Will you spend whatever it takes on a pet?

[Pea-n-Me]

^ We took two (of five) hamsters to the vet's when they were ill and dying. Not something we did with our last two, as I think they suffered more that way than they would have at home had they died naturally. One had to be euthanized. He'd been really ill for ten days or and we wanted to end his suffering. We decided to stay in the room but were planning to look away. Well the vet started before he said to look away, and we all (my kids and I) saw what he did, and it wasn't pretty. I can only hope that poor Woody was far enough into unconsciousness that he didn't feel anything. We took him to the crematory afterward and I wanted to wait outside until I was absolutely sure he was gone. I mean, I thought he was, but wasn't absolutely sure. Ugh. (The method the vet used was unconventional.) There's more to the story, but I won't go there. When our iast two hamsters were going, we made sure they were comfy and warm and peaceful in their cages at home. No way were they going anywhere. It wasn't about the money at all. It was more about learning the hard way that anything you do medically to a hamster is not going to be pleasant. Leaving them to die in peace is a kindness.

 

[DawnM]

^ We took two (of five) hamsters to the vet's when they were ill and dying. Not something we did with our last two, as I think they suffered more that way than they would have at home had they died naturally. One had to be euthanized. He'd been really ill for ten days or and we wanted to end his suffering. We decided to stay in the room but were planning to look away. Well the vet started before he said to look away, and we all (my kids and I) saw what he did, and it wasn't pretty. I can only hope that poor Woody was far enough into unconsciousness that he didn't feel anything. We took him to the crematory afterward and I wanted to wait outside until I was absolutely sure he was gone. I mean, I thought he was, but wasn't absolutely sure. Ugh. (The method the vet used was unconventional.) There's more to the story, but I won't go there. When our iast two hamsters were going, we made sure they were comfy and warm and peaceful in their cages at home. No way were they going anywhere. It wasn't about the money at all. It was more about learning the hard way that anything you do medically to a hamster is not going to be pleasant. Leaving them to die in peace is a kindness.

My friend's daughter is a vet and she said they break their necks? Pop them? Is this accurate?

 

[JediBonas]

Yes, and I have. I am in NY and had taken both my ferrets to a ferret specialist in NH for various surgeries, including an exploratory surgery to see if a tumor was operable. The tumor was not and he asked me if I wanted him to just put her to sleep, I refused and insisted on bringing her home so she could be with her sister, him saying she probably had only a few days left (she did not seem to be in pain). She lived another 3+ years with no sign of the tumor causing any problems. You just never know. I easily spent thousands on those ferrets and would do it again without hesitation.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Do you have a finite number you will spend? Does it depend on the age? The problem the dog is having? The possible results?

I don' t have a finite number per se, it depends more on the age of the animal and possible results. For example, our youngest cat, who was 9, became very sick very quickly. We found her half-starved, barely moving, and breathing heavily. She had started hiding a lot a few months earlier, and we thought it was because of the introduction of a dog to the house. She was probably sick. We took her to the vet that afternoon. After a battery of tests and an overnight stay, we found out she had cancer (I can't remember what kind). We could treat her with chemo and she would live a few more months. This didn't make any sense to us financially or emotionally. If we could have cured her, we probably would have done it. A few months or constant chemo and the poor cat suffering? No.

We also have a 15 year old cat with bad arthritis in one foot. She walks around on three paws 24/7. She also has some skin issue that we think is seasonal allergy related. She was exibitting stroke behaviors the other week. We took her to the vet with the plan of not treating her if it was a stroke because of her age and other issues. Turns out she was probably just concussed.

 

[Disney_traveler]

This one is probably going to result in me being slammed and judged, but oh well, the world takes all kinds. I've said before that kids and marriage are not in the cards for me. In my life, my cat(s) is/are my kids. To me they are loved ones of the family. No I don't take them to stores in strollers or even on vacation, but I love them, care for them, and they bring joy to my life. As we speak I'm home sick and my 9 year old baby is attached to my side because he knows something isn't right. I would spend a reasonable amount of money but not compromise my financial situation to save his life. Personally I won't have an animal put down. I wouldn't do it to a person so I'm not doing it to a pet.

