# How much would you pay to save a pet? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179 "2011-07-24T15:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/61 "2011-07-26T06:32:27Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Have you ever dropped a terminally ill animal off at the ASPCA, and left without knowing what became of it, as suggested by **Bearflag70** as a peachy keen way to save $40? Who said anything about not knowing what became of it? They get euthanized at SPCA, just like at the vet. SPCA tells you up front that if the animal has a significant health problem, then it will be euthanized as not suitable for adoption. Take you pet to the vet = dead. Take your pet to SPCA = dead. The only difference is the cost of the service, AFAIK. If you find yourself in financial straits, you go to SPCA. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_gnomer/32/3466_2.png) [@Miss\_Gnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/62 "2011-07-26T10:51:18Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Take you pet to the vet = dead. > Take your pet to SPCA = dead. > The only difference is the cost of the service, AFAIK. If you find yourself in financial straits, you go to SPCA. SLIGHT difference to the animal and how it experiences death. Dump your pet at an animal shelter - who knows how long until it is put to sleep, how many strangers handle it, how distressed it gets, how much pain it goes through to get to death. As for the initial topic … I voted $5K- 10K as I’ve spent over $5K on one animal - it was one of those added up over a 12 month period … totally worth it … he’s still alive 15 years later (he’s a horse which does make a bit of a difference to life span! also makes a difference to the vet bill size!). I’ve also chosen to not spend $500 on another animal because, although the vet indicated a positive outcome, I wasn’t convinced it was the best thing for the animal. If I was insanely rich … I would spend unlimited amounts! Sorry starving children in Africa … my first world pet would get more care than you. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/63 "2011-08-10T16:59:08Z")
I think a consideration, too, is is the cost all at once or gradually incurred. I can perhaps see myself saying “No” is a vet told me saving my dog would cost $5000, but at the same time I can see myself paying that much if a course of treatment continues over a long time and there are incremental costs. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/64 "2011-08-10T17:29:21Z")
Other, because it depends on a lot of things. Size of the animal - a week of treatment and hospitalization for my cat was in the 1k range, had it been my horse it would have been 5x that much (and yeah, I would have paid) Outcome- I would pay whatever it took to save an animal of mine IF and only if I could be reasonably assured that their quality of life at the end of the treatment would be good, and that the quantity of life at the end would ‘make up’ for the pain and fear of the treatment. ie: I would not go to extremes for a teenaged large dog or a cat with cancer, but I would pay for colic surgery & rehab for my 10 yo horse (who, all things being equal, could live another 20 years of useful happy life). A 2 yo dog or cat with cancer I would probably treat, depending on the type of cancer. So, given the probability of a good outcome for the animal, I would do whatever it took to heal them. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/65 "2011-08-10T20:24:09Z")
> [@Sam\_I\_Am](#): > > We spent over $5k on a poisoned dog (xylitol poisoning); which included a week in the ICU with glucose drip, plasma transfusion, and a bunch of hepatic support drugs. Plus blood work a few times per day. > > PSA: Please keep any chewing gum (and other xylitol products) where your dog can’t reach them! Dang. We have had a couple of packs of Trident Gum on the floor for weeks. He never bothered them because we didn’t give them to him. I’m glad he is good about that kind of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/66 "2011-08-10T20:32:57Z")
“Other” It depends - What are the conditions? Have I just gotten a bonus, or have I just drained the contingency account on an emergency flood repair? Is it an acute condition or a chronic one? Is my pet’s life gonna suck or be very short, no matter what I do, or are they going to have a credible Quality of Life? What kind of follow-up care will I need to do? Am I _capable_ of administering the follow-up care? Can I _afford_ the follow up care? Will the follow-up care make my family’s or my life suck? Without more details, it’s hard to answer. That said, I’ve gone into debt to have a cat’s knee reconstructed - Quite happily. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/67 "2011-08-10T20:44:53Z")
I said other. If the animal were suffering and the treatment meant more suffering, I would put them down regardless of the cost. If the treatment wasn’t that bad, I would be willing to spend some money to get a reasonably quality and length of life. I couldn’t really give a number, though because it would depend on my solvency at the time and which animal it was. (I have, however, spent 500 dollars for an emergency overnight visit so it is at least that much. Turns out my cat was being lethargic and wouldn’t move because she had sprained her knee. Treatment: pain relief that cost 10 dollars and rest.) ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/68 "2011-08-10T20:53:18Z")
We spent close to $10K over 8 months when our beloved 5-year-old Russian Blue cat, Meep, developed lymphoma. That cat was my baby, and I loved her dearly. We were told that there was a chance (albeit a small one) that the treatments could lead to a fairly long remission; we took the chance knowing that it probably wouldn’t happen, deciding that we would continue to treat her as long as she remained happy and herself. This lasted, as I said, for 8 months. At that point she became lethargic, stopped eating, and was obviously ready to go. This happened over a very short time–before that she was pretty much fine. Once we saw she was ready to go, we took her in to the vet. I held her in my arms as she died. I still miss that cat terribly. Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? Probably not, unless it was a “guaranteed full or near-full recovery” situation. In the case of cancer I would probably opt for the “keep them comfortable and happy until the inevitable occurs” strategy at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/69 "2011-08-10T21:02:38Z")
I put my cat down a year and a half ago. It broke my heart to do it. She was thirteen, but there was something wrong with her leg. It started dying. The vet wasn’t sure what it was. We could do a scan on her for a grand or two to get a diagnosis. If it was something the scan could detect, and they could treat, it’d likely be that amount over again. But he thought it was neurological, and that there was a decent chance that the scan wouldn’t find anything. I didn’t have three-four grand. If it had been a sure thing, I might’ve charged it and paid it off later. It wasn’t a sure thing, though, so I made her as comfortable as I could and hoped that it wouldn’t progress (as the vet said that it might not). It did, and I had to take her in to be put down. If she’d been younger, it would’ve maybe been a different story. If I’d had more cash on hand, it may have been a different story. There are simply too many variables involved to put forth a specific number. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/70 "2011-08-10T21:11:26Z")
Depends. [ul] [li]10 year old smelly, neurotic dog I can’t stand to be around but is my husband’s baby, who regularly poops inside and **I already** forked over \>$1k to treat for being hit by a car 7 years ago when my husband was unemployed? I will spend no more than $500 on her. If my husband left me, or decided it was time for her to go, or she upps the floor pooping a notch or two, or she growls at the new baby I will be taking her in to be put down the very next day.[/li][li]8 year old awesome boy cat we inherited when my husband’s dad died, who greets all household guests with his belly, knocks little things off of the table while we are watching because he knows it pisses us off, would spend the entire day on my lap if I let him, and has peed outside his litterbox maybe twice in the entire time I’ve known him? Whatever we can afford we will pay.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/71 "2011-08-10T22:51:07Z")
Due to ongoing respiratory problems, we’ve spent around 5k on our cat over the last 3 1/2 years. Most of that was 2 different hospital stays at around 2k each. ---
**Author:** ![geneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@geneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geneb)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179/72 "2011-08-11T02:34:05Z")
Depends on the pet and the issue. We’ve spent over 500$ to remove a cancerous growth on a cat before, and she’s rewarded us with now 5 additional years of cattitude. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-you-pay-to-save-a-pet/590179.md?page=3)