How much would you spend on pet medical bills?

[MoneyGuy]

This couple spent $40,000 on their dog. I have a dog but I think this is nuts. These are not children. Many animals out there are in great need. What about adopting one of those? I wonder what these people are giving up, such as education savings for kids. What's your philosophy on this?

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/...megadrop_story

[4X4]

I love my dogs, but if a vet gave me an estimate anywhere over ~$2,000, it'd be out back for Lassie.

[TurnedTheCorner]

It all depends on the context for me. How long have I had this pet? How much is the bill relative to what I earn? Is the pet just starting life at a severe disadvantage (heart failure as an infant, or immune system or some other disorder), is it in the prime of its life, is it nearing the end of its life?

I would not enter into owning a pet unless I thought I could be serious about it and would be able to meet the associated financial obligations, including medical care. I think every person can define that line for themselves, and there is no "right" or "wrong" answer to the question this thread raises.

[Sylvanfan]

I hate to admit that $2000 was just spent on one of my dogs. It's still cheaper than divorce I guess. Depends on the pets age, what the ailment is too. Mine was a knee surgery for a 6 year old dog that I expect to live 10-11 years with no prior health issues. Although it's been made clear, that this is it for big expense stuff. But no one forced me to get this dog. If having more money than I could ever spend was so important...I never would have got dogs or had kids.

[nfotiu]

I spent $4000 on one dog, but never again. It snuck up on us. $200 for the first tests, $500 for the next, another $1000 for surgery, another $500... and so on, and then he died anyway. Probably were in denial that death was inevitable for the last couple grand.

[jar_e]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I spent $4000 on one dog, but never again. It snuck up on us. $200 for the first tests, $500 for the next, another $1000 for surgery, another $500... and so on, and then he died anyway. Probably were in denial that death was inevitable for the last couple grand.

I have a colleague who went through the same experience. She finally totaled her bills and it was hovering around the 10 grand mark. Unfortunately, the dog still passed away.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I love my dogs, but if a vet gave me an estimate anywhere over ~$2,000, it'd be out back for Lassie.

Consider pet insurance, especially if you have kids. Even with insurance, first year of vaccines and a spay/neuter will run you 6-800. Quality food is not free either. If you are too cheap for vaccines, look forward to parvo, canine cough, feline leukemia (cats), all for many thous more.

Or you can be a ###### and not pay anything except the euthanasia bill after whininunsuccessfully for a deal to the vet who is struggling to pay down their student debt from years past...

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

This couple spent $40,000 on their dog. I have a dog but I think this is nuts. These are not children. Many animals out there are in great need. What about adopting one of those? I wonder what these people are giving up, such as education savings for kids. What's your philosophy on this?

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/...megadrop_story

Where does the article say a couple spent $40 grand on a dog surgery? I see a young looking guy who did so. Looks like someone who works in the patch...in which case, how many of them spend a lot more than that on a hard lifestyle, or a trip to Vegas? He even claims to have spent that much on Stupider things in his life. So education savings for kids...I would guess he's not even thinking about that.

[3 Justin 3]

$2000 isn't too bad (depending on the age though), but it's probably my limit. Even though I love my dogs, I don't think I could go past $2000.

No way in hell am I spending $40k on my dog.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I spent $4000 on one dog, but never again. It snuck up on us. $200 for the first tests, $500 for the next, another $1000 for surgery, another $500... and so on, and then he died anyway. Probably were in denial that death was inevitable for the last couple grand.

One of our dogs just turned 5 yesterday (never thought she'd live this long) and over the last few years we've spent at least this much on her, likely a little more though.

