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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What do people owe animals?
Something happened to me on my way to the military base this morning. A car was pulled over on the side of the freeway. Up ahead I saw a second car stopped in the middle of the lane. I thought that must be the second vehicle in the accident. At the same time three other things were happening…the car behind me was getting ready to speed around me as I slowed and to my horror I saw a small dog running down the road and the owner (the first car) was screaming. God bless my big green truck! I was able to block the other lane before the car passed me and that’s where we all sat. A member of the Navy got out of the front car and got the dog to turn around and start running back towards “mom’s” direction and a second person was able to catch it. Moral of the story (after I pulled my heart out of my throat)…..Keep your pets properly restrained in your car, slow down and check out what’s going on before you speed by and … do what ever you can for an animal in need (but stay safe)! Once again my opinion – Leigh F
Leigh F | 1 year, 4 months ago
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My family
My cat was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. I spent over $11,000 on her care and Cyber Knife Radiation treatment. I worked with my veterinarian, veterinary neurologists and veterinary radiation oncologists to decide on the best treatment option for her. My cat is my baby and I chose to make sure she gets the best care possible. It helps that I had taken out a medical insurance policy with a cancer endorsement when I first found her when she was just a few months old but even if I didn’t have that I would have still opted to make sure she gets the best care possible.
It’s my baby, my money, and my decision. I had someone tell me that “it’s only a cat” when my cat was going through the treatments and he was just interested in how much it was costing me. Money isn’t everything. This guy never had pets and had no clue what I was going through. To me, it was worth every penny!
Audre | 1 year, 4 months ago
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The tenor of the responses
I ran across this site while looking for side effects of the enalapril my two cats are on – for different problems. I was appalled at the question but greatly reassured by the answers. As someone who spends huge amounts of money on 8 animals, ranging from horses to cats in size, I understood every kind word in every answer. As an unhappy aside, the horrible response of a vet (more than one apparently) to the pet rat is not uncommon. As with every profession, there are nasty or incompetent people who should be run out of the job, but never will be. It remains our responsibility to keep looking for the good ones, and learn as much as we can to help support good vets in the care of our four-legged family members.
Carolyn Larson | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Only an animal!!!!!!
I will admit I am not very proud of the human race at times. We unlike the rest of God’s creatures understand the concept of Evil (notice I did not say the concepts of Good and Evil), it is what defines us.
Studies have proven that even parrots can grasp abstract concepts, and deductive reasoning. We also are not the only ones that use tools, have complex social structures, are capable of love, have the capacity for self sacrifice, and the big one “sentience” (being self aware).
Funny how in our arrogance we refused to recognize the sentience of the family cat until a handful of years ago (yes it is scientific fact now) even though they have been our companions for thousands of years. Our denying this allowed us to live with some treatment of animals better. It is also better for people to think it is sentience that elevated us above the rest of that which squawks, squeaks, and grunts not our capacity for evil. It is not even free will, that is not unique. Science is new even to us in our present form, and as for the belief of God or something “more” who really knows whether the dolphin or whale has “faith” or believes in something.
Even our capacity for empathy and self sacrifice are common place in the wild and with our pets as I said. I fear to many people have this belief of “just animals” and in the case of our pets they are more than that, they are family. I know of to many people that will abandon Fluffy in a field or shoot Spot in the head because their is no pets allowed at the new rental, or they get tried or board or them. Then the same people will trot off to church, give blood, or give money to something convinced in their compassion or enlightenment. I do not believe that one should fight nature and cure all that can befall our pet, but we should take the responsibility of their care and comfort, and remember that their love is real as will their pain, sorrow, confusion, and sense of loss when we fail them. Plus there is little that can be done to help them understand what or why something has happened to them. Anyway I could go on but there is the meat of what I have to say.
