How far are you willing to go for your pet?

My pet peeve (pun intended) when I worked in a large, corporate pet store was owners who wanted a pet, but didn't bother to make sure that animal had a good life. Hamsters in tiny cages, fish in too-small tanks, lizards dying for lack of proper heat/light. And vet care? Forget it. They really want that animal (or their little demon-spawn does) but they don't want to care for it.

Very true.

The same goes for puppy mills. An awful trade. :frown:

I'd die for mine. However, there does come a point, where no amount of money is going to do anything but prolong their suffering. I've had to put two dogs down over my lifetime, my first ever was an Akita, Gracie. And the last, my Pit. Had him since he was a year old, rescued from a shelter, he was the best dog I've ever had the pleasure of being allowed to be with. I didn't own him, he let me be his. But when he had his stroke, and there was nothing that could be done...Could've tried steroids, but it would have, if anything, only gave him a couple months more, and he would've been in agony most of it. My sister is a vet, so she came to the house, so that I could hold him when he went. Hardest day, I think, of my life.

If it comes to injury, or illness where there's a good chance to recover their function and live a fully healthy life with little/no restriction, then there is no price tag for me. I'll find a way to do it, if I have to eat Ramen for the next two years.

You'd die for your pet? I know you won't care about my opinion, but I don't believe you would.

'I didn't own him, he let me be his' - wow what a ridiculous thing to say.

I'd do anything for my dog, it's a family member rather then a pet to me.

Same here. I have 3 dogs who are the only children I will ever have and just as you with human children won't put them down when they get sick, I can't imagine doing that for my dogs. I spare no expense where they're involved. I'm even paying the cost to move them from my current home (Kuwait) to my new home (Maryland) in February. No way would I ever think of getting rid of them or putting them down for something that can be fixed.

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

Yeah it's the same thing with persians who have chronic respiratory issues because breeders keep breeding them to have flat or even pushed in faces.
People suck.

I'll go as far as the animal shelter to drop the expensive little *kitten* off.

wow. Here's to hoping you don't actually have any pets... :noway:

:flowerforyou:

I had to put to my dearest buddy (cat) down at 19 years of age and that was one of the toughest things ever. Never would be a money issue for me but strictly quality of life.

I would go to the ends of the earth for my lovely cat Jay. Words cannot describe how much I love that lil *kitten*! Money aside, if he needed treatment he'd get it regardless of the cost!

emmydoodle, Good for you for having the means to help your dog. A young dog, and a knowledgeable owner led to this decision.

I'm also with ldrosophila who railed at the breeders. Across breeds there are many genetic errors and it becomes exceedingly difficult for potential caretakers to make good medical decisions. There is no standard solution. Each caretaker has to make his/her own decisions on major medical. No one decision is right or wrong.

I'm glad your pup is on the mend.

Don't buy a breed prone to these kinds of conditions and then blame the breeder. The demand for the breed keeps these health issues alive and well. Granted, there are many breeders trying to breed out certain health problems but it's the buyer's responsibility to find those people.

OP, you are awesome for giving your pet such a chance. I, too, have a dachshund and worry about disc disease.

I work in the veterinary industry and I think I have an unfair advantage over regular pet owners. I am lucky that I have tools at my disposal which most people don't. I think, personally, I go beyond my means to help my own pets. I once had one of my vets anesthetize my tarantula to pull tape off it's legs. (And we don't even treat exotics!)

I would do anything for my pets. Like the-dude00 said, if there's a good chance of recovery, then there's no price tag too high. I have had to euthanize my 13-year old Pit Bull, Cujo, due to cancer, but he lived a good 3 years past his diagnosis and without much pain until the end. I think that every pet's issue has variables, and no two cases are exactly alike, but the more educated a pet owner is about their pet's problem, the more likely they'll be able to make a good decision about pursuing treatment vs not pursuing. It's a hard call to make, regardless. I'm just a sucker for my pets!

i would do anything for my baby girl (she is a morkie about 8 lbs). she has endless love for me and i do whatever it takes to have her happy, healthy and protected.

She got very sick with a virus when she was a puppy and they said it would be best to just put her down instead of paying the bill $3000. It was a no brainer, we paid for the treatment.

A person had their dog off-leash at the park and was aggressive towards her and i threw myself on top of her to pick her up to protect her, i didn't care if i got hurt it wasn't even a thought in my mind. my thought was "don't let this dog get her by the throat"

Walking her once a 7 year old hoofed a soccer ball at my dog which i intercepted (which i was proud of myself since I've never played soccer lol) i then booted the ball over a fence and had some intense words for the kids parent, who had a :indifferent: look on their face and i carried on my way.

I treat my dog like she's my child and i give her the best life possible. i know i sound like a psychopath and maybe i am but its the same for any family member in my household.

*edited for spelling

I would do anything for my animals, after all, they are my furry kids. Would you spend $5000 on your child? I would think so. Well my animals are my kids and I would go to the end of the world for them. With that being said, you also need to ensure the quality of life would not be hindered in any way,shape or form.

As much as it takes, when you purchase a pet, you are purchasing a life that you are completely responsible for. Purchasing a pet means you have to be prepared for big medical bills, food bills, costs for bedding, toys, heat mats, filters, lamps and so on. In the same way you do if you conceive a child. It's a responsibility and if you aren't prepared to consider dishing out a large sum of money at some point for potential medical issues and stuff you should really consider how fully prepared you are to care for that life.
Though I do agree with some previous points on quality of life, sometimes treatments can result in animals who continue to live due to their treatment but the treatment is merely extending their lives a little bit as opposed to helping them get better and relieving pain so the animal continues to suffer for a longer period of time. That I cannot agree with.

I have two turtles, an axolotl, and a snake and my family have a dog and, until recently, a lovely cat who passed on at the ripe old age of 18, R.I.P Dweezil. We'd all go to the ends of the Earth for our animals. I've put them before myself on occasions when I have had a limited budget simply so they continue to have a good quality of life.

Edited because of my awful dyslexic brain preventing me from spelling simple words. -.-'

Well.. I paid $2k in total when my cat got bitten by a brown snake - the anti-venom on it's own is expensive & not ever guaranteed to work. And we pay $180 a year to get her fur shaved in the summer time...My passed kitty (taken by a brown snake) we spent about $2k on him when he had a urinary tract infection/blockage. So. I guess I would do a lot for my pets even though they drive me nuts. They are like family, even still after we have kids.

I don't have a pet. Unless Mark Cuban counts? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1133569-i-got-confuesed-also

My fiance and I are pretty well off (not saying this to brag, just in response to the 'most people I know that have money that wouldn't spend it on their pet' in OP's post) and our dog is absolutely 100% a full on family member and we'd do anything to insure a happy and healthy life. Even if he needed medicine three times a day, a wheelchair, tens of thousands of dollars in surgery... whatever! We'd do it.


Waffles, my fur baby

I do think there is a point at which you have to think about the pet's quality of life and if you're just being selfish in keeping him/her alive then yes, it may be time to let them go over the rainbow bridge... Sometimes you have to make really hard decisions like that.