Vet fees spiralling and I can't afford it

KxMx

I made the decision to PTS my cat and one of the factors was her fear of the Vets. 

But she was terminally ill, which is another thing entirely.

Please contact some rescue charities to see if they will take her rather than PTS. 

onwards&upwards

pramsay13 said:

I wouldn't spend £5000 on a dog so my decision would have been made once the bills reached £1500.

If you aren't willing to provide a dog with the veterinary care it needs, the answer is to not get a dog! 

Don't get one and then kill it when it become too expensive.  A dog isn't a car that you can scrap if the maintenance bills are too much, or a TV you throw away if it goes on the blink, a dog is a living, feeling sentient creature that has bonded to you and is dependent on you to do right by it! 

onwards&upwards

yksi said:

I will go against the grain here. As an animal lover myself, I 100% support your right to have your pet put to sleep rather than bankrupt yourself for an operation that will cause pain and discomfort to your animal, frustrate and confuse her while she's restricted from moving about, and has no guarantees of returning her to her full movement, plus there's the arthritis thing you mentioned!!! This is a no-brainer. As owners we make a commitment to do what's best for the dog. It is NOT necessarily best for the dog to live longer, it doesn't matter if she's one year old or ten. It is also not best for either dog or owner, to spend a fortune to extend their lifespan just to keep the owner happy! She is, and has been, loved and well-cared for, and had a good life. There is no fault at all if you decide that Rainbow Bridge is the right place for her now.

Cruciate ligament repair is a really routine operation.  Thousands of dogs have it done every year and live for many more happy, active years after that.  

Its like killing your dog because its got kennel cough or a broken bone!

What a load of guff going on about 'rainbow bridge' as a way to feel better about being so thoroughly selfish!  And what exactly about the OP's post makes you believe this dog has been loved and well cared for and has had a good life?  If that were true why would she be so quick to kill the dog purely for financial reasons?

Ballerina78

onwards&upwards said:

 And what exactly about the OP's post makes you believe this dog has been loved and well cared for and has had a good life?  If that were true why would she be so quick to kill the dog purely for financial reasons?

Ooof. You couldn't meet a more pampered dog 🙄 she has weekly hydrotherapy sessions at £30 each, a lady who picks her up daily and takes her to doggy day care at a cost of £20 per day whilst I am at work, dog grooming once per month to bath her and cut nails etc and I also pay for her to do dog agility once a week on a Thursday night. So when I talk about quality of life and how it will affect her. She'll be going from that daily lifestyle to being locked in a cage whilst I'm at work from 8 until 5. She's also that dog that likes to follow me everywhere and it will be such a big change I worry about her and how she will cope. It has never been about me. 

Kim_kim

yksi said:

I will go against the grain here. As an animal lover myself, I 100% support your right to have your pet put to sleep rather than bankrupt yourself for an operation that will cause pain and discomfort to your animal, frustrate and confuse her while she's restricted from moving about, and has no guarantees of returning her to her full movement, plus there's the arthritis thing you mentioned!!! This is a no-brainer. As owners we make a commitment to do what's best for the dog. It is NOT necessarily best for the dog to live longer, it doesn't matter if she's one year old or ten. It is also not best for either dog or owner, to spend a fortune to extend their lifespan just to keep the owner happy! She is, and has been, loved and well-cared for, and had a good life. There is no fault at all if you decide that Rainbow Bridge is the right place for her now.

I would absolutely agree with you.  I don’t actually have pet insurance for my cat, I did for my last cat, but never claimed a penny.  I’ve never had it before and always paid as I went along.
I do wonder about the quality of a life to an animal that has medical intervention of that level that the vets bills are thousands of pounds.  

I’m a cat lover, cats hate going to the vets, it stresses them.  Living with a condition that meant regular vets visits would be really stressful for a cat & having them put to sleep to avoid could be kinder.  

rachel6188

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

 And what exactly about the OP's post makes you believe this dog has been loved and well cared for and has had a good life?  If that were true why would she be so quick to kill the dog purely for financial reasons?

