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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informed consumer.
My thoughts: As a famous philosopher once said- “everything is born to die”. I refuse to elaborate on my lifelong personal experiences owning, caring for, adopting, and, eventually putting down my , as i prefer to call them, my best of all my best friends. I`ts irrelevant, to put it short and sweet. It`s all about one`s personal experience with one`s opinion about what is really an ideal and fulfilling life, and what their perception is on when it is appropriate to end life. All said, lest we forget that some people will try to talk you into something that is , by all practical purposes is unrealistic and obsurd just to make you feel you gave it all, all in the name of love . Don`t forget, my friends, life is like a novel- it`s composed of many chapters, some happy, some not, but in order for the story to be complete, it must eventually come to and end. In short, it is a personal journey we all must take as pet owners.
Raul Emrey | 2 weeks, 4 days ago
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informed consumer.
My thoughts: As a famous philosopher once said- “everything is born to die”. I refuse to elaborate on my lifelong personal experiences owning, caring for, adopting, and, eventually putting down my , as i prefer to call them, my best of all my best friends. I`ts irrelevant, to put it short and sweet. It`s all about one`s personal experience with one`s opinion about what is really an ideal and fulfilling life, and what their perception is on when it is appropriate to end life. All said, lest we forget that some people will try to talk you into something that is , by all practical purposes is unrealistic and obsurd just to make you feel you gave it all, all in the name of love . Don`t forget, my friends, life is like a novel- it`s composed of many chapters, some happy, some not, but in order for the story to be complete, it must eventually come to and end. In short, it is a personal journey we all must take as pet owners.
Raul Emrey | 2 weeks, 4 days ago
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Miss
Having had relatives in hospice care and on dialysis, I am familar with both palative and life-extending measures. For our young cat with end-stage renal disease-we learned to “fluidize” on and off for 3 years until she died peacefully at home. My own canine best friend got into baker’s chocolate-had I not taken him to emergency care and than hospital care, he would have died. He has given me 14 years of companionship- I believe in responsible stewardship of your animals-but I believe I would draw the line if extending his life was for only my benefit and not his. As hard as it is to let go-either thru natural death or euthanasia-I hope I would be strong enough to be there with him.
Jill Elizabeth Ford | 2 weeks, 4 days ago
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Miss
After having many pet rodents, Including rats with mycoplasmosis, I believe the responsiblity for care is the same, no matter what the pet. As someone who has benefitted pharmacologically from meds that perhaps millions of “lab rodents” have died to obtain, should we not use that same medicine in our small pets Favor?
Jill E. Ford | 2 weeks, 4 days ago
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Ricky and Lucy Squirrel
I had the pleasure of rescuing to baby squirrels from a fallen tree during a horrid storm. I was able through a Rehabilitator who did not have the room for even one more to take care of these two little sweet hearts.. It seems that they had a bacteria that the vet could not do anything about for the female, the male on the other hand did quit well for another week and died as well.. I know I only kept them for three weeks, but they stole my heart forever… Yes it cost my family some money to treat them and yes it was too late for Lucy who died only six hours after her doctor’s visit.. But they were loved so deeply in that small amount of time and gave so much more love and happiness to me and my family, That amount that I spent on her to keep her alive was the best investment I could have spent.. I know that I did all I could to help them… One week after his sister’s death, Ricky who I thought was doing soooooooo much better, was found exactly one week to the day in the corner of his cage dead.. Almost like he was trying to get close to me, which was right next to my bed… And just died… I am broken hearted and miss them so.. But what I have learned from them, I know that this is the work I want to do for the rest of my life… I want to help orphaned and injured animals and release them back into the wild if that is possible, if not possible I will allow that little one to live the rest of their lives with our already HUGE family of six adults and seven children, and hopoe and pray that each of these family members learn to love God’s creatures domesticated and wild, as a loving creation and expression of God’s love… My two year old Grand daughter is already an animal rescurer, as she had me come out and rescue a baby lizard just after the little ones were found.. That is LOVE for God’s creation..
Penny Shelton | 2 weeks, 3 days ago
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summer the border collie
I admire your decision to help summer continue to thrive and deny yourselves of most likely a well needed vacation.If more people would see that the family pet is just that“FAMILY’‘We had to put our boxer,Luke down.He had a tumor on his back,and the night before, he cried,and I knew what we had to do.The vet told us it would cost$6000 and than there were no geurentees as to the quality of life. I once read that the most humane thing is to be in the room when the vet gives the final enjection and you talk to your pet and pet him.Iwas battling breast cancer,so finances were tight,I think even if we could afford it I think we still would have put him down.We got another boxer the same day,basically for the grandbaby’s sake.
casey mc manus | 2 weeks, 2 days ago
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save your dog
I just hope this note saves someone from losing their pet prematurely.Never feed your dog garlic or onions as this causes massive urinary tract problems,in my case massive amounts of bladder stones ended my belgian malinois life years before it should have.I never saw anywhere nor did my vets ever warn me as to th edangers.
bernard a dunk | 1 week, 6 days ago
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poor dogs
i fell bad when dogs die or get hurt.
alexandria-allie lynn perkins | 1 week, 6 days ago
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love dogs
i love dogs a lot they are very cute
alexis zamora | 1 week, 5 days ago
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animal medical care
If the animal is very ill and there is very little quality of life then it is more humane to put it to sleep. Other than that ,this is a very personal decision, we should always remember animals have feelings just like humans and they should be treated accordingly. Responsible pet owners should buy animal med. insurance when they get their pet to help with these situations.
neil goldberg | 1 week, 5 days ago
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