How much are you willing to spend to save a sick pet?
Four years ago, my beloved kitty Zito developed kidney problems. She was only five years old, and her littermate, Mikey, was fine and healthy. But Zito had stopped eating and wasn’t drinking much water. I took her to the vet.
An x-ray by the veterinarian showed that one of her kidneys was tiny and the other was not the normal size it should have been. The vet said most likely the little kidney wasn’t functioning at all and the other was working overtime.
I took Zito to a veterinary specialty hospital to get her checked out, and they said they might be able to repair her kidney with surgery. I could afford it — even though it was a LOT of money, about $3k) — and I didn’t want to lose my kitty. I chose to have the surgery. And no, I didn’t have pet insurance.
The surgery went well and I visited her at the hospital for the next week as she was recuperating. Then she was ready to come home. She had a feeding tube in, and I learned how to feed her through that with the special liquid food she needed.
When I brought her home, Mikey began hissing and growling at her. I wound up having to lock Zito in my bedroom to take care of her and keep Mikey away. It was very stressful, but I managed to take care of Zito for four days. And then she refused to let me feed her. She bit me. She wouldn’t use the litter box. She pulled out her feeding tube.
As I drove her back to the specialty vets, I knew I couldn’t take care of her any longer and that the whole situation was making her more miserable than helping her. The vet surgeon sat with me for a long while as I cried and tried to get up my courage to put her down.
(Aside: The surgeons and the vet techs at Palm Beach Veterinary Specialists were phenomenal. The surgeon called me every morning before I left for work to tell me how Zito had done through the night. After Zito died, I got personal cards and letters from all of the vets and vet techs, even my regular vet. I’ve said often since then, if I ever need surgery, I’m going to PBVS for my care!)
Looking back, I shouldn’t have put Zito through this. I should have accepted that her kidneys were failing, and let her be home, play with Mikey, eat whatever food she wanted until she passed away on her own.
This was a situation where having the money to do something proved to be the wrong thing to do, and probably clouded my judgment. If I hadn’t been able to afford the surgery, I wouldn’t have done it. I do have enough sense not to go into debt for something I can’t afford. And Mikey is still with me.
So, readers, what lengths and expense would you go to in order to save a pet?
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There are 115 comments to "How much are you willing to spend to save a sick pet?".
Sorry to hear about Zito 🙁 It’s so hard when a pet is sick.
IMHO, we can only make decisions based on the information we have at the time. If you could have seen the future, it sounds like you would have made a different decision. But you couldn’t, and at least you know tried everything you could to help Zito.
I second the point about vets, vet surgeons and vet techs being amazing people. The ones who looked after our pets were wonderful, and loved their jobs so much even when it broke their hearts.
It’s never easy to lose a member of the family. 🙁
As for your question… We have a St. Bernard that has Addison’s Disease (it’s a kidney disease). He has had it from birth and we discovered he had it when he was about 6 months old. Ever since then, we have been paying over $300 a month for his shot that he needs every 28 days.
The vets said he probably won’t live as long as a normal St. Bernard, but he would have a normal life as long as he got his shot.
As animal lovers, we treat our pets as family. If the vets said he is suffering, then yes, we would put him down. But as long as he lives a normal life we’ll keep shelling out over $300 a month for his shot. It doesn’t help in the finance department, but it does help in the loving family department.
(For the record, he has been on this shot for 2 years… You do the math).
Did you save him
A lot also depends on the age of the animal, and the likelihood of recovery.
My aunt spent over 4k when her cat was a few years old when it was run over by a car.
But when the cat was a lot older, and needed further help (I think it was for $900) the option was taken to not have the operation.
I suppose if the pet was your only real companion you would go the extra yards to save them. On the other hand, if you aren’t willing to try even a little, then you probably shouldn’t have a pet to begin with.
Absolutely, you don’t know in advance that it won’t work. We paid twice for cancer surgery for our old cat – over $3K total, and she got 4 extra years priceless for us. But the 3rd time the cancer recurred the prognosis was not good – at most we would extend her life by a few months and she would suffer, so our choice was clear that time.
I just paid $700 to have a mast cell tumor removed from my dog. They’re generally curative with treatment, but 15% of the time they require additional treatment. When the sample went in for a biopsy I thought a lot about what I would do if my dog needed further treatment. I, too, could afford it, but some of the extraordinary measures taken for pets are, IMO, for their owners. I don’t want to torture my pet, which is what chemo is for a being that doesn’t understand why they’re so sick all the time, if the payback isn’t guaranteed.
I agree that we have to be really careful about the ethics of veterinary treatment and sometimes it can be hard for owners and vets to be decide to stop. But as a vet, I’m not sure that chemotherapy is actually a bad thing in animals. The regimes used are completely different than those in people – you never see an animal whose hair falls out which gives an idea of the differences in dosages. Chemotherapy in animals can hardly ever cure the disease but can often extend good quality life. For example a dog with cancer at 7 years old diagnosed with lymphoma might life 6 weeks with no treatment, 10 weeks with steroids or a year with chemotherapy. That is a sizeable fraction of the dogs life and a sensible and ethical choice for many animals.
I think temperament is often the best deciding factor – some dogs are really relaxed about being at the vets regularly (once a week is the usual regime) for others, particularly some cats, that would become a weekly battle and reduce quality of life to such an extent that it’s better not to try. But I think it’s important not to just extrapolate from human medicine – often things are done differently in animals.
It’s a very difficult decision to make when a pet is ill. I think most people, including myself, immediately want for the pet what they would want for themselves in that situation. Unfortunately, it seems that regularly successful procedures for humans may not be the case for a pet. Thanks for the article.
We recently paid $274 to extract a sewing pin my daughter’s guinea pig ate. He just pulled it out of my quilt patch and started chewing! Fortunately, it got stuck in his cheek pouch. If it had gone further, we probably would have gotten another pig. The vet even gave us the pin as a souvenir.
I paid $3500 in August to keep my 15 year old cat alive. Yes he was hospitalized for two days to fight two serious infections and on a feeding tube for a week after I brought him home. He loved the feeding tube! He has kidney problems which will probably kill him someday. But, I am glad I did this. He is the sweetest, cuddliest cat. Since being sick, he has even begun playing again. I more that got my money’s worth and have not regretted one penny spent.
I think you hit the nail on the head. It is all about the quality of life after the procedure. I would have dropped the $3k as well if the pet was young, had an unexpected condition, and the vets assured me that after the procedure, the pet could live a healthy life.
If the pet was old and there was a strong chance that after the procedure it would still suffer, I would weigh my options a bit more. It would be a very tough call, but I think in many cases, I would have to put the pet down.
That’s how we feel, too. Or if not put the animal down, then allow for pain medication that makes the last weeks of life as pain free as possible.
Depends on age and quality of life. Our last dog had cancer at age 8 and I paid quite a bit for surgery at that time.
Vet warned me it would come back and it did at age 14. But that first surgery gave him 5 more good years of life. His last year was an old dog year, not getting around very well, but still happy. When we got the second cancer diagnosis, at that point, he was an old, old dog (big dog) he was not happy, not eating, not enjoying life. Besides the x-ray to diagnose that the cancer was back we did no treatment.
Vet gave me the weekend and then we ended his suffering. He was my first dog, my first dog love. Two weeks later we had adopted another dog.
Assuming you can actually afford the treatment, age and quality of life are, I think, the keys to the decision, along with whether it’s likely to be a recurring issue needing regular treatments.
For example, when my cat was 5, he got a urinary blockage. Emergency surgery (on a Sunday night…) hospitalization, etc… end bill was about 1200$. I’m fine with paying that on a relatively young cat (that I love to bits) for a condition that’s easily controlled and not likely to be recurrent.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with shopping prices for non-urgent care: the same cat, now 10, recently had tooth issues requiring cleaning and extractions. The city vets near where we live all quoted prices between 500-700$ (for a tooth cleaning!!), plus extractions. I drove the cat to the country vet near my mother (she’s amazing), and the procedure was done for 150$.
