Pet lovers, how far are you willing to go financially?

[CrazyCatLady]

How far would you go financially for a pet? I'm not talking dollar amounts, really, but how close to edge of ruin would you push yourself for your pets?

I just wonder because we had a guy in last night who was wanting to keep going with a dog with a really poor prognosis, despite the fact that he really couldn't afford it. When the vet brought up the financial considerations, he said he'd declare bankruptcy to continue treating this dog that he'd already poured four grand into.

I understand the urge to do everything you can manage, but at the same time, I can't imagine that putting himself in that sort of financial situation could possibly be good for his two small children.

Several months back, there was a guy who'd spent $5,000 on emergency surgeries on his dog over a period of four months...and was losing his house. (He was angry and verbally abusive because we wouldn't treat his dog for free, and I started a Pit thread about him but that's neither here nor there, really.)

Does the outlook make a difference in how far you're willing to strain your finances? How bleak do things have to look before you decide the strain isn't worth it?

The guy last night has a 2 year old sharpei mix with really, really intractable seizures. He's on everything our neurologist can put him on, and he still seizes 2 or 3 times a month. Sometimes the seizures are so severe that they're almost impossible to stop; two months ago we had to put him on a constant infusion of injectable anesthesia to stop them. If we let him wake up at all, he seized. Last night, we gave that dog so many meds that we were afraid he'd fall off the needle dead, and he was still tremoring for another half-hour.

This dog isn't fixable; he's epiliptic, and there's no cure for epilepsy. All you can do is try to control it, and this dog's never going to be well-controlled. He's going to need expensive emergency treatment every month or two for the next ten years, assuming he doesn't seizure himself to death one night while they're sleeping. So where would you draw the line in a case like this?

[Lsura]

I have limited resources right now, so if either cat developed anything serious, I'd have to think long and hard about what to do. I would never put my home in jeopardy - most animals don't live as long as we do, and that's something we have to accept when we take them in as part of our lives. But we also have a responsibility that we accept when we take a pet in to keep them healthy, happy and comfortable.

In the situation that you describe, I would say it's past time for that dog to be let go. Not out of cruelty, because I think it's creuler to keep it alive the way things are right now, but out of respect for the life it had. Continuing in this way doesn't help the pet or the owner, from my point of view.

[Miabella]

I think it depends on the circumstances. I spent over $6,000 in 18 months on orthopedic surgeries for my dog (total hip replacement and TPLO for torn cruciate ligament), but these were things that I felt would have a good chance at a lasting positive outcome. Alot of that went on the credit card, but I didn't have children or other responsibilities to worry about.

But then the same dog developed cancer (hemangiosarcoma), and the vet gave a very poor prognosis even with aggressive treatment. We decided to euthanize rather than put her through something that didn't promise a good chance at a successful outcome.

[Eve]

Well, I have spent thousands over the past 14 years on Dorothy, the Elizabeth Taylor of the cat world. She's on two medications (for thyroid and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) and has had two heart attacks, kidney failure, bladder-stone surgery and two hernias. But amazingly, she's still happy and peppy and as evil as a Bond villain.

CrazyCatLady, a question: she had her first heart attack when she was less than a year old, and my vet says it is unheard of for a cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to live this long. True? Shall I call the Guinness Book of Records?

[OneYogini]

I agree with Lsura. Prolonging a sick animals life for our own benefit is just so sad. Put them out of their misery so they don't have to suffer. We want our pets to live happy lives!

I have been called Crazy Cat Lady by my friends too (I feed the feral cats at work...even on the weekends!)! I have a cat that I adopted from a shelter. After only a couple of weeks after getting him he stopped eating (I travelled alot and had never had a cat before and expected he would be fine for 2 or 3 days by himself with plenty of food and water - - I had a lot to learn!). I ended up paying $1000 for him to undergo surgery to put in a feeding tube. I then spent the next 6 weeks feeding him 3 times a day through the tube with a syringe of mushy, watered down food (I drove home on my lunch hour every day!). He had to wear a little sock around his belly to keep the tube covered up so he wouldn't pull at it, it was awful. Anyway, we survived and he is a happy, healthy, 13 lb., spoiled rotten kitty!

So I would spend the money I could afford to spend (beg, borrow or steal!) if it made the animals quality of life better and wasn't just prolonging the inevitable.

Yogini :)

[cowgirl]

This is a very, very, very hard question to answer.

When I get pets, I will get them pet insurance, hopefully to save me from having to answer it.

