One of Michelle's dogs…
Today's post asking “what is your pet worth” was written by my awesome staff writer Jordann. Enjoy!
This is, a bit of a sticky conversation, but one that I think is worth having.
A few weeks ago, my cat, Mia, got sick. She's four years old and has been remarkably healthy so far in her life, requiring almost no vet care other than spaying her at six months of age. So when she started puking, me being the responsible pet owner I am, I dutifully took her to the vet. You can read about the whole saga here.
Mia is back home, safe and healthy now, but the whole experience set me back around $600. No big deal, that's what the emergency fund is for.
Now that the whole thing is over with, I've started thinking about the what ifs.
What if the worst had happened?
What if she'd really been sick?
What if it had been a lot more expensive?
How much would I be willing to spend on my pets in order to bring them back to health?
After all, they're family members. Their health and well being is important to me. If one of my pets got really sick, and needed life saving but expensive treatment, how much would I be willing to spend on them? I've heard stories of pet owners spending upwards of $10,000 on treatments, but I also know pet owners who wouldn't spend more than $500 to save a pet. Where do I fall on this scale? What's my threshold?
I think, to really answer this question fully, there are a few things to take into consideration.
Odds of Survival
Just typing this out is making my insides squirm, I hate thinking about my pets being sick.
One of the things I would definitely have to take into consideration when deciding how much I'd be willing to spend in a veterinary emergency, would be the odds of survival. If the life saving procedure costs $6000 and only results in a 30% change of success, I'm not sure I would go for it. If the procedure would 100% cure my pet, on the other hand, I'd be much more willing to spend the money.
Access to Funds
Right now I have a $2k emergency fund while paying off debt. If my pet got sick, anything beyond that, would have to come out of my various sources of untapped credit. That's not an awesome prospect and would probably make me think harder about spending the money.
In contrast, if I was saving to buy a house, and had $40k in cash sitting in a savings account, I would probably be inclined to swipe a bit of that to pay for any emergency procedures.
Age of the Pet
Again this sounds terrible, but I would be more inclined to spend a lot of money bringing a young dog or cat back to health than one that is more than 10 years of age. At that point, I think poor health just becomes part of the equation. I've met pet owners that have spent thousands on chemo for older dogs with cancer, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Pet Insurance
There's also pet insurance to take into consideration. While having pet insurance can definitely take the sting out of high vet bills, most plans only have a maximum threshold of coverage (say $1,500 per illness), so odds are you'll probably still end up forking over some of your own cash if your pet is seriously ill. If you DO have a pet that you think will be prone to illness, I would definitely recommend pet insurance as an option.
So, what's your threshold? Would you spend a fortune to help your dog or cat live a happy and healthy life?
Do you have a dollar value in mind as the maximum you'd be willing to spend?
What is your pet worth?
Subscribe to get the free Master Your Money course!
Join the free email course and finally learn how to manage your money better, pay off debt, save more money, and reach financial freedom. Get our newsletter and get access to the freebie:
Thomas says
June 13, 2013 at 6:13 amI dont have a dollar figure. Our pup(7 years old) is a part of the family and we would do the best we could to help her. Since she is getting older it begs to how much should be pay to keep her going. I just had a neighbor tell me he spent over 2k for one of his dogs and two weeks later he had to put her to sleep be he felt she was just in misery. Not only did they have to see their dog suffer but they spent 2k and still spent more to put her to sleep.
Michelle says
June 14, 2013 at 9:41 amThat is so sad about your neighbor 🙁
DC @ Young Adult Money says
June 13, 2013 at 6:19 amThis is one reason I’ve held off on getting a dog; there is a very real possibility of a $3k+ unexpected vet bill. I think if you get the right plan pet insurance can be a great option for hedging against these big bills.
Jordann says
June 13, 2013 at 7:18 amThat’s definitely what kept me from getting a dog as long as I did. Dogs are so accident prone too, not like an indoor cat which basically should never get sick. I didn’t end up going with a pet insurance plan, and instead I self insure with my own pet fund.
