Q.. for pet owners. what would you do in this situation...

[Dancing Fire]

i was on a koi site and there was a guy with some sick koi. the medication he needs would cost $300 and there's no guarantee that it would cure the koi. anyway, the owner said he couldn't afford the $300 in medication. he said... i'll just let the mutts die,it would be cheaper to replace the fishes (mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs). a few posters started to flame him, calling him a murderer, cuelity to animal, etc.

if this was your dog or cat, what can you do

if you really can't afford the $1000 vet bill ?

 

[ljmorgan]

That''s such a tough question, I''ve thought about that myself -- I''m crazy about my pets. $1000 vet bill? I''d pay it. $4,000 vet bill? I''d pay it. What about $20,000 chemotherapy treatment for a pet though? I''ve heard of people doing $15,000 and I just can''t see doing it. So maybe it depends on your income? Maybe someone making $14,000 a year would think $1k is unreasonable. I think it really just depends. I sure know I''d be paying nearly what I could to keep my pets around, but I don''t think that choosing not to pay large vet bills makes someone an awful pet owner, either.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I''m also going to say that I''d put dogs/cats and fish in two different categories.

 

[WTNLVR]

You can''t put fish and dogs/cats in same category. I have fish and diagnosing and treating ailments is a crap shoot at best. I would not spend $300 on something that may not work unless they were special show quality fish (they can be worth thousands). My dogs, I''d spend money to help them. I actually have pet insurance to help out in case I ever need it.

 

[Kaleigh]

Koi from what little I know are very expensive to buy and to take care of so my question to him would be why would he buy such expensive fish when he can''t afford to take proper care of them?? I''m of the same position that fish aren''t in the same category of dogs or cats, but put that aside for a moment. Horses are very expensive to take care of and you don''t buy a horse unless you can afford to take care of it. Does that make any sense?? Yes my first Bichon Maddie got Lupus. We spenk over 5k for her care. She died but got the proper care she needed.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/25/2006 6:59:17 PM
Author:Dancing Fire
i was on a koi site and there was a guy with some sick koi. the medication he needs would cost $300 and there''s no guarantee that it would cure the koi. anyway, the owner said he couldn''t afford the $300 in medication. he said... i''ll just let the mutts die,it would be cheaper to replace the fishes (mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs). a few posters started to flame him, calling him a murder, cuelity to animal, etc.

if this was your dog or cat, what can you do

if you really can''t afford the $1000 vet bill ?

I guess for me, it would depend on that person''s definition of what "I can''t afford it" really means. I find it unreal that some people who "can''t afford" a $100 vet bill can afford a $100 pair of jeans or a $100 night out. To me, that''s not "can''t afford".....it''s "I don''t value my pet enough to put my money there". That bothers me, because if so, you shouldn''t have the pet.

What strikes me in the statement above is "I''ll just let these ones die because it''s cheaper to get new ones." If you really can''t afford to take care of the ones you have, you shouldn''t be thinking about getting more. What if THEY become sick?

I can see a person saying "I cannot afford to put $5K into chemotherapy for my dog/cat" because I cannot come up with that kind of money.

I cannot see a person saying "I won''t spend $5K for chemotherapy for my dog/cat because a new dog/cat is less than $1k". Do you see the difference in those two?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/25/2006 7:17:38 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I''m also going to say that I''d put dogs/cats and fish in two different categories.

why ?

they''re just different types of pet.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Date: 6/25/2006 7:41:03 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 6/25/2006 6:59:17 PM
Author:Dancing Fire
i was on a koi site and there was a guy with some sick koi. the medication he needs would cost $300 and there''s no guarantee that it would cure the koi. anyway, the owner said he couldn''t afford the $300 in medication. he said... i''ll just let the mutts die,it would be cheaper to replace the fishes (mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs). a few posters started to flame him, calling him a murder, cuelity to animal, etc.

if this was your dog or cat, what can you do

if you really can''t afford the $1000 vet bill ?

I guess for me, it would depend on that person''s definition of what ''I can''t afford it'' really means. I find it unreal that some people who ''can''t afford'' a $100 vet bill can afford a $100 pair of jeans or a $100 night out. To me, that''s not ''can''t afford''.....it''s ''I don''t value my pet enough to put my money there''. That bothers me, because if so, you shouldn''t have the pet.

