Today my cat swallowed a sewing needle. I had to take him to the vet and after x-rays (for $150) I ended up having to get him surgery (for an additional $600). It seems to have all gone okay but I had to finance the money and I can't really afford to do this. I have a good safety net so my mom should be able to help me pay it off before I get too much interest and I can just owe her but it sucks because I'm trying to save up for a house and I already owe my mom a few thousand dollars.
A few people I told about this suggested I just try to let him pass it naturally (which the vet said because of how it was positioned and the size of it compared to the size of the cat was unlikely to go well, and could be too late to help him after), and if it didn't work out to just put him down. I hadn't ever thought of just letting him die, he is only a year old and isn't the best cat but I love him. If the price had been $3000 I might have had to but I would have felt horrible.
How much money would you be willing to save your pet's life. To make it simpler assume that if you don't pay the pet will surely die, and if you do pay it will definitely survive.
On a side note whats with people I barely know telling me I should have just put him down, that I spent too much money, when I'm clearly upset about my cat?
First of all, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I know how difficult it can be to make these decisions. This is a timely question. Recently my dog Hemingway started limping. We took him to the vet to find out that he has bone cancer in his rear right leg. It's metastasized. Still, we had to amputate his leg because he was in pain. We have him on chemotherapy in the hopes to extend his life, not save it. Thankfully, the chemo has very minimal side effects and doesn't make him feel too badly. He could live for another couple of years but statistically he will die within the year. How much would I pay? A good amount. Here he is the day after the surgery:
If I were in your situation, I honestly don't think I could do it. Not because I wouldn't love the animal and want to keep them alive, but because I already saw my father pass away from cancer. I know I couldn't do it again with anyone again, human or animal, at least not for a long time. It's incredibly difficult to go through, and after hearing what my father had to say about it all, I realized he hated how much money we spent on him just to extend his life by the smallest bit. I understand the situation is different for animals, but I know it would be way too hard for me to try and get through. I'm happy you're doing all you can though. That dog is incredibly lucky to have you.
Sorry to hear about your father. When Hemingway (my dog) gets to a point when he is in pain, we will put him down. Till then it's about smothering him with affection. He hasn't been surrounded by this much attention since he was a puppy. Thanks for your kind words and welcome to Hubski.
All said it will be between $3-4k. When he was a puppy he had reconstructive surgery on his rear leg after being hit by a car. That one was over $5k. He's been an extremely costly dog, but I really love him a lot. He's a great, cuddly, friendly and emotionally in-tune friend.
They're part of the family. Like Kafke said, why get a pet if you're not willing to care for them? Unfortunately just about anyone can get one. -what's even worse is when these types of people have children. Edit: sad post I wrote about my childhood dog. -unfortunately, sometimes no amount of money will cure what ails them.
My dad grew up on a farm. I grew up in a small town. Animals die. Sometimes of old age, sometimes due to sickness and sometimes in order for us to have a hamburger. I was brought up with a practical and respectful understanding of an animal's mortality. You shoot spring hares because they damage the crop. You don't shoot pigeons for fun. If I own a pet, its life is my responsibility. If I do bad, it suffers and that is on me. If my dog is terminally ill or was hit badly by a car I would rather put it down than go for the long shot. I would cry all the way, but I would not extend its life just because I love it. Its quality of life is my responsibility and therefore ending it is my duty if there is no realistic chance of it recovering. That being said I would have been torn two ways about your cat. That's a lot of money, but it is a sure fire recovery for the pet. If couldn't afford the surgery I would rather have put it down than risk it passing a sewing needle. I guess I would spend as much as I could justify. I won't go beyond what I can afford (which is the main reason I don't have a pet) and I wouldn't pay for a procedure that with a low chance of success or one which would leave the animal in pain or discomfort.
We have a cat with FIV. We didn't know he had FIV when we got him and by the time we found out he was already family. For the most part he is healthy and active, but at times when he gets sick he gets very sick. Recently, he had to stay in the veterinary hospital for about a week, in total the treatments and stay cost over $2,000. He has since recovered and is back to his healthy state. He's a character and we love him dearly. It hurts to spend that much money, but fortunately we make enough income to be able to get by. I don't have an answer to your question, as I know there is a limit to how much I would spend... fortunately we haven't come to that point yet. But I don't mind spending money to guard my heart even if it means I can't get a new car or a big screen TV.
There was nothing we could do, but I probably would have spent everything I had (admittedly not a whole lot, so let's just say I would have increased my debt substantially) to keep him alive. I'm sorry that happened, thankfully you were able to save him. Don't expect anyone to be able to understand the bond you have with your pet. The fact that they were telling you to let him pass just underlines the disconnect between pet owner and an outsider looking in.
Regarding the people who told you to put him down: I'm pretty sure people without a pet can't rationalize why people put so much money into their pet which "only" lives for a couple of years, because they can't understand the bond you forge with them when they live with you. Besides that, our small dog has some problem with his hip and the money we put into him over the last years is equal to a small, used car. And I'm pretty sure it was worth it!
Don't worry about it. If you help your pet, then they will continue to be there for you when you need them most. You'll get good karma, and their lifetime's worth of happiness. Money is incomparable to the joy of having an animal in my opinion.
Thousands of dollars have been put towards my grandmothers dogs, and it has simply put her in debt. My grandma treats them like they're human. I understand the bond and how it could be a problem had they passed away, but seriously the dogs should have just died. Would have saved her several paychecks and the dogs have put her into a lot of holes.