Jai Catalano says
June 13, 2013 at 7:39 amIf you ask my mom she would spend the bank. Her pets are her kids and money isn’t a thought.
Michelle says
June 14, 2013 at 9:42 amMy pets are my kids too. 🙂
Budget and the Beach says
June 13, 2013 at 8:31 amI don’t think it’s a loaded question…there is no specific amount that is a cut-off for me. I wouldn’t spend thousands on trying to treat my cat “just to keep him going for six months,” but if it’s something that is curable and it cost me a couple thousand..then maybe…even though he is 12. It just depends on so many situations.
Michelle says
June 14, 2013 at 9:42 amI agree!
Matt Becker says
June 13, 2013 at 8:32 amWe almost faced this decision a couple of years ago, when our new kitten was having repeated medical problems. It was just before our son was born, we were about to switch to a single income, we were worried about money, and this kitten had cost us several hundred dollars in vet bills. We had serious conversations about what to do if it didn’t stop, but luckily for us we finally figured out what was wrong and haven’t had any problems since. I’m not sure what my exact number is, but it’s a difficult decision for sure.
Michelle says
June 14, 2013 at 9:44 amThat’s good that your cat is better now.
Stefanie says
June 13, 2013 at 8:33 amThis is one of the reasons I urge people to think hard before getting a pet. I know so many young people who don’t have enough to take care of themselves let alone a sick pet. Definitely an interesting discussion though.
Michelle says
June 13, 2013 at 9:17 amMe and W have talked about this a lot. I would spend pretty much anything on our dogs. I know someone who put their dog down because the cost to fix their illness ($150) was more than putting the dog down ($35). So they actually put their dog down over something so small (and yes, this person makes $60K plus a year, so I know they could have afforded it). She claimed she was sad but I don’t think any good person would ever do that.
Lisa says
April 24, 2016 at 4:09 pmJust because you knew her salary doesn’t mean you knew the complete picture of her other financial obligations. And if she said she was sad, maybe she truly was. The world would be a lot better place if everyone would stop being so judgmental and and cynical.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
April 24, 2016 at 7:46 pmI was personally close to this person. I’m not judging them, I truly know how they are and I spent 40+ hours with them for years. I am no longer friends with them due to their poor actions. This person has had over 20 dogs and it’s the same story with every one.
D'Arcy says
January 18, 2017 at 3:18 pmI couldn’t agree with you more! You have every right to judge someone for their selfish actions. Clearly this person didn’t care at all about her pet, this past year my husband and I have spent $4000 on our pets. We cancelled a vacation to do this. One is fine now and the other has ongoing issues which still cost money and are currently unresolved. But I look in his little face and know that I could never choose a holiday or new car etc. over his life. We are comfortable, but certainly not wealthy. Anyone who is unwilling to spend money that they have to help their pets doesn’t deserve the unconditional love that our pets give. Shame on them!
Jeremy says
February 8, 2018 at 12:30 pmReading these just to see. I am currently canceling vaca to pay $2500 on my cats surgery. Right now. I’m irritated at the whole situation. Money is tight for me. But I know I’d regret not trying forever.
grandmasmad3ringcircus says
June 13, 2013 at 9:26 amI think pet insurance is a good idea.
We have a house full of pets and they do become family.
Lacey says
April 24, 2016 at 6:46 amPet insurance for a house full of oets becomes rather expensive too. Just a thought.
Pretired Nick says
June 13, 2013 at 9:48 amGreat post. It’s such a tough issue. It’s worth realizing that the vets will sometimes use the emotions you acknowledge here to push you into pointless spending. When our 15-year-old cat got cancer some years ago they were suggesting (not pushy, fortunately) that he undergo some cancer treatments. I can’t remember if it was radiation or what. Um, no. He only lasted a few more weeks, but we spoiled him for that whole time. Still sucks, but that’s reality. They just don’t live very long. You have to know that going in if you’re going to have a pet.
