How much would you spend on pet medical bills?

[freedogger]

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, sorry if you thought that my post was directed at you. I know I quoted your comment, but it was just general advice for someone contemplating pet ownership. Those illnesses can all be prevented with normal vaccination which a lot of people really are too cheap to pay for.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Suzles

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.

I'm not sure what caused it but every time her dad comes down he brings all these treats with his dogs and deems it important that our dogs have treats every minute that they're awake.

[troutman]

I've had clients set-up six-figure trust funds for their pets. And leave most of their estate to the SPCA.

[sclitheroe]

I have pet insurance on the dog, and honestly its not so much for the health of the animal, but for me and my wife. The insurance lets us make quality of life decisions without money being a major factor. If/when the dog gets sick I know it will be quite traumatic for my wife (this is her first family dog ever), and not having to make those decisions with money being a significant influencer will make things a lot easier on her.

There are many, many days when I think I'd like to cancel the $45 a month, but then I think of the trauma that would be involved in not having enough money to afford a sudden vet bill, and I decide to decide another time about continuing it.

[Ashartus]

I spent $4000 on my cat recently, but it was one of those ones that sneak up on you ($2000 for tests and a stay at an emergency clinic, then needed another stay a week later for another $2000). He'll also need about $200/month or so for medications for the rest of his life. If we hadn't already spent the first $2000 before knowing all the other costs we might have given some careful thought before spending that much, but on the other hand he's a great cat and has responded extremely well to treatment.

[burn_this_city]

It's only money, time is everything and if you can buy a few more years with a beloved pet than why not? That being said I draw the line at a certain point. Did the guy who spent $40k know for sure that it would work, and the dog would be back to normal after? I find it questionable when you have an old dog with a serious ailment and you're likely prolonging their suffering by extending their life because you can't let go.

[MoneyGuy]

Maybe I'm too logical about money, but as a financial planner I disagree with spending outlandish amounts on pets (I doubt I'd spend more than a couple grand), and I disagree with pet insurance. My money ideas are always totally logical, 'cause the kind of person I am; that's why when markets are miserable, I make no emotional decisions buy more of good companies. My opinion on insurance is you insure anything where a loss would be catastrophic financially (health and life), and self insure everything else (I don't buy trip-cancellation or baggage-loss insurance as those are self insurable). The loss of my dog wouldn't be catastrophic financially and there is always another dog out there I could take in and love that needs a home. Criticize my money logic if you like, but it's a big reason why I'm so successful financially.

[CMPunk]

I like my dog more then I like most people, so of course I'm going to do whatever is within my means to take care of her. Pet insurance maybe a scam, but at least it's something to help out with some of those huge bills

[Russic]

*hands MoneyGuy a tiny umbrella*

[Rerun]

I"ve been fortunate enough to have a dog for 16 months now... and my wife and I call him our furchild.... and thats exactly what he is... a cherished member of the family.

Would I spend whatever it took to save the life of my dog? You're damn right I would!! ... and I wouldn't think twice about it.. even if I had to re-mortgage the damn house to do it.

Money isn't everything in life.

[Jimmy Stang]

In lieu of pet insurance, I put $20 a week into a separate ING account for my two dogs. I used to have pet insurance that cost me about $60/month, but whenever we needed to use it, there was always some sort of fine print that prevented us from getting anything back. So I turfed it and set up the additional account which nets me about $1000/year should anything unforeseen happen that requires a bit of coin. Routine visits, food, and other expenses are all done out of pocket so we keep the account for a rainy day. If it never gets used, at least I have been making a little interest on it in the mean time and I don't even realize it is there. Just an idea for those who are unsure about the insurance route.

The reason that we got pet insurance in the first place was, before we were insured (either through our own forced savings account or through pet insurance), one of our dogs needed back surgery to the tune of $4500. Being a little older or wiser now, I'd like to think that I wouldn't spend that type of money on a dog, even though we are more financially stable now than we were then. But I also couldn't just walk away from a 4 year old dog who, in hindsight, has gone onto live a pretty decent life since the surgery and is now 9.5. There's a line to be drawn somewhere, but you never know exactly where it is until you're forced to decide.

