Responsible Pet Ownership

[BoldlyGoing]

So, I and a couple of friends and acquaintances were talking about pet ownership the other day.

I mentioned that the lady that sold us her house about 8 yrs ago said she was doing so to help pay for her dog's chemotherapy. This seemed preposterous to me.

Yet, come to find out, I was in the minority. I've had and currently have dogs. And have done my whole life.

I treat them well, get them their shots and such, but I've never really understood spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on various surgeries and such. (Note- This doesn't include treatments that any reasonable person would expect - setting broken limbs and that sort of thing. That should be expected.)

I suppose my philosophy was always that pets have a short lifespan, and your job as an owner was to make that time as enjoyable as possible. When the time comes and your pet is no longer able to live comfortably, it's your job to ease them in to the great dog park in the sky. If I'm honest, I considered exotic procedures to artificially extend the life of a pet to be somewhat ridiculous.

I'm glad they exist, and if that's what you choose to spend your time and money on, then who am I to criticize?

I was shocked when the consensus seemed to be that I was a "bad pet owner."

So, what say you? Am I out of line here?

 

[cliffish]

I am with you...you don't compromise your or your families financial life for a pet. I will say I have ever owned a dog only cats but I don't think you should value one of those two animals over the other.

 

[tworley]

I was listening to a radio show years ago and I remember them reading from a study that stated the average dog owner was willing to spend $10k if it needed medical/vetinarian help. Cat owners were significantly lower at maybe $5-6k

 

[cliffish]

I was listening to a radio show years ago and I remember them reading from a study that stated the average dog owner was willing to spend $10k if it needed medical/vetinarian help. Cat owners were significantly lower at maybe $5-6k

yeah but they willing to sell their house to get that money?

 

[BoldlyGoing]

Granted, I don't know what various procedures cost, but I'd say my limit is MAYBE $4K.

And that's going to depend heavily upon a lot of factors.

For instance, I have a 15 yr old beagle. The crotchety bastard is riddled with little tumors here and there. But, so far, it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or inhibiting his movement. I am willing to spend $0 treating that. He's on borrowed time as it is. The next vet treatment he receives will most likely be the one he doesn't come home from.

My other mutt (who knows what she is breed wise, we call her the block party) is only about 7. If something happened tomorrow and the vet says for $4k, she'll live out the rest of her normal days, I'd at least consider it.

My pups are great. I love em. But, they are dogs. Not disposable by any means, but also not family.

 

[DoOver]

Granted, I don't know what various procedures cost, but I'd say my limit is MAYBE $4K.

And that's going to depend heavily upon a lot of factors.

For instance, I have a 15 yr old beagle. The crotchety bastard is riddled with little tumors here and there. But, so far, it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or inhibiting his movement. I am willing to spend $0 treating that. He's on borrowed time as it is. The next vet treatment he receives will most likely be the one he doesn't come home from.

My other mutt (who knows what she is breed wise, we call her the block party) is only about 7. If something happened tomorrow and the vet says for $4k, she'll live out the rest of her normal days, I'd at least consider it.

My pups are great. I love em. But, they are dogs. Not disposable by any means, but also not family.

My wife and I are on our third dog. I tried to set a lifetime financial cap. I thought $5k was reasonable. I based that on our last dog. Long story short, his femur broke in half running across the street. 3 vets later, the surgeon tells us he can put the dog back together but, injury most likely a result of bone cancer. Quality of life for the dog and us would be diminished as he went through extensive rehab at a cost between $6 and $7 thousand. The vet couldn’t tell us to put the dog down but, he was trying his best to steer her in the right direction. Wife didn’t blink. After careful discussion, she made the correct choice.
I agree with you. They are pets. Treat them well but, don’t go broke for an animal.

