If your pet was ill... - Page 2

[SuzyLee]

I voted 500-1000. We could afford more without ruining ourselves financially, but honestly, the dog is just a dog. He has had a good life so far, and I don't want him to suffer, but our family has much higher financial priorities than spending over 1000$ on the dog. And I don't think the physical wellness of our pet comes above the financial wellness of the family. I know some people will think I am cruel and heartless.

Frankly, if you eat meat, I don't know how you can say it is cruel to put a dog down. To me eating a free range chicken is worse than putting down a sick dog, and a factory farm chicken is loads worse than that. (ducks before flaming begins)

[Scribe]

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

I voted 500-1000. We could afford more without ruining ourselves financially, but honestly, the dog is just a dog. He has had a good life so far, and I don't want him to suffer, but our family has much higher financial priorities than spending over 1000$ on the dog. And I don't think the physical wellness of our pet comes above the financial wellness of the family. I know some people will think I am cruel and heartless.

Yeah. I have a huge, huge problem with that. I wish people who think they want would not get domestic pets.

[Katie Bugs Mama]

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo

For us, it isn't a certain amount of money, but would depend on the circumstance and diagnosis.

That's the way I feel. We just opted out of a $1000 knee operation for one of our cats. The issue wasn't the money (thank goodness,) but rather that the vet didn't convince me that immediate surgery was the best course of treatment.

Right now, we pay around $2/day for the medications and supplements that keep our 14yo dog Abigail comfortable, happy, and (reasonably) active. Every month or two we also spend a couple of hundred dollars on bloodwork and such to make sure that the meds aren't messing up any of her organs. It's a lot of money, but I don't begrudge her a penny of it.

She's a member of the family; she needs the medicine; and we can put together the money. That's the bottom line for me.

[thismama]

Originally Posted by aaronsmom

This.
I voted 100-500 dollars because we wouldn't be able to afford anything else lump sum. Lucky for us, nothing like this has ever happened.
I love my dog but I don't think I'd take out loans or run up cc's to pay for thousands of dollars in treatment.

ITA. I could pay 500-600, but it would hurt. A lot.

[Jilian]

I think before Tigger's emergency I would have said somewhere under $500. But things are so much different when you are actually faced with that decision. I feel like I've taken the responsibility for his care when adopting him - just like you do when you adopt a child. A life is a life no matter how small IMO. I'm the type that would charge it at the time then figure out how to pay it off later. I've manged to sell a lot of stuff since Tigg's block last week and have raised a little over $200 towards his ER bill. I know I will manage the rest somehow. I don't think I'd ever be able to live with myself knowing I allowed him to be killed over an easily curable affliction. I'm lucky that I have a cc with a high-ish limit and I know many others do not. I honestly don't think I could ever give the ok to euthanize him. Probably only if he had something terminal and was suffering.

[loitering]

Can I ask a slightly OT question - do any of you have pet insurance? I'm looking at plans for my (8 year old recently adopted) dog that would cost about $30-40/month and would cover up to $5000 per accident or illness per year. Since a quick trip to the vet the other day that should have cost $50 turned into $280, I'm realizing that I MUST get coverage right away.

[rhubarbarin]

I said $2000-$3000. I have a few thousand dollars saved up, but I wouldn't blow it all immediately - perhaps 2 grand, then I would put some on credit and borrow some from my boyfriend or my mom.

For me it totally depends on the problem and the prognosis. If the prognosis wasn't good - cancer that had spread, or a very serious accident - I would put them to sleep.

I would spend money on surgury to remove localized tumors, joint surgury or an artificial joint that would improve their quality of life, varied injuries from a car accident, digestive or bladder issues, etc.

I love my animals dearly, but I'm not ever willing to spend outside my means or go into major debt for anything, except my own life or my (hypothetical) child's.

[kmeyrick]

To me, my pets are really, really important. They are members of my family. It's why I brought them into my home. It's not that I would starve my children for them, but to be frank, I think I would pay whatever I could. They aren't just animals to me. If they were, I wouldn't have them at all. Who wants an animal with no manners and only bathes by force running around the house? Squirrels aren't welcome in my home, neither are raccoons. My little friends are far more than animals, to me.

[polyhymnia]

Originally Posted by loitering

Can I ask a slightly OT question - do any of you have pet insurance? I'm looking at plans for my (8 year old recently adopted) dog that would cost about $30-40/month and would cover up to $5000 per accident or illness per year. Since a quick trip to the vet the other day that should have cost $50 turned into $280, I'm realizing that I MUST get coverage right away.

We have VPI pet ins. It's not the best but it's reasonable. Their coverage caps are really low compared to costs of vet care in my area. BUT it has paid for itself over and over with our boy who is prone to urinary blockages. I can't speak to preexisting conditions though as we have had it from the start. We pay between $80-100 in premiums (more for the older one, less for the younger) and this past year paid an extra $60 in premium to upgrade to a higher level of cover for our older boy that will cover part of his tooth cleaning later this year.