Stephanie says
June 13, 2013 at 9:54 amThere’s probably no amount I wouldn’t spend to fix my dog! But I agree, if she’s really suffering and there’s not much chance for improvement/survival than I think it’s more humane not to go through with some lengthy and painful procedure just to try. But if it could make her totally better, I would spend thousands, without a second thought, even if I had to put it on a credit card and pay it off the rest of my life. (Then again, I have no children and never will so my dog is my life!)
David @my2centopinion says
June 13, 2013 at 10:09 amI would like to think I would be frugal and put them to sleep if they were in a lot of pain or really old. Then I think back to my childhood dog and part of me would have sold the house for a few extra weeks. He was my best friends from 8 years old until I was 20, even when I left home I would ask to talk to him on the phone. He went blind and started having seizures my Dad made the decision to put him to sleep. I’m crying a little even thinking about it.
Joel @ SaveOutsidetheBox says
June 13, 2013 at 10:30 amIt is definitely a tough conversation that needs to be had – and hopefully before you actually get your pet. We have a great dane named Moose. He is awesome! We would be so sad not to have him anymore. That being said, we just aren’t willing to spend more than $1500. We know that dane’s have tendencies towards major health problems. Unfortunately if one of the “big ones” hit we will have to say goodbye. I can’t imagine and I hope it doesn’t come to that, but money doesn’t grow on trees and keeping my family financially secure is the most important thing. Thanks for writing about such a tough subject.
Holly@ClubThrifty says
June 13, 2013 at 10:31 amWe had to put my 5 year old dog, Hammie, to sleep last year. He was so sick and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him after we spent almost $1000 on tests. The next test they wanted to do would cost another $1000 and I couldn’t justify the cost while having two young kids at home. It made us so sad but I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t have made it anyway. It broke my heart.
Greg@Thriftgenuity says
June 13, 2013 at 10:31 amThis is such a tough one. It is one of the reasons that I do not have a pet currently. You don’t want to put a price on keeping the pet alive, but at some point, you have to make that call. I don’t blame anybody for either making or not making the decision. So I am going to cop out and abstain from giving a number :).
Money Beagle says
June 13, 2013 at 10:36 amI wrote an article on this a few weeks back. My cats are old, 17 and 13 so I’m fine with continuing their meds and food as is, but we’ve decided that new problems or further degradation of any current problems will likely not be addressed. I think it’s the right choice.
Cat Alford (@BudgetBlonde) says
June 13, 2013 at 10:43 amGosh I feel like I would spend just about anything. I love my dog wayyyyy too much! Luckily vet bills are super cheap in Grenada!
Honey Smith says
June 13, 2013 at 10:45 amWe have a 15 year old cat, a 14 year old cat, and a dog of undetermined age (however, probably at least 11). The 14 yo cat is in kidney failure and gets fluids at least every other day. A bag of IV fluids plus needles is around $45, and he goes through maybe two bags per month. Plus special food.
My best gauge of how much to spend also factors in how comfortable the pet will be. They don’t understand what’s happening to them, so if they are going to be scared/in pain/otherwise uncomfortable for a long period of time even IF the treatment is working, I’d have to think really hard about what to do. The IV fluids are pretty easy (cats surprisingly don’t really mind needles, especially if they are at home instead of the scary vet) — he is just annoyed that he has to sit still for 5 minutes. That works. Chemo? I don’t know if I think it’s ethical to do that.
Ree Klein says
June 13, 2013 at 10:47 amHi Jordann, this is a hot topic for sure. Joan Otto over at ManVsDebt stirred that conversation up in her post today. Here’s my take…
Pet’s are very, very expensive. When I was a kid we had a dog and I don’t think he ever went to the vet. That was normal back then. Dogs and cats getting their teeth cleaned was unheard of. People bought dog food from the grocery store…no designer pet food. Outside cats did their business outside…no litter or box.
Animal care is a huge industry these days and guilt is a very useful tool to get us to buy products and services we (meaning our animals) don’t need. Don’t get me wrong. I really love animals and had my Pomeranian for 18 years before putting him down two years ago (that’s why costs and the guilt trip are so fresh in my mind). I spent thousands over his lifetime and it will make me think twice before ever bringing a new pet into my home.