Ros, your point about shopping around is a good one. One of my colleagues recently learned his schnauzer had bladder stones, which need to be removed. In the city, he was quoted ~$3,000. He happened to stop into a vet in the suburbs and found out they could do the surgery for less than half that amount.
Hello
I know the feeling.
I had to put my cat to sleep because of diabete just 2 months ago. But she was over 17yo and I didn’t bring her to the vet in 5 years. I knew she was sick, but she was happy. Giving her shots everyday would have made her life maybe longer but miserable. I knew her so well. So I decided that she was going to have a shorter life (although 17 years is pretty good already), but a happy life. and she did. I felt guilty for a while though.
If you hadn’t done the surgery and let her die, maybe you would have felt guilty too. You would have never known the surgery didn’t work.
You tried everything to save her. She was very young. You had hopes
I don’t question your decision at all, but wanted to point out to others who may find out that their cats have diabetes that it’s quite manageable – just as it is in humans.
My mother had a cat that received twice daily insulin injections for 8 years after a diabetes diagnosis. The cat tolerated the injections easily and his quality of life once on insulin was great.
The only issue is in finding cat sitters who are comfortable doing the injections when you have to go out of town. It can be more than a neighbor is willing to do, and many traditional cat sitters are less comfortable with this as well.
Second this. My diabetic cat was quite tolerant of her shots. She would jump up on the back of the couch so you didn’t have to bend over!
I had a diabetic cat that both hated her shots and didn’t respond well to them. I had to hand feed her to get some food in. I would smear wet baby food on her nose, and she licked it off.
I was a senior in high school. I kept up with the shots until Christmas so my brother could see his cat one more time (he was in the Marines at the time). After that, we had to let her go. I don’t know why, but her body just did not tolerate the insulin.
This! I offered to cat-sit the downstairs neighbors’ cat — she was 17 years old and I thought that the kennel would be awfully tough on her.
The day before they left I went down to get the drill: food, water, et al.
“You don’t have a problem with needles, do you?” I was asked. “Rosie needs insulin shots.”
As a matter of fact, I’m needle-phobic! Horrified of the things. Boy, did I feel bait-and-switched — could they have mentioned this at the time I offered to cat-sit, maybe?!? — but it was so late in the day I felt I had no choice but to say, “Show me how to do it.”
Fortunately, Rosie was very compliant. But I still felt sick to my stomach every time I had to zap the poor little dear.
So if you’ve got a diabetic kitty, by all means let the cat-sitter know.
I am no a pet person but one of my best friends is and she went through this painful decision process as well. Something happened to her dog that caused it to lose the use of her back legs. This occured while the dog was being looked after by responsible pet-knowledgable family members. She took the dog to the hospital and was concerned she would have to put the dog down or that if she asked the dog to be operated upon she was doing it for herself and not the dog. The vet mentioned to her the dog’s extremely bright and cheerful temperment. Even without the use of her hind legs the dog would scoot around and say hi. This comforted my friend in her decision. The dog got a wheelchair and continued to love life in a way that was obvious even to me a non pet person. So in addition to the age and quality of life, perhaps temperment of the animal should be considered. Perhaps it is not as heavy a factor with cats? I don’t know. Just a thought from observation.
Our first consideration with all of our pets was always trying to understand what is best for the animal. I don’t think we ever made a decision based on cost.
However, taking the animal’s needs first does not necessarily mean using aggressive medical treatments – it often means the opposite. Pets can’t understand why they’re being poked, prodded, caged, abandoned, and cut open. From their perspective, the whole experience must be torture. For us to put our animals through that, we must have some reasonable assurance that what awaits them on the other side is worth the torment.
In our experience, vets rarely provide that level of assurance – especially for older animals. It’s always a tough call to forego treatment, but sometimes simply managing symptoms and trying to provide the best quality of life for their remaining days is the most compassionate thing we can do for our furry little family members.
I spent over the course of several months over $500 on my Leopard Gecko for special food, lab tests, exams, and medications. Yes people thought I was crazy (including those who spent much more on their cats and dogs). Snoopy is my ride-or-die chick though…they don’t understand. I raised her from a baby and she was nearly 10 years old when she got sick. She was there with me all the way through college, 2 break-ups, and 7 moves.
She had a serious infection that started in her mouth (likely from shed skin that was stuck in the corner of her mouth). Treatment started out simple enough…diluted iodine rinse twice per day. But then it spread to her eye from her licking it. So that turned into an antibiotic cream that needed to be applied to her eye 3x per day, in addition to the mouth rinse.
Her eye was looking better but the mouth infection looked worse and after some tests to determine the type of infecton, she was off the rinse and cream and put on an antiobotic that I had to give her orally (and was probably hilarious to watch). She got worse, stopped eating, loose black stool. After ugly-crying for 5 min in my driveway I took her in for more testing, this time including a fecal sample which showed a second type of bacteria. Got the right antibiotics and if that didn’t work I think I was prepared to let her go because she had already been through so much for such a little thing and still wasn’t eating.
She eventually got better though it took months of hand-feeding a blended concoction that will live in my dreams forever. Lets just say I own a blender which has “SNOOPY” written all over it in black permanent marker, stored far away from the kitchen, and which is probably haunted by the souls of insects and mealworms.
She’s back to her fat healthy self and will be 12 years old this year. I agree with those that say age should be a deciding factor. Knowing that Leopard Geckos can live into their 20’s, some have been known to hit the 30 mark, I figured it was worth a shot to be able to give her at least 10 more good years.
I want to add that I will probably never own a cat or dog. I have my lizzy (the Snoops), a cockatiel and male Eclectus parrot. Part of it is personal choice, but also a financial decision as well. It seems that it’s mostly cats and dogs that develop expensive problems, and more common….to the point that it seems inevitable, especially towards the end of their lives, which are far too short IMO.
I prefer hardier, longer-lived pets. All 3 of my boo boos have a L.E. of 20+ years. Another reason I love parrots! Also furry friends are not our only animal friends! People who don’t really like fur (like me) get by just fine with feathers and scales 🙂 Matisse goes anywhere with me a dog can. We go for drives (he even got me free fries at the McDonald’s drive-thru), to friends ‘houses, and on vacation. I’ve even taken him to the grocery store when I was in a pinch. I’m getting him harness trained so he can go on hikes with me. He’s only 4 years old and can live upwards of 30-40 more. Which is why it is best to get a parrot either when you are young, or an older bird if you are older.
Ellen, I’m so sorry you had to say goodbye to Zito. It’s really difficult to make a decision when your pet is extremely ill. It’s hard to let go.
My dog had a brain tumor last year. He was almost 17 so the decision to let go was obvious. But it was still hard. We do the best we can with the information we have. In the end, our beloved pets know we cared and gave them our best.
Thanks, Beverly. I am so thankful for everyone’s stories here. Now you have the wonderful Marshall too!
Our little girl had two back operations a couple of years ago to relieve pain due to disc issues, and the procedures left her paralyzed from the chest down. She’s going on 14 now, and has adapted to a wheelchair (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikekoch/7168286611). She’s still feisty and full of life, so we have no regrets over the cost, which were quite high (>5k). As long as her quality of life is good and she’s pain-free, we’ll do whatever is necessary. We have children of our own, so she’s our baby.
I spent $800 to have a bladder stone removed from my guinea pig. Despite the successful removal, my guinea pig did not survive.
I still feel torn about the situation. I guess it was damned if you do, damned if you don’t thing. But I’m glad I gave him a chance. It taught me to understand the vulnerability of these precious animals.
35 years ago, when we were a young married couple in graduate school and very, very poor, one of our gerbils developed a tumor. We took it to the vet (which we couldn’t afford), and in spite of the vibe I got that he thought we should just hit it on the head, he gave it a shot to put it down and only charged us a dollar (which was our entire money on hand at the time). I think that he was willing to lose money on the deal because we were both crying at the time. It was an act of kindness which I didn’t really appreciate until later.
I think you went with your best instincts – which were noble and not affected by money – and you should not second-guess that. In the end, you did what you could, which is better than doing nothing. And she knew that.