 

[Dentam]

I have pet insurance for my dog. I don't really think it is responsible to own a pet without making sure you can take care of them.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We don't have a finite amount we are willing to spend on the cat but right now between her various issues we spend quite a bit on treatments, medication, blood tests and vet bills. A couple of years ago, the neurological vet wanted to give her an MRI to find out why she was having seizures. It cost over $3,000 but we said no because the results would not be conclusive and we would most likely have to just continue doing what we were doing. It turned out, they were caused by a thyroid issue so it would have caused undue stress on her to be put under for absolutely no reason. As of now, we would treat an injury and will continue her treatment plan (even as her needs increase). She's over 17 so if something else develops, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I have pet insurance for my dog. I don't really think it is responsible to own a pet without making sure you can take care of them.

We got insurance for our dog, as well. In hindsight, we should have done that with our cats.

 

[cedricandsophie]

One of my dogs is in the hospital now. Took her to local pet ER yesterday because she was barely moving and almost non respondent. Did blood work, X-rays and will do ultra sound this morning. Expect all this to cost about 2500 and obviously more depending on results if ultra sound. There is specialist that another friend recommended that I will take her to if needed. We will do almost anything. She is 8 and has always been in good health until now. A very sweet girl. I won't let her go without a fight.

 

[Magpie]

This one is probably going to result in me being slammed and judged, but oh well, the world takes all kinds. I've said before that kids and marriage are not in the cards for me. In my life, my cat(s) is/are my kids. To me they are loved ones of the family. No I don't take them to stores in strollers or even on vacation, but I love them, care for them, and they bring joy to my life. As we speak I'm home sick and my 9 year old baby is attached to my side because he knows something isn't right. I would spend a reasonable amount of money but not compromise my financial situation to save his life. Personally I won't have an animal put down. I wouldn't do it to a person so I'm not doing it to a pet.

I will euthanize at the end of an animal's life, because a person can choose assisted suicide, or even just massive amounts of painkillers which will shorten their lives but keep them comfortable. Human beings can understand why they suffer, and make their own decisions about whether to continue or end things. An animal doesn't have these options.

I did a lot for my 18 year old calico at the end of her life, nursing her through the final stages of kidney disease. As long as she was enjoying her food and sleeping peacefully in the sun, it was all good. We fed her all her favourite foods. We gave her subcutaneous fluids (she would perk up and feel better right away). We put her in diapers when she could no longer control her bowels (she didn't seem to notice or care). But when, one night, she had a bad seizure due to a build up of sodium in her brain, all the light went out of her eyes. There was clearly nothing more we could do to make her comfortable.

I really believe it would have been cruel to make her suffer, just so we could keep her around a little bit longer. The important thing was to do what SHE needed, not what we wanted.

So, we made that final trip to the vet, and held her in our arms as she died.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We got insurance for our dog, as well. In hindsight, we should have done that with our cats.

I wish I bought insurance for the cat as well. We love her but call her our little money pit.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Human beings can understand why they suffer, and make their own decisions about whether to continue or end things. An animal doesn't have these options.

We don't know this to be true. I know I don't speak cat language or read their minds, but I also don't speak French, German, Swahili, etc or read their minds and know they understand why they suffer.

Dr. Temple Grandin has made connections about animal knowledge and pain (among other things) and once spoke about cattle that were abused by a worker in a black cowboy hat and as a result would balk at any worker in a black cowboy hat but had no problem with those in white/natural cowboy hats. They understood where it was coming from and made the conscious decision to get away from it.

 

[whitney250]

Long story short, my co-worker told me today that between her two dogs, she has spent over $15K on surgeries and treatments.

That does not include regular check ups, or shots, or food, etc.....JUST speciality care.

Do you have a finite number you will spend? Does it depend on the age? The problem the dog is having? The possible results?

We have spent that on one of our boxers... she had a torn ligament and we had it repaired. Then we did physical therapy several months. Then she ended up with an infection in that knee, which ended up being two more surgeries after that. We stopped when we were told that she would have to either have her leg amputated or a full knee replacement ($12,000, btw.) and decided to wait it out to see how she recovered since her infection was gone at that point. I'm actually glad we didn't do either, she is back to normal, no pain meds or anything. I couldn't bare to amputate knowing that she may gain full use of her leg again, and we absolutely couldn't afford another $12,000 on top of what we had already paid.

