How Far would you go for your pet?

amyllu

My friend has a cat that has suffered from very bad ear irritation for absolutely ages. Despite continually taking it to the vet they continue to palm her off ..(her words) .. with various creams etc. whilst admitting that they have bo idea what is causing it. This cat, which in such terrible distress with his ears now, walks around with his head on one side and constantly appears to be in a fit trying to scratch his ears. Her decision now seems to be that it would be better to have the cat put to sleep!!! :mad:
I am soo angry at her even talking about this as a solution and couldn't help but have a go at suggesting alternatives such as having his ears amputated.. a common proceedure with some cats, especially white ones as they often get cancer of the ear tips. She was annoyed at my suggestion and had I ever heard of this being done?...Yes.
Then.."If only I lived nearer to the vetenarian college in London they would love to have a go at this"
Me..."Would it be so difficult to get there?" (Baring in mind she travels all over the place for various meetings and social occasions)
"He (the cat) wouldn't tolerate being in the car for so long"
Me.."Surely you could give him something to keep him calm"..."No, he is allergice to anything like that"
Me...Better for him to have a bit of distress now and be able to find out what is wrong with him first"
At this point she got very irate and finished the conversation.
It's not as if she cannot afford any treatment either and I really feel that any pet deserves the right to have as much as possible done for their comfort and well being as long as it wouldn't result in any children ending up being deprived..she has none.

Bit of a long rant...but what do you think?!

WickedGarden

Having worked in the veterinary industry for a while, I would go to great lengths for my pets.
Your friend should at LEAST go for a second opinion for the cat's treatment.

ALTHOUGH, there are people whom have the attitude 'it's just an animal' they see no emotional benefit from owning a pet, and I have witnessed many owners who bring their pets in to be euthanized because they are 'tired of owning' the pet. Shocking yes, and even more shocking, the veterinarian went ahead with the owners wishes. I did not agree with that, but what's better, ending a pet's life or the owner dumping the pet off in the woods?

EmCarroll1990

My pets are my children. I would do absolutely anything. I had to put down my 16 year old Irish Setter two years ago, not because I wanted to, but because it was what was best for him. Just shelled out about $1000.00 new years eve for my puppy. But like the previous poster said, many people view pets as just that - a pet.

Il_DaniD_lI

$975.00 vet bill after a cat fight. Didn't have to be so high but I wanted him sedated so it wasn't so bad. Love my handsome little man, he has been there for me through the worst of times.

stacymay13

I would do ANYTHING for my pets. I love them more than most of my family lol. I think your friend should, at the very least, get a second opinion for her cat.

rammsteinsoldier

I go to great lengths for my pets. I took the responsibliity of caring for them so that is the job I accepted.

One of my cats has a digestive tract that doesn't function correctly so I have to give her special medications everyday twice a day, buy her special food and take her to the vet often for checkups. I have saved a dog with distemper who had enormous vet bills but I paid them off and she is the most wonderful dog in the world.

My pets are my family and my babies. I would do almost anything to make their lives the best. They make my life complete.

montana_girl

I spent a lot of money on both of my cats. The first was sick but even with a bunch of tests, consulting various vets, they never did figure out what was wrong. We finally had to put him down when he became so scrawny that he could no longer take care of himself.

My other cat was one that we picked up at the pound and he was between 4 and 8 years old when we got him.... I had him for 11 years before he started getting sick, which was basically old age things. We just had him put down a couple of months ago and it broke my heart.

So for me... I am willing to spend quite a bit to help my pets live a healthy life, but once they get to the point they don't have a good quality of life, then I feel it's time to say good-bye.

amyllu

Thankyou everyone who have taken the time to reply and it is very heart warming to know that there are those who feel the same as myself.

With reference to the bit about taking the cat to another vet...first point of call I would say..apparently she did try to do that but the second vet said that they would not encroach on another vets patients. That seems so ridiculous to me. If another opinion is being sought surely anyone is allowed to go elsewhere.
Have been churning this over in my mind all day as I am so upset.:sad:

stacymay13

I have never heard of a vet saying that before. Weird.. and sad

JustJennie1

Our first dog had cancer and we spent a lot of money on chemotherapy treatments for her. We probably gave her another 2 years of life and 2 years of joy for us. So I guess in answer to your question I would do anything for my pet.