I see people do it with their kids, not just their animals. Men and Women will come in, and say that they can''t afford the $20.00 copay for the pharmacy prescription for their child''s inhaler, but they reak of cig smoke & nicotine, they obviously can afford a carton of cigs at $30.00+ a carton, but not their kids prescription for some albuteral! Or I just cringe when a mom will come in, can afford what ever ... but they just came from getting artificail nails done. Hmmm ... I see where the priority is here!

What strikes me in the statement above is ''I''ll just let these ones die because it''s cheaper to get new ones.'' If you really can''t afford to take care of the ones you have, you shouldn''t be thinking about getting more. What if THEY become sick?

I can see a person saying ''I cannot afford to put $5K into chemotherapy for my dog/cat'' because I cannot come up with that kind of money.

I cannot see a person saying ''I won''t spend $5K for chemotherapy for my dog/cat because a new dog/cat is less than $1k''. Do you see the difference in those two?

I agree ... SPOT ON! I see and understand the difference ... unfortunately todays society is more apt to cut your strings for a loss ... and forget about it & move on rather than actually taking a step back to take a look at the big picture and prioritizing respect, integrity, character, etc...

 

[msdarlinjoy]

My parents have a fairly nice size Koi pond. They have gone thru many Koi. Their koi have died from flying hawks wanting a snack, raccoons wanting dinner, and yes, from dissease or something that has gotten to them over the years.

Koi need special attention, more so than a dog or cat. A dog and cat can live even if you forget to give them food for a day(I have never done this), but koi ... they need a special balance to live. You have to have the water filtration sysytem just right, keep ph levels just so ... just to give them a chance ... they can't live outside of their environment. Then there is the special food, there are so many variables to having koi!

The first thing anyone should think about regardless of owning any animal, is to do their research & home work.

Do they financially have what it will & might take if needing to take drastic meassures to keep their animal safe and alive?

Do they have the patience and maturity to handle the ups & downs of keeping their animal?

Do they have a safety net ... someone who could step in at a moments notice to take over caring for said animal in the event they can't.

There is so much responsibility in owning any kind of animal. It is unfortunate that some people in our society don't clearly think these important issues thru, so that all aspects of being an animal owner is covered. And I am sure that we have at some extent seen animals not being taken care of like they should, and that is sad.

I say, if that individual can't afford to spend the $$ on the koi for medicine, then he shouldn't have anymore koi. Sure the medicine isn't a guarantee ... nothing in life is a guarantee. Spend the $$ on your animals, pray it works, and at least you know that you did the best you could, instead of treating them like a piece of garbage and throwing them away.

 

[Gypsy]

We were in a very bad place financially for a while. Our cat, Hally needed $600 in tests, and our dog Jett was diagnosed with cancer. We applied for a credit line specially for vet bills. The interest rate was high... the line of credit was only for $3000-- but we did it. Our dog died

, and had to be cremated. Our card was maxed out when this was done. If anything had come up after this? We would have applied for another credit card and one of us would have gotten a second job. If we still needed money the other would have gotten a second job--and I would have started to sell things off-- jewelry, furniture, electronics. And finally, if all else failed I would have asked our parent's for a loan. I know this because we talked about it seriously after the bill for the cremation came. Hally was still not doing well... and it was a strong possibility that she would have needed more tests. We had a plan of action... and would have followed through. Fortunately, on a hunch... the vet put her on allergy medicine and she got better. Shortly thereafter, our finances improved.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/25/2006 7:41:03 PM
Author: aljdewey

I can see a person saying ''I cannot afford to put $5K into chemotherapy for my dog/cat'' because I cannot come up with that kind of money.

I cannot see a person saying ''I won''t spend $5K for chemotherapy for my dog/cat because a new dog/cat is less than $1k''. Do you see the difference in those two?

feel sorry for the guy.he did go to a koi fish site and ask for help, then found out it would cost $300 (which he can''t afford) to "maybe" save his $100 worth of fishes,if he let the fishes die,these guys call him a murderer. tough situation.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 6/25/2006 7:17:38 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I'm also going to say that I'd put dogs/cats and fish in two different categories.

