How far are you willing to go for your pet?

CollieFit

Give me a mutt any day and don't try to sell it to me as a "designer hybrid".

Too true!! :laugh:

CollieFit

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.

Well they probably would never expect to have to pay that amount for crying out loud!!

And believe it or not, yes people do indeed have kids when they cannot afford it, but that is not what you are doing presumably because you sound as though you have tons and tons and tons of dosh, so this doesn't apply to you does it :mad:

In answer to the OP, not everybody can afford that sudden outlay and a medical condition such as a slipped disc on a dog is not something that can be put aside and be told to wait, I felt for your dog when you said what he/she had wrong with them. I sincerely hope all went ok.

And that's why you should have insurance, so you don't have to find thousands of pounds/dollars when something goes wrong.

wistera

Tomorrow morning my almost 10 year old cockerspaniel is having surgery to repair a cranial cruciate ligament rupture (for the past week I've had to carry him outside and hold up his hind end so he could use the bathroom). Even with pet insurance, I still have to shell out hundreds of dollars for the deductible. I can't afford it, but found a way to pay for it anyway (I'm picking up extra shifts waiting tables). I'm a student, with an unpredictable income from a series of odd jobs, and I have lots of bills. But my dogs are my babies, I don't believe in euthanasia unless the animal is in pain and clearly suffering without any hope. If there is a chance for them to have a long happy life, even if it means extra work for me.. I'm all for doing whatever is necessary to make it happen.

I'm a vet student and I always, always try and encourage student pet owners to get insurance. Yes, it's another monthly expense. But you can budget for it, unlike emergency situations that can happen at the worst time, and it changes the cost of such things from thousands -> hundreds of dollars, which is much more doable.

Thank you (and everyone else here) for doing all that you can for your pets. It gets really heartbreaking really fast (for everyone) when we have to put down pets who have treatable conditions.

bernied262

I am with the OP. My dog was diagnosed with Bilateral elbow dysplacia when he was 22 months old. It required surgery and a lot of rehab. Total cost was close to £8000 (around $13000). The insurance only covered 25% of the overall cost. Thankfully,i had just received my bonus from work so I was able to cover the rest. However, if I didn't have the money, I would have found it from somewhere. The only time I would consider putting my dog to sleep is if his quality of life was gone. He is 5 now, and doing just great

CollieFit

I am with the OP. My dog was diagnosed with Bilateral elbow dysplacia when he was 22 months old. It required surgery and a lot of rehab. Total cost was close to £8000 (around $13000). The insurance only covered 25% of the overall cost.

Oh that's naughty!! :grumble: If you're responsible and you pay for your insurance then they should pay up when you need them to. Glad he's ok now. x

brevislux

I would spend what I could.

Unfortunately I would not have 5000$ to save my kitty, though. But if I were rich, I'd spend it on her.

__Di__

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.

Well they probably would never expect to have to pay that amount for crying out loud!!

And believe it or not, yes people do indeed have kids when they cannot afford it, but that is not what you are doing presumably because you sound as though you have tons and tons and tons of dosh, so this doesn't apply to you does it :mad:

In answer to the OP, not everybody can afford that sudden outlay and a medical condition such as a slipped disc on a dog is not something that can be put aside and be told to wait, I felt for your dog when you said what he/she had wrong with them. I sincerely hope all went ok.

And that's why you should have insurance, so you don't have to find thousands of pounds/dollars when something goes wrong.

Unfortunately, the OP did say further back that insurance did not cover that condition in her dog

CollieFit

And that's why you should have insurance, so you don't have to find thousands of pounds/dollars when something goes wrong.

Unfortunately, the OP did say further back that insurance did not cover that condition in her dog

Yes, the pre-existing conditions clause in SOME insurance policies is unfortunate, however this does not negate the overall principle value of having insurance in place.

And there are also policies which include pre-existing conditions.

mrsamanda86

If I were rich, the amount I would pay to help my dog, as long as there was a good chance their outcome would be great, would be limitless. As I am sadly not rich, I would probably have to cap out around 5,000 and that would be only with a loan. I love my dogs like crazy, and my oldest is only 7, who should live until 15-20 years old easily(hes a jack rat terrier). As long as they weren't too far gone to have a chance at a good quality of life, or too far into old age to justify the costs, I would do whatever I could within our means to help my animals. I tear up just thinking about the day that will eventually come when they either pass away/we have to make an awful decision.

bernied262

I am with the OP. My dog was diagnosed with Bilateral elbow dysplacia when he was 22 months old. It required surgery and a lot of rehab. Total cost was close to £8000 (around $13000). The insurance only covered 25% of the overall cost.

Oh that's naughty!! :grumble: If you're responsible and you pay for your insurance then they should pay up when you need them to. Glad he's ok now. x

The insurance company was just awful, we had the right level of cover but they disputed pretty much all costs. It took them over 12 weeks to pay up. I would never insure anything with them again, they were absolute sharks!
Now, I do still have insurance for him, but I also have what I call my 'Harvey fund'. I put money into this every month to cover any additional medical costs that may/will come in the future.

ctalimenti

It's hard to say until you are faced with the dilemma. Depends on the age of the pet I guess.

KxCoyote

Animals, pets even wild/stray animals.. have always been a constant companion to me. I was and am very sickly, and a lot of people, family/friends, aren't willing to tolerate, nor stick by me since I can't keep up a 'normal' life. But animals can and have. So I find better companionship among animals. I would be more willing to spend $5000(which is more money than I've ever seen at once btw) on saving an animals life than a humans.
When it boils down to it, Humans are animals too, but we've forgotten that. We are not better than they, and in my opinion, animals, have so much to re-teach us.

