How much is too much?

[fuzzis]

Read this article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19875405/site/newsweek/) about the cost of pet care, along with an article last week in the NYT about multimillion dollar pet hospitals.

Got me to thinking about how much I'm willing to spend on my animals...and I come to the conclusion again, that it's not very much. Relatively speaking. My Peach is 10, the Blackberry is 5, and Cobbler is like 6 months. I've paid to have them spayed (in Cob's case that will be very shortly) and to get their shots. Peach gets antidepressants every now and again when she licks herself to the point of baldness and infection. That's maybe $30 a year.

I know someone who recently paid almost $3,000 to have his dog's broken leg fixed. Another someone who paid $1,500 to have a recurrent blood-filled tumor removed from her dog's neck (it's $1,500 every time it happens...so far twice this year).

As much as I love my fur-babies (and I do love them :smt050), I wouldn't pay that much for them. They'll have good lives with me...and I'll take care of them and love them...but I can't wrap my head around a $8,000 kidney transplant for an animal. Maybe it's because I grew up on a farm; maybe it's because I have the unpleasant task of disposing of diseased kittens at my grandSner's. Whatever it is, I can't subscribe to the "no price is too much" philosophy when it comes to a pet.

[jkspatty]

How much is too much is certainly going to vary widely from person to person. Some people will not even take their pet to the vet if gets hit by a car and then others will spend whatever it takes to keep their pet alive and well. I love my doggies with all my heart and it is only for me to decide what is too much. It all boils down to exactly what your pets worth is to you.

[amanda]

You can even get Pet Insurance. I have a hard enough time keeping insurance on me and the kiddies. I take very good care of my rotten doggie, but I would have to think really long and hard if it came down to a very expensive procedure. Hopefully, I'll never have to find out.

[fuzzis]

You can even get Pet Insurance. I have a hard enough time keeping insurance on me and the kiddies. I take very good care of my rotten doggie, but I would have to think really long and hard if it came down to a very expensive procedure. Hopefully, I'll never have to find out.

Yeah, the guy who paid just about $3000 for his doggie is now paying $30/month for pet insurance for two dogs (got another puppy when he thought his wasn't going to make it).

[jmb]

It's hard to say how much is too much. Fortunately I haven't hit that mark yet. Last spring, all five of my cats got sick within a short period of time. It was quite an eye opener for me. We found out that the one that was the sickest also had FIP and had to be put to sleep, the oldest was diabetic and was put on insulin, another was FIV positive and will have to go on immuno-boosters when her health declines, and the other two were just sick with whatever it was that they all had. We never figured out what it was but the vet thought maybe it was something either the carpenters brought in on their clothes or something they stirred up working underneath the house. Two of them stayed three or four days at the vet's and the other two stayed over a week. I wound up spending well over $500, not counting taking them back a month later for their shots. The needles and insulin cost about $50 a month. I know they're "just animals" but they are also a part of the family. I guess "too much" is when I can't afford it. I'm thankful my husband doesn't have a problem with it. Really, he's as much a softie as I am when it comes to the cats.

[dasmybaby]

I know they're "just animals" but they are also a part of the family. I guess "too much" is when I can't afford it.

we spent mega bucks on my dog who had heart problems from the vet missing the worms years ago. she also had kidney probs. we kept up with the 100s of dollars of vet bills and meds every month just so she could live through my graduation and senior pics. it was really sad. i just knew i couldn't deal with her dyin my senior year. i went through a lot with that doggy.....still miss her.

we finally let her go when she ran into the side of the house when mama was getting her to come in from the bathroom. she had gone blind.

moral of the story, do what's necessary, but don't make 'em suffer for your sake. i learned the hard way. i felt worse the day we put her down because i knew she'd suffered.

[cubby 1]

My parents have been spending a ton of money on the dog I had growing up. He's old, and in BAD shape. Couple months ago, they had some growths removed, and the vet wanted to send them up to a lab for $75 a piece to see if the dog had cancer.

Probably the smartest thing I've heard my dad say was "If the dog has cancer he's gonna die whether you send them off or not. I'm gonna save my money."

Now, the dog is still alive, and still in bad shape. My parents will continue to take care of him until he dies, but the fact remains that there is a limit on what should be spent on a dog.

[jmb]

You are so right, dasmybaby. To a point, it was hard for me to say yes, put the cat to sleep, because I didn't want her gone. The vet said she could work on her over the weekend and see how she was Monday, but when I asked about the success rate, she said all that she had done that with that had FIP had died. This poor kitty was so weak that when I went to pick her up to take to the vet's, she fell over. I knew then it wasn't good. So as much as I didn't want to put her to sleep, I knew that was what was best for her. She had suffered enough, it was time for me to let go.

[mac]

I don't like it when I take one of my pets to the vet and get some kind of guilt trip for not being willing to pay for some test or treatment that seems like b.s. to me.

I left my Boxer to be spayed at Petal Animal Clinic while I was out of town, and they called me and left a message to say that there was an emergency, and then when I returned the call they said that her liver enzymes were elevated and they needed to run tests and then possibly give her some extra medication during surgery. I said that would be okay, of course, if it was needed. It added a substantial amount of money to my bill. When I went to pick her up, my bill FOR HAVING A DOG SPAYED was almost $400. I asked for the details of the supposed liver emergency, and was told by the vet that they didn't know what I was talking about. When I raised hell about it, they tried to downplay it like it wasn't a big deal and nobody could explain the details of it to me-- BUT IT COST ME a fair chunk of change. Funny, huh??????

That was not the last time Petal Animal Clinic tried to pull some sh*t, but the second time something kinda funny happened I decided it wasn't a coincidence, and I haven't been back there since then, and won't be going back there during this lifetime.