Is this a practical option, do you think?

[Bobby Roberts]

I definitely agree with your sentiment Yogini on not putting the animal through more suffering than necessary. There's comes a point when you've just got to ask yourself if you're keeping the animal alive for itself or for you.

It sounds like this dog is definitely beyond that point. Surgeries every couple months is very tough on that dog. Why would you want to put your loving animal through so much pain over and over again? Especially without a good chance for improvement.

[StGermain]

A lot would depend on prognosis and quality of life. I had a dog who blew out both ACLs in her back legs. After surgeries for that, when she was about 12, she had a malignant tumor on her side. The vet said that if we removed it, there was a 50% chance it would return within two years. But since she was already 12, I figured two more years was well worth it. I babied her through surgeries, old age and the urinary incontinance that accompanied it, cooking special food for her when I didn't even cook for myself. I don't regret any of it. And when it came time to put her down, because of an inner-ear thing the vet said wouldn't get better, and she was dazed and confused and couldn't stand up, I was okay with it. Heart-broken, but I knew I'd done everything for her, had given her needs priority and gotten back from her the love and devotion that makes it all worthwhile. Money was never a consideration, fortunately. Yes, I've gone into debt for my animals, but never to the point where it could possibly ruin me financially.

StG

[jeevmon]

I hope really to never have to find out. I think as long as the dog could still enjoy a good quality of life, I would move heaven and earth to find the cash. But I don't have human kids who need braces and college funds yet, so the dynamic may change then.

[SkeptiJess]

We would go on a case-by-case basis. Our family pet is a Smooth Fox terrier named Max. He's 5 years old and we all love him dearly. If he were to suffer an accident or an illness with a good prognosis we would spend as much as we could afford to cure him. We would not risk bankruptcy or losing our house, but we would certainly tighten our belts to a pretty severe degree. This would assume that by having him treated we would be restoring him to full health with a normal life-expectancy. If he were a much older dog, I would be less likely to allow very extensive treatment for him -- both for his good and ours. Usually really expensive medical treatment for animals is pretty intrusive and you can't explain to a pet why you're putting him through painful or uncomfortable treatment while lodging him at the vet's office instead of in his own comfy home. I would consider it worth putting a young, otherwise healthy animal through a difficult month or two if the payoff was likely to be 10 or 15 healthy, happy years. For a pet with only a few years left in his natural life expectancy, making him spend one or two nasty months seems pretty unkind. And, from a purely financial perspective, 10 or 15 years with a healthy, happy pet is a reasonable payoff for 5 or 6 grand, IMO, while 2 or 3 years with an old, ailing pet probably isn't. And, even in a young pet, extensive treatment for a debilitating illness with a poor prognosis is probably cruel rather than kind.

Two examples: Years ago I had a friend who bought a Sheltie puppy which turned out to have parvo. He had had his first parvo shoot, so, with a lot of expensive medical care, he survived. My friend could barely afford the medical charges -- she ended up getting a credit card and putting the $1500 or $2000 dollars on that and paying it off over the next year or two. But, as I said, the dog survived with no ill effects and was a much beloved family pet until his death from old age.

I knew another couple who poured thousands and thousands of dollars into a Mini Schnauzer with a rapid growing cancer. They authorized a number of extremely experimental treatments, but the poor dog never really had a chance. In the end, they spent a nice large chunk of money to essentially torture their sweet dog to death over a period of 6 weeks.

[Revtim]

This is a nightmare situation I have thought about, and could not come to a satisfactory answer. I *really* hope I never have to make such decisions.

[Ferret Herder]

Depends on the situation. In grad school I put a ~$500 surgery on a credit card for my ferret - he was only a year old and had swallowed a thick rubber band, and would die without the surgery. But since then I've had other ferrets develop cancer (all too common unfortunately), and if the vet said 'this will only prolong life for a few months, maybe a year, and I can't guarantee a good quality of life during that time' then it's time to say goodbye, and allow the pet to pass away with some dignity and as little pain as possible.

[phraser]

How far would you go financially for a pet? I'm not talking dollar amounts, really, but how close to edge of ruin would you push yourself for your pets?
This dog isn't fixable; he's epiliptic, and there's no cure for epilepsy. All you can do is try to control it, and this dog's never going to be well-controlled. He's going to need expensive emergency treatment every month or two for the next ten years, assuming he doesn't seizure himself to death one night while they're sleeping. So where would you draw the line in a case like this?

I guess I see these as two very fundamentally different questions, but I'm going to try and answer them together.

