it, they're animals. It doesn't make sense to throw enormous sums of money into veterinary treatment, traumatizing them in the process, in order to get a few more months of life.

We adopt from the pound and if I can give an animal who had otherwise no chance at life, another 10 or 15 years, then I'm happy. I'd rather say goodbye, end things before they have no quality of life, and adopt another animal.


I agree 100%. My last cat broke his leg, and at the age of 21, the Vet said they could cast it and he would probably live another few more years. He was healthy, but deaf, practically blind, he was old, he couldn't run or play etc. I didn't think twice about putting him down. By the time you're in the thousands and thousands of dollars, most animals have no quality of life left.

It's a bummer to have to do it, but I think it's the morally correct decision to make, even when finances need to be considered.

 

[Andy636]

The most I spent was about $380 for my hamster...I had 1k cash in my pocket and I was willing to pay that in a hart beat. My beloved Goguta died of pneumonia and I was a mess for the best part of a month.
Never again did I got a new pet after that since it tears you up when you see them suffer and die in the end

 

[Benzadmiral]

The older of Miss Linda's cats, Angelique the colorpoint Siberian, passed away suddenly at age 11, in the night last month. Angelique was fond of humans, but half the time would growl at you when you petted her. She still demanded petting, though.

It was shocking, but so much easier on Linda, and on the cat herself. She didn't like the vet, and a long, drawn-out series of vet visits, shots, pills . . . I dreaded Angelique getting old and envisioned major battles trying to medicate her. This was kind of a relief, you know?

 

[Spazdog]

the original Spazdog, my Jack Russell/Italian Greyhound mix, had an autoimmune disorder and required occasional blood transfusions. Several hundred dollars a year.
She was totally worth it.

Last dog had diabetes. Required daily insulin. Totally worth it.

Current useless dud of a cat has eosinophilic granuloma complex. Requires occasional steroid shots.
Not worth it.

 

[daves87rs]

My pets are family, but I draw the line at common sense. I only do what I can afford, and not more, with no excuses. Bottom line is that care of the human family comes first, and I've seen people put themselves in a bad situation because of the costs...

I do the best I can for my dogs...

 

[NHHEMI]

Sounds to me like "some" here, when they talk of "quality of life" as the determining factor on providing care or not, are really speaking of their own and not the pets.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Sounds to me like "some" here, when they talk of "quality of life" as the determining factor on providing care or not, are really speaking of their own and not the pets.


Really? So you'd keep an animal that is old, decrepit, and suffering, alive for your own benefit?

Your statement certainly goes both ways.

 

[buster]

^+1 goes both ways.

Sounds like someone doesn't know what he is talking about.

 

[Mamala Bay]

I had a pitbull/terrier more on the terrier side but had the pitbull blood. Small dog with a great spirit of joy in him. Trained him a bit to hard and conditioning when he was a pup actually ran away. Got the message he returned home and took him all over. Moutains, beaches, valleys away from humans if possible. He actually almost got killed slipping down a slope when hiking had he fell but kept pumping his legs from falling. Kept his emotions and instincts with nature. The more places I took him the smarter he became.

He lived a good life for 14 years.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Sounds to me like "some" here, when they talk of "quality of life" as the determining factor on providing care or not, are really speaking of their own and not the pets.


Really? So you'd keep an animal that is old, decrepit, and suffering, alive for your own benefit?

Your statement certainly goes both ways.


Did I say that? NO! Please show where I said you should keep an animal alive for your benefit at their expense. My statement goes exactly one way.

There are some folks on here though that clearly put money ahead of the pet in any circumstance and use "quality of life" to justify not doing what they should. If they had the pet treated the pet's quality of life would be fine. The folks I refer to seem more concerned about THEIR quality of life after paying the vet bill. I don't advocate spending yourself into the poor house or making your human kids go without. However, you do everything you can to treat the animal even if it makes your life harder financially. You owe it to the animal IMO.

If you own a pet it is your responsibility to care for it. That can mean spending some money to keep it healthy or it can mean doing the humane thing and putting it down if there is no hope and it will continue to suffer. Putting an animal down however seems to be an easy way out for some.

I spent a butt load of money on my Thunder to keep him healthy and happy in his 13+ years with me. However, on that last day, the Vet said we had done all we could and he would not have a good quality of life. I then decided to put him down. Worst day of my life next to the day my Mom passed.

I put him down because there was nothing I could do to help him. Had there been I would have done it or at least tried to the best of my ability. My mind set is not like some in this thread who think a couple hundred bucks is too much and you just put the animal down and go get another. That make me sick.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: buster
^+1 goes both ways.

Sounds like someone doesn't know what he is talking about.

I know you think you are the only one who ever knows anything buster. It is pretty clear from some of the comments here though where the people I was referring to stand. I feel sorry for any pet they get.

 

[Jarlaxle]

No kidding. I spent $2500+ on surgery for Marm and never thought twice about it. My vet will work with people on cost...he once had a guy come in with a cat I think had cancer (treatable, but not cheap). The dude was a biker (as in: he came in wearing club colors)...when he found out the cost of the treatment (don't recall, except "lots"), he said, "Do it. I'll get the money in a couple hours." He then pulled out a phone...and promptly began figuring how to sell his Harley!

The vet treated the cat (for about half price) & told the dude: "Don't sell your bike. Pay me when you can."

About 2 weeks later, the guy came by (on his knucklehead, in the rain), with his now-healthy cat. He paid the bill in full (he'd sold some parts), and brought something else: still hanging in my vet's office is a framed denim vest with "HONORARY MEMBER" on it.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
No kidding. I spent $2500+ on surgery for Marm and never thought twice about it. My vet will work with people on cost...he once had a guy come in with a cat I think had cancer (treatable, but not cheap). The dude was a biker (as in: he came in wearing club colors)...when he found out the cost of the treatment (don't recall, except "lots"), he said, "Do it. I'll get the money in a couple hours." He then pulled out a phone...and promptly began figuring how to sell his Harley!

The vet treated the cat (for about half price) & told the dude: "Don't sell your bike. Pay me when you can."

About 2 weeks later, the guy came by (on his knucklehead, in the rain), with his now-healthy cat. He paid the bill in full (he'd sold some parts), and brought something else: still hanging in my vet's office is a framed denim vest with "HONORARY MEMBER" on it.


Good story. I sold my 2007 Silverado I had special ordered just 11 months earlier and downsized to something cheaper( payment, fuel, insurance, etc... )so I could afford Thunder's monthly heart med's( about $250 ). Sold a few things off as well, as needed, to help with the extra office visits and tests that had to be done to monitor him. I never regretted it.

You do what you have to do IF it can help them. Thunder was given 3-6 months to live when diagnosed with his heart condition and I was told he would never hunt again. He lived 19 months and actually hunted 2 seasons more( I was careful what he did obviously ).