How far are you willing to go for your pet?

rbn_held

Our one lab broke her leg back in 2009 and had to have a plate and pins put in it. Cost 5000.00+ to have it done. We did not hesitate at all about the costs, she is part of our family.

ACepero79

I guess I'm in the minority here. I paid a $5k invoice to have the vet perform emergency surgery on my cocker to remove something she shouldn't have eaten that got lodged in her intestines. Considering the cocker was under someone else's supervision when she ate said object, that's for me to deal with them, but having the surgery and paying the bill was not a question in my book.

bloominheck

I just had to put my 10 year old Choc lab (Luke) down. My god I was devastated and still am. He couldnt be saved no matter what. But if 5K would have saved him for another possible 2-5 years. Since they can live to 12-15 years. I have to say, I would have gotten a loan to save him. I loved him that much.:sad:

DaniellaB1995

People shouldn't have pets if they aren't prepared to spend that money on them.

You wouldn't have kids then decide when they need money spent on them that you can't afford them anymore and put them down, so it shouldn't be this way with pets.

marciebrian

I am with the OP, I would do whatever I could if the dog or cat would be able to live a happy life. They are family.

I can't imagine any other decision. I found a cat in my bushes 2 years ago. 4 months ago he needed surgery which was $4,000+. Its true that I am fortunate enough (certainly not rich but not a big spender) that I could handle the cost and maybe the decision was easy because he's only 4 years old. Anyway, it saved his life (he was blocked and couldn't urinate) and I've never regretted 1 second of the cost

marciebrian

I just had to put my 10 year old Choc lab (Luke) down. My god I was devastated and still am. He couldnt be saved no matter what. But if 5K would have saved him for another possible 2-5 years. Since they can live to 12-15 years. I have to say, I would have gotten a loan to save him. I loved him that much.:sad:

very sorry about the loss of your baby Luke.

alpine1994

When I got my dog and cat, my boyfriend and I knew that we are accepting full responsibility for all of their needs. I don't have any children, but I also don't have a ton of money since my student loan payments are astronomical.

My dog broke her leg two months ago and it cost $3500 for surgery. It was a hard hit (and caused us to not be able to travel for a friend's wedding!) but it was never a question in our minds of not paying it and having them amputate or just making her deal with a broken leg.

When I was at an appointment with her, I heard a guy talking to the vet about chemo treatments for his cat. I thought about whether I would do that, and honestly I would. Call me crazy, but I love these animals so much and I would do anything to make sure they live long, happy, healthy lives.

charlie_anne

I am a veterinary surgeon myself and see this dilemma pretty much every day... for me it depends on the potential outcome, if there is a chance an animal can be completely fixed and lead a normal life thereafter, or at least have a great quality of life for a good time after whatever procedure needs doing, then great go all out, but sometimes when the prognosis is hopeless and the animal is being kept alive purely because their owner can't stand to loose them and they are suffering - that sucks...

alpine1994

I just had to put my 10 year old Choc lab (Luke) down. My god I was devastated and still am. He couldnt be saved no matter what. But if 5K would have saved him for another possible 2-5 years. Since they can live to 12-15 years. I have to say, I would have gotten a loan to save him. I loved him that much.:sad:

I'm so sorry about Luke! We had to put down our choc lab (Amber) when she was 12 and I will never, ever forget that day when I was in the vet office and my mom and I were hysterical. I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it! She passed about 6 years ago now and I still have a framed picture of her on my wall and of course a very special place in my heart for her too. I bet Luke and Amber are playing with their tennis balls in doggie heaven right about now.

vanillacoffee

If I could afford it, I would absolutely do so, no question.

Right now I could not. I would look at every option (pet insurance, etc) but in the end, I wouldnt be able to. I think I would be sad for the rest of my life, though =(

ElliottTN

I spent almost 3 grand trying to save my 11 year old German shepherd from cancer but ended up losing him in the end. Had my pup since he was 9 weeks old. He would have spent the money on me in the reverse situation. The first few months after was pretty rough. I just wanted him back and could swear I would see him out of the corner of my eye everywhere. Still get ****ed up about it to this day. I'm not an emotional guy by any means but its one of the few things that can instantly choke me up. I would have spent the money again in a heartbeat if it meant there was a chance.