 

[JMT]

I don't think you're off your rocker here at all. I've heard the same types of stories and think it is as ridiculous as you. We loved our cats before we moved from TX to WA so much that we didn't bring them with us. That was seriously the vet recommendation. They would not have done well being re-located. The best thing was to leave the cats and that is the best way we could love them. The new owners agreed to take them in (we lived out in the country). As for dogs, we love our puppy (almost 2 years old), and it would be very sad to lose him, everyone would cry and we would remember him for years, but dogs aren't humans, no animal is a human. No expensive surgeries for us. Just love and take care of them the best you are able in their short lifetimes and then say goodbye.

EDIT: Now, if it were your Jeep that broke. I can't see any limits for fixing that!

 

[AMS417]

I have three dogs in the house and a couple stray cats that live in my garage when they want. They all get basic care, grooming and flea meds quality food and bedding. The dogs live indoors only, they only go out to do their business and run around for while. I would pay a significant amount to prolong their lives but at no detriment to my families finances. There is a line. I do pay for prescription meds for one of them, its about $40 a month.

My 15 year old Siamese cat passed last winter. He was getting older and having some sensory issues. I think maybe like cat Alzheimer's. He was an indoor / outdoor cat and came and went as he pleased. He didn't come home one snowy night and the neighbors around the block found him balled up and howling along their foundation under a window. I retrieved my frozen stiff cat and took him to a 24 hour vet who gave him little chance to live. I paid over $400 for his care that night and pickup him up at 8:00am sharp the next day to transfer to my normal vet. He died in my wife's arms a few blocks from the office. I cried like a little girl but it was his time to go. If he could have been saved, I don't know what price I would have paid.

Having said that I would give my last dollar for another day with my wife. That would be an easy choice for me.

 

[Joeinnewjersey]

Spend whatever it took if my vet, who I trust 100%, said it would solve a problem or lead to a better quality of life.

 

[Zorba]

About a $1K limit here.

 

[DEValken]

I dated a vet for a few (20?) years, and what people will spend on pets is ridiculous. Thousands of dollars to keep an older pet alive for a few more months.

Horse people are another category of crazy when it comes to what they will spend, but that kinda comes with the territory of a horse. Almost as bad as a boat. Better have health insurance for it.

No, you are not a bad owner. Unless you get a Galapagos tortoise or a Scarlett macaw for a pet you can be pretty sure you will outlive it. I have a $0.12 solution to any pet problem that has 4 digits in the bill. I still need a Super 35 kit.

 

[Squatch]

I used to think the issue of pet costs was black & white: Keep it reasonable. Unfortunately, the definition of reasonable changes with each pet. When I married my wife, she came with two Dachshunds. Sort of a package deal. They've been in my life for eleven years, or so, and have cost me plenty. The smaller of the two now has over $16,500 in back surgeries. Between the two dogs, I figure we have spent between $28,000-$30,000 on health-related care. Now my cat? $250 in roughly nine years (and people wonder why I'm a cat person).

Would I do it all again? Yes. They're living creatures, and they rely on us (by our own choice) to care for them. They are both a pain in the ass at times, but they're family. The little wiener dog is a perpetual puppy at 13 years of age. She's amazing. The larger one won't likely see the end of 2021. At 14 years old, she's slowing down so quickly that it's sad to witness. Still, she's had a good life. My wife and I both know that we would not put her through a major surgery at this stage in the game.

Some wouldn't spend that kind of money on an animal. I would spend it on one long before I'd spend it on a vehicle. A vehicle of any kind, no less. And this is coming from a guy who's owned over 300+ vehicles. Would I sell my home, or put my family at risk of financial hardship to cover a pet's medical? No. We all have our limits. That would be mine.

 

[Hog]

Good discussion... I have had dogs my entire life.. I had 3 at one time not to long ago and in the past 3 years 2 have died and we have added 1.. so for all you math wizards, I currently have 2.
I love them with all my heart.. and to give you the full story.. I’ve been married for 23 years and have to boys.. 23 and 18.
I don’t take my dogs to the vet.. don’t give them shots unless they are boarded and have to get a rabies shot and a kennel cough shot.. they have the expensive flea and tick collar that is on automatic mail in every February.
They sleep in our beds and have a doggie door so they can go into a fenced in backyard to bark at mail trucks and kids on bikes, and they know when I goto my moms and Sunday’s for supper cause they get to go for a ride and are at the door before we are.... but if anything happens to them that would cost me over 1000 dollars.. as cold hearted as this may seem.. I am putting them down!