I'm a vet, and I'm young, single, and unable to have children (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=227720&perpage=50&pagenumber=1), not that I think I'd want them anyway. So, I suppose I can honestly say that my elderly burmese cat is my family. She is the only one who has been there for me through the crap that my life has turned into over the last couple of years, and I think the world of her.
So, how far would I go? Basically, as long as certain provisions were fulfilled, which I will explain shortly, I would spend everything I had, and ring all my friends and relatives and beg or borrow money. I would take as big a bank loan as I could get. I'd beg in the gutter.
People at work often come in with a critically ill pet and say "money is not the important thing, we just want him/her to get better", which is a sentiment that I can understand... but these people are often shocked at exactly how big the bill can get (for example, a dog with snakebite envenomation on a ventilator with critical care around the clock usually makes a bill of over AU$1000 a day... and may be in hospital for two weeks). I guess I can claim that I honestly know how much treatment can and might cost, and I am prepared for that when I say "money is no object". Bankrupcy, ruin, homelessness. I guess that's the level I'd go to. Admittedly my cat wouldn't have much of a life if I were homeless, so if that happened she'd have to go live with my parents :( But it would be worth it to me. And I expect I'd feel the same about any subsequent pets.

Now, those provisions: If the disease was terminal and was causing her to suffer, and palliative therapy had reached the end of its use (eg advanced stage cancer, advanced heart failure), I would most likely not opt to treat any further and would seek a kind death for her. However, that wouldn't be a financially motivated decision.
If the disease was not terminal, but quality-of-life limiting (for example, severe arthritis, which is what she has), I would pursue palliative therapy until it was no longer effective at maintaining her quality of life, and then seek a kind death (once again, not a financially motivated decision).
If the disease was something that could be repaired (even if expensively, like a fractured femur requiring a bone plate or something like that) but would not impact on her quality of life, and treating her would not cause her to suffer, then the fact that she's 11 and I don't expect her to live more than another year, two at best, because of her arthritis, then I would still get it done. The investment of $2000 for a bone plate is more than worth the time to me.

So, that brings us to the uncontrolled epileptic dog. I guess the thing to consider for me in this situation is: how much has been done to try and control this dog's seizures, and is it suffering?

If it were my dog, I'd have probably seen at least two specialist neurologists for opinions on how to manage it and would probably have it on a fairly sophisticated medication regime. I'd probably take it to work with me so that I could keep an eye on it, so if it were possible to control its seizures I would be doing so. However, I acknowledge that that's beyond most people. I'd be hoping that if that were possible for this dog, then it would be better controlled. If, however, it weren't, it would all come down to whether the dog was suffering from the effects of its seizures. Most seizuring dogs seem to be blissfully unaware of the effect of their seizures, even though they look dramatic, and if they are effectively controlled quickly then the physical side effects (on the kidneys, etc) can be minimised. From speaking to human friends with epilepsy, I seem to understand that people aren't aware of what is happening while they are having a seizure, and if I could generalise this to the dog and decide that, despite its seizures, it wasn't suffering, I would continue to treat it. Once the dog's quality of life was being reduced by the frequency of seizures (and I guess I'd have to be living with the dog to work that out), I'd seek a kind death for it. It still wouldn't be a financial decision, even if I was absolutely broke - but I always have the option of being able to treat my pets myself at cost of drugs and materials (and donating my time) if things get very difficult financially. I don't currently treat my pets because I don't feel I would be able to be objective enough.

[mnemosyne]

I don't think I can answer this question either. My heart says I would do ANYTHING to save my pets from illness, but I can't afford "anything" and the prognosis really comes into play. It comes down to the individual situation, which I hope I'll never be in.

Several years ago, when my first dog fell ill, my parents didn't think twice about paying for whatever it would take to help him, though everything happened in the space of a day, and we didn't know what we were up against. IIRC, nearly a thousand dollars were spent that day, just trying to stabilize a dog that was little more than a puppy (2.5 years) who had suddenly stopped walking, eating, hearing, had eyes rolled back into his head, tounge rolling out..... We even drove him over an hour's drive to the veterinary school, since our local vet was at a loss. In the end, we lost him to a heart attack, but I have no doubt that my parents would have paid more as long as he was alive, at least until we knew what was happening. The dog's death devastated my sister, and my parents couldnt stand to see her suffer.

