How far are you willing to go for your pet?

My dog is 11 years old now, he has a heart condition. I am paying about $70 a month on pills for him, it's been about a year since he had to start taking them, so I guess I have spent $840 on him so far.. plus all the tests in the beginning would put that well over $1k, might not sound like TO much, but for someone living paycheck to paycheck and in debt with the hospital for like $8k it's a lot and it adds up, but I love him. He's been here for me always since he was a puppy and there is nothing I wouldn't do for him if I can find a way.

I would take out a second mortgage if need be. People would never put down their kid... my dog is my kid. People argue that it isn't the same... except that it is. No actually it isn't, dogs are better than kids.

I would in a heart beat if it ment mine could make a full recovery


Paid for xrays and medication for mine and found out she has something wrong with her hips, if I didnt pay for it I wouldnt have found out and could have caused my pup more trauma and quickly now we no she has to take it easy or arthoritus will kick in alot sooner.

When it comes to it il pay for her medication without batting an eye lid I COULD NOT imagine my life without my dog

I think its fantastic theres alot of people out there that care just as much for theres as I do for mine

There are a LOT of other healthy animals waiting in shelters who will be put down. If it came down to $5k to save my cat, that's a lot of money for one life. From a holistic point of view, I believe it is better to put those resources elsewhere. That can go a long ways towards giving other animals a chance at life.

I had a friend who paid that type of money to have Dauschand's back surgery. He was never the same -- he had to be carried up and down stairs, lifted to laps, chairs etc. She actually had to help him empty his bladder ( he could go, but never well enough to clear the bladder like you need). He lived a long time after the surgery (7 years), but he had periods of paralysis that he would need to go in and have steroids. Then the steroids would cause other issues.

I think it's a matter of asking yourself, what will he be like afterwards and the vet needs to be clear on what lies ahead. To me a dog that can't run and jump and play around is not having a great life and I think the better alternative would have been to put him down peacefully.

I think it's our job to avoid unnecessary pain for our pets. It's tough decisions, but I'd rather lose a few months/years with an animal then to have him/her suffer because I'm not willing to let go.

And for those that say pets are just like kids, that's wrong. I agree that pets become part of the family (and those that don't have kids, I believe that is a stronger bond), but if you have kids and pets, there is never a question about the fact that your kid is more important/better than a pet. It's your choice if you don't want kids and/or can't have kids, but don't place an animals life above a human.

There are some things you obviously can't plan for. Just like humans have accidents or develop catastrophic illnesses that cost ungodly amounts of money to treat, the same thing happens to pets.

But in general, I don't think people put enough thought into this question BEFORE they get a pet. They don't think about how big of a pain in the *kitten* it is to house-break a puppy. They don't think about how expensive quality pet food can be, especially for large dogs or households with multiple pets. They don't think about the regular vet bills for young, healthy pets, let alone the vastly more expensive and more emotionally taxing experience of taking care of an aging pet.

And it really makes me want to punch people who act like this is all a big shock and just give their pets away because they didn't think about or plan for these things before they brought said pet into their home.

Definitely agree with this. I thought and researched for months before getting my dogs. They're big, they have known problems for the breed, they have a shorter life span, cost for having two as opposed to one, etc,...

I really want a third dog. But every time I get that urge and start looking at Petfinder.com, I remind myself of a third vet visit, another set of heartworm pills, and everything else associated with caring for a pet and back away from the computer.

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

Our vet said that this typically occurs in doxies between the ages of 3 and 7.

To me, they are just animals. Do i love them? Yes. Would i spend 5K to have ACL surgery done on it? No.

^This. Besides the fact that spending 5 grand on surgery for an animal would be an irresponsible financial decision for me. It comes down to wants vs needs. In our home, animals are a want, rather than a need. Humans are a need. Our goal is to have at least the equivalent of 6 months income in savings. Until that happens, we've greatly reduced the amount of money we budget/spend on "wants". If something catastrophic happened and the people in my home required medical care, that would be a need, obviously. If something catastrophic happened to a pet, their medical care would be a want. If it doesn't fit in the budget, it's not happening. You can call it cruel or callous, but being able to provide for our family now, and in times of crisis, takes priority over a significant financial burden posed by being a pet owner.

I would be willing to walk into Heaven, Chaos or Hell, wherever he is, to get him back.

It's your choice if you don't want kids and/or can't have kids, but don't place an animals life above a human.

That's your opinion, but I place my dog before quite a few humans! :drinker:

My cat was taken to a vet by her previous owner to be put down because the owner let her get a flea infestation. she wanted to kill her because she had fleas! the vet sneaked and let her live,

Interesting. In some countries that would be illegal, for a vet to put a healthy pet down because the owner demands it. My friend is a vet in Germany and the code of ethics there is very clear that the needs of the animal are paramount.
http://www.tierschutz-tvt.de/36.html

My 6 year old dachshund hurt his back (swelling around his spinal cord) playing with our other dog about 6 months ago and lost use of his back legs and didn't have control to go to the bathroom. We weren't in a financial situation to be able to afford surgery. Our vet suggested many other low cost treatment avenues and we tried all of them. Our last chance was acupuncture. We found a vet who specialized it in and had great success with treating dachshunds with this injury. We visited her twice and the cost wasn't much more then a normal vet visit. After two treatments with the acupuncturist my buddy is good as new. He is back to his old playful self. We have to watch and make sure he doesn't over do it and re-injure himself but the acupuncture was a god send for us. We honestly thought we might have had to put him down but I am thankful we tried other options and if he every got re-injured I would take him back to her in a heart beat.

I would spend any amount of money on my dog, but I do have it to spend. I'm fortunate to be financially secure.
But unfortunately, I had to rehome my beagle earlier this year when he bit my son. That was the red line.