ThePlight

I spent almost 3 grand trying to save my 11 year old German shepherd from cancer but ended up losing him in the end. Had my pup since he was 9 weeks old. He would have spent the money on me in the reverse situation. The first few months after was pretty rough. I just wanted him back and could swear I would see him out of the corner of my eye everywhere. Still get ****ed up about it to this day. I'm not an emotional guy by any means but its one of the few things that can instantly choke me up. I would have spent the money again in a heartbeat if it meant there was a chance.

-BIG HUGGGGggg-

hbrittingham

I am a veterinary surgeon myself and see this dilemma pretty much every day... for me it depends on the potential outcome, if there is a chance an animal can be completely fixed and lead a normal life thereafter, or at least have a great quality of life for a good time after whatever procedure needs doing, then great go all out, but sometimes when the prognosis is hopeless and the animal is being kept alive purely because their owner can't stand to loose them and they are suffering - that sucks...

I agree with this. If their quality of life will improve or the treatment will give them more than a few months, then we would pay it. We adore our pets and spent over $1100 on one of our cats when he got a urinary blockage. That was 6 years ago and he's doing great. We've spent over $6000 on our 13 year old lab mix due to hip displaysia between the ages of 7 months and 3 years old and we don't regret one penny. But if she were to get cancer now, we wouldn't spend money for chemo for her, she's 13 now and probably will live another year or two without having cancer and chemo would likely only give her another 4-6 months.

My parents spent over $15,000 on their GSD mix who became paralyzed and ended up having to have him PTS after 3 months of rehab after his surgery. He was never going to walk again and he was 115 lbs. My parents weren't able to express his bladder properly and Obi was miserable because he couldn't walk.

ldrosophila

Tough call. I probably wouldnt do the surgery. I love my animals, they get good food, and they go to the vet when emergencies arise. However, that is a lot of money to spend and if he can still have a good quality of life without it. My dog recently got a big swollen eye. I took her to the vet, $131, and got her some medication. He had me schedule a follow up to check the eye. However, the swelling has gone down and she's back to her spunky self. I canceled the follow up. If I see it swell up again I'll take her, but I'm hard pressed to spend the money for a follow up when it appears normal. I guess I'm kind of cold when it comes to animals.

Oh and I have to get on my soap box. Yes I think dachshunds are adorable, cute, and make very sweet pets. However, curse the g_d damn breeders for breeding that into a poor dog. Degenerative back diseases and slipped disks are a risk for every puppy born into that breed. I hope those people who bred such a horrible trait into dogs is being slow cooked over a pit in the fires of eternal damnation. Sorry my little rant yes I love the dogs, but I hate to see them suffer because someone thought a long back was cute.

A_nonymous2

I gave my dog ACL surgery ($3k) when she blew hers out. She was my running dog. She was only 9. She lived a good 5 more years. She got a tumor and they asked if we'd have it surgically removed. We said no. She was 12 at the time and the tumor didn't bother her. She lived another 2 years.

The $3k didn't put me in debt, it was just in savings. It gave her total recovered quality of life. The tumor surgery may or may not have, but at that point in a large dog's life, it wasn't worth it.

We recently rescued another dog.