To answer your question, I think the animal’s dignity is a big factor in the equation. I put Danny down instead of putting him through painful procedures because I felt he had lived a long happy life and age alone was taking a toll on his dignity. For me, I felt he’d had enough and so it was time to say good-bye. Makes me sad to think about it even now…
Nick @ ayoungpro.com says
June 13, 2013 at 10:49 amI would like to say that I wouldn’t “waste” money to keep a pet alive, but in reality I would spend anything. I’m a big softy when it comes to my dogs.
Brian says
May 14, 2017 at 7:57 pmI hear you.. the cost I would pay to keep our furry kid alive grows as needed.
Crystal says
June 13, 2013 at 11:08 amI’ve spent at least $5000 on vet bills for our two dogs over the last 3 years or so. $2500 of it was for a series of visits to handle near-fatal allergy issues with our 7 year old Pug (at the time – he’s 9 now), and the rest was on a variety of visits for pneumonia, a lump removal, teeth cleaning, and a severe tummy problem. Honestly, I’m okay with the expenses since they all lengthened healthy lives. If my dogs need treatments to prolong sickly lives, I wouldn’t do it. And age matters too. I wouldn’t put thousands into our 15 year old Dachshund, but we did pay $500 to have a lump removed and she is acting like a much younger dog now, so yay! Overall, it’s a personal choice that you have to make every time that they are treated. Good luck!
Sean @ One Smart Dollar says
June 13, 2013 at 11:47 amI would spend just about anything on our dog. He is a part of the family.
Jake @ Common Cents Wealth says
June 13, 2013 at 12:21 pmWe had a very similar situation a few months ago when our cat got sick for the first time. It made us ask ourselves this same exact question. They quoted us $750 to figure out what was wrong with her. We ended up waiting overnight and we woke up to find her back to normal in the morning. Dodged that bullet.
Diana Devlin says
June 13, 2013 at 1:14 pmFunny you should write this article now. My cat got very sick (throwing up and losing weight). and I made an emergency appointment to see our Vet. They were alarmed by his condition and referred me to a specialty animal hospital. They had to do emergency exploratory surgery. Thankfully, the pathology report came back negative for any cancer. But he’s still very sick with a feeding tube. He was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and his pancreas is not producing enough digestive enzymes. He was hospitalized for 5 days and the whole thing has cost us nearly $5,000 so far. I have never spared any expense when it comes to my pets because I feel it’s my obligation to do everything I can for them – I am their “mommy” and they deserve the best treatment possible.
However, I do agree whole heartedly, that if the animal is old and the expense to help them only has a small percentage of them getting better, then it may not be worth the money nor the pain and suffering the animal will have to endure.
My cat is only 9 years old, which isn’t very old at all for cats. He is still not doing well and we have a recheck with the Vet next Thursday. I am hoping the meds we have him on will help reduce the inflammation and give him back an appetite so he can eat on his own. I will not make him suffer if there is no improvement within the next month.
Lindsey @ Cents & Sensibility says
June 13, 2013 at 1:38 pmCanadian Budget Binder did a similar article not too long ago and it got me thinking….
We have a miniature daschund (wiener dog) and they are prone to back problems – 1 in 4 dogs has this problem. Their little backs bear too much weight and their spine can start wearing down until they can no longer use their back legs (become paraplegic). You can get surgery for this but it’s about $5000 and not a guarantee that they’ll be able to have full use of their bodies again. We have pet insurance that will cover some of it but it’s still such a big expense…
I don’t know that we’ll ever face that problem but I do worry that I’ll have to make some sort of decision about this in the future. I still have no idea what I’d do…
Kyle @ Debt Free Diaries says
June 13, 2013 at 2:12 pmI have no idea how much I’d be willing to spend on my puppy if she were to get sick. Leslie and I treat her just like our child so it would be difficult to believe there’s a price limit we’d stop at before opting to either let her go or put her down. I’m sure there is a point, but it’s too sad to think about!
