Most You Would Pay Pet / Vet?

[myrdale]

I am a cat person. Dogs are quite nice, but personally I've always perfered cats.

While I was home, I found out our oldest cat, about 14 yrs old, had just developed an infected and swollen leg. Additionally she had developed what my mother thought was brest cancer with in the past couple of weeks.

We took her to the vet. The brest cancer was just a cist and fluid, he drained it with out issue. The swollen leg was the result of a bite (probably from one of the other cats). She was put to sleep, the wound cut open to drain, then sewed shut with drains. She was groggy for a day but is now back to being her normal "greater than thou" self. Stiches come out Thursday, all should be fine. The total vet bill was about $200.

This got me too thinking, where would you draw the line for pet bills? And how does age play into it?

I guess alot would have to be factored in: Age, breed, value, & relationship (that is abstract).

Consider if a stray with the same problems were thrown off at our house, and we were interested in keeping it. We'd treat it ourselves, and nurse it back to health. But I doubt we would spend $200 on a vet bill for a stray on day one. If it did not recover, we would most likely put it down. If we were not interested in keeping it, we would put it down from the start.

If it were some fancy high dollar breed of dog or cat, $200 would be a drop in the bucket and would almost be spent with out a second thought. For example, my sister, God bless her, paid $250 for a chiwawa. It has a hip problem and has to take pain pills. A minor expense consider the price of the dog. (Yes I know $200 is nothing compaired to $2000).

Because of her age (the cat), if it had been cancer, we would not have had surgery for her. We would let her live "As long as she maintained quality of life". If at any point she were in noticeable pain, we would put her down.

I firmly believe that if your going to have pets, you owe it too them to provide a decient life. I hate to give a dollar value and say at $200 we will treat our pet, but at $250 we will let them go.

What are your thoughts? If we get 1 more year of healthy life from her, I will say the $200 had been well spent.

[gamecock43]

Our beloved Rottie just passed away from cancer. She had been slowly developing it over a period of 6 months. Over that 6 month period...I think we spent $3,000 on tests, drugs, surgeries. If the diagnosis had been optimistic "I think we can get it all and she should be fine for several more years"...we would have spent double that if we needed to.

We had some CC debt as a result of the vet bills, and if we went double we would have had big CC debt for our meager salaries. But debt is something you can slowly get out from under, losing a 'family member' is something you can never get back.

BUT!! My guy and I don't have kids. And big problems. That might affect things-

AND!! I have a nice story to share-

My old employer was at the vet one day just for a dog checkup and a family of 3 kids and a father were already there waiting for results of some dog tests. Their dog had jumped out of the back of their moving truck bed and been hit by a car.

The vet came out and told them that the dog needed surgery for a broken leg.

The father told the vet he could not afford it and to put the dog down. The kids started wailing and sobbing. The father just tried to comfort the kids and get them ready to say goodbye to the dog.

My employer pulled the receptionist over and said she would pay for the surgery. Just to put it on her bill. She didn't even ask about prices. Obv. the father was thankful and couldn't believe it. And the dog ended up being fine (to the best of my knowledge).

I always think of that story and wonder at what point in the pay scale range I would need to be to do something like that....

[rennigade]

Some people are freaks when it comes to their pets. They would much rather see a pet get medical attention than another human. It makes me sick. Those people have serious personal issues they really need to deal with.

I dont think age plays any role in deciding to have your pet put down. What the deciding factor should be is if the pet is in constant pain, and if a simple surgery or pills will only supress the pain, then I would say its a no brainer. Put the animal out of its misery.

[simpleyme]

when our dog ate rat poison we paid a vet 250 bucks to save her

I realized she had eaten it I looked at my husband and said if we do not get her to the vet she WILL die, if we take her it will be a couple hundred bucks at least

my DH ( a cheapo) says lets get her to the vet, so I do not know for sure how much we would spend I love my dog but it is a dog unlike some people I do not consider my pets children (I do consider them lovable little creatures )
but since spending the 250 i cannot say with certainty that we would not spend a lot it just depends

[Ima saver]

Well, my dog IS my child and I would spend any amount of money to keep her alive and well. And I do mean any amount, be it $200. $2000 or $200,000. She is the joy of my life!

[FrugalFish]

One of our cats has tested us over the past 3 years. We've spent well more on her than I could have imagined spending on a cat, but I've also gained good perspective on the situation too.

When it comes to spending on the animals veterinary care, I look at the situation as an individual one- what is the prognosis? What is the likely outcome of treatment? Is it the right thing to do for the animal? Having done a few things in the past for a cat who developed cancer, I would never put a cancer animal through any treatment- not even surgery. That cat would have had a better quality of life had we left well enough alone and let time decide when her quality of life was gone; she never did heal well from the surgery.

The 14 year old cat we have now has kidney disease and hyperthyroid. Both are manageable for her without a tremendous amount of trouble. A pill twice a day for the thyroid, and subcutaneous fluids every few days to help flush out toxins her kidneys can't keep up with. She has to go to the vet for blood work a minimum of 4 times a year... anyway, it all adds up, but she's far from being ready to die, so I can't not spend the money on her, KWIM? We may have to cut some corners to make vet bills, but it doesn't affect our quality of life, or ability to save.