Ooof. You couldn't meet a more pampered dog 🙄 she has weekly hydrotherapy sessions at £30 each, a lady who picks her up daily and takes her to doggy day care at a cost of £20 per day whilst I am at work, dog grooming once per month to bath her and cut nails etc and I also pay for her to do dog agility once a week on a Thursday night. So when I talk about quality of life and how it will affect her. She'll be going from that daily lifestyle to being locked in a cage whilst I'm at work from 8 until 5. She's also that dog that likes to follow me everywhere and it will be such a big change I worry about her and how she will cope. It has never been about me. 

How old is she? If she is already showing signs of arthritis then being honest then she could possibly end up with it in her leg after the operation. My staffie had to be pts last year he had arthritis and sadly his back legs went completely and the vet told me that as it had happened and he had not recovered in the 12 hours since it had happened even with pain relief and other medication that the best thing for him was to put him to sleep. It broke my heart we had had him from 8 weeks old and he was 14 when he passed my boys absolutely adored him and even now they ask for him. I would say have a big talk with your vet hun. I hope whatever decision you make you will be at peace with. My love is with you all x

Undervalued

onwards&upwards said:

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

You would have your dog killed?  Really?  

Don't pretend its anything to do with concerns about quality of life.  Thousands of dogs have cruciate ligament surgery every year and they survive the cage rest just fine and go on to have happy active lives. 

If you aren't willing to pay for the care your dog needs and deserves then look at rehoming, go to Labrador breed rescues first.  Your dog loves you and trusts you and she is not disposable!!

Ultimately, she is my dog, so the question was do I have the right to ask for her to be put to sleep as her owner. I'm just trying to weigh up the right option for me and my family. 

Its a completely disgusting question to ask about an animal that just has a torn ligament. 

Weigh up what's right for your dog, forget about you.   You've already left her without treatment for too long, possibly breaking the law that protects her welfare. 

God, sometimes humans are the worst. 

She has had treatment for everything as per the vets advice. I have not once refused any treatment for her. I'll send you a copy of her medical notes that you can read whilst you're sat up there on your high horse  👍 

You are literally asking if its legal to kill your dog because she has become inconvenient. 

Which it is, providing it is done humanely!

I'm actually ok about being 'on my high horse' about that.  Can you not see how wrong it is?  Do you not love your dog?  Can you really look into her trusting happy face and coldly decide that you'll have her killed?

Not in the eyes of the law which regards an animal as property.

Are you really saying that there are no lengths and expense you wouldn't go to to provide advanced medical treatment to a pet dog etc? Regardless of all other aspects of your life? That is entirely up to you but you have no right to impose that point of view on others who wish to take a different lawful course.

I used to work with somebody who always had about half a dozen rescued cats and dogs. He gave them an excellent quality of life but would not pay for anything beyond basic routine veterinary treatment. Should they need more and their quality of life was significantly reduced they would be put down. His argument was that overall more animals would benefit and get some excellent years of quality life from the amount of money he was able and willing to spend. He also questioned whether it was right to impose the trauma of major treatment on an animal that couldn't understand what was happening and why.

I am not saying I would be comfortable behaving the way he did but I would 100% respect his right to do so.

onwards&upwards

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

 And what exactly about the OP's post makes you believe this dog has been loved and well cared for and has had a good life?  If that were true why would she be so quick to kill the dog purely for financial reasons?

Ooof. You couldn't meet a more pampered dog 🙄 she has weekly hydrotherapy sessions at £30 each, a lady who picks her up daily and takes her to doggy day care at a cost of £20 per day whilst I am at work, dog grooming once per month to bath her and cut nails etc and I also pay for her to do dog agility once a week on a Thursday night. So when I talk about quality of life and how it will affect her. She'll be going from that daily lifestyle to being locked in a cage whilst I'm at work from 8 until 5. She's also that dog that likes to follow me everywhere and it will be such a big change I worry about her and how she will cope. It has never been about me. 