Grimmerick

I think your toiling with the idea of wether or not it's ethical to spend that kind of money on an animal. Thats a personal decision for everyone and i have some friends who would and some that would not.

not exactly, it doesn't really fall into the realm of ethical or not ethical, I am not torn about my decision at all, I love Dexter to pieces he is part of my family and I will do what it is in my power to do, also considering his quality of life, age, chances of a successful recovery and so on, what I was really doing was just seeing where people stood as far as how much they consider their pet a part of the family or how many people look at them as just a pet/entertainment/company/protection not really high on the todem pole

Grimmerick

Tough call. I probably wouldnt do the surgery. I love my animals, they get good food, and they go to the vet when emergencies arise. However, that is a lot of money to spend and if he can still have a good quality of life without it. My dog recently got a big swollen eye. I took her to the vet, $131, and got her some medication. He had me schedule a follow up to check the eye. However, the swelling has gone down and she's back to her spunky self. I canceled the follow up. If I see it swell up again I'll take her, but I'm hard pressed to spend the money for a follow up when it appears normal. I guess I'm kind of cold when it comes to animals.

Oh and I have to get on my soap box. Yes I think dachshunds are adorable, cute, and make very sweet pets. However, curse the g_d damn breeders for breeding that into a poor dog. Degenerative back diseases and slipped disks are a risk for every puppy born into that breed. I hope those people who bred such a horrible trait into dogs is being slow cooked over a pit in the fires of eternal damnation. Sorry my little rant yes I love the dogs, but I hate to see them suffer because someone thought a long back was cute.

Stay on that soapbox and make some room cause I want up. I had no idea the amount of people that have had dachshunds with this issue until I started sharing what happened to me. I was shocked, I always knew they had bad backs but it's one of those things you expect to happen when they are older, not 5 years old for goodness sakes

pinkstp

I've spent well over $7k and my dog is just now 5.5 years old. She's had big problems since she was a puppy (seizures, ureter stone, hernia, intestinal issues). And I would spend every damn cent of it again and again and again I love the hell out of my dog.

I could say more but I'm too passionate to make this a short response.

JennafurC

We adopted a dog at the end of 2011. TWO DAYS after we got him he was rushed to the doggie ER where he was diagnosed with parvo virus. He was vomiting, had horrible diarrhea and couldn't even hold his head up. His white blood cell count was extremely low and the doctors gave him less than a 30% chance of survival. Remember we'd had this dog for only 2 days--he didn't even have a name yet. We were given a very rough estimate on cost and decided to try and save him. Four days in the ER on an IV under quarantine and they let him come home even though he still wasn't eating. Another 2 days at home of force feeding him every 4 hours until finally he started to feel good enough to eat on his own. His first week after being adopted and he spent it alone in a cage at the vet. $5000 later.....

yes, we have kids, no we aren't rich, yes we have other animals (which seem to have $1000 vet bills every 2 months). They're our family too.

lisalsd1

Ugh, I've spent about $4000 on my cat, and he ended up with an amputated penis. I took the kids to the vet with me when the cat had a severe urinary blockage, and I got sucked into a huge, expensive ordeal. Anyway, he's fine now. He is about 12 years old, so he's living on borrowed time now.

Right after the ordeal with this cat, another one of our cats was very ill. I had to put her to sleep, b/c her condition was not "fixable," like the first cat's problem.

I feel like if the pet's problem IS treatable, and there is a specific solution to the problem, then I should probably pay to fix the pet. If the pet has an incurable problem, then the pet should be put to sleep to prevent suffering.

Grimmerick

Oh I should have mentioned just for the info. Dexter had the surgery he had a large disc herniation at T12. I work at a spine institute so I was pretty familiar with the terms and the routine even if it was at the vets. He is now 2 weeks post op and ready to get his staples out. He was never in much pain or for very long. Mainly he lost the use of his legs and couldn't pee on his own. Otherwise he was still spunky Dexter. He now pee's on his own, he can stand for a couple minutes, can wag his tail like he used to and he is starting to try to move his legs. So he is making great progress and is right on track, it will take time for the damaged spinal nerves to regenerate but we are hoping for a full recovery. It is normal for it to take anywhere from a week after surgery to a few years to recover fully. Obviously the longer it takes the less chance you have, but nerve damage is tricky and unique to each person/pet. But he is doing well and we are happy.

pinkstp

People shouldn't have pets if they aren't prepared to spend that money on them.

You wouldn't have kids then decide when they need money spent on them that you can't afford them anymore and put them down, so it shouldn't be this way with pets.

