would you spend $1000 on health care for your pet?

pretty self-explanatory question.

i think it's difficult for anyone who doesn't have a pet to understand this one though. i feel more attached to my pets than i do to most of the people in my life. it seems strange to admit that. but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense. life's companions.

$1000 is a lot of money for most of us. but at the same time, many of us won't even flinch at spending that kind of cash on ourselves...or others. we'll find ways to justify our spending...and likewise find ways to justify our lack of spending.

so...what's your rationale behind the answer?

i've been thinking about it myself, and i'm going to start putting money away on a monthly basis as a sort of ''pet fund''. i do this for all sorts of other things. it's easier for me to justify my spending when i break it down on a cost/month or cost/day basis. i find i'm willing to make small sacrifices in my daily life to accommodate the health of my pets.

thoughts?

If I'd had a chance with solsty, I would have done it in a heartbeat. She means more than anything else to me. I'd also do it for my new cat, I get easily attached to pets, people not so much (and when I do, I manage to dis-associate with them rather quickly)... I don't really know how to rationalise it, other than when my dog was put down I attempted to end my life, that is how much my pets mean to me...

It really depends on the situation. I know lots of people who spent thousands of dollars to "save" their dog or cat only to have the dog or cat die within a few months anyway. I would not spend $1000+ for my dog to have surgery and all that goes with it. I will spend money on pills for him, special dog food if required, etc, but not surgery.

Yes I would spend any amount if she needed it and if the prognosis would be good. I love my dog so incredibly much, I don't like to think about if anything serious were to ever happen to her. She is 11 years old now, and I admit that I've hoped lately that her aging process is as graceful as possible. The thought of losing her breaks my heart.

Our dog is diabetic so every month we pay for insulin and syringes. And the one time she had a hypo and had to spend a night under observation at the vets cost us a couple of hundred pounds.

At the end of the day, you have a responsibility to them.

It depends on the situation. If the animal is going to die within a few weeks or months I would rather put the poor thing out of it's misery. I am not going to keep the poor thing around so I won't feel bad for a few months longer. I think that is cruel. I would rather put a terminal animal to sleep than keep it around so I won't have heart ache. Now if it is going to do the animal some good and they are going to be well and live long, sure.

I feel closer to my pets than I do most people, too.

If my pet was very old and this was simply extending his life for a month or so for MY benefit, and meant a lot of pain and misery for him...No, I wouldn't. I would rather my pet be at peace and I would think badly of myself to keep them in pain when they're ready to go, because I couldn't deal with their absence.

But if the prognosis was good, yes I absolutely would. I would have no problem scrimping and scraping by, either.

yah. tough distinction to draw sometimes. have to weigh the options like anything else i suppose.

i look at it in terms of quality of life. if it's within my means to improve upon that quality, i do feel that i have a certain responsibility to do that...within reason.

i wonder about surgery as well. i feel the same about people really. i think sometimes we hold on a little too tightly. no doubt letting go is one of life's great challenges.

I did spend well over $1000 on my dog. She was only 5 years old when she got herniated disks in her back that caused her to go partially paralized. It was either put her down or give her surgery. The chance of her having a full recovery was 70% so it was pretty high I guess you can say. I chose to have the surgery done and she has thrived since then. She learned how to walk again and became my hiking buddy, doing 8-12 mile hikes (she's super short, 20 pound dog, lol). She was a mighty dog. She is now 11-12 years old and super wild! It was worth it in my case. She was not terminally ill and had a good chance at a good life. She's been the BEST DOG EVER!!!

I did spend well over $1000 on my dog. She was only 5 years old when she got herniated disks in her back that caused her to go partially paralized. It was either put her down or give her surgery. The chance of her having a full recovery was 70% so it was pretty high I guess you can say. I chose to have the surgery done and she has thrived since then. She learned how to walk again and became my hiking buddy, doing 8-12 mile hikes (she's super short, 20 pound dog, lol). She was a mighty dog. She is now 11-12 years old and super wild! It was worth it in my case. She was not terminally ill and had a good chance at a good life. She's been the BEST DOG EVER!!!

heartwarming!!

I would. I'd feel pretty guilty to let her die when I spent that much on a new computer. She's family though, 13 years old.