Interesting article since I was the “bad parent” who didn’t want to spend almost $2000 to fix a dog that ran away the minute we brought it home. We were able to get close to her but she would not let us catch her. A few days later she ran in front of a car and broke her legs. I just can’t justify spending so much money to help a dog that really didn’t want to be part of our family. The vet is working with a rescue group but I assume she might also be put down. I struggle with spending my daughter’s braces fund on a pet we didn’t even know. Where does the value of a pet end? (Note: pet lovers are so vocal in their opinion to save a pet at any cost that I can’t hear the more reasonable people talking.)
Why did you bring the dog home in the first place?
There’s a big difference between an animal and a pet. When a pet wiggles their way into your heart, they truly do become part of the family. It’s a difficult feeling to explain, to love a pet so much, if you’ve never felt it before. Perhaps that’s why you call it irrational. In my 23 years I’ve watched my parents make that decision to put down two dogs and seven cats (big pet lovers here). I’m now on my own with two cats, both five years old, both healthy, but I dread the day when I’ll have to make any decisions regarding their health and well-being. But at the end of the day, it’s worth it, because the complete and utter selfless love that pets give you during their lives can’t be beaten.
My heart aches reading your story. I am so sorry for your loss.
For me, the cost isn’t a factor but the quality of life. Unfortunately, you don’t know what the quality of life is going to be after a surgery so it is a gamble. But life is a gamble.
I called my cat the “Ferrari of Felines” because I spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on treating her. She had asthma, torn ACL and so many other issues would constantly arise but I don’t regret it. I know you spent a lot of money on Zito but all the head butts, couch cuddles and purrs that you did receive are probably worth more than $3000.
So sorry that you lost Zito – I teared up reading your post. If we are ever in this situation (we have three kitties), we have decided not to put our pets through any serious surgery or treatment requiring a major recovery period. I feel like it would be too traumatic, especially for a cat, and unfair – I can’t explain to them that we are trying to help, and they won’t understand what is happening. We would try and lessen their suffering and put them down if necessary or allow them to live out their lives naturally if possible, even if that means their lives are shorter.
I am with others who have said quality of life is the most important thing. I had a young-ish cat (8 years old) develop diabetes, which is expensive for anyone but boy when you buy insulin without insurance you are in for a shock! We got 4 good years with that, though we had to manage other infections and teeth problems. She was sweet and laid-back and I think had a good quality of life until she developed insulin resistance, at which point we let her go.
My cat Max who died over the summer was pretty inexpensive by comparison. His health was declining for probably a year and a half but it was managed for over a year purely by changing his food. The last couple of months he was alive, we managed his health purely by giving him IV fluids every other day. He was never on medication at all for his underlying condition (mostly because they never figured out what it was, I thought the tests were too invasive to find out) — just some appetite stimulant every once in awhile.
In November we spent $600 to have a dental for our dog (cleaning and they pulled a couple) and then discovered as a result of that surgery that she needed a much more expensive surgery (~$2,600) on her bladder. She’s about 12 years old. But she bounced back in under a week and is jumping around like a puppy these days, so it was money well spent. The question I always ask the vet is, how will the quality of life be? As long as my pet is happy, I’m happy to pay.
Sorry about Zito, Ellen.
Oh, I guess Max did also get vitamin B shots. But those were pretty cheap and easy also.
There is no monetary limit to what I would spend on a sick pet.
That bring said, it would depend on the likelihood of success of the procedure, and their quality of life afterwards.
If they were facing a very painful, slow recovery process and they weren’t going to have a good quality of life afterwards, I wouldn’t put them through the procedure, regardless of the cost.
But if they were young and healthy- I wouldn’t spare any expense. We actually have health insurance for our dog- catastrophic coverage only, so that we never have to make the kind of decision you’re asking about.
I’m not sure of my threshold. Its something north of the $1,500 is spent on my 8 year old Australian Shepherd. She needed surgery to remover stones in her bladder. She is now on a special diet to keep them from forming again.
Each case has its own set of circumstances. In this case, its a one time expense and I get many more years with my healthy girl, Katy.
I have not had to face this before, but I would want to consider: 1) the likelihood of full recovery and 2) how comfortable the pet will be during recovery. Even if the surgery was affordable, I wouldn’t put my dog through it if her chances of recovery were low, or if she wouldn’t be happy.
I will be the contrarian here.
Personally I believe if you have the money do whatever you want. The big issue is the vast majority of people don’t have the extra money to take care of these pet issues. I have seen this countless times with my family and friends. When I say extra money, I don’t mean your emergency funds, credit cards, delayed saving for retirement, borrowing from others, etc…
But yet due to the emotional attachment I have watched many people stay broke for decades due to animals (and other decisions)and these aren’t outliers or extreme examples.
We really do have a retirement crisis in this country with so many people not prepared to live 20 plus years as an elderly person. Furthermore I have seen people make excuse after excuse, always blaming something along the way instead of avoiding the issues or preparing for them pro-actively. I’m so sick of the unforeseen circumstances reason on why people are old and broke. The issues are not unforeseen, people just ignore the potentiality of those issues occurring and/or don’t believe they will happen to them: often at the same time through their actions or inactions which bring about some of the same causes of their financial demise.
I think I am mostly irritated as I watch people spend irresponsibly on many things that are not needs, but wants without prioritizing or using a balanced money formula and then later become burdens on their families and society through their irresponsible behaviors. Furthermore it makes me sick of the bailout mentality that has pervaded our country in all facets of life. The level of individual responsibility had dropped drastically in this country which unfortunately leaves those who are responsible to pick up the pieces for those who are not. I’m not talking about social safety nets, which I believe strongly in, but the abuse of such nets. I’m really tired of watching people who make 1/4 of what I do have a ton of junk/experiences (including animal expenses) I wouldn’t buy/do while picking up their lifetime benefits subsidized by the tax payers. By subsidized I mean most of the times we are triple subsidizing folks by paying high taxes, while they receive federal net dollars back in tax refunds. If you add up all the dollars in often up being tens of thousands for all programs per year. Then when college time comes our kids are asked to pay full freight to offset the cost of their kids. Triple subsidizing atleast.
Ok so I went off on a tangent. I have no problems spending on animals as long as overall you are a responsible person whose bad behaviors aren’t being subsidized
I’m not clear about what “lifetime benefits” for “bad behavior” you’re talking about?
I will also say that for me, the ability to rescue shelter animals is very important. So while it is sad to lose an animal, I want to be in a position to rescue another. I wish Max was still around, but I am glad I had the opportunity to save Lucky Cat, who was statistically one of the unlikeliest cats to be adopted (because he is black and was a full-grown adult) but who is awesome.
Black cats rule!
Such a hard situation
In my house, pets are family. Which is why I only have one . . . who cost me nearly $4k this summer due to a bizarre allergic reaction that took nearly 2 months to resolve [and still no clue what it was from].
I’ve spent loads on pets before too.
But I will say that while it hurt, it was money I COULD spend without really having to make major life changes, and the times I felt best about it were the times there was the best possibility of recovery.
The last pet we had was a lab who developed an unusual and incurable type of cancer in her spleen – which I paid to have removed because I’d foolishly told my little ones she’d be fine, she just had a tummy ache [lab – eats everything – a common occurence] . . . I don’t say things like that anymore. I don’t regret the extra couple of months we had with her – it gave us all a chance to say goodbye and she felt pretty good until she suddenly didn’t . . . but again, it’s about quality of life not just for the pet but for all of you – like the author of the post at a certain point you have to realize where you’re leading your life.
But again – every single situation is different, and it’s always so very hard.
I hate to say it but this article sealed my decision not to have a pet. At 35 I never had one. Growing up my parents didn’t want to “deal with it” and this followed me into adulthood.
I thought about maybe getting a cat to keep me company or even an assistant dog but I’m now scared straight.
I think you did the right thing at the time. You had no way of knowing how it would end and I definitely understand that, especially since your cat was so young.
I have to agree with you. If not for my husband, I would not have animals – I could not handle the responsibility on my own. I have enough trouble keeping house plants alive.
Ha ha, I can’t keep house plants alive too. I think if I didn’t have to devote so much money towards my health, a pet (and other things) may be a consideration.