Without question, dogs are a money pit, even if they stay relatively healthy. Food, vaccinations, "minor" issues at the vet - they all add up. I don't even want to know how much we have spent on our dogs over their 9.5 and 6 years because, in my mind, the trade off is worth it.

[Jason14h]

You can always make more money....

[Northendzone]

Wow $40 k on a pet.....I'd sure like to know how much more money that guy has spent on stupider stuff (although I think his metal Mulisha hat is cool).

Anyways, this is one of the reason I do not have or really want a pet - years ago an ex and I had a cat that got sick at Christmas and the bill was ~$600 and it pretty much meant no gifts for me, I was not happy......

[ericschand]

Well, this is a coincidence.

After $2,000+ in vet bills for our cat, another "minimum $1,500" staring us down, being told it's not just the colon that has an issue, there's something wrong with the cat's liver, not to mention being anemic, plus no guarantees of recovery after sugery (if only one is required) and most likely continued suffering, I just had him put down this evening.

So, I guess my limit is around $2,000.

ers

[Pizza]

plenty of $100k earners here...

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Maybe I'm too logical about money, but as a financial planner I disagree with spending outlandish amounts on pets (I doubt I'd spend more than a couple grand), and I disagree with pet insurance. My money ideas are always totally logical, 'cause the kind of person I am; that's why when markets are miserable, I make no emotional decisions buy more of good companies. My opinion on insurance is you insure anything where a loss would be catastrophic financially (health and life), and self insure everything else (I don't buy trip-cancellation or baggage-loss insurance as those are self insurable). The loss of my dog wouldn't be catastrophic financially and there is always another dog out there I could take in and love that needs a home. Criticize my money logic if you like, but it's a big reason why I'm so successful financially.

Maybe it is because you are so modest.

[username]

Originally Posted by ericschand

Well, this is a coincidence.

After $2,000+ in vet bills for our cat, another "minimum $1,500" staring us down, being told it's not just the colon that has an issue, there's something wrong with the cat's liver, not to mention being anemic, plus no guarantees of recovery after sugery (if only one is required) and most likely continued suffering, I just had him put down this evening.

So, I guess my limit is around $2,000.

ers

Sorry to hear that

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by ericschand

Well, this is a coincidence.

After $2,000+ in vet bills for our cat, another "minimum $1,500" staring us down, being told it's not just the colon that has an issue, there's something wrong with the cat's liver, not to mention being anemic, plus no guarantees of recovery after sugery (if only one is required) and most likely continued suffering, I just had him put down this evening.

So, I guess my limit is around $2,000.

ers

From your description, it sounds like you did the right thing versus running into a limit. If you can't get any likelihood from the vet regarding a meaningful life for the animal, then you probably did what most would have done.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Cowperson

[CedarMeter]

Originally Posted by Rerun

I"ve been fortunate enough to have a dog for 16 months now... and my wife and I call him our furchild.... and thats exactly what he is... a cherished member of the family.

Would I spend whatever it took to save the life of my dog? You're damn right I would!! ... and I wouldn't think twice about it.. even if I had to re-mortgage the damn house to do it.

Money isn't everything in life.

You can add me to that list. Cause I know if my dog was able he would do the same for me.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Maybe I'm too logical about money, but as a financial planner I disagree with spending outlandish amounts on pets (I doubt I'd spend more than a couple grand), and I disagree with pet insurance. My money ideas are always totally logical, 'cause the kind of person I am; that's why when markets are miserable, I make no emotional decisions buy more of good companies. My opinion on insurance is you insure anything where a loss would be catastrophic financially (health and life), and self insure everything else (I don't buy trip-cancellation or baggage-loss insurance as those are self insurable). The loss of my dog wouldn't be catastrophic financially and there is always another dog out there I could take in and love that needs a home. Criticize my money logic if you like, but it's a big reason why I'm so successful financially.

So what is your dog...a short term investment in an affection instrument for a wife who's neglected by her husband? Sounds like it to me. Why would you even own a dog if you can only view it for it's financial worth?