Money Moral Dilemma: Should we have to pay the vet bills?

gaily

I would hope that you would pay the first vet bill - your in laws would have been concerned about the health of the animal in their care. If it had been your child then it would have been NHS/Free, so you would hope that if concerned it would merit a check up.

Following this though, you need to establish who the responsibilty falls with.

You gave up the dog because you couldn't afford it, and rather than sever all ties, and send it off the the local dogs home, you've let family care for it. This shouldn't result in you having to then have more bills. Maybe you should explain to them that the reason you let them have your dog, was due to cost, and although you don't have the day to day costs for feeding the dog, then vets bills are not something you'd expected to incur due to this.

I know you say they're affluent, but sometimes people with money have the ability to whinge over the smallest of costs. Maybe you should say to them, that if they don't want to be shelling out for vets bills, then the dog would have to go to the dogs home.

Not a nice thing to consider , but better than bills that can't be paid.

Rvn

I think owning a pet is a privilege and not a duty. If it's your pet then it is your responsibility. The duty of care lies with you. The in-laws may be over cautious but bettere that than neglectful. Pet insurance would ensure that the vet trips are covered and may be cheaper in the long run.

cattattat

Pet insurance excess is usually at least £50 so those people saying this would have solved all of the owner's problems are mistaken.

I would speak to your parents and ask them to contact you before taking the dog to the vet. It is not neglectful not to take the dog 'every time it coughs' - as a pet owner you get used to using a bit of common sense when it comes to deciding whether they are ill. You just need to set some clearer boundaries with your parents.

Marisco

TBH if that was me (the parent) I wouldn't have asked!!! Especially if I could afford it and my son/daughter couldn't. But I do agree, all this should have been sorted - who pays what - before the dog left.

psb

If you can't afford to look after your dog as well as your new child, I would suggest you either let your parents in law (who obviously care for the dog) keep it or find it a good home that can - SIMPLES!

antonia1

Pay the bills that you already have, but tell your parents-in-law the following:

"We're really grateful that you have been looking after the dog for x months, but unfortunately money is becoming a serious issue and we feel we need to have the dog properly re-homed as we cannot afford the costs associated with having the dog. Thanks again for your help, please take this bottle of wine as a thank-you"

They can't complain because you have paid all the costs to date, and you can be sure that you won't have any more bills.

ladylou27886

If they offered to look after your dog, that means taking all the responsibility away from you. If they were concerned about an illness, they should have asked your opinion first before taking the dog to the vet. I think because they took the dog to the vet without consulting you, they should have to pay.

And if they are well off, considering you have just had a baby and you're on maternity pay, I would have thought they'd have considered the fact that money might be tight and cover the costs themselves.....

KxMx

If they were "looking after" then technically the dog is yours and you are responsible for the bills. Would you not also take the dog to the Vet if it was sick yourself?

If they have taken in the dog permanently then that's another story obviously.

Pellyman

Of course you should. Even if you think your in laws are being excessively cautious it's not your place to interfere - your spouse perhaps, but certainly not you. It's the price you pay for someone looking after your pet and probably scared stiff they don't do the job properly. How would you feel if they didn't take it to the vet and and the poor thing 'croaked'? More important how do you think they would feel?

Are you getting bills for the dog's food etc. as well? If not, you are probably still breaking even.

If you can't afford the dog you really should move it on to someone who can. If your spouse told their parents you were considering that option they may take the hint and stop giving you the bill. Better still they may have become so attached to the dog they offer to keep it as their own.

Simon_Milne

Personally i think maybe the first bill should have been paid as no ground rules were laid out, but in all honesty if you offer to look after a pet for someone as they can afford it, you have made the offer and should then take the costs that come with it, if i was looking after my mates kid and they came down with something and i needed to get some medicine, blankets etc, i would never give my friend the bill, i made the offer my responsibility simples!!!