Vets in Calgary and then in NS couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She kept having what they thought was a UTI and treating it as such and it would come back every 3 months. She also needed a bladder stone removed during all these problems and that was over $1000. Finally we got tired of taking her back every 3 months for the 'UTI' and the dog being in obvious physical pain so we paid close to $1000 for them to send one of their cameras up her as a last resort. Turns out the vet in Calgary spayed her too early and her inner lining didn't have a chance to properly develop so her urine was agitating her bladder lining and it was full of blood, puss and ulcers. Each time the vet would just treat it with antibiotics and just knock it back and it would come back again. So once that was discovered they put her on 2 rounds of estrogen to mimic heat cycles and she's been cured for about 1.5 years now and is a totally different dog since she's pain free.

She did have to go in last week though because she's been very lethargic and had a lot of blood in her stool but the urine and blood test and xray turned up nothing. They are figuring it must be an intestinal parasite and between the pills for that and the tests it knocked us back $600 on Dec 23 and stopped me from getting a new camera body on Boxing Day. It's a good thing she's cute. I'm kidding, what matters is that they are happy and comfortable.

Mine right now as I type this:

[PIMking]

Our two dogs are like children to us and I would do almost anything I could for them. We had to actually put one in the vet today for pancreatitis and I'm super depressed right now.

Some spend a ton on their dogs and some spend a ton on their computer, while some spend 6k a year on Flames season tickets. It's all what you deem important in your life.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by freedogger

Consider pet insurance, especially if you have kids. Even with insurance, first year of vaccines and a spay/neuter will run you 6-800. Quality food is not free either. If you are too cheap for vaccines, look forward to parvo, canine cough, feline leukemia (cats), all for many thous more.

Or you can be a ###### and not pay anything except the euthanasia bill after whininunsuccessfully for a deal to the vet who is struggling to pay down their student debt from years past...

Back up buddy. I have three dogs, I don't need some dbag like you calling me cheap. Thanks for the list of potential illnesses dogs can get, how about a list for my kid? Care to tell me what she can catch?
And if you have a dog, which I'm doubting, then you'd know that pet insurance is a complete ripoff.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

This couple spent $40,000 on their dog. I have a dog but I think this is nuts. These are not children. Many animals out there are in great need. What about adopting one of those? I wonder what these people are giving up, such as education savings for kids. What's your philosophy on this?

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/...megadrop_story

$40,000 is a lot. That would be an extreme example. Most would balk at that.

Better to have this conversation at a lower level.

$7,500 to $20,000 or so isn't that unusual as pet medicine and the potential to extend lives in a meaningful way has made rapid advances in the last decade or so.

I think a lot of pet owners, if they could put $10,000 down in exchange for a decent likelihood of getting two more years of MEANINGFUL life from a longtime pet, would probably do so.

And I have done that and more.

I'm on a few pet message boards and the question of $20,000 came up recently and a sizeable number of people stuck up their hands saying they HAD shelled out $20,000 for a single fix in the recent past.

It would depend on your financial situation though. About 17 years ago, I had to come up with $1,500 to save the world's greatest cat after he swallowed a nickel . . . . couldn't afford it at the time but did it anyway. He lived another eight years.

Generally, the people who can put up $20,000 and more are empty-nesters AND have the financial wherewithall to make the expenditure without serious inconvenience. A Globe & Mail article a few years ago had some adult children complaining about the lavishness with which their parents treated pets, with more love and consideration than they had when they themselves were children, as though it was a do-over to get it right.

Even a lady with kids in our office did about $7,000 last year for a dog.

If you're looking at Pet Insurance, you're probably putting $10,000 to $15,000 into policy premiums through the likely lifetime of your pet in most instances, depending on the comprehensiveness of the coverage, so basically you are in a position to make that $10,000 to $20,000 decision in the latter years of the life of your pet.

Even an ultra sound just to see what the problem is will probably set you back about $2,000.

Mrs. Cowperson and I are fortunate enough to be able to foot just about any bill that might come up and continue to do so indefinitely . . . . so its important to keep the welfare of the animal in front of you. We had to make an immediate decision with our Golden Abby a year ago . . . and we could have engaged an operation to extend her life but the payback would have been an improbable extra six months, with constant chemo treatments and likely constant pain for the animal. Any surgery in that instance would have been for our own benefit and not benefitting the animal. We let her go that day. The second Golden, Keeper, also 12 years old, we let go a month later with the same condition and the same circumstances, although a little more warning.