E.M. says
June 13, 2013 at 2:18 pmThis is a really difficult decision to make. You’re right in that it makes sense to consider all the factors. Last year we had to put my cat down and it absolutely broke my heart. Just a year before that we had to put my other cat down. Both were extremely sudden and unfortunately with the first one, it happened on a weekend and we just didn’t have the money to cover an emergency visit outside of regular hours. With my last cat, she had kidney failure and jaundice, and both were so young (5 and 8).
I plan on taking extra care of my current cat because I have an unshakable fear that something will befall her, too. It’s a horrible feeling being put into the situation where you must decide the fate of your pet, and I still feel guilty every day. So honestly, I would probably pay a lot ($1k-$2k) if it was promising as my cat is only 4.
Newlyweds ona Budget says
June 13, 2013 at 2:47 pmAs my dog gets older (he’ll be 10 in the fall), I know I have to start thinking about the possibility of him dying. Honestly, it kills me to think about it. For all intents and purposes, he is our first child and I love him SO much. That being said, I don’t think I would be able to justify spending thousands of dollars to save him. I would probably say $2k is my max, and while it’s hard to put a price on your pet’s life, I do need to think that he is technically a senior citizen almost.
The First Million is the Hardest says
June 13, 2013 at 4:45 pmThis is something I hate thinking about. My dog is a family member. I think the age/cost/odds combo is the key. I’d pay a whole lot more for a procedure today with a 2 yr old dog than I would for a 12 yr old dog.
John@MoneyPrinciple says
June 13, 2013 at 6:40 pmWe don’t at the moment have a pet but it has been decided that we will get a dog later this year. So now is probably the time to consider how much a dog will cost to keep. After all, you can’t rent it out, it can’t really earn any money so in a PF context it is a mad thing to do!!! However a dog will become a family member and we will have to budget for that.
Emily says
June 13, 2013 at 7:05 pmMy dog got really really sick last summer and my mom has always said that if you own a pet it’s your responsibility – so you have to be ready for WHATEVER comes your way. He was only 6 years old and we spent 2,000+ on treatments….he died a few months later. However, we don’t regret having spent that much. He’s a part of the family and shouldn’t be penalized or left to die just because he’s a dog. And if we hadn’t done the treatments I always would have wondered “what if”….but that’s just my opinion. Glad Mia is doing well!
Julie says
June 13, 2013 at 7:28 pmGreat post! I agree with all your considerations. Years ago we had pet insurance and it saved us and our dog. He got hit by a car and after he healed from surgery the vet determined that he needed a leg amputation. When it was all said and done we would have spent $7,000 but because we had insurance, 80% was paid by the insurance company. We had no money at the time so insurance was great for us. Right now we have more savings so we don’t carry pet insurance.
I also worked for a little while at a vet speciality hospital. People brought their 12 year old dogs in for very expensive chemo treatment. I don’t agree with that. At 12 years old, that poor dog is just trying to leave this world and the people can’t face that fact.
Eileen says
June 13, 2013 at 7:57 pmIf you see your pet(s) as a family member, you will NOT have a dollar value in mind as the maximum you’d be willing to spend for your pet(s) to live a happy and healthy life. Will you set a dollar value on how much you are willing to spend if your parents/wife/husband/kids ever get sick? If you say something like I’m only willing to spend $500 on my dog if he gets sick. If the treatment cause more than $500 then he will just have to live with the illness, or I’ll just dump him in the animal shelter, then you SHOULD NOT be a pet owner.
David says
February 20, 2016 at 5:44 pmSo you would bankrupt your family for your pet? You’re one sick person. 🙁
Lisa says
April 24, 2016 at 4:29 pmI’m starting to want to pull my hair out over these comments suggesting that a pet is equivalent to a son, daughter, aunt, or grandfather. A dachshund or shih tzu is NOT your family. It’s a pet. You can call yourself its guardian rather than owner, or say that it’s your companion, or whatever you want. It’s still a pet.
