Man’s Best Friend
How much is that doggy in the window?
The one with the waggley tail may seem like a bargain these days compared to the dog with the $3,000 pacemaker. Or the cat with the $8,000 kidney transplant. Or the pet chicken undergoing radiation therapy after cancer surgery.
Medical care for pets now rivals medical care for humans, with veterinary oncologists, neurologists, cardiologists and other specialists providing high tech, big-bucks treatment for Fido and Fluffy.
But when cats have chemo and dogs have dialysis, their owners have something too: unexpected ethical issues triggered by enormous medical bills.
“Is the 15-year-old tabby worth $12,000 in dialysis?” asks a newspaper story with the nagging headline: Do some pet owners go a little too far?
“I admit sometimes questioning the reality of spending $11,000 on my cat when there are greater human needs,” said a California college professor, who readily paid for feline chemotherapy and pancreatitis treatment.
U.S. pet owners will spend more than $24 billion this year on pet medical care, an amount greater than the gross domestic product of more than half of the world’s countries.
But when man’s best friend is a integral member of the family, the question of whether it’s appropriate to spend top-dollar for animal medical care is often more emotional than financial. With the unconditional love, friendship, and support of a beloved companion at stake, many pet owners feel they don’t have the option of not providing—and paying for—expensive medical care.
It’s not a simple issue, said one veterinarian. When you hear of a medical bill of $14,000 for a dog, he explained, people ask, “Should you not just buy a new dog and give the money to charity? That, I have to say, is a non-starter of an argument. You then have to ask all sorts of questions about how people spend their money—should they spend it on big cars?”
Tell us what you think: When it comes to expensive veterinary medical care, is it more responsible to pay for a pet or perhaps give the money to charity instead?
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Comments
hmmm....
My husband and I just spent close to $10,000 total, treating his 7 year old horse for crushed cartilage in a front leg. When we started the treatment, in no way, did we know it would cost that much. After we were about $2k into it, we realized we really didn’t want to have to put him down, one of the decisions that WE made personally. Yes, friends and family are telling us we’re nuts, but we’re the ones that sacrificed a well deserved and looked forward to vacation, we canceled. I think what people spend on their animals is their own business. We would not have taken that money and given it to a charity because we had already set it aside for a vacation. We DO give a lot of money to charities every year so that money didn’t get “taken” from anyone but us.
Libby Liebig | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Choices and money
Thank goodness for free will. We are allowed to make our own choices and if we have the money to spend then why not?
Candace Rodriguez | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Family Pets/Companions
I agree with Candace that this is a personal choice that we should make on our own without comments about our beloved pets. Circumstances have to be put in to the decision, will this make their life better or just prolong a painful one etc. There are free clinics or low cost pet hospitals for those who do not have the money and research is the only answer when something comes up. I know that my pet deserves whatever I can do to keep her happy and healthy, as this was a commitment I gave to her when we got her. If it were something serious I would also get more than one opinion to make sure that I was informed and prepared. My pet is part of my family and I will do what I need to do.
Dawn Campbell | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Kittery
Pets often become beloved family members and are treated as such. If the family has the money for expensive treatments to prolong the life of their beloved pet, then I say let them spend it as they wish! Money can’t buy happiness, so they say, but it can often purchase the opportunity to extend happiness for sure. I was devastated by the loss of my own “one in a lifetime” dog in 1999. The last 5 years of his 19 year life I did spend a good amount of money to keep him as healthy and comfortable as possible during his senior years. I also give to charities and am socially responsible with my money. But I would not have made a choice between my pet and giving to some charity just because it might have made better sense to someone out there. So, I believe it’s a personal decision, if one can afford it and it makes them happy then it’s their personal choice.
Angela Lawrence | 1 year, 6 months ago
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My Friend, Summer
Like Angela, I have the good fortune to have a beloved family pet, Summer, who has been with us for 18 years. She is a Border Collie who is smarter than me on her worst day! She has helped guard our home, played with my son and the neighborhood children, and been my boon companion for all these years. Summer enjoyed great health all her life until 6 months ago. She now has a slow growing tumor on her spine which causes her some discomfort. I spend what is necessary to keep her pain-free and mobile. When her quality of life reaches the point where I feel it is no longer fair to keep her going for my own selfish reasons, I will perform the last kind thing I can do for her and help her die in peace at the vet’s. My husband and I worked hard for our financial standing and we would like to be able to decide on whom or what we spend these hard-earned dollars.