Pet ownership isn’t for everyone — even those of us who love animals! I don’t have the time or space for one of my own, but I’ll happily play with other people’s pets and pet sit 😉
you are not the only one. The money i spend on my cat can buy a nice new car but i love my cat more than a nice new car!!
I would have done the same thing in your situation with Zito based on the info in your post. I’m sorry it didn’t end positively.
I’ll cast my vote for quality of life too. I think of it in terms of whether it’s an illness or problem that spending an upfront big amount of money will reasonably correct for the next several years, and the pet is likely to have a good, mostly normal life afterwards (like say surgery to remove some kind of stone or a blockage – there’s a good chance the animal will be just fine and with a little TLC, live a normal life for several more years.)
I’m personally not in favor of large amounts of money spent to extend the life of a terminally ill animal for a few more months. In that case, I’d likely opt for hospice types of therapies that made sure that the animal wasn’t in pain for as long as they were happy and eating, and then euthanasia when quality of life was no longer preservable.
I have 2 cats and they have their own emergency fund account that I schedule regular monthly deposits into. I consider them family members, and I financially prepare for the possibility they may need expensive care, just like I do for human family.
So sorry about Zito, Ellen. She was a cutie.
I would’ve spent the money without a second thought, too. Our pets are like family members, thus I’d give them every opportunity to survive, as I would a member of my family. But then again, they’re not people. They don’t recover the same way; their lives aren’t structured the same way. And it makes me sad to think about it, but sometimes letting go is the best thing you can do for them. My parents recently made that decision with our family dog, Max, and it was really painful. We had him since I was 18, a teenager! He’d been with us through so much. It’s hard to know that you’ll (hopefully) outlive your pets.
I had a similar decision to make about my Scottish terrier back in the ’80s. I had him in for kidney failure and he was about to go in for dialysis ($1,000 per day). The vet said that he could throw a blood clot and died at any minute even with the dialysis. He passed before the procedure was performed. I felt terrible – the pain and guilt were overwhelming at the time. … I recently spoke to an “animal psychic”. She said that animals don’t feel the same way about death that we do. In nature, they stop eating, walk away and die in a private spot. But in captivity they stick around for us, because they don’t want to cause us pain. She’s known animals that have even “taken on the disease” of their owners. What she said really helped me come to peace about my dog’s death. Wishing you all the best, Veronica
I am so sorry about Zito–a heartbreaking experience for everyone.
Our 15 year old cat was diagnosed with a thyroid tumor, requiring radiation treatment. The total bill was over $1K, which is the number I’d always set as what I’d be willing to pay to treat a pet. However, we agreed to the treatment because we love this cat, our remaining pet out of four dogs and three cats, and without treatment, she would have died a rather awful death, according to all the information I looked at online. She’s doing well, luckily.
Over a decade ago, we had a budgie that developed a tumor. He was given a 50/50 chance of surviving surgery, but he did. However, he was older and died within the year. I don’t regret getting him the surgery because he was a funny, little guy that made us laugh–part of the family.
As we move into retirement, we’ve decided that we probably won’t get another pet. They are expensive, both in cost of routine care and finding places for them when we travel.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
Our situation is that we only have one pet – a wonderful dog – and no children. We have a large emergency fund, and debt free except the mortgage, which should be paid off this year.
When we were filling out the paperwork for the doggy kennel farm where we left our dog while we were on our honeymoon, one of the questions was “How much do you authorize us to spend to try to save your dog in the event of an emergency?” It caught me off-guard to say the least, and sparked a lot of (emotional) conversations between me and my husband. I voted $5k, his vote was considerably less. I think I’m sticking to that though – especially if he could live much longer if we spent the money.
Whenever I read articles like this, it just reinforces how much I am NOT a pet person. I am way too cheap to be ok with spending the amounts of money many of you have mentioned.
I think it depends on the situation. We had a cat whose kidneys started to fail and he was already 16 and we knew his quality of life would be poor. However, we had another cat who needed a massive teeth cleaning and removal that cost us $500, but we felt as though he would be better off and have a better quality of life after and he did.
I would spend a good amount on our dogs. We got out first dog right before my dad passed away, so I am definitely very much attached to her. It would also depend on what the vet would say – I would take and value their advice.
I’m willing to pay whatever to make sure my dog stays healthy. She’s definitely part of the family. She’s going to turn 5 next month and my wife thinks we should get pet insurance.
So sorry for your experience. And I’m sorry Zito was not helped by the surgery. It’s hard to know and we’re all just doing the best we can.
I worry about bringing money into these decisions too much. They complicate already tough choices.
If I have the money, does that mean I’m a bad caregiver if I don’t opt for expensive and invasive treatment? If I don’t have the money, will my pet die for something as crass as finances?
And because vet care is advancing and costs are rising, vets feel the need to have long serious talks about costs before talking about treatment options. When my dog is sick, the last thing I care about is money. I just need the best help I can to decide if treatment will ultimately improve or deplete my pet’s quality of life.
You’ve started a good discussion here. I hope people can move beyond asking how much am I willing to spend and toward “how can I give my pet the best quality of life with the resources available to me?”
I can’t believe that in 47 comments (so far), no one has mentioned pet insurance. Ellen, I’m sorry for your loss, but I hope you have purchased it for Mikey.
Was typing as you wrote that! I’ve found that pet insurance isn’t very popular among the frugal/personal finance crowd, but I wouldn’t choose to have a dog without it.
We had pet insurance, and they gave us excuses for every claim we filed. After playing those games with two separate companies, we decided the whole idea is a scam, and started setting aside money ourselves for pet emergencies.
Sadly, it generally is a scam, like human dental insurance.
A vet I very much respect told me that there were about one or two good pet insurance companies that were actually worth the money and yielded a decent ROI, but they were incredibly prohibitive with the animals they’d accept under coverage in the first place. Our rescue dog, who was basically sick from day one, wouldn’t have been accepted because she would have been considered to have “pre-existing conditions”.
Pet insurance (let alone *human* medical insurance for one’s family!) is just not a feasible opportunity for many of us, and I wish others would consider that before passing so much judgment on those who don’t have it.
I have an old-fashioned or maybe “rural” view on pets and animals that a lot of people nowadays think of as possibly insensitive, or maybe almost cruel, even, but animals are not people. The author says:
“I do have enough sense not to go into debt for something I can’t afford.”
Well, hell, I’d go into debt for something I couldn’t afford if I were trying to save my daughter. But a cat? I might spend $1,000 on a cat if I had the money available. But I only care so much about cats.
My husband would agree with you, Tyler. Having grown on a farm, they’ve had nothing by animals in their lives and seen many die and they also ate their fair share. He has affection and respect for animals but would never spent an exorbitant amount of money on them.
My father was a sharecropper who raised a animals for food and would agree.
I guess its a cultural difference.
It may sound heartless, but I don’t understand the logic behind pouring all that money into a pet. I had pets growing up, but as an adult, who can barely support myself, it irks me that people who claim to be struggling and have no money have pets.
I opted not buy Pet Insurance…everything I have read says you are better off taking those premiums and putting them in a “pet fund” account for any future issues. I do know some people feel more secure having it and since this is an emotional and financial issue, that probably makes sense. Also, many policies exclude “common” ailments based on breed. I have a labrador that I paid $10 to rescue…but $2500 for TPLO (knee surgery). She was only 2 at the time and active, so I feel it was well worth it to see her regain her mobility. My other dog developed Cushing’s disease, which required frequent tests and $90 per month meds….She was 12 at the time and we just had to put her down at 14…but she got quite a bit of relief from the meds…but I dont think her life was so much better because of her age and dementia. It is something you must think about when getting a pet…everyone’s limits are different….I wouldn’t fault anyone for opting for euthansia if they can’t afford treatment….but I also wouldn’t comdemn those that do spend money that they can afford on their pets.
I know there is much debate as to whether pet insurance is a wise financial choice or not, but I did decide to sign up when we adopted our dog, Ringo, a couple years ago. I did not want to have to choose to put him down before his time just because I couldn’t afford an expensive medical bill.
