How far would you go for a pet?

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, they are known for hereditary heart and joint problems, we spent a lot on him to get him from a good responsible breeder with long lines of healthy parents but it's still a risk. Our insurance is a 80% reimbursement up to 15k per year, including rx drugs and hereditary conditions. He's young now so it's only about $24 a month but we expect it will go up as he gets older, worth it IMO for surprises or emergencies.

 

[SMC]

Since someone brought up pet insurance, I wondered if others have it? Is it expensive? Is it worth it?

I think it's worth it. I pay $600 per year for my dog, it gets me $14K coverage per incident with a $50 deductible. It doesn't cover routine care, which you can account and budget for, but it does cover everything else. Cancer treatment usually costs $1000s and it seems like it's pretty common. I'm not necessarily saying that I will definitely treat cancer if my dog has it, but I want to be able to do so if I wanted without worrying about money. My dog also has also been known to eat random stuff requiring ER visits (also a couple hundred dollars).

I bought the insurance when my dog was still a puppy and didn't have any preexisting conditions.

$600 is a lot, but for me, it's worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[telephone89]

I still mourn the loss of my kitty from 2011. If I could go back, I would do things differently.

 

[ennui]

Yeah at a certain point you just have to let go. It's one thing to spend a couple thousand dollars if you're going to get a few more good years with a good quality of life - and it's another thing entirely to spend that (or more) if you're just prolonging a miserable half-life and if there's not even a very big chance of that. I think the same with people - health care costs might not be so out of control if people knew when to let go. Once you hit old age, you're going to die of something sooner or later, and there's really no reason to spend so much money staving off the inevitable for just a little longer. I understand the urge but at some point rationality needs to kick in.

When has love ever been rational? If love were rational, no one would have children.

As for human health costs and knowing when to let go ... I'm guessing you've never actually been in that situation. When the doctor says "cancer," you don't shrug and say well, I'm going to die of something eventually...

 

[stracci2000]

In 2006, my cat began urinating blood, and was diagnosed with bladder stones.
The vet said he needed surgery to remove the stones, or he would eventually die.
It cost me $1300, and was worth every penny. Almost 10 years later, he is still the best kitty in the world.

When we adopt a pet, it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to keep them healthy.
However, each circumstance is different. As loving pet parents, we hope to make the right decision.

 

[Polished]

Thank you very much for the replies, every post resonated for me as to ways of navigating around this emotional issue. My friend is getting over her loss and she's now starting to think of a new dog. Firsts are still hard. They went down to their beach house this weekend and she said the weather was perfect, warm and still. Molly the moodle would have loved it! I think one thing that can happen when an animal becomes ill is to understandably get caught up in the moment. From my perspective looking in, it seemed like a process whereby once a path had been taken to undergo more tests and numerous medical procedures it inevitably lead on to more. It seemed to take on a life of its own and a "we've come this far, we can't stop now" approach. In addition the specialist seemed quite gung-ho in his attitude persuading both my friend and her vet that there was hope and it was worthwhile to undergo the final surgery.

It's easy to be wise after the event and my friend is all too aware of her feelings at the time of not really being able to imagine life without her dog. This dog had the sweetest of natures. I guess one thing my friend and I discussed later was the merit of listening to the vet's advice, who had known the dog and its history over a long period of time. She had initially advised against the final surgery believing it would only add to Molly's suffering. Interestingly, afterwards the vet sent flowers with a note attached saying she had only now been able to write as she'd been so upset over what had happened. The specialist clinic send a short note of sympathy and managed to get the name of the dog wrong.

 

[Jambalaya]

I'll risk the tomatoes that will be flung from afar. I'd not mortgage my house. I'd not sell a kidney. I'd not go get a second full time job-and not a part time job either. I love my kitties and my dog. I'm not going to go into debt for them. Not saying I wouldn't run out into traffic of Opilio ran in front of a car. I'm just not going to have to sell my house and move my family into a 500 sq ft apt to prolong my cats life. I do not believe animals/pets are disposable, however, I do not equate them w/humans. Well, some humans.

At last, someone's said it!