We never really did find out what killed him. A simple autopsy testing for rabies and common household poisons all turned up negative. We'd like to believe it was a stroke, but we'll never know. My parents chose not to spend an additional 600$ on a more detailed autopsy. We adopted another dog 3 days later, as it was clear my sister needed the routine, the companionship, and as luck would have it, another kennel happened to have a puppy ready for adoption - that's where the 600$ went instead! Turns out that new dog was full brother to my cousin's dog, so the adoption was done really quickly since we could be vouched for.

I still miss that mutt (purebred Golden, actually, but I like to call them mutts!) Now I'm crying, and I can't wait to see my dog when I go home!

:(

[katie1341]

It would depend on the prognosis for me, too. I have 3 pets- 2 cats, a 12-yr-old and a 19-yr-old. The 19-yr old is incredibly healthy, given her age, and hasn't shown any of the usual ailments of old cats. Auggie, the Cutest Dog on the Planet (TM), is only about 20 months old. I would happily go into debt, a lot of debt, if I could be assured that the procedure would help and that the quality of life would be maintained. I'd go so far as to mortgage the house if I had to.

I've never had to make the decision to put an animal to sleep, as I still have all of the pets I've acquired as an adult. I would likek to think that I would know when to give up, and not let one of my beloved pets suffer just because I'm not ready to let go.

[monstro]

During my first year of grad school, my cat took a fall from a window and broke lots and lots of bones. The doctor gave me the prognosis and I decided that I couldn't afford treatment and I didn't want to put Ziggy through all that pain.

The whole bill came out to be $300, including the x-rays and the Fatal-Plus they put into him. I was only making $12,000 a year, and having to pay that bill made my grief even worse. But I don't know what else I could have done. I don't think I could have killed Ziggy on my own. :(

[Eve]

"Fatal-Plus?!"

Who names these things?

[lachesis]

i'd post in more detail, but i'd be crying my eyes out here at work, and i'd prefer not to do that.

suffice to say, after several thousand dollars over the past year, i still was faced with putting down 2 of my horses within about 6 months of each other (my two oldest). sometimes all the money you can muster still just isn't enough.

i'm planning on getting that little memorial plaque i saw in a catalog... the one that says (possibly misquoted): "If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever."

damn, now i'm crying anyway.

[deb2world]

I am answering that question right now. My dog, Sasserfras, is a 3 yr old pound puppy who is a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix (I have had many different opinions from vets and dog experts of what the "mix" is). So my initial investment was only like $100 and she came fixed and with all her shots.

Since January of this year she has had 2 TPLO surgeries at over $3000/ea since she blew out both of her back knees. She is now going to an animal dermatologist for an infection and skin condition that is not responding to antibiotics, plus Sasser is hypotyroid. We just started ANOTHER type of antibiotic which only comes in injection form, so twice a day I give Sasser a shot. I have spent over $1000 and we are not even close to being finished in her treatment. Sasser has also been to the vet numerous times before I started taking her to this dermatologist.

Now I will admit to having a good enough job that these treatments are not anywhere sending me to bankruptcy, but it is causing me a budget carefully. Plus I have to take time off of work to take her to her doctors visits. Both her surgeon and dermatologist are over an hour away in good traffic, if we have an early morning appt during rush hour, we are in traffic for a couple of hours.

Sasser is a sweet, loving dog who when I take her on her walks the kids down the street run to her yelling "doggie" and hang onto her and Sasser gives kisses to each one of them. She just loves children. She is good with other dogs (but this is only since she started having to go to the vet so often). So as long as the prognosis is good for recovery I will do whatever it takes to get Sasser well. The good thing is that the injections seem to be working a bit since she doesn't have alot of new sores coming up on her skin as she was, but we are still waiting for the biopsy results to come back to hopefully tell us more about what she has.

[Mr. Excellent]

I'd go pretty damn far to save my cat - but not to total, abject poverty. Much as I love my cat, I'm not willing to give up shelter and have to live on friend's couches, nor am I willing to end up on charity or food stamps - basically, the financial cut-off is that point where I could no longer sustain myself *or* provide food and shelter for my cat without massive financial assitance that I would be unable to repay within some well-defined period.

In other words, I'd be willing to endure considerable financial hardship, and perhaps *temporarily* depend on the kindness of family and friends - but if keeping my cat alive required making financial decisions so damaging that I couldn't see a way out of them within the medium to long term - then I just couldn't do it. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but I couldn't.