Jersey_Devil

your friend can always call the ASPCA and ask them what they think. I did that when I had a medical problem with my cat that i couldn't control.

BandForAlyAnne

i love my animals and would do just about anything for them, but there is a line. like i had 2 weimeraners and the both got to an old age, but they were most likely suffering from cancer. the first one to go downhill was heineken. he was a great dog, but im not going to put a 12 year old dog through kemo. from my view, you make the dog as comfortable as you can, for as long as you can. he got arthritis shots and pain meds, but toward the end he couldnt keep any weight on and had no balance. so we went in and put him down. you could tell he was ready. the other dog, xena, lasted a little longer and was a tougher call. she had had seizures her whole life and toward the end she wasnt very coherent. i think they caught up with her. she would get confused and wander the house. and when the did try to play shed end up biting you. sometimes shed just stop and stare at a wall for 5-10 mins. it was sad. and the call was tough because her body was still going, just not her head. but in the end we also put her down. i think it was best. i know some people would have prolly taken them to all kinds of vets and tried treatments costing thousands, but they were old dogs that lived long happy lives. i wouldnt want to put them through something like that. heineken was13 when he went and xena was almost 15. thats great for a 100+ lbs dog. i know i did them right.

tig_ol_bitties

I never want to have children, so my pets are my babies. I went into serious debt for my dog who passed two years ago in June. The vets didn't want to put him down, because he'd be jumping around like a puppy one day, and unable to move the next, and it seems the vet visits were always his "good" days, so they didn't see anything wrong with him. He had three surgeries to remove massive tumors that kept growing back in 5 months, I paid for massages and chiropractic (yep, I'm that *crazy* lady) to keep him comfortable because I knew it wouldn't be long. Finally, the vets agreed that it was for the best when he was unable to breathe on his own and put him down. In 6-7 months, I spent almost $10,000, but he was my baby, and worth every penny. Although now, I get pet insurance for my babies.

♥Faerie♥

I would do anything within my power to make sure they are healthy, pain free, and live a happy life. I have pet insurance in case of any emergencies that I would not be able to handle financially. I choose to have my dogs as my pets, so it is up to me to make sure they are cared for. It would be unfair to them to do any less♥

escloflowneCHANGED

My Dog has a cataract in his eye, I think he is getting it in his second eye now too. The vet want's $7000+ for the operation and they don't offer payment plans. Cash up front! I would do a lot for my dog and it has just made me hate vets so much, they are charging 5x the normal price for the drugs I could get from the hospital!

WickedGarden

My Dog has a cataract in his eye, I think he is getting it in his second eye now too. The vet want's $7000+ for the operation and they don't offer payment plans. Cash up front! I would do a lot for my dog and it has just made me hate vets so much, they are charging 5x the normal price for the drugs I could get from the hospital!

does your vet take CareCredit? It's basically a 'credit card' you apply for, and they make the payment to the vet, and you pay CareCredit.

escloflowneCHANGED

I am going next week to see the vet, will find out if he is getting it in the second eye. Being blind in 1 eye has not affected his life in any way yet. If both go then I will probably just pay cash...but I'm showing up with $7000 in 20's because they can go to hell...and I want to take a balling picture for my MFP profile haha

cbart2818

I would do anything for my Vizsla. At about 5months old, he ate a peice of cooked corn cob from a composter. Ended up getting stuck in his intestines. Vet gave us two options. Pay the money for surgery, or wait to see if it passes. There was NO WAY we were waiting to see if it passed!!! We shelled out the VERY large vet bill. Turned out it was no bigger than a walnut, and may have passed but I would never take a chance. Copper is my fur baby...and I will do anything for him. Heck, I am in knee deep in raw meat for this fella. So I would go very far to make sure my pet gets the best life possible. Who else do they have.

Bethyann7793

I would also do anything for my pets. My kitten is my baby.
When I first got him he was sick. Started out as a kennel cold and was getting worse. He had a type of worms, and had to get tons of vaccinations.
I had to pay a lot of money. and on top of that, i bought him just about one of every toy at the pet store lol.

regina2063

im not an animal person.....which is why i dont understand the money that people spend on animals...i overhear a lady saying she spent $6000 on her dog for surgery....if i had $6k...there are way more things to take care of with than animals...but thats just me.

ashreynolds09

Having worked in the veterinary industry for a while, I would go to great lengths for my pets.
Your friend should at LEAST go for a second opinion for the cat's treatment.