So why was your first post all about money then?
Sorry I'm not buying that you want to kill her for anything other than your own benefit, you're covering yourself because you've realised how bad your initial question makes you look. 

One of my dogs had two cruciate repairs, he lived for years after, the cage rest wasn't remotely a problem.  You can arrange for a dog walker to come in during the day, or maybe your doggy day care provider will let her do the cage rest there so she has company?

onwards&upwards

Kim_kim said:

yksi said:

I will go against the grain here. As an animal lover myself, I 100% support your right to have your pet put to sleep rather than bankrupt yourself for an operation that will cause pain and discomfort to your animal, frustrate and confuse her while she's restricted from moving about, and has no guarantees of returning her to her full movement, plus there's the arthritis thing you mentioned!!! This is a no-brainer. As owners we make a commitment to do what's best for the dog. It is NOT necessarily best for the dog to live longer, it doesn't matter if she's one year old or ten. It is also not best for either dog or owner, to spend a fortune to extend their lifespan just to keep the owner happy! She is, and has been, loved and well-cared for, and had a good life. There is no fault at all if you decide that Rainbow Bridge is the right place for her now.

I do wonder about the quality of a life to an animal that has medical intervention of that level that the vets bills are thousands of pounds.  

The cost of the treatment and the impact on the animal's quality of life are not necessarily related. 

onwards&upwards

Undervalued said:

onwards&upwards said:

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

Ballerina78 said:

onwards&upwards said:

You would have your dog killed?  Really?  

Don't pretend its anything to do with concerns about quality of life.  Thousands of dogs have cruciate ligament surgery every year and they survive the cage rest just fine and go on to have happy active lives. 

If you aren't willing to pay for the care your dog needs and deserves then look at rehoming, go to Labrador breed rescues first.  Your dog loves you and trusts you and she is not disposable!!

Ultimately, she is my dog, so the question was do I have the right to ask for her to be put to sleep as her owner. I'm just trying to weigh up the right option for me and my family. 

Its a completely disgusting question to ask about an animal that just has a torn ligament. 

Weigh up what's right for your dog, forget about you.   You've already left her without treatment for too long, possibly breaking the law that protects her welfare. 

God, sometimes humans are the worst. 

She has had treatment for everything as per the vets advice. I have not once refused any treatment for her. I'll send you a copy of her medical notes that you can read whilst you're sat up there on your high horse  👍 

You are literally asking if its legal to kill your dog because she has become inconvenient. 

Which it is, providing it is done humanely!

I'm actually ok about being 'on my high horse' about that.  Can you not see how wrong it is?  Do you not love your dog?  Can you really look into her trusting happy face and coldly decide that you'll have her killed?

Not in the eyes of the law which regards an animal as property.

Are you really saying that there are no lengths and expense you wouldn't go to to provide advanced medical treatment to a pet dog etc? Regardless of all other aspects of your life? That is entirely up to you but you have no right to impose that point of view on others who wish to take a different lawful course.

I used to work with somebody who always had about half a dozen rescued cats and dogs. He gave them an excellent quality of life but would not pay for anything beyond basic routine veterinary treatment. Should they need more and their quality of life was significantly reduced they would be put down. His argument was that overall more animals would benefit and get some excellent years of quality life from the amount of money he was able and willing to spend. He also questioned whether it was right to impose the trauma of major treatment on an animal that couldn't understand what was happening and why.

I am not saying I would be comfortable behaving the way he did but I would 100% respect his right to do so.

I absolutely don't. 

It would have been much better for him to take on fewer animals in order to be able to care properly for the ones he had.  

I would never ever kill one of my animals for financial reasons.  Never.  The very thought is utterly abhorrent. 

If people really believed what they were doing was ok they wouldn't use euphemisms like 'put to sleep' or 'put down' either.