[pepperlandgirl]

How far would I push myself to financial ruin?
I'm teetering on financial ruin as it is. I can afford the routine shots and check-ups, food, litter, and other needs, but if there was a major surgery required or another expensive emergency, I simply wouldn't have the resources to pay for it. I don't have a house to put on the line, I don't have anything of value.

[Stonebow]

I have kids. As much as I love our two Corgies, there's no way I'd ask my kids to sacrifice their futures to save them. So no expensive treatments, especially for chronic issues.

For those that don't have kids, I sort of understand what you've been saying about where your pets fit into your lives, even though I find it hard to agree. I hope that you can understand my position on it.

[Kalhoun]

I'd dip into savings SOMEWHAT if there was a good prognosis. We had issues with two cats last winter. They both died, but we went a couple hundred on each, until it was clear they weren't going to survive. It's tough, but you work with the vet and you'll know when to stop.

[Max Torque]

I love my pets, but Fluffy is not getting a kidney transplant. Ordinary medical care, sure, but I'm not about to spend everything I have to prolong the life of a non-human. I guess I've come to realize that pets, however wonderful they are as companions, are only transitory company by design.

Go on, call me a cold hearted bastard.

[whiterabbit]

It would really depend on the situation. While I haven't had to have a pet put down, I HAVE had to give one up for his own good; I couldn't care for him properly where I'm living now.

My budget is limited. Very limited. While I can cover routine things like shots -- and if you can't afford the yearly stuff, you can't afford a pet -- I couldn't afford a vet bill that was over a few hundred, unless said vet was willing to work out a payment plan.

My cat had a bad bout with a urinary tract infection several years ago, the sort where their urethras get blocked completely and they can die, and I dropped about $300 at the vet that week. Afterwards, he was put on special food that costs $10 for a four-pound bag. Ouch. But well worth every penny, since he had no further blockages, and his life was otherwise unaffected. Once they get blocked once there's always a chance of it happening again, unfortunately, but I kept a very close eye on him when he was peeing. I made it very very clear to the rescue he went to that he had had this problem, and while he was okay, it could conceivably recur, and if it did it was a major emergency.

Had he gotten blocked repeatedly, though, I couldn't have afforded it, and it's a horrible condition for them. I'm sure I couldn't have afforded the worst-case scenario -- surgery to remove his penis. (Oh, he'd never have forgiven me THAT!) Unless the vet had taken mercy on me -- I'm pretty sure they would have tried -- I'd have had to have him put down. I never ever want to see a kitty of mine in that sort of pain again.

But oh, God, I love animals. What is best for them is not always what is good for me, though. Even if I could afford to drop a lot of money on vet bills, I wouldn't do it unless I was assured that the animal would have very good quality of life afterwards. I haven't had to make the decision to put one down yet, but I'm sure I will, as much of an animal person as I am.

[Rubystreak]

Wow, this is such a relevant thread for me. My cat Harley was a street rescue and had FIV when I got him. Over the years he's been diagnosed with megacolon, heart murmur, stomatitis, crystals in his urine, and now a food allergy.

his summer, he couldn't pee and had to be in the hospital for 5 days. $800. After severe bouts of constipation, he now has a diarrhea problem. Expensive tests have shown that he needs to eat hypoallergenic food. Overall, I've spent $1500+ on him, and I know he has a terminal illness that will kill him sooner or later.

I am a humble school teacher, and Harley's health care has cost me my savings. I've had to ask my dad for money, as I suddenly had to move AND put a new transmission in my car in the last 5 months in addition to hospitalizing Harley. I have no regrets about this, since his quality of life is excellent and his love and devote for me are unwavering and rewarding...

...but now I'm told that, if I want him to be comfortable and happy, I have to pull his teeth b/c of the stomatitis. This will cost upwards of $300, and with Christmas and all, I cannot do it. It will have to wait, as he is able to eat and everything. Sigh. So the long answer to your question is, I would go into debt to help my cat, but I cannot do EVERYTHING that he needs because my finances have limits. It's a judgement call I make every time he gets sick, and luckily for both of is, every time, he's recovered.

[Intent]

Over the past year and a half, I think I have spent 3 to 4 thousand dollars trying to get my horse into safe riding shape. I've easily spent more on vet bills for that horse than I paid for him. Unfortunately, after it all, surgery, joing injections, supplements, he was still not comfortable for what I want him for. But he's my baby, and I had to try. He's now semiretired, and is used for teaching people to ride. He was my first horse, and I plan to keep him around and make him the first horse of any children that I have.

And as to how much I would put into him? It would vary by situation, but if they could keep him alive, comfortably, I would pour everything into it.