ThePlight

All over the world. They deserve happiness.

Nixx1983

id spent any amount of money and if i didnt have it i would get it for my pet. i have a white german shepherd dog and he is part of the family! i find it quite shocking that anybody would think anything else.

VitaBailey

I will spend any amount needed and go to any length needed for my dogs. When I rescue a pet I am making a promise to them to provide them with all the love and care they deserve for the rest of their lives. I draw the line when medical intervention will not ease their pain and suffering.

Genette38

There is nothing I wouldn't do for my pets. I made the choice to buy them and keep them so it's my responsibility to keep them in good health.

As the animals we keep aren't covered by insurance ( In the UK they mainly do cats, dogs and rabbits. Anything else is expensive) most of the owners I know keep a savings account for vets bills. Putting a bit away each month is much cheaper than insurance and if they don't need the vet, you've got a lump sum left at the end! Problem solved.

SmartAlec03211988

Above and beyond, because it's not a "pet" it\'s a family member. You wouldn't place a monetary limit on your son or daughter, I imagine.

I'm still paying for a $8,000 bill I accrued from my dog being run over by a car. When I was at the hospital a man was there and paid out his entire life savings ($40,000) for his pet. I'd do the same.

I wouldn't have a dog if I weren't prepared to pay for it. After my dog was hit by a car I bought insurance for the next one and for a measly $48/mo. I'm covered for up to $20,000 in emergency vet costs. I wish I knew about it at the time he was run over, but I'd do it all over again and again.

LorinaLynn

It would completely depend on the situation, both of the pet and (sadly) my financial situation. Since my dog is a rescue, I might be able to get help from his rescue group in that kind of situation, even if it was the worst case scenario of relinquishing ownership back to the rescue.

Also, how treatable the condition was. I did a lot for my 18 year old cat when she had kidney and heart failure, giving her medications and fluid treatments daily to keep her happy and comfortable as long as I could. I worked for my vet at the time, so the cost wasn't prohibitive. But in the end, looking at things more logically... I don't know if I was really doing her any favors. Pets aren't aware of, don't fear, death. They are aware of, and fear, pain.

Keeping her alive longer was for me - I wasn't ready to say good-bye - not for her. And what I've learned since is that there's no such thing as ready to say good-bye to a loved one, whether it's a pet or family. I've since lost my mother after a long and horrific string of illnesses, my father suddenly and unexpectedly, and my 49 year old brother a month ago very unexpectedly from a complication after a cancer diagnosis just a few months earlier. Living through their deaths, I'd rather go out quick, rather than linger and dwindle. Quality of life matters.

So... if it's something curable and treatable, and my critter wouldn't be in intense pain during recovery, that's a different story than something terminal or would leave them in pain. A broken leg or slipped disc? Absolutely. Medication to keep them happy and comfortable? Absolutely. Major surgery or chemo? Probably not. It's really more the quality of life than the cost.

As much as I love my cats and dog, their lives aren't really any more valuable than the dogs and cats euthanized every day at the shelter a mile away. I can't save them all. I know I can't. But I can do what I can for the ones I can. And sometimes that means saying good-bye.

bbzgrl110

I have two dogs that I rescued from a shelter, a black lab/beagle mix - Kasper, and a husky/shepard mix - Flint, and I can't imagine the day I have to make that difficult decision and I know it's coming because my little guy is going to be 12 soon and has seizures. It will be one of the hardest decisions I have to make but I don't think I could spend $5000 on them, as painful as it is to admit it. That being said, I had a dachshund years ago that this happened to, and I actually took him to my chiropractor and he helped him free of charge.

My husband is a whole other story, he was raised on a farm and it's just so different for him. I know he loves them but to him it's just a part of life, and when the time comes he says he will take care of it. I on the other hand will be a train wreck!!

sunnshhiine

I'm the crazy pet mother who would jump in the middle of the road to stop my dog from being hit by a car.

With that being said, I also don't have kids. Priorities may change. But right now, I'd do anything for her.

THIS. I have a 2-yr old Italian Greyhound -- right now, since I'm not married and don't have any children, I consider him to be like my child. My life revolves around him and making sure I meet his needs (potty breaks, food, treats, toys, clothes (he has like zero fur and freezes outside in the winter), daily walks, and attention). He is my main priority in life right now -- I plan vacations around him, and my weekend plans are made around his schedule.

I once jumped in front of a school bus full of kids to save him. he ran into the street then got startled by the bus and froze in the middle of the road. I ran like a psycho to get to the street and stood between the bus and my dog to make sure the bus driver saw him/me. she stopped. I scooped up my tiny white dog, and we went on our merry little way. (that's him in my profile picture, btw. LOL).

This might sound crazy, but I take my responsibility as a pet owner seriously. He has feelings and needs just like any other creature does, and since I adopted him it's my job to make sure those needs are met.

If he had a severe illness, a broken bone, or a life-threatening condition, I would do everything in my power to get it fixed/cured. If that means selling a TV or having a garage sale, setting up a donations page, or getting a second job to make ends meet -- that's what I would do. Because just like I wouldn't just "put down" a small child with an illness, I wouldn't put down an animal with an illness.

Now, if there was NO cure or no fix for his condition, that would be another story altogether. But again, I wouldn't just put him down due to finances or inconvenience.

ETA: I have him on a wellness plan through his vet so all of his yearly shots, teeth cleanings, checkups, and even getting him fixed was covered under this plans. This plan also provides medication discounts and discounts for other services as well (ear cleaning, blood work, etc) if he ever needs them. However, after reading all this about pet insurance, I'm thinking I'm going to need to look into this as a "just in case" sort of avenue.