MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Pet versus debt?

Jim_Lewis

You're right about unexpected costs when pets become ill.

I while ago I had a parrot that was under the weather. I took it to the vets where it sadly passed away. The vet said it was £50 for his time.

I was distraught and hoping there was something more that could be done I asked for a second opinion.

He called his assistant who brought in a cat and a dog.

The cat sniffed the parrot and then mournfully shook its head.

Next the dog came over and also sniffed the parrot before laying its head down sorrowfully .


The vet then told me the bill was now £200.

I was horrified, but he insisted that I pay for the 'cat scan' and the 'lab report'.

IGMC

cefynbach

I have had variuos animals all my life and although I have been known to spend what I would class as quite a lot of money on them I would not risk getting into more debt than I could afford. Firstly I would make enquiries as to whether there is anyone who can help such as the RSPC but if this isn't possible then I would have it put to sleep. You can't put the family at risk by getter even more in debt

fruitbat_2

Anyone who takes on a pet needs to take responsibility for its welfare, which to me means getting insurance - read the T&Cs, check the exclusions and put a bit aside for these as well. I've just paid £200 to insure my dog for a year but I have a £0 excess which means I can skip off to the vet at the slightest sympton without any worry about the cost, which to me is worth £200. People buy animals without any consideration for the cost of keeping a pet properly, without bearing in mind a sick dog or cat can cost thousands, then expect charities to cough up if it becomes ill. As far as I am concerned the PDSA should be available only to people whose circumstances have changed unavoidably, not for those who don't bother to insure their pet or have the income to pay vets bills in full.
A family whose dog needs £900 in treatment should have made provision for this when they got the dog. Pets are not disposable when they become too inconvenient/too expensive.

In this situation the dog's welfare should not have to depend on the family's financial situation - if it were their child they would find the money, it should be the same with a pet.

everythingblogcast

Even if I was in so much debt that I would loss my house, I will still go out and get further into debt to help a family pet.

Darknesslass

Judi wrote:

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.

Sadly dental problems are common in chins. It's something that even the best breeder has not managed to 100% clear. It's called malclution, when the rear teeth grow to fast. Having lost 3 chins myself to same thing it's not nice. Two of my chins came from very good breeders who tried their best to rid this problem. It can even skip generations.

Right back to post...... difficult one i'd try everything i could to get the pet treated. If the family are so hard up they maybe on housing benefit IF SO PDSA bless them can help. Income support is not enough alone. If the owners smoke (you dont say) if they cut back or better still stopped just think of the money saved.

I'd so love to get my pets insured BUT who insures pet rats we currently have 5 plus 2 g pigs. Over the past month 1 pig got infection and cost me £37 in 3 visits. 1 rescue rat has chest infection just cost us £22.

Price of love I guess...... as I DON'T DRINK OR SMOKE they are my pleasure in life.

debranamelia

If your pet is already ill, and isn't insured, seek help from any animal charity you can think off - you have nothing to lose but your pet, and he/she is so precious! Wasn't that pet always there to cheer you up in the bad times in your life? Mine were! If you can possibly afford it, please consider insurance, and get the best policy you can afford. My pets are all insured. That doesn't mean that I would always choose to treat them, if it was only prolonging their misery. But it does mean that I won't have to make a decision to have them put to sleep for financial reasons. But be very careful when insuring your animal. Most policies will stop cover for a particular illness one year after the illness starts. And - surprise, surprise - they print THAT PART OF THE POLICY VERY SMALL!!!! For example, if Puss develops diabetes, most insurance policies will only cover it for one year. But they'll cover Puss for anything else! For example if Puss then develops arthritis, that will only be covered for one year, etc., etc. Be very wary of the £5 a month policies, and check out any policy thoroughly before agreeing to it. Pet Plan, for instance, do an "insurance for life" system - once Puss is diagnosed with, say, diabetes, you can claim for the rest of his life, as long as you pay the yearly premiums AND the excess per condition per year. But this kind of insurance does not come cheap. And if any insurance company is not prepared to discuss details over the phone with you, or gets tetchy when you ask questions, prior to agreeing a policy - DON'T INSURE WITH THEM! A bad attitude to a prospective customer could mean they'll be a nightmare if you ever need to make a claim! Also, check out how long, on average, the company you are thinking of using take to pay out. Ask your vet - they'll usually tell you which company pays fastest!