[CrazyCatLady]

phraser, the dog's had a complete neuro workup, with CT, and he's just got really intractable idiopathic epilepsy. He's on the max dosages of phenobarb and KBr, and he's still having major seizure activity on a regular basis. Last night, we injected 4ml of IV Valium (I can never remember the concentration on that one), along with 8 cc of propofol, and 260 mg of phenobarbitol, before the full-blown seizure tapered off to tremors. This poor thing only weighs fifty pounds.

The last time he was in, they finally had to put him on a cri of propofol to stop the seizures, because they'd maxed out the dosages of everything else and he was still going. The bill for that stay was $2000, and what we did for him last night was about $200. Money aside, the prolonged seizure activity has pretty much fried his brain; he still gets around all right but his owners say he's just not at all the same dog he was at the beginning of the summer.

[look@hergo!]

Our cats get basic routine medical care (shots, spay, flea meds, etc) and when one had a mouth abcess, we got her antibiotics, which cleared it right up.

But my husband and I agree that we will not spend large amounts of money on an animal. Anything that would cost us more to treat than simply replacing the cat isn't an option.

This may sound cold, but even though I love my kitties, I will love the next one just as much. Unless they have a really outstanding personality or talent (playing the cello?) cats are pretty much all alike.

(look@hergo stands back and ducks, waiting for the rotten tomatoes to fly.)

[Primaflora]

We rehomed one cat when we left NZ, had one euthanised :( as he was too old to rehome or bring with us and brought two with us. That cost about $400 at a time we were very very broke.

Jim had a kidney infection last year which cost us over $500 to treat. The vet let us pay it off. He's now on an expensive special diet as is his fat brother, Bob. I don't know that I would have agreed to treatment if P the Elder had not been in the room when the vet said it was treatable.

Now Jim has diabetes and it's doubtful we will treat it longterm. I simply do not have the money or the ability to cope with a cat who needs daily injections as I'm already dealing with two kids with special needs. I love my cat but when the time comes, the time comes :(

[Archergal]

CCL, I've had 2 epileptic dogs. I've have been on a canine epilepsy email list for the last couple of years. We spent a good bit of $$ (nothing like what some of the folks posting here) on my Sasha dog to get the meds right, and she was pretty well controlled on a combination of Pb and Kbr. My Ivan dog was lots easier to control, and he takes a low dosage of Pb every day.

A lot of people on the canine epilepsy list spend lots and lots and lots of $$ on their dogs. They cook for them, buy drugs like Neurontin and rectal valium for stopping clusters, etc. Me, I'm like a lot of folks posting here, though, in that how much I'm willing to spend would depend on the prognosis for the animal. My Sasha dog died in September of a previously undiagnosed hemangiosarcoma on her heart. But if I'd known about it in advance, I don't think I would have put her through any heroic measures to keep her for another 6 months.

I feel the same way about my own health, btw. I don't know that I'd want to have a lot of expensive, painful treatments with a relatively small chance of success. Just keep me comfortable and let me go with dignity.

The Canine Epilepsy site her here (http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/), btw, just in case it might help.

[Kakkerlak]

I remain stunned at what people will put into dying animals. Why, when the juvenile versions are so damn cute?

(and Euthanol (okay, these things are named funny) is so cheap.)

My best friend is a vet, and the local Petco recently spent $400 to have a tumor removed from the head of a finch. The animal survived (good anaesthesia work, Mark !) for about a week after the surgery.

So, we know the pet store doesn't make economic decisions, either.

I don't have pets (I travel way too much) so maybe I don't understand. If it's painful and hopeless, do the right thing.
I sure wish I'd been able to do that for the last human I watched die horribly in the hospital.

[Bren_Cameron]

I just had to answer that question a bit more than a month ago. When my 17 year old cat suddenly couldn't walk or stand up, the vet said she might get better on her own in a few days, it would cost about $500 to keep her there and see if she did. For about a day she seemed to be doing a bit better, but then she started seizing. The prognosis was dramatically different at that point, so the vet told me. If it had been a question of a few more days in the hospital, or regular meds, or surgery that would help her, I would certainly have done it--or tried mightily to afford it, in any event, though I wouldn't jeopardize my kids.

But though there were more things to be done--CAT scans, and possibly surgery if there had been a brain tumor--they were all not only very expensive but unlikely to do much good, especially considering her age.