I agree though I have never had fish so I am not sure how much you bond with them. You might remember one of our cats was very sick last year. We spent $500 in vet bills

It wasn't like we HAD $500 to just spend on anything but she is like our child and it is amazing how much we were willing to spend to get her better. Luckily she is well today but honestly I would have spent a lot more.

ETA: I wouldn't call him a murderer. Maybe a little uncaring or indifferent. Pets are expensive and I wish more people realized this.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Date: 6/25/2006 8:45:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/25/2006 7:41:03 PM
Author: aljdewey


I can see a person saying ''I cannot afford to put $5K into chemotherapy for my dog/cat'' because I cannot come up with that kind of money.

I cannot see a person saying ''I won''t spend $5K for chemotherapy for my dog/cat because a new dog/cat is less than $1k''. Do you see the difference in those two?

feel sorry for the guy.he did go to a koi fish site and ask for help, then found out it would cost $300 (which he can''t afford) to ''maybe'' save his $100 worth of fishes,if he let the fishes die,these guys call him a murderer. tough situation.

To me or my parents (Mother is Japanese) ... their koi are very special to them! They recieve alot of enjoyment from caring for them, and watching them. They are visually stimulating, and at the same time, relaxing.

To me and I know that my parents have some expensive varieties, and some common less expensive koi, even if all they koi together cost only $100 ... they, like I would spend the $300.00 to try to save their lives! It''s the right thing to do! Do what you can, when you can ... and you will be able to look yourself in the mirror each morning and have pride for who you are.

If he doesn''t have $300.00, then he doesn''t have $300.00, and if his koi do die, then hopefully this will learn a lesson, and not venture into something that he ultimately can not afford. I personally think $300.00 for a pet isn''t that much. Considering how much I spend on take-out, going to the movies with the kids, buying fireworks etc... It''s all relative in where you place your priorities and where do those priorities fall in place with your loved ones, and pets?

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/25/2006 8:45:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
feel sorry for the guy.he did go to a koi fish site and ask for help, then found out it would cost $300 (which he can''t afford) to ''maybe'' save his $100 worth of fishes,if he let the fishes die,these guys call him a murderer. tough situation.

DF a serious question for you. My animals are all rescues. I think I paid... $120 at the most for any of them individually. Can you really reduce them to dollar values and make a cost benifit analysis like that? I can''t, personally. Not for my pets.

But maybe fish are different. Don''t know.

 

[Mara]

it depends on the situation IMO, but we would do whatever we had to to save our pet...UNLESS she had too many ailments to try to ''fix'', and it was just more humane to put her to sleep. but even then i can''t really say we wouldn''t continue to try to get her better to keep her with us a little longer.

 

[Morticia]

"mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs"

Mutts aren't "low quality" dogs. Mutts are a mixed breed but that doesn't mean they are low quality. In fact, mutts are usually healthier than purebreds.

Anyway, to answer your question... Yes, I would pay whatever it took to take care of my pet's health. Even if I had to spend more than what I could afford, I would do it... My pets are my family.

 

[Grace43537]

I think I''d let the fish go. I mean while the fish may be expensive, it''s still just a fish to me. I think a dog, cat or horse would be different....although I do place the dogs on higher priority than the cats, but don''t tell the cats that!

My older pug, Cherub, had to have major surgery last summer due to bladder stones and it set me back about $1000 for the surgery, not to mention the special diet she''ll be on until she dies and the continual visits to the vet. I had $$ invested in this dog and she is like my child. Unfortunately, I had her spayed at the same time as the surgery and so now she''s ruined. No chances of ever breeding her or having her become a champion like her parents. I later found out that if she hadn''t had the surgery as soon as she did she would have died within 24 hours due to a complete urinary blockage.

Luckily, St. Francis has watched over her since her surgery and she''s completely healthy now and is as happy as ever

Point is, I guess it depends on how much you value your pet. Mine are my children and so I guess I''d do just about anything for them.
-Grace

 

[Apsara]

Date: 6/25/2006 9:59:17 PM
Author: Morticia
''mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs''

Mutts aren''t ''low quality'' dogs. Mutts are a mixed breed but that doesn''t mean they are low quality. In fact, mutts are usually healthier than purebreds.

I feel sorry for the person who feels this way; he/she is clearly seriously ignorant.