I do NOT find their "routine care supplement" to be worth it in general though - as we have indoor cats, the extra $100 premium is NOT made back in savings; their coverage limits mean we would get back about $50 toward their annual visits/shots/etc.

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

I voted 500-1000. We could afford more without ruining ourselves financially, but honestly, the dog is just a dog.

I'd understand more if you could not afford it, but if you can and just don't feel like it - that doesn't make sense to me. I guess you've put a price on the value of your dog's life. I hope he never gets sick. I know animals can be replaced just like children, and husbands, and wives, but they are all living, breathing, beings who deserve a chance at life. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to attack you, your post just made me really, really sad.

[MaddieMay]

We knew when we went into pet ownership that it was going to cost money and it *might* someday cost a lot of money, so we planned for that. Therefore, it wouldn't depend so much on money for us, but what was best for our dog. If that meant spending $3K out of our emergency fund for him, so be it. If was in his best interest to be put down, that's the decision we'd make for him as well.

[FancyD]

Originally Posted by avengingophelia

For me, the physical well-being of the non-human members of my family is more important than the financial well-being of the human members. Period.

Wow. I totally do not agree with this.

Now, I would pay whatever I could afford for my kitteh, but I wouldn't do it if it would cause my son any harm.

[Scribe]

Financial well-being. Financial. Like, racking up debt.

We have VPI for the dogs. It pays for itself plus some so far, and that's without any major emergencies. The cats are not insured, but will be when they get a bit older.

[Purple*Lotus]

Dh and I voted on the $1000-$2000 for what we could pay.

Our one cat was spayed and had a lot of complications and emergency middle of the night visits. That was around $2000 for all of that.

[Scribe]

Oh, and to the earlier post re: the difference between putting a dog down and eating a chicken, or whatever. For me, the difference is that I believe when I take an animal in to my home and make it part of my family, I enter into an obligation to that animal, to take care of it, a dependent being, to the very best of my ability. And certainly that includes providing for its medical care.

[queenjane]

if you don't have $88 for a very discounted vet bill, you really can't afford a pet in this day and age with the cost of vet care and animal care in general.

but her cat was very old....it IS possible that 16 yrs ago, she *could* afford it. The economy really sucks right now. For some people, right before payday or right after paying the rent, they really truly do not have two nickels to rub together. Maybe that lady paid the $88 bucks and thought "crap i hope they dont turn off my lights now that i can't put that toward the bill" or maybe that was a couple of weeks worth of gas for her car to get to work.

I envy those of you who have 5-6 thousand dollars worth of available credit or the good credit to qualify for a personal loan. I have maxed out my care credit paying for teeth (on myself) i needed repaired (not for cosmetic reasons but for 'i'm in so much pain i want to die' reasons), my credit cards (with very low limits) are already maxed out, and the most i think i'd be able to scrape together to pay for my cats' illness would be *maybe* $500-1000 provided i could get an advance in my pay and borrow from family. I guess i *could* have left them to be euthanized in that rural dog pound when they were kittens, in anticipation of this day when i'd be broke (heck, i was pretty broke then too!)...but i think they've enjoyed themselves these past eight years.


Katherine

[Scribe]

When Chance was having surgeries for bloat, they had us sign off on everything, due to costs. But they never said "how are you going to pay for this?" We just had a bill at the end. Even if I wouldn't have had the credit to pay that bill, I would have run it up. Let them send collections. His life was on the line.

[LittleRockstar]

I said other (and I hate to answer "other.") It would depend on the diagnosis and the probable outcome, quality of life... I put about $4000 into the ass of an 8 year old dog and have never regretted it for a minute. I might have made a different decision if the surgery hadn't had a 95% chance of being a complete success.

Maybe this answers your question -- Accepting an animal into our family means that we will provide for that animal to the best of our abilities, which sometimes includes expensive medical care. The cost is not a factor, the quality of life for the animal is a huge factor. We are not wealthy. I'm a SAHM and DH is a teacher.

[ZenMamaJen]

Originally Posted by avengingophelia

For me, the physical well-being of the non-human members of my family is more important than the financial well-being of the human members. Period.

I used to feel this way...and then I had kids and had to actually worry about where our money goes.

[Denvergirlie]

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

I voted 500-1000. We could afford more without ruining ourselves financially, but honestly, the dog is just a dog. He has had a good life so far, and I don't want him to suffer, but our family has much higher financial priorities than spending over 1000$ on the dog. And I don't think the physical wellness of our pet comes above the financial wellness of the family. I know some people will think I am cruel and heartless.

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