Put it this way. My Siamese ate the string off a roast once. He got it out of the trash and he did this TWICE. It had to be removed from his intestines because it had expanded. Each time it was about $400 to remove. I paid it, even though I was a High School student the first time and a university student the second time. That I would do. Now when it came time to him down when he was almost 15 years old I did it. Did it break my heart? Yes, you bet. I still get sad sometimes and it was almost 15 years ago I put him down. Am I close to my pets? Yes. But not closer than I am to people. I don't consider them to be worth more than people or that they are the same as people. I do love them a lot though.

^^

i wonder if i relate my pets to children. people often put their children ahead of all others. the parent-child relationship is a bit unique in that parents are actually responsible for their children. we're not responsible for other people in that way.

^^

 

i wonder if i relate my pets to children. people often put their children ahead of all others. the parent-child relationship is a bit unique in that parents are actually responsible for their children. we're not responsible for other people in that way.

I did before I had my son. Then when I had my son I knew there was no love bigger than what I feel for that child. It is bigger than the universe. Actually there is no one I love more.

I would -- and in fact, DID -- several times over. I had a pet that had cancer, and I spent thousands of dollars on treatments and surgeries. It bought me almost 18 months with her, and that time was, up until only a few weeks before she passed, very quality time in which she was happy, eating well, very active, well-loved, and not suffering. Once I could see she was starting to suffer, I almost immediately had her put to sleep.

If I'd spend $1,000 on myself, I'd definitely spend it on a pet. Pets have enriched my life in innumerable ways, and I am more than willing to pay for that.

 

If I'd spend $1,000 on myself, I'd definitely spend it on a pet. Pets have enriched my life in innumerable ways, and I am more than willing to pay for that.

that really says it all....

It makes me happy that you're actually planning for your pet,

God bless you,

In a heart beat. My 4 year old cat is my baby and since I picked him out at 4 weeks old he has only ever spent a month Away from me.

If I knew spending the money could help my dog tremendously, I would do it. But it really depends on the circumstances.

I spent $3500 that I really didn't have and I would do it again. I was confident that he would pull through even though he was already on the brink when we sent him in, THEN they found he had sepsis before putting him under for surgery. I just knew he would make it. His bill could have been easily over $5000 and I would have scraped up every last penny for that too.

My other dog also has herniated disks which cause her pain when she gets flare ups and eventually she may need $3000-5000 for surgery, and depending on her age I will likely find a way to pay for that as well.

I deal with it on a case by case basis, it isn't all about the recovery statistics for me. It's also about their quality of life after the procedure, how long they would have lived otherwise, and my feelings about whether they can pull through, and whether they might want to, if they could talk.

If I went by the vet's thoughts, I would have put him down as he was unlikely to survive. But I KNEW inside myself that he would so I took the risk. He's perfectly happy, perfectly healthy, you can barely see the scar that was over half the length of his body anymore.

Best $3500 I ever spent.

My dogs surgery was $5000 for the herniated disks. I dont have kids and its always just been me and my dog. All I can say is it was well worth the money Even though she was in extreme pain prior to the surgery and couldnt walk she was able to still wag her tail. That just melted my heart, hehe. Im glad Im not the only one out there who has spent that kind of money on their pets

Yes. Once you make the choice to own a pet you have a responsibility to that animal to provide them with the necessities of life and provide them with the best quality of life possible. When I was younger, my dog was diagnosed with diabetes and my parents spent hundreds on insulin, vet visits, etc. However, if a pet is truly in pain and suffering - especially if they're older - euthanasia may be the best option.

i'm going to start putting money away on a monthly basis as a sort of ''pet fund''. i do this for all sorts of other things. it's easier for me to justify my spending when i break it down on a cost/month or cost/day basis. i find i'm willing to make small sacrifices in my daily life to accommodate the health of my pets.

 

thoughts?

I plan on getting another dog (mine died 1.5 years ago) after I take care of some major personal expenses, and like you, 90_hour_sleep, I want to have a pet fund to cover medical expenses for it. Your question about $1000 made me think what that represents. How many cups of coffee would that pay for in 1 year? Other luxuries? I get so much from my pets, and they are worth so much to me, it is worth sacrificing other things that don't enrich my life as much. I could choose to put more money (if I had it) toward a car purchase, or kitchen appliance, or wardrobe, but a pet is a higher priority for me.

Definitely spend the coin. Veterinary bills are ridiculously expensive these days and with recent surgical developments you can actually promote longevity in an animals life.

I believe I would. Isn't there pet insurance these days? (my cat passed away in 1989)