How valuable is your pet?

[Scuba65]

I could've done chemo for my dog..but, the vet who is a friend told me that since she was a rott. and a big one that she would not do good with having to amputate her leg. I let her live the rest of the time she had doing what she wanted and made her life as comfortable as possible. And I knew that when she wasn't eating anymore, didn't want to get up anymore, didn't want her favorite stuff that was her time and as much as it hurt...i had to make that choice for her. As much as i didn't want to let her go I had to do it for her and then just remember the good times she had and yrs. she gave me of happiness. Like you I will take out a 2nd. 3rd. mortage or whatever it takes for me to save my pets if need be. When she died we had her cremated and she now sits on the desk in our office in an urn that is now shared by her and our cat that died a few months ago at the young age of 20 yrs. old....Now he lived the live of a rich cat...ate...slept...ate...slept....etc. he went in his sleep.

 

[yipiekaya]

Spent so far $5,200.00 on back surgerys ( and there was no guarantee he would walk again ) on our long hair dachshund after he couldnt walk and was paralyzed , so now no stairs no jumping not even off the curb on the street, and he fly like the wind now when he runs,.. pure joy in his face watching him tear off running on a baseball diamond , so i guess its all relative to your income and you attachment,,,

Last night my wife noticed her favorite cat was acting quite weird, and was favoring one front paw. It appeared to be swollen as well. Being as it was Friday night, we had no choice but to take the cat into a local emergency vet clinic for a check up. Turns out the cat was bitten by a rattlesnake somehow, but the Doc didn't come to that conclusion until we had run up a bill of over 1000.00! now what way do you go with that? Keep going, or put the animal down. My wife chose to fix it. so as of this morning, the cat is still in there, and the bill is still growing. I made the mistake of mentioning that it "was only a cat after all" and that we should consider pulling the plug. Now I am not only in debt, but in the doghouse as well. I was wondering what other think is a reasonable amount of money to spend on a family pet when it has an emergency. I am seriously considering pet insurance for the future.

 

[lhpdiver]

I could've done chemo for my dog..but, the vet who is a friend told me that since she was a rott. and a big one that she would not do good with having to amputate her leg. I let her live the rest of the time she had doing what she wanted and made her life as comfortable as possible. And I knew that when she wasn't eating anymore, didn't want to get up anymore, didn't want her favorite stuff that was her time and as much as it hurt...i had to make that choice for her. As much as i didn't want to let her go I had to do it for her and then just remember the good times she had and yrs. she gave me of happiness. Like you I will take out a 2nd. 3rd. mortage or whatever it takes for me to save my pets if need be. When she died we had her cremated and she now sits on the desk in our office in an urn that is now shared by her and our cat that died a few months ago at the young age of 20 yrs. old....Now he lived the live of a rich cat...ate...slept...ate...slept....etc. he went in his sleep.

We have 3 urns on the mantle. People look at us funny sometimes. The house is for sale and our plan is to move to Mexico. Just today we had the conversation as to what to do with the guys. I opted for the ocean but my wife says the cats would hate the water...

We are probably losing it but as we lose cats we gain cardinals. Shortly after we lost our oldest two cats (male/female) a pair of cardinals moved into our hibiscus tree. They come right up onto the window sill (sp?) and chirp like crazy. They sit opposite the glass and stare at our cats. We figure they are our old buddies. Late this spring our cardinal family grew by 2 babies. Now the 4 of them hang out on the patio furniture.

 

[Charlie J]

Sigh....pet insurance and 43.6 million PEOPLE in the US didn't have health insurance in 2002...."fixed easily - $1300 and 22 TEETH!"...."fairly inexpensive" - $150/month"....the ONLY thing I agree with is "them to go with dignity and without suffering" - However - didn't you say its the OWNER's choice?? How much do YOU pay for your meds????? Get a reality check, doc!

I thought I'll jump in as someone who is a pet owner and veterinarian as well.... Pet health insurance is something, I strongly recommend to my clients....many have geriatric problems that can be fixed easily, providing couple more years to the pet and owner....to let us perform a dentistry on the dog that cost him more than $1300. After extracting 22 teeth, ...Kristy, ... your dog. She's old and has problems that can be fixed with the appropriate medication which is fairly inexpensive beside the pain medication. ....Allowing them to go with dignity and without suffering Is the least that we can do for them after they spent their whole life with us, gave us their love and affection and served us well.

 

[aquaoren]

Sigh....pet insurance and 43.6 million PEOPLE in the US didn't have health insurance in 2002...."fixed easily - $1300 and 22 TEETH!"...."fairly inexpensive" - $150/month"....the ONLY thing I agree with is "them to go with dignity and without suffering" - However - didn't you say its the OWNER's choice?? How much do YOU pay for your meds????? Get a reality check, doc!