Well I don't believe that you shouldn't bankrupt yourself or put yourself in the poorhouse for a pet. But Missing several paychecks doesn't seem like a crazy amount. It seems like it is between the owner and the pet to decide to do this. I don't like how after this has happened a lot of people feel free to tell me I shouldn't have done it, or obviously judge me. I think it is your grandma's decision (unless she is senile in some way).
Somewhere in the range of $500-$700. People think I'm some kind of monster because this is what I would pay for my pets medical care. I am pretty clear in my heart and mind about why I have pets, it's to give me pleasure not give a beast the best possible life at the cost of my own pleasure and welfare. I have had many pets in my life and I know that even though I have loved and treasured many of them there is always a new pet around the corner. I mourn the loss of a good pet, I don't miss the bad ones. I have one great cat right now and one that I would gladly get rid of if the wife would let me. She believes that once you get a pet, even if it brings no pleasure or even if it brings negative pleasure you must care for and protect it. I can understand he point of view in that it makes us feel good to believe that we are selfless and noble people who value and treasure all life and sacrifice for it once we have taken on some sacred task of ownership but I don't share it. I really don't understand why we have a cat that isn't particularly affectionate or interesting and who shits on the bed or in the laundry every time we are away for more than 24 hours.
It seems like you own pets for selfish reasons. Personally when I get a pet it is because it will make me happy, but what makes me happy is having a family member that I can take care of and train. (Obviously its different than a human, I wouldn't go that far) But I really disagree with people getting rid of pets they don't like or didn't train very well. That said if you don't like the pet you probably aren't a great place for it to be living and if a safe better home can be found its probably better for all involved.
Well my pet is perfectly safe and well cared for. I give it what love and affection it will accept because it's a living being that should be treated with compassion. I actually go out of my way to pay attention to the wretched beast a more than anyone else in my household and it likes me better than my mate (who ironically is the one keeping it in our house). You assumptions are pretty bold, that my pet isn't safe and that it doesn't live a pretty great life. But it's what I expect from people who can't relate to my desire to not have a pet that I don't want.
I apologize I didn't mean to imply that your home wasn't safe for your pet. I meant that if an alternative can be found, that is safe, that could be a possibly better option because it could get more love. I just don't like judging a living things worthiness based off of the personal happiness I receive from it. I understand that you don't want to have something that you don't want. But whether I agree with getting rid of it because you don't want it, or learning to want it or bond with it is our point of disagreement.
Honestly, I don't think I would pay more than $200 to keep my pet alive. Granted, I don't have a pet now. I have had pets before and I know how I felt about them. Don't get me wrong, I loved my pets to death. When I was growing up I had dozens of pets. My mom had a habit of buying new ones every few months. We'd get a dog or a cat or a few birds, whatever impulse she had at the time really. They never lasted. They would start causing problems and she would make up some excuse to get rid of them. The only thing that was constant was a horrible little chihuahua. I guess I learned to accept loosing a pet through all of it.
I've gone into too much debt (thousands) to try and hobble a pet along. I have given subcutaneous fluid injections daily in hope of kidney improvement. I have gone to pet ophthalmologists. And I have had someone come to my home and help me put my companions to rest. And I'll do it all over again. If the animal seems generally pleased with still being alive and around me I'm all in because if you are with me like a pet is ... then I got its back until it is ready. And "ready" means it is time for the hurtful part of animal companionship. The part that makes me cry uncontrollably even for little rodents. The part that creates the bond also makes the pain. I have used frank discussions with two different vet clinics to help me decide in the past. But yeah I've dropped money on pets. But I'm not a successful person financially so I can't tell you if it is responsible or not. It is just how it works for me.
Honestly, I think that whatever it may cost, you should be able to afford before getting a pet. So that'd make my answer: pay whatever it is that needs to be paid. That said, in my current financial position, I don't have enough money to care for a pet. And I wouldn't get one until I had enough. If I was in your position (have pet but hardly enough cash), I don't know what I'd do. I'd probably stick with my original answer. Whatever is best for the pet. My family (parents, siblings) own 2 cats. Both of them are great pets. Though, I completely disagree with how my family went about it. They got the cats for free from a friend, and they only did so because my little sister really wanted a kitten. They are not really financially in a position to care for a pet, but they try their best. I seriously worry about them sometimes. I'd be sad to see the two cats put down. But financially, that might be the only option.
Well the thing, with cats especially, is that if no one takes them they are probably going to be put down right from the start. Where I live there is a huge cat over-population and they put down thousands of pets from the start. I think its morally better to take a pet and put it down if a $5000 medical bill comes up, rather then letting it die from the start. That said I can normally pay for this cat, I make a decent living and don't have a lot of expenses, however rent had just come out as well as my girlfriend's birthday present and a class I'm taking at university. I will be able to pay this bill but its awfully inconvenient and sets me back quite a ways. Now I know people with tons of pets who if a $500 bill comes up for the pet they put it down, that seems ridiculous. You owe it to the pet to within your means keep it safe.
If you care enough about the animal that you decide to take it in and raise/feed/care for it, then you care enough to pay the fees/bills if you are able. That's my opinion on the matter. Why even have the pet then, if you don't care to keep it alive? That's just messed up.Now I know people with tons of pets who if a $500 bill comes up for the pet they put it down, that seems ridiculous. You owe it to the pet to within your means keep it safe.
That's something I've been tackling recently. I used to be the type to value and desire money. More recently I've come to realize that if you don't do anything with it, then it's essentially pointless. And if you aren't using the money, you should spend it on your pets if need be.