We have very good coverage, and if there was some kind of emergency that cost thousands, the vast majority would be reimbursed. Without pet insurance I would not be willing or able to spend thousands on a pet, and therefore I would choose not to have a pet. Expensive vet bills are pretty much inevitable.
When he’s near the end of his life expectancy, however, I will be less likely to do “whatever it takes” to prolong his life just a little bit.
We’ve spent upwards of $25,000 on one of our cats.
We found him one morning under the bed with a deflated eye. Turns out he carried the feline herpes virus which went active in him. Conjunctivitis and an ulcer ensued. He had his first eye surgery that day. He was five.
The next two years were rough. We learned to manage the condition but he had multiple ups and downs. He’s had two more major surgeries and one minor. In time we figured out that he also has a food allergy, which led to further health issues.
I remember one night we discussed how far we’d be willing to go. It was after he’d fought back viciously to swallowing a pill as he was recovering from his 2nd surgery. We were down. It’s clear that we love our cats. They’re an integral part of our family. He adds more to our lives than a new car would. We decided to stick it thru.
Between the surgeries, the check-ups, the hypoallergenic food, the lysine supplement, and the daily meds…
He recently turned twelve. By now we know most everything there is to know about the condition and have it in close control. Flare-ups are just a challenge to work thru.
It’s been years since the last major incident. We’re told is vision is ~70% of what it used to be. That sounds about right from our observations. It’s clear that the experience was traumatic as it took him years to regain some of his playful personality. We still loved him throughout that time and he still cuddled with us at night.
We do not regret our choices. We were fortunate enough to be able to make it and we were deliberate in choosing to proceed this way.
P.S.: in hindsight, pet insurance is a good thing.
First, my condolences to you. It’s never easy to euthanize a pet.
Now my two stories.
The first story.
The first dog I had to euthanize was “my dog”. He was the dog I had had since I was six. He is the dog I still compare all other dogs to. When he was 13, he had a stoke (probably not the first) and was not going to have a good quality of life after. It wasn’t a money decision. My parents would have paid to fix him if he could be fixed. But talking with the vet, it was apparent that he wasn’t going to have a quality of life afterwards. So, by myself (my parents were out of town), I had to make the toughest, yet easiest, decision of my life. I was racked to the core and cried for a long time outside the vet, holding his collar. It was a decision that had to be made the way it was made and 20+ years later I still get a scratch in my throat thinking about it. I don’t regret it, I just wish I didn’t have to make the decision.
The second story.
I have two dogs now, both adopted in 2002. One day, about three years ago, one of them started having difficulty walking and standing. Long story short, he had a ruptured spinal disc that was going to eventually paralyze him if it wasn’t fixed. The cost of the surgery alone was over $6000. I had (and still have) pet insurance for non-routine care, but I had no idea what it would actually pay out (more on that later). My wife and I made the decision for him to have the surgery.
It was successful but it was a long road to recovery. We had to do daily exercises with him. When he had to go to the bathroom, we were out there with him, holding his hindquarters up with a towel. He needed prescriptions filled and follow-up visits. He needed a second surgery for a tumor that had formed on his spinal incision (another big cost). It was massively stressful on the whole family. But it was the right decision for him and for us. To this day, he’s still weak in his back legs and has to pull himself up on furniture (yes we let him up on the furniture) instead of jumping, but he seems to be happy and we’ve gotten three more years with him so far.
But we got lucky. He could have gotten an infection, he could have been paralyzed, he could have…well a dozen scenarios come to mind. In the end, we were lucky that he came away with just leg weakness. It was, in the end worth it and I probably would have done it again.
Both decisions were hard, both required I put aside emotions and think clearly. Both needed to be done without regret. I choose to remember the good times with “my dog” and I enjoy my time with our gimpy old man of a dog now. That’s all I can do when I choose to be a pet owner.
Now I mentioned we have pet insurance. I wouldn’t pay for it again, strictly for financial reasons. To date, I have spent close to $8500 in premiums and I have received about $5200 in payouts, the bulk of which ($2500+) was for that one the spinal surgery. In hind site, I would have set up an account and paid into it automatically each paycheck. It would be like an HSA and I could spend money on other pet health related costs like regular checkups, which my current plan doesn’t cover. And in the event that they die or I have to euthanize them, I still have the money that I can apply to any other pups I decide to adopt.
That is exactly what I’ve done! I’ve now had a dog for one year (and she fills my days with glee!).
Just two months after getting her, I had to bring her to the animal ER (apparently, she ate a stick. I never said she was smart). I ended up spending roughly $300 on that visit and while I was there I started reading up on pet insurance. And then I thought to myself “If I just go ahead and put that exact amount I’d be spending per month into a special account just for her, it’ll practically be the same thing.”
So I have a Pet Emergency Fund. For her food and general check-ups, I make sure to budget normally. But that bank account is specifically saved for the times when something goes wrong. Since I started it while she was young (she is now 2 years old) I think I’m going to have a very good amount saved up before anything actually goes wrong.
Sorry to hear about the loss of Zito. My wife and I dropped $9,000 to keep our dog around. He got into a fight and ended up losing a leg. We didn’t know it was going to cost so much, but after three days in specialty care, that was the total. We made the best decision we could. He almost died, but now he is just like his old self, minus a leg. It was a hard amount to swallow at first, but we paid it off over time.
$9,000 for three days of “specialty care”?
I’m going to bring up how shocking this and other numbers in the comments are. Shouldn’t the exorbitant rates of animal hospitals be part of this discussion? I delivered a baby and spent two nights in the hospital, and the bill even before the negotiated rate kicked in was less than that!
What kind of equipment and staff do these “specialty pet clinics” have to justify that price?
I’m with others on here who take a different approach. My cat is lovely and I treat him well (i.e. I feed him and scoop his poop), but at the end of the day, he is not my child or even really a part of the family. When I sign my Christmas cards, it never even crosses my mind to include his name. For this reason, I would never spend this kind of cash on him. I wouldn’t have done it when he was two years old and I certainly wouldn’t do it now that he is nearing fourteen.
Different strokes, I guess.
The rates aren’t that exorbitant. Good friends of mine are vet techs and cringe every time people say that. Yes, it’s important to shop around — but it’s also important to realize that medical care for any being is expensive. In Canada at least, we don’t know see the cost of our own health care so it’s hard to compare to an animal’s care.
Beth,
I know for a fact that it cost less for each of my children’s deliveries in a top-rated hospital than it did for this particular dog’s hospital stay. Here in the U.S., you get the actual bill with the amount listed, so it’s not hidden.
Can you or anyone else explain to me how the care of a dog for a discreet amount of time can cost more than the care of two humans (mother and infant) in a hospital environment for the same amount of time? I don’t expect vets to work for free or a pittance, but I’m having a hard time understanding the amounts people have paid in these comments in comparison to my own experiences with human care.
@Jane – I think you might be comparing apples to oranges here. A traumatic amputation likely required emergency surgery, tests, and close monitoring afterwards. I suspect if a human went through the same ordeal it would cost a lot more than $9000. You can’t really compare that to a human birth (without complications). Most pets give birth at home so that’s a lot cheaper than a human delivery. 🙂
But seriously, a lot of times people complain about the cost of surgery for their pets (in the thousands), but a comparable human surgery is far more expensive (often in the tens of thousands). Pet medications for serious illnesses are also often cheaper than the human equivalent. Ditto with many vaccines and routine tests. We won’t even go into how little vet techs earn compared to human nurses…
I don’t doubt there are some unscrupulous practitioners, or that high end clinics cost more. Pet owners should find a balance between reasonable prices and finding a vet with whom they can establish a consistent relationship for their pet.
That’s a good point, Beth. I also thought of that later in the evening that my comparison was certainly not apples to apples.
I think my larger struggle is with the implications of these numbers. I did a little research, and within the veterinary field, technological advances, equipment and an overall raising of the level of care have dramatically increased the prices over the past few decades. This goes along with the overall perception of most GRS commenters that their treatment and overall perception of their pets mirrors the way they would treat and perceive a human. It’s only logical that they would expect the same level of care, which explains the high numbers. And yes, a $9,000 hospital bill for a dog is high, at least historically.