Recently, this same kitty had begun to have dental problem. Actually, she's had dental problems for a long time, but it was getting to the point that it was affecting her quality of life. Anesthesia is a pretty big risk for old cats, and especially old cats with compromised systems. I felt very trapped between the proverbial rock and hard place. I couldn't put her down because of bad teeth when otherwise (even with her health problems) she seemed to be doing great and living a normal quality of life, but OTOH we knew that the anesthesia might kill her and then we'd have a dead cat and a big vet bill. In the end I decided that I'd rather be out the money and have given her the chance than live with the guilt of not having given her a chance. Between all the tests, meds, procedures, etc. she needed we spent $750 on her that week. We didn't tell many people because most would probably think we are nuts for putting that much into an already ill cat. It was the right thing to do for her. As of now she seems to be doing great and is much happier not having painful teeth. I don't know how long she will maintain a normal quality of life, and that was the point- she could be here for another 4 years with as well as she is doing.

It is expensive. It does cause me stress at times. But the day to day treatment she receives is simple and has no negative effects on her- that's a major key to doing it for me and sort of trumps the financial end of it. The vet always comments that she doesn't look like a 14 year old cat and she has a beautiful coat. You would probably never know that underneath the soft fur and wild eyes is a bit of a sick cat.

All that said, there is a limit. I certainly could not go bankrupt for an animal. The inclination for me is to lean towards conservative treatments and give the animal the best quality of life that is reasonable under the circumstances.

[geojen]

Some people are freaks when it comes to their pets. They would much rather see a pet get medical attention than another human. It makes me sick. Those people have serious personal issues they really need to deal with.

I dont think age plays any role in deciding to have your pet put down. What the deciding factor should be is if the pet is in constant pain, and if a simple surgery or pills will only supress the pain, then I would say its a no brainer. Put the animal out of its misery.

Wow, your statement appears to be just a sweeping generality. Why do you think that people who have the resources to give their pets, who they have taken in and vowed to care for, are freaks for carrying out that responsibility? And why is that to the exclusion of people getting care? I really don't understand your opinion at all.

IMHO, if you have decided to take a pet into your home, it is your responsibility to make sure that animal has a good, healthy life.

[boosami]

Some people are freaks when it comes to their pets. They would much rather see a pet get medical attention than another human. It makes me sick. Those people have serious personal issues they really need to deal with.

It makes me sick you pay for an internet connection when you could be giving that money to homeless people who need healthcare.

[Ima saver]

When my animals get old and are ready to pass, I do hire a vet to come out to the house and put them to sleep humanely. I would not ever let them suffer. I found Lucy full grown, she had been abandoned in a barn and she was freezing. We had her for 16 years. When she quit eating completely and did not seem to know where she was, we had her put to sleep.
I could not imagine life without a dog to love. I still have my little Holly and would do anything for her.

[Fizgig]

I'm kind of afraid to respond to this post because my opinions are pretty judgemental.

If $50 is a make/break point between a pet living and dying, then I do not think that person is in a position to own a pet. It is a luxury but once it's taken on, it's an obligation. It deeply upsets me that someone can run a cost-benefit analysis on saving a critter that lives only to love you.

However, I do think that age and overall health/quality of life DO factor into treatment choices. I have a 13 year old dachshund with a history of back problems. At age 7, he had a $5000 back surgery that I didn't think twice about. Now at 13, I don't think that's an appropriate treatment to put him through. He has had minor back incidents since then and has recovered with medication and crate rest, at a cost of about $300 per time. If he were in constant pain it would be agonizing for me but I would put him down.

[Gruntina]

This got me too thinking, where would you draw the line for pet bills? And how does age play into it?

As far as pet's age, the longer I have had the pet the more attached I am to that pet emotionally and will pay expensive medical treatment even when it’s old.
I get attached to pets fairly quickly, but if I just got a kitten and found out one month later that it had cancer or the like, I would try to give it back to the animal sanctuary (not humane society but foster programs) as they are better equip to handle a severely sick kitten while I am not deeply attached to it yet and adopt another kitten. (Just being honest here). I might as well adopt a kitten that is healthy to ensure it’s not stuck jumping from foster home to foster homes while the sick kitten will not live for long.

[Caoineag]

I try to focus on quality of life. I would be willing to pay for expensive treatment but only if it gave the animal quality time, not a painful miserable life. I personally feel that humans should have that option too (which we don't, our medical system is designed to drag it out even when you don't want it).

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Fizgig, I agree 100%. I am going to be unpopular and say why are people crying over $50! Geez, don't get a pet if you aren't willing to be responsible.

There is no dollar value for me, only quality of life. Meaning, no pain and can live happily.

And I have 2 dogs. And like Caoineag, I feel the same about humans. My great-grandmother is 99 years old. IF she had breast cancer now like my mom said a 92 year she knows had, it would BE crazy to subject her to Chemo and Surgery. Forget it. Is it cruel to tell great-grandma, don't do it? Maybe, but surgery and chemo aren't exactly walks in the parks.

$50 by the way is one month of cable. IF you have a pet and are putting them down over $50 but haven't cut cable, I think it's morally wrong.

[Cassandra]

I couldn't put a set dollar amount that I wouldn't go over.

In the 7th grade, a black cat wandered into our backyard. My dad hates cats but I love them and until then we never had a cat. I gave the cat some food and water and the cat stuck around. Unfortunately, the cat was very ill. We kept her for a year, probably paid at least $1,000 in vet bills and medicines to make her better, but in the end we put her down. Not because of the cost, but because the vet said she probably wasn't going to get better and we didn't want her to live in pain.

My current cat broke her paw once. Surgery and medicine came close to $1,000. My parents didn't even think twice about paying that bill. The only concern they had was if she was going to wake up after the surgery.

My pets are part of my family and I would be willing to pay any amount if the treatment would work and help them more than it would hurt them.

[cptacek]

A guy at work just paid $300 to give his chicken a hysterectomy.

The chicken lived for one more day and then died.

I am not kidding