They’re adorable, beautiful creatures. I absolutely love my pets and have spent my life, very fortunately, surrounded by dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles, but you guys. Seriously. Calm the F down and stop trying to guilt people into driving their actual families into bankruptcy over a gerbil. How dare you foist your very privileged judgment and cynicism onto someone with just as much love and desire but less wealth and choices. It’s disgusting and shameful, and makes you look a truly spoiled fool.
Susan says
August 1, 2016 at 2:37 pmSorry, but for people can’t have kids, our cars/dogs ARE family. I, and many others find YOU disgusting and shameful. To sentence your best friend to death because they’re not human is disgraceful.
D'Arcy says
January 18, 2017 at 3:30 pmAmen to that! I’m tired of people who believe that humans are so much more worthy than animals. My love for non-human animals is no less because they are not of my species. Frankly, I’d be far more devastated by the death of one of my pets than of most people I know. My pets are my family, plain and simple.
Daniel Hmer says
June 12, 2017 at 11:08 pmStop shaming people who make a decision different than yours. Everyone has different priopties and budgets. If you want to spend $20K to keep a sick Dog alive it’s your money. Some can’t or don’t want to spend that money. The important thing is to treat the animal well while it is still alive and to know when to let it go.
Larry says
December 23, 2017 at 11:10 pmAgreed. I had a friend who spent over 14k on a 2 year old dog with epilepsy. They even declared bankruptcy and wrote off cc.. bills that has surgeries on it. They are still paying over 150 a month for meds for dog. The y can’t afford it but use the rationale that the dog is like family. Blinded by personal stupidity. I had to say sayanora. These idiots shouldn’t own a pet. Well maybe a goldfish.
Peter says
June 16, 2013 at 3:30 pmMy dog got bit by a coyote few month ago and the treatment cost $150. I must say that I was tempted to not get the treatment at all. He just had one bite mark and seemed okay, but my wife kept insisting. For $600, I don’t know if I would have taken him.
Caleb says
September 26, 2013 at 1:36 pmI might be crazy, but I would exhaust all options before I can let something happen to my dog. I understand some situations are inevitable, but she is a part of our family and that is how we treat her.
Sarah says
January 7, 2014 at 1:41 pmMany times these issues are black and white, such as in the case where a dog is 13 years old and has cancer and an owner doesn’t want to pay more than $1,000. Or someone has a 1 year old dog with an illness that can be cured for $1,500. Those decisions, to me, seem extremely obvious as far as what to do.
I’m in a situation that has been tough on me for 3 years now. I have an 8 year old dog who was healthy until about 4 years ago when she began acting mopey all the time. A year later, she was having random severe vomiting episodes that lasted all night long, several times a year. I’ve put around $4,000 into numerous tests, treatments, prescription foods, etc for the past few years, and today she is extremely ill again. After all the tests, blood, urine, xrays, ultrasounds, yaddi yaddi yadda, the doctors have NO CLUE what is wrong. This makes her illness unpredictable.
Obviously I love the dog. For the 2 months between her sick spells, she is happy and energetic and loving and loves playing and going on walks. But when she gets struck down for a week every couple months, it’s hard to tell if I should keep fighting for her or put her down.
So she’s middle aged, she seems great ‘most of the time,’ but the unpredictable nature of her illness has taken a huge mental toll on me. I feel like I’m the one who can’t handle this, but my poor dog doesn’t deserve to die because I’m overly stressed out.
I can’t see putting thousands more into care and tests over another few years, but what am I supposed to do? Most people who pass judgement have not ever had to spend thousands of dollars for pet care, so when people say “They’re part of the family and it’s your responsibility to spend whatever it takes” I don’t think they’re being fair.
I will never own a pet again. My two dogs have been tragic examples. One almost dies any time she gets a vaccine, the other has a money sucking, heart wrenching mystery illness.
Sigh.