But my larger question, then, is where does that leave the rest of us who aren’t willing to spend closer to the human equivalent on a pet? Are there “old school” vets who don’t have the fancy equipment and thus keep their prices down? If not, we are creating a situation in which less people will be willing to take on the responsibility of pet ownership. We have already seen several on here express that sentiment. Given the high number of pets euthanized for lack of willing owners, this will exacerbate an already tragic problem.
And perhaps vets in Canada are paid less, but the median salary in the U.S. is $85,000, about $20,000 higher than the median nurse’s salary. One reason for this is that there is a high demand for nurses and a falling demand for vets.
Anyway, interesting discussion. It made me educate myself on a subject I didn’t really know, so thanks!
@Jane – I’m learning a lot too 🙂 And curious about a few things I hadn’t thought about before! Just to clarify, I meant vet techs (veterinary technicians — the people who assist vets) earn less than nurses — though I wonder how vets salaries compare to doctors here in Canada? Hmmm.
I totally agree with you about how medical advances and prevention raise overall costs and I think there’s increasing pressure for owners as a result. When my parents were growing up, I think it was easier to know when to say good-bye and people weren’t left wondering “what if”?
This is a very interesting point! I see a lot of comments from people on forums who are from the UK and Canada, and I mean absolutely no offense to them, but since they won’t be getting a bill for their own medical care, I’d imagine it’s a bit more difficult to gauge what reasonable pet care should cost.
Ellen, After raising and losing a fair number of livestock that became like pets to me, here is one thing I’ve learned. Their shorter lifespans force us to consider our own mortality. I know I grieved hard for an old rabbit I had because he was my 20s. Both those years and my bunny were gone.
Over Christmas my eight year old rescue Lab managed to swallow a small rubber object and some other small item, creating a blockage in her stomach and upper intestine. Since it was a one-time thing and recovery was expected to be total, I paid the $6,000 for the surgery. Ouch.
Had it not been an emergency, and at night, I would have shopped around. My own vet could undoubtedly have done it more cheaply, but her clinic doesn’t do emergency surgery. So my dog ended up going to the pricey all-hours veterinary hospital. They did a wonderful job and she’s doing great.
I’ll find a way to pay off the cost, gradually.
I’ve only had her since April but she’s my baby and I love her. I don’t know what else I could have done, honestly.
My opinion will not be popular.
IMO my beloved cat’s life is precious to me, but she is not more valuable in the grand scheme of things than any other cat. If I was told her medical care would cost more than $1k, I would put her down and donate that $1k to a shelter where it could be used to save 100 cats.
There is not any limit to the amount of money I would be willing to spend on a pet. I would get a second mortgage on my house if need be. I feel that when you take on the responsibility of a pet it is like having a child, you are responsible for a life that depends entirely only you. If you have to move, you don’t move where they don’t take pets. If they are sick you do everything in your power to make them well.
I can’t believe that the choice to spend money on a surgery for a pet would depend on whether or not you had savings. My pets are family members and I would never refuse needed medical care to a family member, regardless of the circumstances. I have spent thousands of dollars on veterinary care for my cats and I don’t ever regret it. I can’t imagine the guilt of having my cat die when a preventable surgery or procedure could have saved his life. Having money in savings will never be the key to my decisions – quality of life is the key to every healthcare decision I make.
Some *human beings* can’t afford to have needed surgery performed on themselves or their children. There’s no need to be insensitively boastful and judgmental about others who don’t find themselves in the very fortunate circumstances you seem to be in.
I’ll be another dissenter about “at all cost” medical care for the pets. And I’ll admit that this attitude changed with age and children.
We have our own version of Ellen’s story. We don’t regret spending a lot of money on a dying cat twelve years ago, but whenever our current cats have a health problem, we discuss a possible cost ceiling before we go in to the vet. We might go higher depending on what the vet says, but we don’t give the vet a blank check. We go in with a number that considers our current life and financial status.
On the other hand, we do pay a bit extra for quality food and litter, in the hopes of keeping some preventable health issues away.
We currently have two formerly-stray adult kitties. I’m comfortable enjoying the cats, giving them a good home, and setting limits on our financial commitment. Our local animal-control facility is on track to euthanize over 3500 cats and kittens this year, so I figure our cats are better off with us, even without unlimited health care.
I am sorry but I just think it is outrageous to spend this much money on pets. I agree with the farming people…..just put the animal down.
I think a lot must also depend on your family situation. As DINKs, Jake and I can prioritize our spending on our pets. If we had kids, especially if we had one income and kids, I think the ceiling for what we’d be willing to do would change a bit.
Sorry to here about Zito. We recently had to put our dog of 13 years down. For me it rally depends on the situation, the information I have and the animal. We have had all types of animal dogs, cats, fish, rats, guinea pigs. I would be more likely to spend money on a dog or cat then on a smaller pet.
I’m including specific numbers from my budget and explanations, but my philosophy towards pet care is to judge a treatment on the potential for quality of life, not simply quantity.
My feeling on this is if at the cost of money or some inconvenience I can provide a pet with an active life free of significant pain or discomfort (especially chronic) then I will.
However, if I’m doing something simply for the sake of keeping my pet around longer, then I’m actually being quite selfish by making my pet suffer for the last few days they have.
My current monthly pet budget is:
– Cat basics (food, litter) – $100
– Cat meds – $175
– Pet sitter ($600/year) – $65
– Regular vet care – $60
=====================================
Total – $400
Cat basics are $25 for litter and approx $25/cat for food per month.
Cat meds all of this is for one cat with renal failure, the majority of this is blood pressure medication for my cat with kidney failure (Approx $100/month). I also give my cat a daily injection of saline fluids. Bags of saline cost $10 and have enough for 5 days worth of treatments.
This is my second cat with renal failure so I’m very comfortable giving saline injections at home. If I were not then this would be about $30 per visit, or 3 times my current cost for fluids.
The biggest impact form this isn’t actually the cost (to us) but the fact that we have to arrange our life around his treatments. When we go for vacations we use a pet sitter that is a certified vet tech as she is able to give him is injections. Her fees are $85/day for two visits. We generally take one week and one weekend vacation out of town each year and the rest of our vacation time is simply time off spent at home.
Yearly check-ups are about $300 for all three cats. We do get a discount when we bring them all in in one go, so we generally do that.
As my cats are strictly indoor cats, I don’t actually vaccinate them for everything ever year. I discussed this with my vet and since I did vaccinate them yearly for the first 5 or so years, there should be reasonable immunity to go on a 2-3 year cycle. My cats also react to vaccinations (large lumps develop at the site and stay around for a couple of weeks) so I prefer to limit how often we have to deal with that.
Many people comment on how they wouldn’t spend so much on their pets, or even more commonly how they wouldn’t be willing to do daily injections, but I figure it’s a lot cheaper/less effort than anti-depressants, being an alcoholic or many of the other ways people deal with life’s crap so I consider my cats to have an excellent ROI even with the *extra* costs in $ and time.
I have spent the last several years becoming aware of children who are being mistreated and not cared for properly… who can have their quality of life improved drastically. (eg. orphans, orphans with special needs, kids in the foster system, etc.) When I personally know several people who are desperately trying to save the lives of children but who needs financial support, it’s hard to spend money on a pet, however much I love it. Just the same, we just paid $200 to neuter our dog and of course we chose to bring him into our family and feed him and care for him. In other words… your question is a difficult one!
I’m so sorry about Zito.
I used to work at the local animal shelter and, though I started with two, I ended up with six cats. (No, I don’t work there anymore!) We’re down to three now, but over the years, I shudder to think about how much money we’ve spent on vet bills.
One cat developed a horrible eye ulceration (the result of a cold) at 8 months old. By the time we got her to the vet, my options were to either have the eye removed that day or get her emergency opthalmic treatment. I opted for the latter, and dropped $1200. My rationale was she’s only 8 months old and it was my fault for not getting her treatment sooner. She recovered well, the eye healed, and I never regretted the expenditure.
