MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Pet versus debt?

golddustmedia

Bye bye pooch.
I agree a pet can feel like a family member, but the dog will die sooner or later anyway and it's more harm than good to spend loads of money on the dog.

It's a sad fact but ill health is natures way of telling you your time is up.

peggydoodaa

Last year my 5yr old cat was attacked by a dog and had his jaw broken very badly. He needed major surgery and basically on death's door for about 3 months during this time but luckily he was insured. In all, Petplan paid out £4000 (the maximum for the policy) and we probably stumped up roughly another £1000 on top of that to get him better.
We did get to a point when we had to say to the vet that we just couldn't afford to pay anymore than we had already and were absolutely distraught at the fact we may have to put him to sleep after all the time money and effect put into him. The vet VERY VERY kindly waived the fee for the next and what turned out to be the final operation which saved his life. :T

After that traumatic year last, same cat got liver failue and nearly died again this year. Again, the insurance paid out about £1500 in fees to get him well again.

I really can't fault Petplan at all, they've been fantastic and I'm certainly getting my money's worth out of them. They even continue to pay out for any problems that arise from these illnesses/accidents.

I wouldn't be without my cat.......even though he's cost a bloody fortune lol

edit: Forgot to add that he's very well now and living life to the full

BertDavey

I think it has to depend on the pets place in the family to a degree. My dog means the absolute world to me - even though i had to move out of the family home and leave her behind. She as much a part of the family as anyone else, and in many cases more so if you include the relatives that like to stir up trouble... But if they are old and getting on a bit, i feel it would be more compassionate to put her to sleep than make her suffer through the operations. Plus she'd go on a hunger strike if she was presented with Tesco Value dog food so having that much debt would be a definate consideration.

At present i would pay whatever cash i could realise without going further into debt. But she is 11 years old and has had a damn good run, it won't be long before the possible benefits become outweighed by the potential costs.

I'm not cold, i love her to pieces, but just signed up for my first mortgage and have never been so mindful of my debts/spending. She WOULD understand )

Rob

Elephant_Girl

Have you looked on the internet for the medication? We have just saved ourselves £30.00 approx per 50 days by getting a perscription from the vet and posting it to an internet pharmist. The vet can't bill you for the 'script. We were paying £73.00 for a repeat order of Vetmedin.

SayaF

i'm sorry that some people feel that pets are 'only' animals but i'm glad to see that most people here disagree with that view! A dog is a member of the family as much as anyone else and the only choice i feel i could ever make, no matter how much in debt - would be to pay the money.

dog ownership is a responsibility and cannot just be ditched because it's financially inconvenient, people should consider seriously whether they can afford a pet before they get one, as it is never going to be cheap. maybe pet insurance would be advisable, or putting aside a small sum every month in case of this kind of emergency?

the only reason it would be acceptable not to treat the dog is if it's chances of making a recovery to a decent quality of life were so slim that it would be kinder to put it down. but the decision must surely be about the health and happiness of the pet and financial considerations really shouldn't be any part of this.

Gaggi

This is a family dilemma so there are children involved. If the pet is destroyed without their input what sort of message does this send them?
I think the full facts should be put to them, explaining the sacrifices they all will make - no big Christmas presents, less to eat - let them think of some too. Then suggest that the dog may like a Christmas present too - the gift of life and as a result they will have an on-going friend into the new year and hopefully beyond. This will be a strong lesson in self sacrifice which will be well worth the £900.

System

I recently spent nearly £200 on our two chinchillas (rodents at the end of the day) but even though the one died, i dont regret a penny of it and would do it again even though i aint particularly keen on them.

We took them to the emergency vet at 10pm Sunday evening and they were operated on Tuesday morning as both chins had dental problems. The one came out of the anaesthetic fine but the other one went off his back legs and 5 days later we had to have him put to sleep. The pair of them cost us an arm and a leg, but they were worth it. We were warned the bill wouldnt be cheap but under no circumstances would we have had them put to sleep without giving them a chance.

I love my dog and have her insured, i would spend whatever it took to put her right if it was in my power to do so which would unfortunately include going into debt for her.

catkins

golddustmedia wrote:

Bye bye pooch.
I agree a pet can feel like a family member, but the dog will die sooner or later anyway and it's more harm than good to spend loads of money on the dog.

It's a sad fact but ill health is natures way of telling you your time is up.

So what does ill health in a human tell us? Time to kill them off?

potman

I would definately spend money on vets fees for my pedigree German Shepherd. But please do not forget that if you are on benefit and have a problem with your pet's health call the RSPCA or PDSA.

I have diabetes, high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis. They will give you help over the phone, just like, NHS Direct and if necessary will send a pet ambulance for larger animals that cannot be carried.

It is also an offence to cause suffering to any animal, domestic or otherwise, so do ask for help from these charities and pay them in kind if not with a donation.

PET POWER!!!

Bob, Newport

micoli

Just to echo what has already been said, the animal charities provide a wonderful service for pet owners. I have used the PDSA in the past and have left a donation to them in my will. Of course you do need to qualify by claiming certain benefits to use their service. The best advice I can give is not to get a pet if on a low income. Even if you have a job you will be out most of the day - nine hours on average - and you will not be able to give your pet the attention they deserve and need to be phsycologically and physically healthy.

I think the question of charges by vets should also be raised here. I also think that certain television programmes have elevated vets to media stars and, it could just be coincidence or me being cynical, but prices seem to have gone up accordingly with thier new social status. Although the advances in treatment has become more complex and the long training period for a vet to become qualified has to be paid for, you have to remember vets are in business and they work in a market place and charge as much as the market can bear. That also should mean competition. However, I wonder if they are really competitive as, at least where I live, when one vet puts their prices up the others do as well so there is very little difference in prices and no incentive to change practice.

Apparently you can ask for a prescription for medication and buy the treatment at greatly reduced cost online, (see elsewhere on these forums for details), but I wonder how this would go down with the vet / customer relationship.

There is also the moral blackmail vets can put pet owners through. That is, have the expensive treatment or be cruel and heartless and let your pet suffer. And how many owners have been pushed into extra 'exploratory' treatment such as blood tests and Xrays which include an overnight stay that only confirms what is known but adds hugely to the bill?

If you really want to be a responsible pet owner you should find out all you can about the care of your animal. Get hold of a comprehensive book on the care, injuries, and illnesses of your pet. You will be surprised how many minor ailments that can be treated yourself as well as avoiding potential problems and identifying serious illnesses. I owned horses for years and often saw other owners call the vet out to deal with very minor problems. In effect they were often paying and extra £50 a month because of their ignorance, and this sum wasn't even recoverable from their insurance because of the exess clause.

If you are an educated animal owner, you will be able to anticipate problems and identify a problem before it becomes and emergency. An extra benefit is that when you do need the vet, you will be in a good position to understand what the vet is telling you and be able to ask very pertinent questions about the treatment, weigh up the potential benefits and risks, and take a pragmatic judgement.

My Golden Retriever will be celebrating her 15th birthday at the end of December. Despite having had her share of problems, (she has just got over her 2nd major stroke), she has never been insured and I have never spent more than I can afford for treatment that will give a long term benefit, although in this case, 'long term' is probably six months. What has kept her going is that she has had a very healthy and active life, and has had constant attention regarding her well being.

By the way this is not a rant against vets who do a very worthwhile and good job. It is more a rant against the large profit motive of some practices and how they use consumer ignorance for their own benefit.