Is there a limit to what you would pay to save a beloved pet?

[bright.ton42]

I know of people who choose euthanasia rather than be faced with a life time of costs for, say, diabetes treatment. And these are people who could easily afford it.   

I also have read of where people  have gone into debt to save a pet. 

Me, i would pay what i could afford as i love my pets like children. 

Someone asked earlier if would work in a massage parlour to pay such a bill and the sad answer is i,m not 16 and cute enough     but i would work at just abt anything to save my pet.  

This is not intended to be judgemental,   no response is wrong, i've just got time on my hands and  am really  interested.  

[serendipityricho]

Some folk spend big money keeping a pet alive that is beyond hope

and the vets keep taking the money-seen it happen.

[the4masters2013]

For those of us without children but are pet owners, we would pay quite a bit.
There is a time, however, when reality needs to set in, and sad as it is, we need to do the best for our animals. To let them go and pain free.

[freddie*rooster]

If the condition of the pet was terminal and the animal

was in distress it would be time to let them go.

If the condition of the pet can be controlled with

medications or other treatment i'm thinking most people

who love their pets would pay what they could afford to

give them quality of life. Sadly I think owning a pet can

break the bank when it comes to vet care.

[sandypas]

I would do what ever I could do to keep my beloved dogs alive as long as it was viable.  We have a cavalier kc spaniel who has the heart problems they often get as they age and is on quite expensive medication but I was talking to a man who had paid $12,000 to have his cavalier operated on for the same thing and it died a couple of months later.  It was 12 and their average age is 12-14.  In that case, I think it would have been better to let it go to sleep humanly.  Our cav is 12 so when she gets to the stage of gasping for breath, we will take the vet's advice as to when she is too uncomfortable.  

[kopenhagen5]

I would also say it depends on what is best for the animal.

My feelings wouldn't enter into it, I think that would be selfish.

Quality of life, age of pet and whether treatment is uncomfortable.

Money would come in second to the above.

[travlyn2012]

We have never had pets. We didn't want them locked at home all day, and would sometimes work irregular hours. It was hard enough shuffling our sons about.

My parents on the other hand, particularly in the latter years, had pets. They had spent a fortune on them. A Maltese terrier, was a diabetic, having to inject it regularly, it was also blind, had back surgery on at least 2 occasions.

I thought it was cruel, but in saying that, I  can understand that some people must be very attached to their pets and are unable to let go.

I assume that if I did have pets,  I would have to consider at some point where to draw the line.

[zanadoo_56]

It's interesting you mentioned diabetes.  I had an older cat that developed it and I made the decision to have her put to sleep.  True, the cost would have not been easy to manage, but her complete lack of co operation when it came to any kind of medical treatment and my total fear of needles coloured the decision.  The vet seemed to regard giving her the needles as something I could easily do....despite the fact that he didn't have much luck handling her without getting badly scratched when a trip to the vet was required.  I was so afraid that the needle would break or end up somewhere it shouldn't that I felt I had no choice.

Years later I had a cat with thyroid issues.  Blood tests every three months, then every six months and tablets every day...it all added up, but I was in a better financial position so it was OK.  For anyone with a cat with a hyperthyroid problem, it also happens in dogs and the medicine is the same but in smaller doses for cats.  At that time the cat tablets were more expensive than the dog ones.  For the dosage my cat needed, my vet prescribed the dog tablets which I cut in half. 😉  Just to illustrate the contrariness of cats, she didn't like the tablets so every day, twice a day we would have a kind of wrestling match as I struggled to get the tablets into her.  However, after more than a year of treatment she got used to them.  One day I accidentally dropped the tablet...and she promptly licked it up and swallowed it.  I wanted to kill her. 🙂  She lived to age 16 when sadly inoperable stomach cancer claimed her.

Because I am now housebound I've called the vet out once for a home consultation for my current feline.  That is definitely more expensive but I love her dearly and of course it is my responsibility to ensure she has a good and happy life.  What really riled me recently was renewing her council registration - $50 to the council frankly for nothing.  Nice little earner for them for a cat who never goes out beyond her small enclosed outdoor run.

[springyzone]

I think it depends on the age of the pet, the condition and I suppose, realistically, the cost.

We've had dogs for many years. A couple of past dogs had medical conditions and we willingly paid for tablets & vet treatment to make them more comfortable.

One of our dogs, a corgi, was about 15, developed tumours and lost the use of his legs. My daughter slept in the family room to carry him outside as he needed. Luckily injections and medications had him back on his feet within a couple of days. Had that not happened I would have had him put to sleep. He lived well & happily for another couple of months then went into a long, never ending seizure from a bleeding brain tumour.They asked if we wanted to try to treat it but I knew then it was his time.

Would I put an elderly pet through big operations that would cause pain? Probably not.

A young dog with a treatable condition that promises a normal life afterwards, different thing, though if we're looking at eg $12k or $30k, a lot of people could not afford it. My niece paid $6k for her pet dog, it has given him a new lease of life.

But old and frail and sick, comfort is the main thing and sometimes it is a kindness to let them go. Not so sure it is all that different for people either.

[chameleon54]

I have a very good Kelpie sheep dog that has had three operations at $2000 a pop in quick succession. ( blocked plumbing ). That was around 8 years ago. He has been on a specialist veterinary diet since then at around $40 per week or $16,000 over his lifetime, so all up around $24,000. Was it worth it ??? Heck yerr.

He has been a terrific working dog, who knows where the sheep yards on the rough terrain lease blocks are and rounds up the sheep and yards them by himself, without much help from me at all. Unfortunately he is now old, going blind & deaf and slightly senile.... 

Over the last 3 months I have relinquished grazing sheep on two of the roughest properties as the younger dogs are not as good and I simply cant manage the sheep in scrubby, hilly country without the old dog. Not only has the old dog been a great worker he is a true gentleman of dog and a wonderful companion. I still let him yard a few sheep now and again for old times sake, but with a heart condition his time is nearly up I,m afraid.