I'd hate to say to any life I was responsible for, "well, that's it, toots. We're out of money and you're out of luck." I'd want to do as much as I could. But if nothing you can do will be much help, there's no point in doing more than making the poor thing comfortable and saying goodbye, heartbreaking though it is. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get a tissue.

[Uvula Donor]

I've had pets all my life. I accept the fact that they are animals. They are not my children or my siblings. They have a shorter natural lifespan than I do.

I will not spend vast amounts of money in heroic measures to save my animals' lives. I had a yellow lab who lived to 15 years with insulin-dependent diabetes. I didn't mind spending the $20 or so every month for his insulin and needles. But if the doc had told me it would cost me, say, $3,000 to keep him alive I would have put him down.

I earned the wrath of a veterinary assistant once. When the Feline Leukemia vaccine was still experimental and expensive, I was asked by the assistant if I wanted my 2 cats immunized. She said it was important to do because they were outdoor cats and were "at risk" for feline leukemia. I said no. "Thanks anyway, but if these two die I can get new kittens just about anywhere for free." Boy, was she pissed off at me!

[G-RAY]

Not too far. Yeah the two cats we have are cute. But I can get a new one for free. There are basic costs, have them spayed /neutered, shots etc. but I am not going to go into debt if they get hit by a car or chewed up by a dog, and if the cat is over 10 years old, thats a pretty good run. I'll just get one that looks the same and name it Sally II.

[Jeep's Phoenix]

In the case of my dog, Snoopy, money was never an object. We felt that any treatment that would result in a high quality of life for her was well worth the money. When she was diagnosed with liver cancer at the age of 11, we decided to have her put down. Even then, cost wasn't the point; she was already miserable (wasn't eating, had trouble walking, etc.), and any treatment would have only prolonged that existance by a few months. That just wouldn't have been fair to her.

Since Snoopy's death, I've had several people ask when we're going to "replace" her. Each time I was asked, it made me furious. My dog was not a material possession to be replaced on a whim, she was a living creature with unique quirks and personality traits that made her an extremely important part of our family. There will be other dogs in our life, but none will be able to duplicate Snoopy.

[CanvasShoes]

Fluffy didn't make it.

Noooo, Fluffy wasn't worth 5000 dollars...

(George Carlin, I think, correct me if I'm wrong).

For my dogs? I'd go into debt (not sure if I'd go to financial ruin, I guess you'd have to define financial ruin), if it meant saving them and that they would still have a reasonable quality of life.

For instance, it's going to cost me 150 for the pair to fly to SeaTac from Anchorage, and another 160 from SeaTac to DFW.

A little over half what MY tickets were.....

Oh, and 160 for special airline crates. That's not counting the purchase price for each, the puppy and maintenance shots, the spaying (no it is NOT "spaded" it's spAYed!! arrrrgggghh), and neutering, the vet visit when one of them got sick and was acting as if she were on her deathbed, but then was perfectly fine (not even a darn doggie fever) when we got to her vet appointment.

And they're still very young dogs. One is not quite 5 and the other is just 3 months old.

[happylittlevegemite]

My dog (Bronson) was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy on November 10th. Since then I've spent a huge amount of money, vet bills, medication, and food. There is 20kg of dry food in the garage, but he is not very interested in it so I've been having to buy tinned dog food, chicken thighs, beef, lamb... basically anything he'd like to eat (since he's going to die his diet is a non-issue except for foods high in salt, they are banned)

I'm moving house in just over a month, but my power has been cut off as I spent the money for the bill on an echocardiogram for my dog, so I am staying at my mother's house until the move. I'm eating as cheaply as I possibly can, and I've spent almost all of the money I had set aside to buy christmas presents on caring for the dog. There's still some left, but I'm saving that in case Bronson goes into respiratory distress and I need a house call, or to have him put down, and also to hire the machine to dig a hole big enough for a 50kg (well, actually, 40kg now :() Dobermann in hard clay soil.

OK, so it's not like I'm close to ruin or bankruptcy... but I would be worried about it if not for the fact that Bronson will probably not even last another 10 days.

Fortunately, the vet has not charged me for a consultation for a few weeks, and last time told me I only need to pay for his medication and x ray films (but not the full cost of an x ray, should he need another one). They drained his abdomen (ascites) at no cost to me yesterday. I'm not sure if they're just being nice, or if it's because Bronson charmed them (he does that to everyone) or if it's because my mother is on the veterinary surgeon's board in this state (but I doubt that, they are competent, and they're within their rights to charge me for everything so that shouldn't be an issue for them)

Whatever the reason, it's a huge relief to me. But to finally answer the question (in my long winded fashion) I would pay whatever was needed. While the vets are still telling me he does not need to be put down, I will pay whatever it takes to keep him comfortable. I'd spend all my money then borrow some if need be. But while he's still seeming happy, interested in things and eating well despite the severity of his condition, I will do whatever I can. And spoil him rotten.