Having been the parent to several "mutts" and purebreds (all rescued), I love all dogs but mutts are unique in all the world. Mine get stopped continuously and I love it when snooty people ask, "Ooooh, what breed is THAT?" I say "A mutt, from the shelter.Check it out some time"

As for the fish, if he can''t afford $300 medication perhaps he shouldn''t be a pet owner. Owning and being the caretaker for another living thing is a big responsibility. Having spent $10k+ to try to save one of my dogs with cancer (and not thinking twice about it), $300 is nothing.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Koi versus the Demon Dog... sorry but the Demon Dog wins paws down. And whatever amount of $ it would take to make The Demon keep on living/be happy/be comfortable, well, I'd just bend over and get out the checkbook.

One time when The Demon was sick and my husband was away I promised god that if it took every penny that we had, including the sale of my (then) recently acquired upgrade I would pay. (Turned out that he just had a somach bug--LOL!) Love the little furry monster like he was my own son.

Somehow I feel differently about fish though...

 

[RoseAngel04]

It does depend on the situation. My dog is like my baby. I love the mess out of her even when she has been "bad." If she did get sick I would do whatever I could financially do, but wouldn''t get myself in a lot of debt over the situation. It would be very hard....when I get older I may consider "pet insurance."

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/25/2006 9:38:38 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 6/25/2006 8:45:34 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
feel sorry for the guy.he did go to a koi fish site and ask for help, then found out it would cost $300 (which he can''t afford) to ''maybe'' save his $100 worth of fishes,if he let the fishes die,these guys call him a murderer. tough situation.

DF a serious question for you. My animals are all rescues. I think I paid... $120 at the most for any of them individually. Can you really reduce them to dollar values and make a cost benifit analysis like that? I can''t, personally. Not for my pets.

But maybe fish are different. Don''t know.

if you go to a fish site.they''re very serious about their fish,just like diamonds here.there''re also many dog and cat lovers on PS.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Date: 6/25/2006 9:56:53 PM
Author: Mara
it depends on the situation IMO, but we would do whatever we had to to save our pet...UNLESS she had too many ailments to try to ''fix'', and it was just more humane to put her to sleep. but even then i can''t really say we wouldn''t continue to try to get her better to keep her with us a little longer.

I agree w/ Mara.

If a vet told me keeping ''said'' pet alive would put the pet in more misery ... I would do the right thing, as sad as it would be

... no pain, no misery for my pet please.

I think it''s a lil'' different w/ a fish ... I mean how does one really know if a koi has too many ailments? Do vets even treat them? My parents treat their own. *And how does one humanely put down a fish? (*Maybe I don''t want to know that.)

I tell this to my children, it doesn''t matter if you only paid $20.00 for the lop-eared pedigreed bunnies ... you are it''s mom & dad now ... and that means that it''s needs come before your own. It gets fed before you eat, it gets a bath/cleaned before you take a bath, You have to remember to freeze the 2 liter bottles and put them in the cage during the summer so they can cool off if needed, cut up fresh veggies, and make sure that when you release them to roam, they are closely watched and holes is the fence covered to prevent escape or strangulation, etc... And when one of the rabbits got sick, had a seizure and was partially paralyzed on one side ... the kids had to chip in their piggy bank money ... they obviously didn''t have enough, but the point is ... you do what you can do.

To me it doesn''t matter what kind of animal it is ... if you call it your pet, and they depend on you for survial, you at that point in time now have a moral responsibility to care for your pet, no matter what kind of pet it is.

Personally I know that Koi are hard to keep, and the expense for upkeep can be tremendous ... I think if someone is on a budget ... koi might not be the kind of fish for that person, maybe they should consider gold fish ... less expensive and they tend to be very hardy ... not so fussy, etc.

Have a nice day!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/25/2006 9:59:17 PM
Author: Morticia
''mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs''

Mutts aren''t ''low quality'' dogs. Mutts are a mixed breed but that doesn''t mean they are low quality. In fact, mutts are usually healthier than purebreds.

Anyway, to answer your question... Yes, I would pay whatever it took to take care of my pet''s health. Even if I had to spend more than what I could afford, I would do it... My pets are my family.

same with koi but,if the guy don''t have the $300 for medication,what can he do? go rob the bank?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 6/26/2006 1:17:56 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/25/2006 9:59:17 PM
Author: Morticia
''mutts means low quality fish, same as in dogs''

Mutts aren''t ''low quality'' dogs. Mutts are a mixed breed but that doesn''t mean they are low quality. In fact, mutts are usually healthier than purebreds.