Debra Moore | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Looking Back
A few years ago, my family and I lost our beloved Labrador to brain cancer. Before he died, my family and I spent a few thousand dollars to try to save him. Unfortunately, the treatments did not work and he ended up passing away. Looking back, I would have not done anything differently. If the money gave us more time with him and kept him as comfortable as he could have been under the circumstances, then I consider it money well spent.
Kati C. | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Man's Best Friend
I don’t believe in spending lots of money to keep an animal alive. They don’t want to be picked and poked at either, it’s not natural. There comes a time when we all need to let go.
I recently put my 16 1/2 year old friend for life to sleep. She was the greatest dog, but it was time to let her go. I feel I did the right thing and I will miss her for the rest of my life.
Brenda Lynch | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Having non-human friends
When we give our hearts to a pet, we must remember that it is a different intelligence and usually a shorter life than ours. The willingness to accept these facts and adjust our behavior appropriately is part of genuine love.
We had a dachshund who dislocated his spine and became paralyzed when only 3 years old. Treatment involved driving him several hours to a university with specialists who could do the necessary operation— flying him there would have been more damaging for him. The operation was a success at a few thousand dollars and we drove up to get him and joyously took him back into our lives. Two years later, the same thing happened. This time we had him put down. We realized there was no way to tell how often this could happen, and that it was unfair to the animal to put him through such trauma more than once. This was my husband’s first dog, and it was a particular anguish to see the forlorn little boy inside the grown man when his confidant was gone. Nevertheless we felt we handled it right, and had to accept the inevitable grief without swearing never to have another dog.
Ellen Fisher | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Alum Bridge
Not long ago one of my dogs broke three of her toes when she jumped off the porch to avoid being stepped on by my dad. My dad took Shadow to the nearest animal hospital because he thought she had broken something. The people there X-rayed Shadow’s leg and put a splint on it. I’m not real sure how much it cost but I think it was like $150 or $175. Everything seemed ok until my dad started to smell something. My dad said it smelled like an infection. So dad took Shadow back to the “vet”. We found out that the splint had cut into Shadow pit and got infected. The vet told dad what he could do and the cost but it was to much for us to aford. Dad asked the vet if he would take her but he wouldn’t so dad told him to put her down. Dad was in the waiting room waiting for Shadow’s body when one of the assistants came out and said that she would take Shadow if the offer was still open, it was. So Shadow got the care she needed and a good home that would be able to get her the medical care she that need. When dad got home all of our other dogs, we breed chihuahuas, were looking for Shadow when they didn’t see her they knew something had happened. Angel, Shadow’s mom, was worried, upset, and depressed because that was her baby but she’s starting to forget.
A lot of people would think that Angel would have forgotten in a day or two but she still isn’t quite over it. Please forgive me for adding parts that are not really needed but I thought that it would help you to understand what happened.
neysa brown | 1 year, 5 months ago
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Alum Bridge
I am 13 years old and I will be going into 8th grade when school starts but my comment is about my dog and my best friend Lady. Lady is no longer with me because in 3rd grade I made a choice to have her put down.Why? Because she had a slipped disk that was caused by some kids in my neighborhood who tried to break into the house behind my house. Lady, being a guard dog, barked a them so they threw rocks at her to shut her up. Lady loved walks so when she didn’t act the way she normally did I knew something was wrong so I told my mom and dad. My mom and I took Lady to the vet and they told us that she had a slipped disk and she needed surgery or rest I can’t remember but they gave us some pills to give to her. I think they were painkillers or something like that. Everything was going fine until Lady got use to the painkillers so they didn’t have the same affect that they did before so she got worse. I couldn’t stand to see her suffer so I told mom how I felt. So the next day, Thursday, we went to the vet one last time. I stayed by Lady from when we left the house to to when she took her last breath. Had I had enough money to pay for her surgery I would have done it in a heartbeat though if I could go back in time now with enough money for the surgery I don’t think I would. It’s not really because there are a ton of things that could go wrong but because if Lady was still alive I wouldn’t have Sassy. Though I don’t believe in reincarnations Lady and Sassy are alike in so many ways. So far nothing horrible has happened to Sassy so hopefully Sassy will live a long and happy life.
neysa brown | 1 year, 5 months ago
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