As to the morality of it all . . . . . I can tell you I've had more difficult and painful decisions letting pets go than I did making the call to pull life support from my father. And I know my father would have understood that completely since I was the first person he called after he had let his beloved Terrier go and I had never seen him cry before that or after that.

Culturally, you can see this mindshift in our society in the last 20 years or so, when, first in the Ice Rain disaster out east and then during Hurricane Katrina, that people ordered by authorities to leave their pets behind refused to do so, instead risking their own lives to ensure the survival of the family pets.

Disaster planning in the last decade has started to factor this cultural shift in mind. When a second hurricane was going to roll over New Orleans a few years after Katrina, authorities had a fully developed plan for the removal and safety of pets . . . . just so authorities knew people would be leaving the area as well. And you can be assured, in most instances now in North America, that is something you'll see in disaster service plans.

The best, final gift your pet can leave you is a clear-cut decision, where there is little ambiguity and money isn't an issue determining life or death.

Ultimately, we outlive them, virtually every single time. You might be able to afford the bills to keep them alive but that isn't the real point. It has to be about the welfare of the animal.

If you have no money, I understand the rough position you're in. Look for a shelter first. And there are other agencies that might be able to provide funding to help with the bills.

Cowperson

[burnin_vernon]

My parents spent about $6000 on back surgery for a 3 year old dachshund with no guarantee of success. I think they spent about $3-4000 on their 2 year old Lab for hip surgeries. I don't think the alternative was even a consideration for them.

I know everyone must have a limit but I would hate to be put in that scenario. However, I lost my dog this year and I would pay at least $10000 if I could bring him back.

[Suzles]

We have pet insurance and our girl used up $10,000 in tests earlier this year. It was hemangiosarcoma and we lost her anyway. If the diagnosis had come through earlier we would have been comforted to know that all the costs for surgery and chemo were covered. We now have three cats - the two young ones (about one year old) are insured - we couldn't get insurance for the elderly cat we adopted a couple of months ago as there is no medical history for her. There would never be a choice about how much I would pay to save an animal's life. All I care is that the animal is not in any pain and has a good quality of life over quantity.

[Suzles]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

I know everyone must have a limit but I would hate to be put in that scenario. However, I lost my dog this year and I would pay at least $10000 if I could bring him back.

This - thank you.

[Suzles]

Originally Posted by PIMking

Our two dogs are like children to us and I would do almost anything I could for them. We had to actually put one in the vet today for pancreatitis and I'm super depressed right now.

Some spend a ton on their dogs and some spend a ton on their computer, while some spend 6k a year on Flames season tickets. It's all what you deem important in your life.

So sorry to hear. Hope your dog is back home very soon. Our girl had pancreatitis many years ago and she recovered completely. She just wasn't allowed any steroidal based drugs for the rest of her life.

[SeeBass]

I have a $250 monthly perscription for my dogs that have extended their lives by at least two years.

Money well spent and I can afford it.

[Fire Element]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Back up buddy. I have three dogs, I don't need some dbag like you calling me cheap. Thanks for the list of potential illnesses dogs can get, how about a list for my kid? Care to tell me what she can catch?
And if you have a dog, which I'm doubting, then you'd know that pet insurance is a complete ripoff.

Hey fella, calm down. No one asked you to breed, or get a dog. It's an internetz forum. He gave his opinion; just like you gave yours...

[AFireInside]

Yup it all depends on the scenario. I would exhaust every avenue I could before letting go of my dogs.

My dog broke her leg when she was 5 months old, she needed to have pins put in. Came to about $4000. I didn't even hesitate at that number. The dog cost 2500 on her own when we bought her.

I see it this way, am I lot happier having my dog around, than I would be if I saved a couple grand (that I would likely waste anyways). Easy decision.


Luckily we had pet insurance which covered more than half of it.