Anyway, to answer your question... Yes, I would pay whatever it took to take care of my pet''s health. Even if I had to spend more than what I could afford, I would do it... My pets are my family.

same with koi but,if the guy don''t have the $300 for medication,what can he do? go rob the bank?

Maybe you can lend it to him DF and put us all out of our misery with this.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Date: 6/25/2006 10:55:10 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

if you go to a fish site.they''re very serious about their fish,just like diamonds here.there''re also many dog and cat lovers on PS.

There are many people who are now starting to get into the whole pond in your backyard thing! Espeically in California, Oregon, & Washington.

It is more familiar to the asian population, as back long ago ... if you had koi ... or I should say the size of your koi pond denoted stature ... put you in a higher bracket of society.

The same can be said for us westerners ... with our cars, homes, jewelry ... etc...

I don''t think it is a fair question to ask this forum ... what would you do if your koi ... not unless they actually do infact have a koi pond.

This forum isn''t into koi, they know little about koi ... other than they belong in a pond.

I only know what my parents have told me.

I think people can bond w/any type of animal. No two people are going to feel the same regarding any individual animal.

I obviously don''t have the same feelings about my parents koi pond as they do, but I do recognize the fact that my parents feel strongly about them, just as strong as there other pets that they love, and regardless of what kind of animal it is ... if one of the animals needed treatment, they would and have done in the past ... the right thing. And as their daughter ... I do and can respect our differences in choices of pets.

I know someone at work that had tried to do the koi pond venture ... it didn''t go well. It got too expensive with the upkeep, and instead of asking around (These people knew my parents had a koi pond too, my parents gave them some lillies for theirs) to see if anyone wanted some "free" koi ... the couple scooped them out of the pond, flung them onto the grass, drained the pond, filled it up w/gravel, and at the end of the day ... tossed the dead koi into the garbage can!

Anyway ... I say what ever kind of pet you have ... you have to be willing to spend time, energy, and money on them. If you can''t then don''t do it.

Have a great week to all!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/25/2006 10:12:07 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Koi versus the Demon Dog... sorry but the Demon Dog wins paws down. And whatever amount of $ it would take to make The Demon keep on living/be happy/be comfortable, well, I''d just bend over and get out the checkbook.

One time when The Demon was sick and my husband was away I promised god that if it took every penny that we had, including the sale of my (then) recently acquired upgrade I would pay. (Turned out that he just had a somach bug--LOL!) Love the little furry monster like he was my own son.

Somehow I feel differently about fish though...

DJ
you might have a different tone of voice if you have a $50k koi collection swimming around in your backyard.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/26/2006 1:22:25 AM
Author: Mrs Darlin Joy

I don''t think it is a fair question to ask this forum ... what would you do if your koi ... not unless they actually do infact have a koi pond.

This forum isn''t into koi, they know little about koi ... other than they belong in a pond.

I only know what my parents have told me.

Mrs Joy

that is why i ask PS members....if their dog or cat was in this situation (not koi) what would they do.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Date: 6/26/2006 1:43:39 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/26/2006 1:22:25 AM
Author: Mrs Darlin Joy


I don''t think it is a fair question to ask this forum ... what would you do if your koi ... not unless they actually do infact have a koi pond.

This forum isn''t into koi, they know little about koi ... other than they belong in a pond.

I only know what my parents have told me.

Mrs Joy

that is why i ask PS members....if their dog or cat was in this situation (not koi) what would they do.

Hi DF ~

I missed that, my appologies.

By the way ... how is your koi pond coming along???

Have a nice week!

 

[Morticia]

"same with koi but,if the guy don''t have the $300 for medication,what can he do? go rob the bank?"

You asked what WE would do if it was our dog or cat and I answered what I would do. I don''t know what that guy can do if he can''t afford the fish medication. Maybe if he can''t afford to take care of expensive fish, he shouldn''t buy them.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/26/2006 1:46:48 AM
Author: Mrs Darlin Joy


Hi DF ~

I missed that, my appologies.

By the way ... how is your koi pond coming along???

Have a nice week!

Mrs. Joy

the fishes and the pond are doing fine but,my wallet said...OUCH!!!