Hannah says
February 23, 2014 at 1:57 pmThis is such a hard topic. We are in the middle of making these decisions right now. We have one otherwise healthy pure bread indoor only ragdoll kitty who suddenly developed a urinary blockage a few days ago. We knew by his behavior what was happening and how serious it is to have it treated before death occurs. Our kitty is very young, only 1.5 yrs old, and we just love him so much. He is our only pet and is such a sweet tempered guy and great with young children. Very gentle and tolerant of them. The vet said depending on how things go the bill could run $500-$1500!! We opted to treat him this time with the hopes that it won’t happen again, which it could. He is on his 3rd day at the vet after having a procedure done under anesthesia. He may be there an additional 2-3 days in order to make sure the blockage doesn’t return which would require further treatments. We are lucky in that we had money set aside for a vacation and made the decision to forgo the vacation and be able to save our beloved kitty. I just couldn’t imagine not at least trying to help him especially since he is still so young and is otherwise perfectly healthy. I guess not everyone shares our sentiment. I talked with close friends of ours who are extremely well off who said they wouldn’t spend $500 on their dog if she got sick….said she’d be put down no question. That is hard for me to swallow but it’s true. If our kitty develops a blockage a 2nd time I’m not sure what we would do. Hard decisions might have to be made at that point. I don’t even want to think like that.
Rich says
July 26, 2014 at 7:21 pmI’ve spent over 20,000 over the years on medical bills on my Rotti Jager. Recently he his stomach filled with fluid. The veterinarian ran tests and two sonogram and still couldn’t find out what was wrong. They didn’t want to do surgery because if they didn’t know what to look for. They drained his stomach and sent him home and told me to monitor him and bring him back in if his belly started to swell again…. It looks like it is beginning to, but I realize that I can’t afford to have them do a surgery that may not work. I decided to just spend what time I can with him and when it is painful for him to let him go. Not sure if I would spend so much money again… but it is easy to say until you’re in the situation.
nicole dziedzic says
February 21, 2015 at 12:23 pmA few months ago are dog got sick and the cost where quite high, we never even thought about having saved extra funds for our pets, or even thought about pet insurance, but now we totally thinking about it and we have started putting money aside for those extra cases.
Angela says
February 22, 2016 at 11:50 pmI am going through this issue right now. I have had my three year old rescue dog for just a short time, but she has already become a huge part of my life. She fell ill a little under a month ago. As of now I have spent over $15,000 on surgeries, treatments, tests, and medications for her. She is young and was otherwise healthy before, and her condition isn’t such that putting her down should be an option (at least not based on the information that we have right now. The problem is that they haven’t totally solved the problem yet, and I am out of money and options. It’s one thing to be willing to spend everything to save a pets life, but what happens when all that you have runs out? That’s the place that I’m in now and I’m really not sure what to do now. No matter what it’s a hard place to be.
Maria McComb says
March 16, 2016 at 6:27 pmSo far I have spent 2700$ and there is no guarantee of life. My cat is still being hospitalized. Had I have known it would have been that much from the beginning, I would have said no. You can’t really stop treatment halfway or all the other money would have been a waste. Fingers crossed he lives!
Lisa says
July 3, 2016 at 4:04 pmHey there
I recently went through the same thing with my dog. I didn’t realize emergency care was going to be so expensive. I found out the hard way you have to say no. They will keep adding treatments and of course you are going to say yes. I was really debating spending 10 grand on my girl. Now that she is gone I don’t regret spending the money because she was worth it. If I was in the position I would spend 50,000
I really hope your cat is okay!!
Lacey says
April 24, 2016 at 6:58 amTwo years ago I had to put down a dog I absolutely adored because the vet quoted me $7000 to find out what was wrong with her and possibly treatment if it was treatable at all. I watched her become completely paralyzed in both of her back legs over about 6 months and spent hundreds of dollars before his $7000 quote. At the time I was a SAHM with no income of my own. It was heart breaking. I even had my husband make her a cart for her back legs (a 60 lb boxer) which showed me that she didn’t have enough strenght in her front legs to be able to use it. I even had the gene test done for DM on my own and she was negative. I finally had to put her down when she became totally paralyzed which was another $300. I still cry when I think about it. She was just short of 7 years old. If I had the money I probably would have spent it, but I didnt and I didnt have access to even borrowing it. You think you will know what you’ll do, but sometimes the situation dictates what you can do.
