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

custard_monkey

Fitzmichael wrote: »

No! Babies are very different to dogs, and we should be able to treat people like you as we do dangerous dogs, and have you put down.

It may surprise you to know that I am aware that a baby and a dog are not the same - my point is that you choose to get a dog and when you make that choice you make a commitment for always, not just when it suits you.

You are obviously not an animal lover and that's your perogative, but I do think the tone of your email is a little extreme and more than a little offensive.

lady_jane

If you can't afford the dog then u can't afford a second baby if money is that tight. Shouldn't have animals if u can't look after them. As they offered to look after the dog as they knew you were struggling then they should not take the dog to the vet in the first place and present you with the bill. It's your dog look after it and stop having more kids. Or rehome the dog properly ask the parents if they want to keep the dog as they obviously care enough to take it to the vet in the first place. People should think about the long term when they have kids /animals

jessicaseven

Sorry but the dog is yours and your responsibility. A lifelong insurance is always worthwhile taking out for peace of mind although if they are always small different complaints each time it won't be worth covering. If your dog is still under 8 years and you don't have insurance I would take it now. As your dog ages you will more than likely have larger bills to pay for.

I think you should be grateful to your family for helping you in looking after the dog as that in its self is a big job for them to take on.

One last thing what have your visits to the vet been for? Is there anything you could have done to prevent these?

Hope things improve for you! Thank goodness we have the nhs!
x

rubyroo1_2

A dog is for life not just for Christmas. Its your dog, so you should pay the bill. If you didnt make it clear that you wanted them to call you if the dog got ill, then the bill should be yours. They were obviously worried enough to take it to the vet. It would have been a lot worse if it had been serious, better to be safe than sorry especially when its someone elses dog.

jrb74

i seem to be in a minority here 'cos i think the parents should pay

i look after my parents dog when they're on holiday and one time she injured her leg and i had to take her to the vet - i paid for the transport, the vet and the prescription - when my parents came home i'd already arranged a follow up visit which i paid for along with more medicine

even though my parents could afford the bill much easier than i there was no way i would have asked for the money as it was my decision to take the dog to the vet

TBagpuss

I don't think the parents should be expected to pay. It sounds as though they agreed to take care of the dog to help out, and that it is still the OP's dog.

If the parents have taken on full ownership of the dog then all parties need to agree that this is what is happened and the the paretns will, from now on, be responsible for all decisions (including the decision as to whether they actually want the dog, or whether they will try to find a more suitible home for it) and all expenses.

I do thinkthat the OP's spouse is the one to speak to them, as they are his/her parents.

If the dog is going to continue to stay with the parents then the OP should apy for it's vet bills, but it is reasonable for OP's spouse to speak to his./her parents to ask them to check before taking the dog to the vet, so they can agree whether or not it is necessary. If they chose to explain that they are raising it becasue they are finding it dificult to afford the vet bills, and if the parents then offer to help out, then that is very generous of them, but OP should not expect it.

Gingerjar

I'm just amazed that the dog's owners think that the in-laws should pay the vet bills for their dog. How incredibly rude, cheeky and ungrateful of them. If they no longer want or cannot afford the dog they should get it rehomed.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

wildthing01

wow - once again so many (negative) assumptions based on so little information - i love these forums!

it's not clear whether the OP was struggling with the time needed to look after the dog or the money - but having recently had my second child, i can imagine it's probably both! the problem is, you can't predict the impact that having children is going to have on your life - i certainly wasn't prepared for the fact that having a second child was going to cause 4 times as much work! so, i can well believe that they've reached the point where something has to give.

without info about the permanance or otherwise of the arrangement, or any discussions that may have been had prior to the arrangement commencing, it's impossible to judge. all that can be done now is to have a discussion about it and request perhaps that if you are going to have to foot the bills, they consult you before taking the dog to the vets.

to be fair to the parents in law, it is a scary responsibility looking after someone else's dog. we have dogsat a number of times (back in the halcyon days, pre-children!) and when our friends' pedigree dog starting throwing up the first time we looked after it, we hotfooted it straight down to the vet (couldn't contact friends as on holiday), as i was terrified it had swallowed something and would die on me. turned out to just be nerves, and i felt bad that our friends had had to pay out for that, but you can't be too careful!

interestseeker

Reads like neither party want to pay for the medical care of the dog. If money is a problem but the love for the dog is there, then take him to a PDSA clinic to which animal lovers donate to provide vets for pets. Otherwise the dog should be rehomed via RSPCA or other canine charity. I agree with the contributor who suggested pet insurance as a good way of keeping a handle on the bills. Little illnesses which are neglected can soon turn into serious illnesses.

GillM

If this is a genuine dilemma, why hasn't the OP commented on any of the responses?