I like animals very much, but I'll never love them the way I love the humans in my life. For me, there is no way that a pet could compete with a great relationship with a good human being. People say they're great company but they can't talk, and half the time their affection is all because they want food, anyway! I'm not convinced that animals can love you in the same way humans can. So I don't have pets because I know I wouldn't be committed to them. But animals are obviously very sweet, and if I did ever cave and get one, I would go a certain way for them - I'd probably spend up to about 5k. But I wouldn't go to the lengths that some do. I'd rather save that kind of Herculean effort for the people in my life.

ETA: When I was younger, I wanted a pet more than I do now. As I've got older and watched SO many people die, it has brought home to me how short life is and how precious people are. That was about the time I became more bored than excited by the idea of spending time and money on a pet.

I've had to buy FOUR condolence cards in the last two weeks, and two of those people were only 37.

 

[distracts]

Yeah at a certain point you just have to let go. It's one thing to spend a couple thousand dollars if you're going to get a few more good years with a good quality of life - and it's another thing entirely to spend that (or more) if you're just prolonging a miserable half-life and if there's not even a very big chance of that. I think the same with people - health care costs might not be so out of control if people knew when to let go. Once you hit old age, you're going to die of something sooner or later, and there's really no reason to spend so much money staving off the inevitable for just a little longer. I understand the urge but at some point rationality needs to kick in.

When has love ever been rational? If love were rational, no one would have children.

As for human health costs and knowing when to let go ... I'm guessing you've never actually been in that situation. When the doctor says "cancer," you don't shrug and say well, I'm going to die of something eventually...

While I haven't been the one actually making the decision, for most of my older family members, yes they or the ones making the decision chose hospice care once they were 80+ with serious health problems, even when it was technically treatable like cancer. My family is full of doctors though and tend to be reasonably rational about medical decisions, even those involving family. I don't think "treatment at any cost!" is a healthy way of looking at things. You are going to die eventually, and people's inability to come to terms with that is concerning. But then, I do also think a great deal of rationality enters into love, so maybe we just differ. Maybe my entire family is full of callous unfeeling robots.

 

[momhappy]

I'll risk the tomatoes that will be flung from afar. I'd not mortgage my house. I'd not sell a kidney. I'd not go get a second full time job-and not a part time job either. I love my kitties and my dog. I'm not going to go into debt for them. Not saying I wouldn't run out into traffic of Opilio ran in front of a car. I'm just not going to have to sell my house and move my family into a 500 sq ft apt to prolong my cats life. I do not believe animals/pets are disposable, however, I do not equate them w/humans. Well, some humans.

At last, someone's said it!

I like animals very much, but I'll never love them the way I love the humans in my life. For me, there is no way that a pet could compete with a great relationship with a good human being. People say they're great company but they can't talk, and half the time their affection is all because they want food, anyway! I'm not convinced that animals can love you in the same way humans can. So I don't have pets because I know I wouldn't be committed to them. But animals are obviously very sweet, and if I did ever cave and get one, I would go a certain way for them - I'd probably spend up to about 5k. But I wouldn't go to the lengths that some do. I'd rather save that kind of Herculean effort for the people in my life.

ETA: When I was younger, I wanted a pet more than I do now. As I've got older and watched SO many people die, it has brought home to me how short life is and how precious people are. That was about the time I became more bored than excited by the idea of spending time and money on a pet.

I've had to buy FOUR condolence cards in the last two weeks, and two of those people were only 37.

I agree. I love, love, looooooove my pets They are incredibly spoiled and even though sometimes I treat them like humans, I still realize that they are not humans. As my children have gotten older, we even got another pet because I truly enjoy taking care of things (mothering). Our pets are a GIANT part of our family, but we do not equate them with humans.

 

[Jambalaya]

I also feel they are a responsibility and a tie - although if you wanted an animal badly enough I guess it wouldn't seem that way. I think that having a pet is an especially wonderful thing for children.

 

[tuffyluvr]

Whatever I can afford without interfering with my pet's quality of life.

I know a woman who is a doctor and a waterfowl hunter. She has a beautiful Labrador Retriever who used to hunt with her. He gave her 13+ years of good hunting, but when he retired, he got seriously ill. She paid over $40,000 for his surgery and said, "he gave me the best years of his life, it is my duty to give him my best now." Of course, she was able to afford this amount and it seemed that she didn't blink and eye to it.