Tired of getting tarred and feathered says
September 19, 2016 at 10:58 pmWe just spent nearly $4000 for our dog. Shall I say my wife spent it without really consulting me. I’m stick sick to my stomach, bc at the end of the day, we have 3 kids colleges to pay for, a retirement and to top it off my wife doesn’t work, and couldn’t get a job to save her life. People get way too emotionally attached to pets, as if they are people, and they simply are not. While they mirror emotions, they are still animals. There are more than 750,000,000 stray dogs on earth, that have never had a human taking care of them, and never will. The pet industry in the US is merely an industry that is there to make huge profits for vets, food producers, and pet stores. If you are going to adopt a stray dog and live on a farm that is one thing. But if the dog gets ill, to where spending thousands is needed, then it’s time to simply adopt another dog. My wife threatened me with divorce for my supposed insensivity to the dog. Seriously ? She would break up our family, and put us and the kids in the poor house, over a dog ? Tell me that is moral or ethical, and that is someone emotionally stable with priorities straight.
Cheryl rooney says
November 26, 2016 at 9:55 pmIn some way I agree with you. I have 3 dogs they are rescue dogs they are now around 10 years old. I have given them the best years of my life by giving them top quality food regular yearly vet appts. vaccines that are needed and all the love they may not have received if I didn’t rescue them. If one of them gets ill where it will cost me a substantial amount of money I wouldn’t do it. We are retired and live strictly on a government pension so there is no extra $. Some would say I am insensitive but I don’t think so I am realistic I am not going to mortgage my home on a 10 year old dog to keep them alive for a extra year.
Cheryl rooney says
November 26, 2016 at 9:55 pmIn some way I agree with you. I have 3 dogs they are rescue dogs they are now around 10 years old. I have given them the best years of my life by giving them top quality food regular yearly vet appts. vaccines that are needed and all the love they may not have received if I didn’t rescue them. If one of them gets ill where it will cost me a substantial amount of money I wouldn’t do it. We are retired and live strictly on a government pension so there is no extra $. Some would say I am insensitive but I don’t think so I am realistic I am not going to mortgage my home on a 10 year old dog to keep them alive for a extra year.
Talerz says
December 7, 2016 at 10:24 pmWe just got told hat pur cat needs a surgery that willcost us $4300. My boufriend and I are doing everything we can to help him and give him the surgery he needs. He has been a healthy cat and is only 21 months old. I hate that i have to justify why i am willing to pay that amount of money (which is a hige amount for us) he has a broken leg and needs an FHO surgery. (Femoral head ostectomy) i just simply cannot fathom putting him down over a broken leg when the rest of him is healthy. Also hes still so young and i feel it would be different if be were older or termally ill. Lastly hes like our child. We would do anything ee can for him
Kate says
November 15, 2017 at 9:19 amI got a puppy from my mom, but my mother had a serious Parvo outbreak on her farm, so a few days after my puppy came home, she started showing signs of parvo. We’ve had puppies with parvo before, and it came out to about $1,000 per puppy for the lifesaving medical intervention, but we didn’t hesitate. Our regular vet, when the third puppy got sick, took it into the clinic on a friday, and he was kind enough to check up on her throughout the weekend so we wouldn’t have to pay the sky-high prices for ANOTHER emergency clinic visit.
I also had a puppy get hit by a car on a Sunday, low chance of survival, and I spent upwards of $600 on care that wasn’t able to save him. I still cry about him all the time, although the accident was well over two years ago now.
Greg P says
January 13, 2020 at 6:08 pmThis is always something that needs to weight out in a cost / benefit list. Emotion though is so easy to takeover your decision making process when it comes to pets. My mother ended up spending 12,000 dollars to keep her Jack Russel Terrier alive about 2 weeks. The dog ended up passing and was clearly suffering. I think if she would have properly evaluated this she would have not been in that position. She regrets doing it to this day.