Five of the six have developed progressive chronic renal failure. Our oldest boy did well with it for several years before we had to resort to subcutaneous fluids, and even after that, did well for another couple of years before his quality of life was such that it was time to say goodbye.
My other sweet boy developed an enlarged heart, threw a blood clot that fortunately lodged in his forepaw (usually they go to the hind legs rendering the cat paralyzed), and we caught it early enough to break up the clot and get him on meds to reduce the stress on his heart. That was a $750 trip for the diagnosis and treatment of the clot, and another $600 when we had to drain the fluid off his lungs.
One girl has chronic UTIs, so she’s on injectable antibiotics because she can’t tolerate the orals ($100/month). One girl had a cancerous tumor on her ear that necessitated her ear tip be removed. The remaining girl was just recently diagnosed with CRF. At some point, we’ll need to do fluids with her, too.
I realize that I’m very fortunate to have the household income that allows for this; not everyone does. That said, I believe that we have a responsibility and an obligation when we bring home these adorable, furry bundles of joy to provide for them to the absolute best of our abilities. Our furry friends love us unconditionally and without reservation.
It’s incredible for me to have come across this post just at this time. We are dealing with a very similar situation with our beloved dog. I went to the vet yesterday, and was advised to take him to an animal hospital to see a specialist. We are dreading the potential expenses, but are unsure as to where to draw the line. It’s not easy! Your post gives some serious food for thought.
How much does a new pet cost? That is, if I could get a replacement cat for $100, that would be about how much I’d spend on my current cat.
Let’s phrase the question differently, “How many hours are you willing to work doing whatever it is you do for money to save your pet?” People have posted that they’ve spent thousands of dollars on their pet, how many hours of work is that? And what might you have done with that money instead? For me, I’d much rather travel the world with thousands of dollars than save a pet whose life expectancy is measured in years less than 10.
“How many hours are you willing to work doing whatever it is you do for money to save your pet?”
…is the most depressing phrase in PF literature. I don’t know why but I always feel a tinge of pity whenever I hear someone use it.
Also, many cats are free so by applying your rule that must mean you would spend nothing to address an illness. So please never get a cat Jim.
“So please never get a cat Jim.”
I was wondering how long it would take for people to resort to hyperbole and directly antagonize another reader’s perceptions of pet ownership and financial priorities. I guess I should just be glad you didn’t go so far as to make him feel like he’s akin to Michael Vick.
I’m fairly certain that this discussion has led people like Jim to feel all the more less likely to ever get another cat.
If we continue to raise the bar for expectations of pet care and attention, it will be detrimental for the cat and dog population as a whole. Don’t you realize that these higher standards and prices we set for care of animals are in many respects ensuring that more and more animals will be euthanized? Wouldn’t you prefer a cat to live for ten years in Jim’s household? Or would it be better for that cat to remain un-adopted and euthanized a few months later? If less people are willing to take on pet ownership, more and more animals will have to be put down.
As J.D. often used to say, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.”
Luckily, our cats are relatively healthy, though my older one was just diagnosed with arthritis, so now we mix a supplement into her food. I’m pretty sure that $3,000 would be above my limit. I might consider $1,000 or $1,500. I honestly couldn’t predict though.
We’ve saved quite a bit — especially with the latest rounds of appointments to diagnose then check on her arthritis — with the Petsmart Wellness Plan.
Unless you’re worried about dental health and want an annual cleaning, the plan isn’t generally worth it until you have a serious issue. But for $325 a year you get the shots, two check-ups, free office visits and a tooth cleaning.
We actually found it because my older cat needed teeth pulled, which meant a cleaning. I got a quote of around $1,200 from one vet. In the end I paid $500 for the plan and the two teeth that needed to go.
And when our other cat was puking almost daily and they wanted to run some tests, the plan nearly paid for itself because of the proposed organ tests etc — nearly all of which were covered by the plan.
But, again, I always tell people not to buy it until they need it because it goes into effect the day you purchase it.
Point being, it’s saved us quite a chunk of change over the last two years.
How much am I willing to spend to save a sick pet?
Honestly, I hope I never find out.
If I were rich, money wouldn’t matter. My decision would be based on diagnosis, prognosis and quality of life. I don’t want any of my pets to suffer in pain. I don’t want them put down if it can be avoided.
I will know what’s right when the time comes.
Always, for us, it’s quality of life over cost. When our Bella had kidney failure–and damn those stupid vampire movies for ruining a lovely name–we decided on treatments that would make her feel well and allow her to enjoy her life.
This can also be taken backwards: how much are you willing to spend on preventative care and quality diet in order to prevent illness?
A few years ago, I spent about $2,300 on my 3 year old cat. He had stopped eating and I took him to the vet and they couldn’t find what was wrong with him so they had to do a lot of tests and it added up very quickly. I felt like I had little control over the situation to keep going with the tests and what not and didn’t have a good feeling after the whole thing was over. After he was there for 3 days, I was going to the clinic on the Saturday to basically either take him home with me and see if he made it with the 3 types of medications and liquid diet or put him down. He came home and after a month of scheduled feeding and medications he got better and has been fine since and will be 8 years old this year.
At the time, I was in school and I didn’t have any savings and the money to pay for all that was credit cards and a loan from my sister. It was a poor financial decision but I would probably do the same thing if I had to go back. I do think vets need to be better at explaining costs and the necessity of $400 tests and what not. In his case, a lot of things were done that probably didn’t need to and could have kept the expense down.
As my cat gets older, I wouldn’t spend a lot of money unless there was a clear chance that the treatment would be successful.
But mostly, I have learned that you should not get a pet if you don’t have that $1000-$2000 set aside to take care of sickness/accidents.
The fact that this is a choice at all brings about interesting debate. As pet owners, rather than pet guardians, we are inclined to think about them differently than we do other family members. This wording has been debated in legislature multiple times, and should it ever change, the entire veterinary system would go haywire.
Interesting to read the responses. My last dog at 11 needed surgery, which was beyond risky because she had a serious heart condition. Not only was my vet there, but also an anesthesiologist, a heart specialist and a surgeon. The bill was over 5k and she lived a happy life for 2 more years, until her heart condition got so we couldn’t manage it any longer and she was uncomfortable. I’d do it all over again the same way.
My current dog is only 5 and after 2 years of mystery illnesses, rashes, low energy, all sorts of odd symptoms, 4 specialists, more tests than you can imagine we found out he’s diabetic (most of the vets involved believe something else some day will come to light with this dog because diabetes does not fully explain all that he has gone thru). So now insulin 2x a day, needles, special diet, boarding at my Vets when I go out of town ($$$) and he’s not a very well regulated diabetic so I test his glucose many times a day to fix his glucose levels with treats or exercise.
My medical bills with this beast are well over 6k so far. I run a very tiny business so I’m not well off. But when I rescued this dog I promised him a really good life, he had a terrible one before and I’m going to do that for him. What he gives me in return is truly priceless.
I know not everyone can or is willing to do what I have but I can’t put a price on my dogs life. He’s happy, fairly healthy now and doesn’t mind his shots at all. He keeps me happy and fit. He’s there in my darkest days and my best, loving me all the while. I can’t imagine at what $$ I’d say no more but i do know at this point I’d go to crowd sourcing if I couldn’t afford his medical care. As it is I go without a lot of things so I can afford his meds.
I adopted him with the promise of love and care and I’m good on my word. One thing I think people need to think about long and hard before the go to rescue an animal is how much even a health animal costs.
I’m late to this thread due to a weekend without internet access, but this hit a nerve.
Years ago we had to take our kitty in for an emergency when she was nearly 15 – DH accidentally stepped on her head when she darted unexpectedly under his feet – other than a mild concussion she was fine and recovered from that, but the ER discovered she had kidney failure and wanted to start her on aggressive and expensive treatment. This came at a bad time financially and I said no, Boo was an old kitty anyway, and I’d take her home and make her comfortable. OH BOY – you would have thought I’d told the vet I was going to take Boo out and throw her in front of a car! The vet berated me about how could I possibly deny treatment to my beloved and helpless companion, only a bad owner would do that, yada yada yah. Left and didn’t go back. Boo lived another half year, comfortable and happy, and we put her down when she stopped eating or drinking or being comfortable or happy. That vet (a different one, obviously) said it was exactly the right time for Boo to go; “yesterday would have been too soon, tomorrow would have been too late.”
