How Far would you go for your pet?

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.

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!

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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.

Our cat just turned five this weekend. Within her first six months of life, she managed to break her right hip and left rear leg (at different times). At the time, my boyfriend had just got her and we weren't living together yet, but that kitten was his entire family. He was shattered at the idea that she was hurt and couldn't even entertain the idea of putting her down; it was really like seeing someone being told to just kill their kid rather than helping them. Having next to no money for it, we called around nonprofits that provide vet services, but they all wanted to amputate or euthanize. We finally tried a vet nearby and not only did they have an expert in that sort of surgery, but they'd fix the injury for half the price the other placed quoted for just cutting the leg off. They allowed us to make an installment plan (it was technically against their policy but I think they could tell how serious we were and we did pay it off). In total, it was about $2500 for both surgeries and follow-up. Today, she's the friendliest, most even-tempered, energetic and playful cat I've ever seen. You'd never think she'd ever had any injuries and she's constantly doing hilarious things that keep us entertained.

Worth it.

I've spent thousands on training for my dogs. One is a bully breed and I don't want to take any chances that she'll do anything that will make someone else make me put her down. My pups are my first children and an essential part of my life. Isis (the older one) and I saved each other, I can never do enough to repay her for her companionship.

$5000 when my Bandit, 13-year old daschund, got in the middle of the big dogs. After 100 staples, drain tubes and a week in the hospital (which was 30+ miles away - visited every night), I brought him home. Even with the "cone", he managed to pull out most of the staples within hours of being home. Drove him back to hospital at midnight. They sedated him until morning, called me & I made the decision to let him go.

My hubby still gives me a hard time about it, but he knows I will go to any length to save my "kids".

This is coming from someone who, as a teenager, took her hamster to the vet & paid $50 to have it put to sleep. And cried the whole day.

I've toughened up over the years, but not by much. We raise goats now, and it's still hard to see a kid struggle for life. It's not uncommon for me to have a goat kid sleeping in a box next to my bed so that I can bottle it at 2 am-4am-6am or worse, tube-feed it.

My pets are treated very well. They are like my children. We just got a baby kitten and I was home with her for 10 days during my vacation. I almost cried when I had to leave her on Monday. Broke my heart and I thought about her all day, hoping she was doing well with our other cat. We do whatever they need done, unless it is excessive.

So, first. To answer the question - how far would SOMEONE ELSE go for your pet?

When I was a teenager my puppy walked out onto an ice covered dugout with an aeration system. The ice was weak. The water ice cold. The puppy fell into a hole in the ice near where the aeration tube was. A complete stranger who was passing by crawled onto that ice and pulled the puppy (I couldn't swim). That was damned risky but he did it...

The puppy died on the way to the vet.

As to the second, REAL question. I don't think you should EVER put your family at financial risk for a pet. If you have the money to have the work done then go for it but if you just can't afford to have your pet's pain relieved without making your family suffer financially then I don't think you're a bad person for saying no to the work.