I like the way she thinks.

If our dog was sick and there was a treatment that could bring him a decent amount of good quality time, we would go to great lengths and expense to do so… up to a point. House Cat's story is a good example of what we could not do: for us $40k is about 1.5-2 years of savings. We are not rich, and we are meticulous savers so that we can set ourselves up for later in life. Our dog is pampered and provided the best possible care to ensure that he lives a happy and comfortable life. We dedicate a great deal of time to him--he is walked 2-5 miles daily, is fed the best food money can buy, and when we travel we pay someone $50/day to stay with him walk and care for him so his routine is not interrupted. We really do see him as a part of our family, but we could not sacrifice our future by spending more than we can afford on expensive medical treatment.

We would certainly dip into savings and forego traveling, eating out and other luxuries in order to pay for his care, however, if the treatment cost over $10-$15K I just don't think that we could justify spending that much. I hope that it never comes down to that, and we are never forced to make such a decision. My last dog (which was my first dog ever) was attacked and killed by my neighbor's dog when he was 14 years old. He was beginning to get bad spinal arthritis and I had begun to get very worried about this very topic. I was absolutely heartbroken when he was killed (his neck was broken and it was an instant death), but a very tiny part of me felt relief that I would never have to make those decisions.

 

[momhappy]

Just FYI - today is National Dog Day!
Happy dog day to those of you who own dogs

 

[CJ2008]

I haven't thought about whether I equate my cats to humans...

I just know I love them and would do everything possible to give them a good, safe and loving home. I show them I love them every day. I love seeing them when I get home, I love being in the house with them.

The most I ever spent on my cat in one shot was $1,200 - I think it was related to his thyroid (it was a long time so I don't remember, and that cat has since passed). But there have been countless instances of $300-400 a pop for one reason or another.

I do have to admit though that $15,000 sounds like a lot of $. (in my current circumstance)

At the same time I don't know that I could ever bear to say (assuming a surgery or whatever would ASSURE my cat would live a good 10 more years) "put him/her to sleep, I can't afford it."

Just picturing that makes my heart shrink with pain.

So I hope I never ever have to make that decision.

 

[iLander]

I am going through a lot with my littlest dog, who at 11, has heart disease. She's on multiple medications, that I administer 4 times a day. I carry her up and down the stairs to take her out to pee, no less than 10 times a day (incontinent because of meds) It's been over a year, and my knees got so bad, I'm doing physical therapy exercises for it. I could pay $20,000 for heart surgery, but I won't do that, it's too much in my eyes. The money, her pain during recovery, the limited prognosis, don't make sense to me for an animal that is already beyond her expected lifespan. IMO. But I will do these things for her, I have no issue with that. And we're enjoying our time together, however long that may be.

I think that's part of the deal we sign up for with pets; that they will live a shorter time than we do. And we will, eventually, see them pass. It's natural, and that's the way it is, in my mind. Sad, and painful for us, but it's inevitable.

(iLander kisses poochies)

 

[tuffyluvr]

I am going through a lot with my littlest dog, who at 11, has heart disease. She's on multiple medications, that I administer 4 times a day. I carry her up and down the stairs to take her out to pee, no less than 10 times a day (incontinent because of meds) It's been over a year, and my knees got so bad, I'm doing physical therapy exercises for it. I could pay $20,000 for heart surgery, but I won't do that, it's too much in my eyes. The money, her pain during recovery, the limited prognosis, don't make sense to me for an animal that is already beyond her expected lifespan. IMO. But I will do these things for her, I have no issue with that. And we're enjoying our time together, however long that may be.

I think that's part of the deal we sign up for with pets; that they will live a shorter time than we do. And we will, eventually, see them pass. It's natural, and that's the way it is, in my mind. Sad, and painful for us, but it's inevitable.

(iLander kisses poochies)

My heart is both happy and sad--I'm happy to know that there are so many "pet parents" out there who treat their animals like members of the family, but sad that your pooch is in declining heath. All the best!