Personally My wife and I have always put the basic needs of our pets before our own, and are sure to see that they now that they are loved just as they let us know that they love us. I even would not leave our burning apartment building until I got our cat (my wife was not home or she would have been my first concern of course). Oh we did not lose the apartment, actually put out the fire in my block of 4 myself but the next block of 4 was half destroyed…arson. Many people would have worried about the TV or the computer, and people at the complex gave me heck for running back to get the cat. He was our kid, sorry I am rambling…
THANK YOU ALL! Take care!
Roy Jarrett | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Vet Cruelty Should Be Exposed
I couldn’t believe that some vets suggested throwing a pet rat against a wall or hitting it with a shovel. I think their names should be posted on a forum or a vet rating site or anywhere. How horrific. And I’m not a particular fan of pet rats, but the love of an animal is the love of an animal. Civilized society can be judged by its treatment of animals (and the people that love them).
mrsmomkit.blogspot.com | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Death of a pet
Today I buried my pet of 10 years. After spending $700.00 trying to do all I could to save her. Without causing my pet much more discomfort than she already endured, I decided to give her up to the better world. If I could have her back, I would give the money spent and probably more. You see, when your pet is your only companion, joy, and worth coming home for, the money is really just money!
Pat Marant | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Something Radical...
I am of mind that a free clinic of sorts should be offered to owners of pets that need life saving services and pay/neutering. It could be done as a donated amount of vet time in the community through the local shelter. It would ease the amount of abuse (plus catch some earlier) and encourage getting pets fixed and should ease the load on the shelters eventually. Getting the pets fixed should be mandatory for this service anyway. I have heard of such programs supposedly exist, and there are similar ones for people as well as legal aide and legal defense counsel.
PS. Thank you for the replies about my story about our rat, and his name was Bogey. My heart also goes out to the person that just lost their pet.
Roy Jarrett | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Making Tough Decisions About Pet's Medical Expense
Perhaps the true crux of the problem lies with those who ask astronomical fees for their services. Inflated prices of medicines and treatments burden pet owners to an extent that they often feel their only choice is euthanasia. Man’s inhumanity to man is part of this issue. Whatever the choice of the pet owner, no doubt it will be difficult. Criticizing people who are dealing these kinds of crises is heartless and moronic.
Barbara | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Making tough decisions about Pet's medical expense
Barbara, I would politely disagree with your analysis of the “true” crux of the problem. I am not a vet, nor are there vets in my family (mores the pity), but I am fully aware of the huge expense they incur with veterinary school, the capital required to set up a stocked office and the ungodly hours most of them put in. Compensation for these things is not astronomical nor inflated. Most vets I know do pro bono time for shelters and in their own practices. There are funds (The Travis Fund at Tufts Veterinary School is one) to help those who cannot afford special treatment, and I know of no shelter that would not gladly accept whatever donations you can give. Perhaps I missed a post, but I have not read here criticism of people dealing with these crises – I completely agree with your take on anyone who would do so.
Carolyn Larson | 1 year, 4 months ago
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"Criticism of these crises"
I read this comment from above as a criticism of those facing those crises…“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?”
To me, that criticizes those who would spend the money on their pet’s health rather than give it to charity. And what “people” are asking it? Where is this coming from? I would never be able to come up with $14,000 to just give to charity out of the blue but I’d come up with it, go into debt to have it, beg, borrow or steal to find it to take care of my pet. I love my pet. I do not love some vague charity the person asking that question refers to.
That’s the question I referred to in my previous post that makes pets sound disposable…if one gets sick and it’s going to cost a great deal to correct the illness, we just put it to sleep and go get another one? I was shocked by that – as if we don’t love them, aren’t attached to them, or as if they are totally replaceable? Whoever actually said it is either coldhearted never had a pet or both. I agree that it’s moronic to even suggest such a thing. There’s no question – I’ll choose my pet’s health over a charity any day – since the question here seems to insist I make a choice. Good thing it is still MY choice. You can’t put a dollar amount on love and that’s what a pet is to me – love.
Darla Wear | 1 year, 4 months ago
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