When I thought we’d have to put her down after the accident, I cried all night, heartbroken. When we put her down after the kidney failure, I cried at the loss, but I knew in my heart of hearts we’d done the right thing. I guess that’s really what counts.
For this reason – the cost of pet medical treatment – as well as not being home enough now, we do not have any pets anymore. And our family still misses Boo.
I consider pets a part of the family and regardless a living, breathing creature, so I think they deserve that respect of life. I would have spent the $3k to save my pets life, even if I had to take on debt for it. For me, even if it was purely a bad financial decision, a a living companion means more to me that that. Now if the pet were older, chance of recovery were low, etc, I’d take that into consideration. That decision with those factors would still though be more based on what is right for my pet, the family member, over anything financial though.
I think you did the right thing, for you — people’s opinions on this can vary, and I can see why, but to me I don’t downgrade any living thing’s life because of it’s species — a family member is a family member!
I have been told my cat has a heart disease a few months ago. He’s 7 and with treatment, can live many more years, so I decided to go through with the treatment. My husband’s cat has pancreas disease which could hide a tumor. Since pancreas cancer can’t be dealt with, we decided not to take the tests, not to know if he has cancer or not. We decided to offer him a great life at home, not knowing. If he suffers, we’ll put him down. Its a real tough decision, treating one cat and not the other…
Our pup is sick right now, and in order to find out what’s going on with him and get it under control, we’re spending several thousand. I don’t care. There isn’t an amount of money I wouldn’t spend to keep him healthy and happy. The determining factor will be quality of life.
I love my baby so much. Hoping to hear good news.
Had a dog for 8 years. He was given all he needed. At 7 years he got skin problem. Almost 3 injections a month. Then he was due for vaccination. The vet gave him the vaccine though I refused to give vaccine to a sick dog. The dog lost eye sight in 3 days. He became disoriented. We dint want any more suffering for him. He died after a month. He had a good life though blind. Though our dad was scared that we would get the skin problem. We never gave him away. I wanted him at home.
Today almost 5 years later and having my own child I can’t believe we did so much for our dear dog.
I just spent $15,000 for my standard poodle who is 6 years old. She and my boxer pup got into a fight ….not a bad fight, just a couple of puncture wounds…. The poodle got several really bad flesh eating bacteria. She was hospitalized for approximately 6 weeks, 4 weeks at the University of Florida in Gainesville. If someone has asked me would I spend $15,000 to save a dog, I would have adamantly said NO….but seeing how happy and full of life she was, I had no choice but to keep her alive.
Reading this article and subsequent thread of comments was fascinating, and quite helpful for my current situation. I’m putting my dog down tomorrow afternoon. I’ve labored with the decision the past couple of days – and even once making this decision – dealing with some guilt. I’ve been scouring the internet specifically to see what other pet owners have done in similar situations. My dog Rocco is 12.5 years old and I got him from the Humane Society when he was about 8 months old. I love my dog to pieces. And, I’ve spent a small fortune over the years to keep my commitment to him. We moved from DC to SF back in 2006. Finding an affordable apartment in SF that accepted pets was impossible. I ended up renting an apartment that was slightly above my budget and figured I would cut expenses elsewhere – and I did. Soon after that, my work travel schedule became super crazy. I loved my job/career but also knew I made a commitment to my dog – so I hustled and between some friends that could watch him on overnight trips, and finding a couple of reliable pet sitters that I felt comfortable with, I probably dished out about $3,000 a year just for boarding/pet sitting – in addition to all other expenses like a dog walker, food, vet bills, etc. I almost always take him on business trips or personal trips where driving is an option – and I always pay for the extra cost to find a hotel where I can lodge with my pet – oftentimes with non-refundable pet deposits. I certainly didn’t plan to take on all these additional commitments, but events happened and I made a commitment to my dog Rocco. He’s had a few health issues over the years at $400 to $600 a pop. Last year when I started noticing that he was losing his hearing (he’s lost about 50% by now), I asked myself that question – how much was too much if and when the time came – and I could provide an answer free from guilt or pressure. I decided at around $1,500. Well, yesterday he was diagnosed with a massive tumor on his spleen that requires surgery one way or another – because it will inevitably rupture and he would hemorrhage to death if/when it did. It’s gonna cost $3,500 assuming no complications – but with a dog his age, blood transfusions would be likely – add several more hundred dollars. The can’t tell if the tumor is benign or malignant until the take it out. If its benign it could be curative. If its malignant, he’ll pass in about 6 weeks. The vet says its a bout a 50/50 chance. I seriously considered paying for the surgery even with the possibility of compilations. But I’ve also thought about the fact that he is 12.5 years old, has lost 50% of his hearing, will have to deal with Cushing’s disease treatment after this (I took him in for those type of symptoms and they found the tumor), and is beginning to show signs of arthritis. I’ve decided to put him down for two reasons: 1) he’s had a good life with me and I’ve faithfully kept my commitment to him all these years even with all the unforeseen costs – at 12.5 with signs of aging setting in quickly, I think its time to let go, and b) the bigger consideration for me is a moral one (my moral universe). I grew up in a working class family where the mere idea of spending a few hundred dollars on a dog is out of the question no matter how much you love him/her. Most of my extended family is still working class and I think how extravagant this type of costs might seem to them. I’ve also spent time in developing countries in the Middle East, Cuba, and southeast Asia – where people are unbelievably poor. Places where the term “its a dog’s life” means exactly the opposite of what it means here in the US. A dog in the US that ends up getting adopted has essentially hit the lottery – like my dog did – compared to 80% of the places around the world. I love dogs – love them!! They are like human beings to me, and that’s what I’ve focused on- the word “like”. I already feel like my dog has had a lavish life compared to so many human beings around the world – that I have personally witnessed. I don’t regret that. But, spending upwards of $4,000 for a 12.5 y/o dog with a 50/50 chance at best – and that has had a pretty good life – knowing how much poverty and human suffering exists would eat at me more. I spent a great day with my dog today – at the beach, the park, he had a flank steak for dinner, and he even gets to sleep in the bed with me tonight. Tomorrow I will put him down. I’m gonna cry my eyes out I know it. And then a couple of days later, I’m going to donate $500 to the local SPCA to pay for the cost of helping senior citizens in SF care for their dogs. It’s not going to make this decision any easier or fully assuage my guilt, but I do feel strongly that it’s in line with my personal values about compassion for all living creatures and recognizing the intrinsic value of all human beings first and foremost – and then I’m going to cry some more. Good luck to anybody who reads this one day and is going through similar turmoil and inner conflict.
Wow! What a good life you gave your beloved Rocco. I hope you have lots of pictures to go along with your wonderful memories. Tomorrow will suck, but you will get through it. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience here. I’ll be thinking of you and Rocco tomorrow.
I’m sorry but everyone on here who is saying there is no monetary limit is full of it. What if your dog could stay alive forever in perfect health but you had to pay 10.000 per day? everyone on here would put their dog down. if you say differently you are what the dictionary calls a liar.
I have to put my cat down but I don’t want to. My cat has been ill since brith and he was blind and now he is losing wight fast my cat is only 4 and every night he lays beside me
I’m in that dilemma, my 15 yo pointer is blind, deaf, arthritic, has cognitive deficiencies and occasionally pees and poops in the house. He has just started drinking much more water than usual, could be diabetes, etc. But the tests will easily run $500 I am guessing (laid out over $500 less than a year ago). As far as I can tell, he might not wake up any day.
I just wish I knew if he was in pain. He’s been on rimadyl for a couple of years and glucosamine. Eats well. Sometimes happy, lots of sleeping. Refuses to walk more than 1 block (on a good day).
so test and medicate? Or let nature run it’s course? Again, I just wish I knew if he was in pain. I do like the idea of giving the money (or half, anyway) of testing to our shelter.