ALTHOUGH, there are people whom have the attitude 'it's just an animal' they see no emotional benefit from owning a pet, and I have witnessed many owners who bring their pets in to be euthanized because they are 'tired of owning' the pet. Shocking yes, and even more shocking, the veterinarian went ahead with the owners wishes. I did not agree with that, but what's better, ending a pet's life or the owner dumping the pet off in the woods?

That is just soo sad! Why even bother getting a pet?! I don't understand!

stevewynjones

I have 75% left of a Border collie....true story!

SO far she has lost most of her teeth, one rear leg to cancer, she's going deaf and possibly incontinent.....

Over £5000 spent on her so far.....

kitiarascott

I would do anything for my Bentley, he is my baby. I personally would make the difficult decision to put him to sleep if he was living in constant pain.

I had a cat for 14 years who we had to put down because he had cancer, it was the hardest thing ever but hes happy and pain free now.

amyllu

I thought I must just add another comment to all of you who have experienced such devastating and difficult decisions with your pets..it is obvious that there are many of us who have the same empathy and want to care for these beautiful and trusty animals.
I do not have any pets now as I am disabled and live in a first floor flat so I know I wouldn't be able to see to it's needs especially as some days I can barely get out of bed myself till nearly midday. I did have a little poodle when my children were young and also a cat. Then later another dog, a Jack Russell that was so timid as she had been owned by gypsies and beaten dreadfully and they had kicked out her front teeth. She was adorable and died after many years of just old age. I spent pounds and pounds on their upkeep and vet bills, as one does, and wouldn't have had it any other way.

Sorry, had a bit of a ramble there... thanks again for all your stories.

Izzyd1979

Just came accross this post before going into work after a looong work weekend... as a veterinarian in an emergency/referral center!

Its nice to see people who want to do what's best for their pet and understand the costs associated. It is sadly not to case for everyone and while I would love to save all those pets for free, it is not possible and people need to take responsibility for their pet. I saw a few people on here saying they have pet insurance and for all of you who own pets, consider it! (unless you are one of those very organized persons who can put $50/month in a bank account under "Fluffy"'s name!). It is truly a life saver and can take off the pressure when making a decision - the decision can be purely medical, not financial! There is also a tremendous difference in working in the US (I did for 10 years) and Canada (I just moved here) where people have NO idea of what medical care can cost, thanks to free healthcare for them! I am yelled at, insulted and called names on a daily basis... sometimes over $20!

Oh and to answer the initial question... I spent $5000 on my 12yrs old cat last year (yeah, vets also have to pay vet bills..). I was hoping to buy him 3-6 months with this. Miraculously, he is still alive and well and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

1shauna1

For me, I would do whatever. I wouldn't settle for just trying different creams, I would insist I get an answer. I recently went on vacation and my parents dog-sat my puppy. They totally love her too, so I had no qualms about leaving her (of course I made my dad email me daily updates!). I told my mom before I left, if anything happened to LouLou or she got sick, etc., take her to the vet and pay ANYTHING to get her well. I would reimburse them when I got home!

EDIT - of course if she was really suffering I wouldn't prolong it....it would be harder on me than her I think. Darn, it, I'm getting teary just thinking about it! She's only just over a year old so hopefully we have many years left together!

amyllu

Great News!! My sister was telling me she she has taken her cat to another vet now and it turns out that the previous vet had not examined it properly and there is a massive infection in it's ears. The treatment is being done to get it into a healthy condition. Am soo relieved. Like to think that my few chosen words have had a good affect.

JustJennie1

That's great news! Hope Kitty gets better.

reilly21

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amyllu

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Becoming_A_Butterfly

When my vet wasn't making any headway with my cat's problems, I went somewhere else. Getting a solution and helping my cat was all I cared about, not stepping on the vet's toes or hurting the vet's feelings.

I love my cats, and they mean the world to me. When I adopted them, I was making the commitment to care for them and do what is best for them.