 

[abart]

It is different for everybody and what I might think is alot of money probably isn't to someone else or vice versa. My dogs are my family just as much as kids are family to other people so I would spend quite a bit to help them. I don't put a price on that because I don't know what that is until it comes up. I prefer my dogs to kids actually. My dog is a real judgmental asshole but I take her everywhere I can and have recently spent close to $5000 on her for a serious eye issue and didn't think twice about it. That being said, I wouldn't spend more than $3 on a cat.

 

[qslim]

Funny I saw this thread this morning because yesterday my two little shitheads managed to squirm out of the gate and go on an adventure. I'm Got a call from some construction workers taking a break at a 7/11 about 5 miles away. They crossed several busy 4 lane roads, people called the cops & animal control, and by the time my wife showed up the police had already arrived. Those fuckers were just chilling with the construction workers, probably hoping they got a hot dog out of it. The cops didn't write my wife a ticket because they were collared & their shots were up to date, so there's that.

As far as the topic goes, I think you're spot on. They're animals. If they got hurt (like crossing a major fucking thoroughfare for example) I'd do what I could for them but only if it gave them a decent quality of life, but extending the life of an aging animal has never been in the cards for us.

Our old neighbor in FL used to leave her little wiener dog with us when she went out of town. This thing was like 15 years old, nearly blind from cataracts, had been through several surgeries for various ailments, & could hardly get around on its own. The thing would randomly walk around the house bumping into things & eventually just give up & lie down wherever it got tired because it couldn't find its way back to the dog bed. It was in a sad state of affairs and like that the three years we lived there.

 

[Gasman]

For my former dog, I went thru two separate CCL surgeries (dog equivalent to an ACL for humans) without blinking an eye. Although it was several thousand dollars, his quality of life improved and he was active, mobile and happy. However, when he was diagnosed with bone cancer a few years later, that's where I drew the line. Money aside, I just couldn't see putting my best friend thru such an ordeal.

 

[BoldlyGoing]

Good discussion boys... nice to see that perhaps all the sanity in the world hasn't disappeared.

 

[Tom18]

I think it varies by the pet and owner. No, I wouldn’t call you a “bad pet owner” for not spending thousands of dollars but I also wouldn’t criticize those who would.

Both of my dogs are young (2 & 3) so counting out an accident they’re most likely going to be here a significant while longer. My wife and I are doing just fine, no kids, and plenty of toys with and without engines. If we needed to find extra money to help either of them today, we would make it happen. That being said, when they get to be 12 and 13, I think we’d need to weigh how much it would improve their quality of life (if at all) or if we’d be keeping them alive for us.

We adopted both of them from shelters so I think my “duty” to provide them a better life has been fulfilled. At the same time they’re our family and if we needed to sell a toy or 2 to pay for an emergency, we’d absolutely do it.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

Roughly three years ago, we rescued Luke. He was the victim of a gun shot wound to the face. When we got him, he was healing nicely. In three months, we grew attached, but his wound got worse. Several surgeries and thousands later, he's fine.

My wife and I said if it had been another time when we had kids at home or in college, he wouldn't be here. I have no regrets.

When we first got him;

And today;

 

[Kevin Q]

I'm in this situation currently. It doesn't look like it will be this bad but our first family dog is almost 3 years old. She's got something called neospora that caused her brain to atrophy. Her mobility is extremely limited now. We paid for expensive testing and did a round of meds to see if it would help. We are waiting for the follow up visit but she's relapsed since the meds ran out. I believe we will need to put her down in the next few months. My wife is an animal scientist so she knows what would be the right thing to do but emotionally she will be tested.