[DeVena]

Our Boy Kitty sounds a lot like whiterabbit's cat. When Boy first had the urinary block, Hubby didn't have a job and we just didnt' have money for the bill, and the vet put us on payments. By the next blockage, Hubby had gone to work part-time in the vet's office. So we had the 2nd surgery at cost. Which helped tremendously. And Boy's now gone 5 more years with no more surgeries.

Basically it's a quality of life issue, if the expensive treatment will help then I'm for it. If the treatment will only prolong a painful death then no.

[FairyChatMom]

I've always taken the best care I can of our cats and dogs. They get neutered, they get annual checkups and shots, and a couple of them have had emergency care. I've mourned them when they've gone.

But they're just animals. I'll do what I can to give them good lives and painless passings. I will not dip into savings or eat cereal for a month for any pet. I won't let them suffer, but they won't make me suffer either.

[cowgirl]

What about pet insurance? How much of this does it cover?

[even sven]

Sputnik is my first housecat. He's the first one to sleep with me at night, cuddle constantly, and generally be a full-time companion. Plus, he is a very special cat (really....he plays fetch and spins on office chairs and turns out the lights when he gets upset). All the rest of my cats have been essentially barn cats that live fairly short lives.

I hope this doesn't come up for a long time, because right now I cannot afford my own health care, and I'm not getting in debt for an animal. Plus, I have seen way to many actual human children who do not have access to important medical care to fritter it away on a cat. Sputnik? stay healthy, okay?

[Mauvaise]

I'm going through this now with my cat, Harley. He was diagnosed a year or so back with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (heart condition) as well as chronic renal failure (CRF). He was almost 10 years old. Since the diagnosis (which cost several hundred dollars in tests to get) I've spent a considerable amount to keep him healthy.

He's on twice daily meds for the heart condition, he was on lactated ringers (via Sub Q injections) 3x/weekly, but that got bumped up to every day last Saturday. He was also on prescription food ($1/can - a can a day). Recently he was diagnosed with severe (almost critical - 16) anemia. Doctor put him on Epogen - that's $65/vial and he'll be using close to 2 vials a month. Not to mention the check ups and blood tests. I'll be spending $180 this month alone for that.

I'm broke, I make very little and have put a fair amount of debt on my credit card and I'll keep doing it as long as he has a good quality of life. I'm prepared to put him to sleep, but I will not do it for financial reasons. I spend quite a bit on him - both in money and in health care (I administer all medications, including the IVs myself) and he's worth every bit of that and more.

He's my baby, as is his sister. He gives me so much love and comfort and joy - I can't imagine repaying him by doing anything less than what I've done to keep him healthy and happy.

[Silver Serpentine]

Wow. I'm amazed at how much mammals cost to repair. I've never had a health problem with any of my cats. The only animals I've ever taken to the vet for sickness are snakes. And the only vaguely-neccessary thing I do fro all my snakes is get them sexed ($15).

Snake vet bills:

Baytril, 3 weeks worth oral: $30 ish (usually all I need for n Upper Respiratory Infection)
Batril, injection: $20 ish
Panacur: $20 (anti-parasitic)
Salve for scale rot/thermal burns - $30-40, I think.

The last time I took a snake to the vet was January. My heating pad had shorted out, and she got a thermal burn on the lower 50% of her belly. The cost of the initial Baytril injection, oral Baytril for 3 weeks, and the salve for her belly cost $90. The hard thing about snakes is . . . well, you can't tell how bad they are. Three days before she died, my vet told me she had a good chance of pulling through.

The good thing about snakes is that I can identify anything that'll typically go wrong with them (aside from cancer or impaction), and diagnose and treat it. I usually just go to the vet and say, "Yo, my snake has a mild URI and needs .3ml of oral Baytril a day for 3 weeks." The vet blinks, looks at my snake and goes, "Um, yeah. You're right. Here you go." That's assuming I can't heal it on my own (which is rare).

BUT if one of my cats got sick, I'd do anything I could to make it better. Payment plans out the wazoo. UNLESS. They would suffer for the rest of their life. Then I'd do what I felt was best, and put it down.