Well dude, I'm not on this world to fix the shortcomings of the US health care system. If you have a beef with your health care system, why wouldn't you try to do something about it?
You did a good job though taking my words out of context and mixing everything up.
How much do I pay for my meds? First, probably not more than you would be paying for services in your profession and field of expertise and secondly, it's none of your business.

 

[aquaoren]

Oh I don't do nothing. She takes buffered asprin, and steroids with a flare up (her back goes "out"). SHe also takes synthroid for dogs 2 times a day. The RX pain meds that my vet wants to use are quite expensive. The incontinence drugs have been tried several times, and don't work. I am unable to live with dog pee in the carpet anymore. It's horrible and filthy. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old who like to play downstairs and sit on that floor. She does get attention in the garage, because we do spend time outside.

I think her barking issues are because she can't see well.

You have no idea how I struggle with this. This dog had parvo as a pup, even though she was vaccinated, scratched both corneas as a youngster, has allergies to grass and flea collars, and had knee replacements to BOTH knees at the same time. (I moved to my mom's and slept on the floor with the dog for 2 weeks while she recovered and couldn't use the steps at my house, wheelbarrowing her outside with a bedsheet). I feed my dogs wellness dog food by old mother hubbard (IMO the best there is). It is holistic and uses all human quality ingredients rather than diseased and dying animals. It also has herbs and shark cartilage to help with the arthritis. I have spent thousands on my furry 4 legged babies, and more than that, I have spent time. All of my dogs are obedience trained with MANY hours spent with them.

I have had to have 2 dogs put to sleep in the past. For both it was a clear decision. This one is not so easy. There are days when she is not so good, and days when she's perky and feisty.

If I had unlimited funds, (like before kids and divorce), I wouldn't hesitate to try anything. But I am no longer in that situation, so I do the best I can, with what I can, and hope and pray that it's the right decision. I am trusting my vet for guidance. She has always given it to me in the past, and I think the world of her. Until she says it's time, I'll do my best to keep Sabaka happy and comfortable.

BTW, Before kids I was active in Keeshond rescue (rescued and placed 3)(the 2 dogs I have now are Samoyeds, and the younger male is a rescue). Also rescued a Malamute and kept her until she died (was put to sleep) of cancer).

Guess what I'm trying to tell you is that you aren't taking to an irresponsible dog owner. Not offended though, because you know nothing about me. Just letting you know.

I'm sorry if you had the feeling that I thought you were irresponsible pet owner. I didn't, as an irresponsible pet owner would have not performed the knee surgeries you've mentioned because "it's only a dog".
I misunderstood your first post where you mentioned that the vet wants to put her on the meds and it sort of implied to me that she's not getting the appropriate treatment yet. I hope the treatments will work and she will improve but if not, you should make a decision with your dogs best interest in mind.

 

[MissyP]

- However - didn't you say its the OWNER's choice?? How much do YOU pay for your meds????? Get a reality check, doc!

Yes it IS the owner's CHOICE. But did the animal have a CHOICE when you took them in? Oren was just trying to give his perspective from a vet/pet owners viewpoint- no need to jump down his throat..
It's true that not everyone has the ability to afford pet care (the unexpected costs), but you have to understand BEFORE you adopt a pet that you will almost always incur unexpected vet bills. Cats, dogs, horses, bunnies, snakes, etc can all get sick or injured and I do believe it's the owner's responsibility to take care of their pets. If you aren't financially able to deal with the unexpected costs, then it might be a better option to get a goldfish. :bfish:

If you feel the need to be around pets, volunteer at a local shelter or become a temporary foster parent to a pet awaiting adoption.

 

[gitterdun]

I thought I'll jump in as someone who is a pet owner and veterinarian as well.

Large animal or small? My horse, unfortunately, was once at Guelph the year before he died, and I have also taken other horses there in the past (Breeding/Foaling/Training facility for Thoroughbreds). I would like to say thank you for all of the work that you/your colleagues may have done for us. I'm one of the people with 2 cats, dogs (Keesonds!), and horses, and have a vet asst. diploma. I appreciate what you do, and I thank you.

 

[kent_1848]

If you aren't financially able to deal with the unexpected costs, then it might be a better option to get a goldfish. :bfish:

Wow, now only the rich can have pets! :11:

 

[diverkristi]

Large animal or small? My horse, unfortunately, was once at Guelph the year before he died, and I have also taken other horses there in the past (Breeding/Foaling/Training facility for Thoroughbreds). I would like to say thank you for all of the work that you/your colleagues may have done for us. I'm one of the people with 2 cats, dogs (Keesonds!), and horses, and have a vet asst. diploma. I appreciate what you do, and I thank you.

YAY for Keeshonds! I want another one badly. I really miss my Kees girl. She had a stomach tumor and had to be put to sleep last april. She was my firstborn. Have talked to breeders, but prefer to rescue, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for one. If you see a female that needs a home let me know. My male Sammy hates other boys so it has to be a girl.