There are some good vets in this area. Petal Animal Clinic is NOT one of them. All Animal Clinic on Oak Grove Road is one. Panther Animal Hospital in Petal is another.

[dasmybaby]

I don't like it when I take one of my pets to the vet and get some kind of guilt trip for not being willing to pay for some test or treatment that seems like b.s. to me.



the animal medical center that i got my cat from, i ended up getting a good deal out of the adoption, cause i just had to pay for the neuter. BUT!!!

they wanted to do laser surgery for an extra amount, pills and a shot for pain, and something else (i forget) that was not really necessary. i went for the blood panel to screen for any viruses and stuff cause i didn't know his history, nor did they. but i opted for just a regular snipping. they tried to tell me "oh the incision will only be this big" but really, once you take his balls out, the incision's only going to be that big anyway, and i don't know how many of you have tried to give a cat pills...not easy on your skin. and i've NEVER had to give a cat a pain pill after a spay or neuter. i could see if it was an antibiotic, but not a pain pill. i did tell them to give him the shot after surgery. and he didn't seem to be in pain. i kept him calm and restrained, and he was fine. but he won't go back there. that's the same vet that missed the heartworms in my mom's dog.

[noway]

All the vets are cheats... How do you think they make 6 digits.. Doctors do it to humans and vets do it to pets and all of us pay it..I spent $2000 on a back surgery for an exgirlfriends dog.. That she never help pay back...

[SoMissTV]

All the vets are cheats.

That's a gross overgeneralization. That would be like me saying that all dispatchers make too much money since all they do is sit in a chair all day. It's not true and discredits the professionals.

I spent $2000 on a back surgery for an exgirlfriends dog.. That she never help pay back...

Well, that's your fault. Don't blame the vet for your shortsightedness.

[mac]

the animal medical center that i got my cat from, i ended up getting a good deal out of the adoption, cause i just had to pay for the neuter. BUT!!!

they wanted to do laser surgery for an extra amount, pills and a shot for pain, and something else (i forget) that was not really necessary. i went for the blood panel to screen for any viruses and stuff cause i didn't know his history, nor did they. but i opted for just a regular snipping. they tried to tell me "oh the incision will only be this big" but really, once you take his balls out, the incision's only going to be that big anyway, and i don't know how many of you have tried to give a cat pills...not easy on your skin. and i've NEVER had to give a cat a pain pill after a spay or neuter. i could see if it was an antibiotic, but not a pain pill. i did tell them to give him the shot after surgery. and he didn't seem to be in pain. i kept him calm and restrained, and he was fine. but he won't go back there. that's the same vet that missed the heartworms in my mom's dog.

Based on your description of the events, I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that you are talking about the pet adoption center/ vet on Hardy across from USM. And if that's the case, I can also tell you that they most certainly DID know the background on the pet you adopted. Try getting them to take one in sometime. They'll refuse unless you can give them a detailed history that you can PROVE. And when's the last time you had a cat that needed to be adopted that also had a documented medical history? Their whole "adoption" thing is kind of a farce. They're selling those animals, plain and simple, and they just use the word "adoption" to make people feel better about it.

[dasmybaby]

Based on your description of the events, I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that you are talking about the pet adoption center/ vet on Hardy across from USM.

thats the one!

[Guru]

I like to kick and rant when something seems like it hit me from left field too. The truth is I wind up paying because I know what living with me after the fact is like.
Whether it's cattle, dogs, cats ... I pay it because I've seen it from both sides and couldn't live with myself if I let something that virtually has no choice to do without or to suffer. Wanna see a werewolf cry? I stayed in the barn for an hour after JiggsDog had to be put to sleep. BoDogs missing leg cost $500 and that was 16 years ago.
It's one thing to think what you may do but when you see those eyes and get that "help me" look you will do just about anything.

[Hermione]

It depends. My 10+ year old tabby probably has diabetes or a thyroid problem, but he's not in pain, he just wants to eat all the time. I'm not going to spend megabucks on him when I barely go to the doctor myself. On the other hand, if he got out and was hit by a car and had a broken bone, we would go straight to the vet.
My sister died and left an old cat. Baby Bro gave him subcutaneous IV's for two years, spent an arm and a leg on him and kept him going to age 18. We were devastated when he died because he was so much a part of our life with our sister, as well as just being a super-wonderful old guy. Fortunately, there was a little $$ available for his care, which made a big difference.

[EricStratton]

It depends. My 10+ year old tabby probably has diabetes or a thyroid problem, but he's not in pain, he just wants to eat all the time. I'm not going to spend megabucks on him when I barely go to the doctor myself. On the other hand, if he got out and was hit by a car and had a broken bone, we would go straight to the vet.
My sister died and left an old cat. Baby Bro gave him subcutaneous IV's for two years, spent an arm and a leg on him and kept him going to age 18. We were devastated when he died because he was so much a part of our life with our sister, as well as just being a super-wonderful old guy. Fortunately, there was a little $$ available for his care, which made a big difference.

I promise, when the adoption comes through, I won't cost this much to care for.....I'm low maintenance.....PB&J, milk, and back scratches are all I need to survive....

[Hermione]

Hey sonny, when the adoption goes through I'll have somebody to send the vet bills to . . .

[EricStratton]

Hey sonny, when the adoption goes through I'll have somebody to send the vet bills to . . .

I'll pay it when I pay the nursing home bills.....:p

[dollfus46]

but the fact remains that there is a limit on what should be spent on a dog.
And, of course this limit varies with owners' love for the pet and the ability to pay, right? But people need to realize that food, annual shots and toys are only a small part of what a pet can cost.