DISQUS

Frugal Dad · 1 year ago

I love my dog dearly, but I have limits, both financially and humanely. I don't believe in putting animals through lengthy treatments and subjecting them to unnecessary pain because our love and attachment to them keeps us from practicing mercy. That said, I'd probably try just about everything up to that point trying to heal them, burning through some emergency fund along the way.

Some companies even offer pet insurance, or pet insurance riders to cover this very thing. It is an interest thing to consider as pets can be costly. Excellent subject!

Money Matters · 1 year ago

Frugal Dad - thanks for mentioning pet insurance as well - i was thinking about this and from what I understand the policies can be quite expensive. That is why i mentioned saving a small amount monthly instead. Insurance is definitely an option though, and some people might want to consider it.

LJ · 1 year ago

We are big animal lovers, we have pets that our kids feel are truly "people", they dress them up and have tea parties with them or invite them into the forts they make in the den. Our pets are truly members of the family and I feel that they deserve the treatment of any other member of the family.
That being said, I also believe that it is important to know when to HUMANELY say good bye.
Sometimes putting a pet through lengthy treatments does more harm than good and that should be avoided, afterall you love this animal. I would go to great lengths to get our pets the treatments they needed, but would draw the line at anything that would only delay the inevitable.
I agree with Frugal Dad, I would most likely burn up my emergency funds to make it happen.
To me, a sick animal is an emergency and I've made many late night trips to the vets because of that. I sat with our dog for 15 hours once when she ate a jar of play-doh, plastic jar and all. That cost me $800, but it was worth every penny.

Take Care

LJ

Money Matters · 1 year ago

Yeah, we've burned through some emergency funds this past year for our little pooch as well, so i can understand that. The dog really is a part of the family - they're the first one to greet you, and they're always happy to see you.

I guess I wonder what people's limit is though. If their dog needed a $40,000 surgery - would they? Is the sky the limit? If so, what criteria would they use to say they wouldn't extend care?

Debt Free Revolution · 1 year ago

Thanks for the link, and you have brought up a very valid question.

Money Matters · 1 year ago

thanks for the thought provoking article that got me thinking about this whole topic of pets and money!

CindyS · 1 year ago

Those are hard questions to answer. I breed dogs and groom them as a profession. You might say my life is pretty much devoted to animals but you do have to draw the line somewhere. From what I have looked at pet insurance is more over the average life of a dog than you would normally pay in vet bills. I spend quite a bit on health care and testing for my dogs to insure that they are not passing on genetic problems to their pups but the sale of the pups usually pays for that. On a more personal level, I have gone into debt to save one when it was an emergency.
You might want to check around with different vets. Even for an urban area, $300 seems a bit high for an eye infection. I pay $30 for an office visit and when I rescued a kitten with eye problems the medication was under $20. Worming and vaccinations were another $20.

MoneyKing · 1 year ago

I'd have a real tough time paying more than $1000 to save a pet. Parts of my decision would also need to be based on the pets chances of surviving and living a good life. If the odds were really low that the pet would survive (for example, lets say I had a small dog that got attacked by a large dog and my dog was on death's door), I would perhaps make the decision to put my pet down. I can't say for sure though, it'd be a tough decision to make and I won't really know what extremes I'd go to until I'm actually in that position.

Tim
TheMoneyKings.com

Money Matters · 1 year ago

Good news - today i took the dog into the vet - and her eye is almost completely healed. We dont' have to give her any more eye drops -and no losing the eye!

Kitty · 1 year ago

Our yorkie is a Type 1 Diabetic - which requires insulin shots everyday. When we first found out - we thought about putting her down, but she was just a puppy - and we already bonded to her. Besides, being a Type 1 Diabetic myself - I could NOT justify putting down a dog for the same disease that I have (besides - her treatment is a MUCH less than mine, $50 a month for insulin and needles, mine without insurance would be close to $1,000).

She's only 4 and already starting to show complications. We realize she'll never live to a normal length. But her quality of life is fabulous - and she's always happy and full of energy. She's so smart too - she knows when she doesn't feel well, and when she's low she'll eat and take care of herself.

I can't see how our life would be without her. She's a great addition to our family - and we'll do everything we can to keep her happy. However, we realize that there will be the day we will have to make the hard decision - but we're enjoying our life with her while we can.

Greener_Pastures · 1 year ago

Hi,

What a lovely dog! I have two: Pete (a Yorkie) and Babette ( a Bishon.) Luckily they've been healthy. I dread when the time comes that I'll have to start making those difficult decisions. I do have enough money saved to cover to a point, luckily. It will be hard to let them go.
Lisa

Melinda · 1 year ago

Last month we spent nearly $2,500 AUS on our Angel (Maltese Terrier).
She is now sporting a new top jaw (in full recovery) after being grabbed by a larger dog and having her roof smashed and top teeth needing to be removed.
Angel is worth that and much more but if we didn't have two (10 & 7 year old) children protesting so loudly for her surgery we may not have carried it through. (They were heartbroken - how can you not fix her Mummy & Daddy?)
It was wonderful having the money saved so that monetary decision was taken out of our hands. Praise God.

Money Matters · 1 year ago

You're very blessed that you were able to afford it, many people may not
have been able to..

stella-sabian · 1 year ago

We should treat our pets the way they deserve and always be animal-friendly because they are always ready to prove their devotion. Their love is sincere. As for me, I don't care how much money I spend on my favourite 3 parrots. I just love them and always enjoy their company.