sluggy1967

When our cat was 2 yrs old he was involved in a terrible car accident. Finances being quite horrendous at the time, we "Couldn't afford" pet insurance and were told by a vet "Show me the money or he'll have to be put down" (Some vets really have a way with words). We were so poor we couldn't even be considered for a credit card (I'm talking 12 yrs ago, we would probably have got one these days) but I asked the vet "If we pay the money will we be prolonging his suffering or does he stand a reasonable chance of recovery?" Being an animal lover, I would have felt disgusted with myself if he had been put down purely because we were too poor to pay the bill. In the end, we borrowed the money from the RSPCA & thank God we did, Charlie still dashes around like a mad thing 12 yrs on.

Basically, I learned my lesson the hard way. I implore people, if you can't afford the insurance, put money into a savings account for the rainy day when the cat comes crawling home having been hit by a car. If you can't afford to put anything away DONT get a pet. They are like children, they didn't ask you to have them.

sluggy1967

debranamelia wrote:

If your pet is already ill, and isn't insured, seek help from any animal charity you can think off - you have nothing to lose but your pet, and he/she is so precious! Wasn't that pet always there to cheer you up in the bad times in your life - mine were! If you can possibly afford it, please consider insurance, and get the best policy you can afford. My pets are all insured. That doesn't mean that I would always choose to treat them, if it was only prolonging their misery. But it does mean that I won't have to make a decision to have them put to sleep for financial reasons. But be very careful when insuring your animal. Most policies will stop cover for a particular illness one year after the illness starts. And - surprise, surprise - they print THAT PART OF THE POLICY VERY SMALL!!!! For example, if Puss develops diabetes, most insurance policies will only cover it for one year. But they'll cover Puss for anything else! For example if Puss then develops arthritis, that will only be covered for one year, etc., etc. Be very wary of the £5 a month policies, and check out any policy thoroughly before agreeing to it. Pet Plan, for instance, do an "insurance for life" system - once Puss is diagnosed with, say, diabetes, you can claim for the rest of his life, as long as you pay the yearly premiums AND the excess per condition per year. But this kind of insurance does not come cheap. And if an insurance company is not prepared to discuss details over the phone with you, prior to agreeing a policy - DON'T INSURE WITH THEM! A bad attitude to a prospective customer could mean they'll be a nightmare if you ever need to make a claim! Also, check out how long, on average, the company you are thinking of using take to pay out. Ask your vet - they'll usually tell you which company pays fastest!

I can wholehartedly recommend Petplan, they insure my dog year after year with her arthritis & are now paying for hydrotherapy treatment which has made an amazing difference to her quality of life.

debranamelia

sluggy1967 wrote:

When our cat was 2 yrs old he was involved in a terrible car accident. Finances being quite horrendous at the time, we "Couldn't afford" pet insurance and were told by a vet "Show me the money or he'll have to be put down" (Some vets really have a way with words). We were so poor we couldn't even be considered for a credit card (I'm talking 12 yrs ago, we would probably have got one these days) but I asked the vet "If we pay the money will we be prolonging his suffering or does he stand a reasonable chance of recovery?" Being an animal lover, I would have felt disgusted with myself if he had been put down purely because we were too poor to pay the bill. In the end, we borrowed the money from the RSPCA & thank God we did, Charlie still dashes around like a mad thing 12 yrs on.

Basically, I learned my lesson the hard way. I implore people, if you can't afford the insurance, put money into a savings account for the rainy day when the cat comes crawling home having been hit by a car. If you can't afford to put anything away DONT get a pet. They are like children, they didn't ask you to have them.

It's very useful to know the RSPCA might loan money in this situation, and I'm delighted Charlie's still dashing round like a mad thing - a "Proper Cat" in every way! My cats are all "barking" mad!

everythingblogcast

I am also delighted that you can is still running about. But the sound of the vet he was just after the money. Is it me or the RSPCC get more TV space and talking about it then the RSPCA that is equally important.