^

ldrosophila

Oh I should have mentioned just for the info. Dexter had the surgery he had a large disc herniation at T12. I work at a spine institute so I was pretty familiar with the terms and the routine even if it was at the vets. He is now 2 weeks post op and ready to get his staples out. He was never in much pain or for very long. Mainly he lost the use of his legs and couldn't pee on his own. Otherwise he was still spunky Dexter. He now pee's on his own, he can stand for a couple minutes, can wag his tail like he used to and he is starting to try to move his legs. So he is making great progress and is right on track, it will take time for the damaged spinal nerves to regenerate but we are hoping for a full recovery. It is normal for it to take anywhere from a week after surgery to a few years to recover fully. Obviously the longer it takes the less chance you have, but nerve damage is tricky and unique to each person/pet. But he is doing well and we are happy.

I'm glad your puppy is doing well, so for you and your baby his mobility was priceless.

GiGiBeans

5k on a young - middle aged dog who'd recover with a good quality of life - yes.

I however opted not to have surgery on my 12 year old dog with bladder cancer because it would not have been a cure. It would have bought us an extra 6 months with him, if that, and he still would not have had bladder control. Our vet said it was our decision but she thought it best not to put him thru the trauma. He actually lived another 8 months. He need doggy diapers but was a happy guy until his last week.

SoDamnHungry

I'd pay it. And I wouldn't get a pet unless I was able to pay for situations like that should they occur. Stuff changes of course, and some people who once had enough suddenly can't afford it because that's how life is, but my bottom line would be that I would not get a pet if I couldn't give it the best treatment.

Grimmerick

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I mean come on, look at that face, and he has only gotten cuter and mouthier with age

SoDamnHungry

5k on a young - middle aged dog who'd recover with a good quality of life - yes.

I however opted not to have surgery on my 12 year old dog with bladder cancer because it would not have been a cure. It would have bought us an extra 6 months with him, if that, and he still would not have had bladder control. Our vet said it was our decision but she thought it best not to put him thru the trauma. He actually lived another 8 months. He need doggy diapers but was a happy guy until his last week.

I've experienced a cat going through multiple cancer surgeries and would agree that it's painful and traumatic, especially the older they get. Not to mention the animal has no idea what's going on. Totally agree with this post.

SmileCozYouCan

Well if it was more than my budget then I won't be able to treat the pet properly....I have guinea pigs and turtles and if they get sick then it won't be as much as a dog, but I mean when you get a pet you have to be prepared for the bills and all that...I don't know

JulieAnnie1204

In the summer of 2011, I spent over $10,000 on my 100 lb hound, Billy. He was a beautiful boy who was a gentle giant. He had a thyroid condition which manifested itself in seizures, very similar to epileptic seizures. He had a seizure on the hardwood, and when he went down, his back legs splayed out and he tore the ligaments in both back legs. I opted for the TPLO surgery, a more radical surgery on both legs at the same time. He was doing very well, and three days before Christmas I lost him, totally unrelated to his surgery. He died of ITP, the same condition that afflicts humans where the immune system attacks and kills the blood's platelets. By the time I knew there was anything wrong, it was too late. The morale of this story? I would have spent whatever it took to save him,, but this time I had to let him go, because it wasn't fair to him. That last day cost me another $2,000, but I would have spent more if it would have made a difference.

Billy's loss devastated me, but you pick up and move on. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

BrendaLee

I would do as much as I could, which currently isn't much. $5000 would be out of the question. It just wouldn't be a possibility. $1000, though, I would find a way. One of my cats got sick a few years ago at Christmas time, and it was Christmas or him that year. I chose him.

Once the animal gets to a certain age, though, the decision would become a lot tougher. And, as far as not getting a pet unless you can afford any situation that arises, that's sentencing a lot of pets to an early death and no chance at ever being loved or having a life at all. As long as you can afford to give it a good life and basic veterinary care, I think that's enough to give a stray or shelter cat a shot.