 

[wilkeliza]

For everyone who bought pet insurance who did you go through? We have a 7 year old and almost 2 year old dog. The 7 year old has teeth problems but no other major issues. the 2 year old has no issues but is a dachshund. We had him on insurance when he was under 6 months but then saw all the stuff it didn't cover (shots, well visits, and spay/neuter) so we let it lapse. Now we are reconsidering since a back injury could cost upwards of 10-20K. I'd rather not get stuck with that amount of money all at once but am confused by what is a good insurance. I know for all of them our vet will fill out the paper work but we have to get reimbursed (they are more likely to do unpaid services if you have insurance then not).

 

[whitney250]

We bought pet insurance so that we don't have to make a decision on our pet's health based on money.

What insurance do you use for your pets? I have actually been thinking a lot about getting it!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We spent quite a bit on our dog so far in stages with various operations. He does have insurance but now it is part of a known medical condition so they don't pay for that. We have discussed it my wife and I and we said we would pay as much as we could afford. But it is a difficult choice sometimes.

One thing is certain we both said. Why didn't we train as vets...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My friend's daughter is a vet and she said they brake their necks? Pop them? Is this accurate?

Ugh, idk if that's how it's usually done. I don't recall ever reading that. (And it seems like a method that would be fraught with problems unless you're really skilled at it!) That was not what was done to Woody. I really don't even want to say.

 

[SC Minnie]

We spent close to $3000 on the gray cat in my signature. She had luxating patella's on both her back legs. They regrooved them. She was about 4 at the time and had no other health problems so we had the surgery. This same cat now has allergies/asthma and get steroid shots 3-4 times a year and to add to the equation 2 months ago was diagnosed at diabetic. She's on a special diet now and it seems to be controlling the diabetes. If she has to go to shots we'll re-evaluate things, we'll probably end up doing them if we need to but she's close to 13 now.

 

[Dentam]

One of my dogs is in the hospital now. Took her to local pet ER yesterday because she was barely moving and almost non respondent. Did blood work, X-rays and will do ultra sound this morning. Expect all this to cost about 2500 and obviously more depending on results if ultra sound. There is specialist that another friend recommended that I will take her to if needed. We will do almost anything. She is 8 and has always been in good health until now. A very sweet girl. I won't let her go without a fight.

I'm so sorry to hear about your sweet girl and hope she pulls through!

For everyone who bought pet insurance who did you go through? We have a 7 year old and almost 2 year old dog. The 7 year old has teeth problems but no other major issues. the 2 year old has no issues but is a dachshund. We had him on insurance when he was under 6 months but then saw all the stuff it didn't cover (shots, well visits, and spay/neuter) so we let it lapse. Now we are reconsidering since a back injury could cost upwards of 10-20K. I'd rather not get stuck with that amount of money all at once but am confused by what is a good insurance. I know for all of them our vet will fill out the paper work but we have to get reimbursed (they are more likely to do unpaid services if you have insurance then not).

I have it through Trupanion. They don't limit how much they will cover and you can adjust the deductible to meet a monthly payment that works for you. They don't cover regular wellness visits but instead cover the items that will be the most expensive for owners including accidents, cancer treatments, etc.

 

[hsmamato2]

Long story short, my co-worker told me today that between her two dogs, she has spent over $15K on surgeries and treatments.

That does not include regular check ups, or shots, or food, etc.....JUST speciality care.

Do you have a finite number you will spend? Does it depend on the age? The problem the dog is having? The possible results?

No. I spend money to keep my pets healthy,feed them good food, get the vaxes as needed,etc. They live great lives, but they live short lives compared to humans, no matter how much money I spend on them. I take care of them well- but if it came to very expensive procedures,I'd weigh the cost against possible benefits,and decide accordingly. No set number, but I'll know when my personal spend limit is reached for a beloved family pet. And I will spend money to ensure they don't suffer needlessly.