Among Friends

[chiclet]

I have been saying for a while that eventually only people with a lot of money will be able to own a pet.  No matter how much you love them and want to help them there is only so much money some people have to spend on vet care.  It is sad to me that seniors, who need the companionship and incentive a pet gives you to keep going, will not be able to afford a pet.  I was at the vets office and a senior lady who is still working part time has  two dogs and they are her family and companionship but the pet bills were overwhelming her.  It is sad but I understand Vets go to school and have a lot of overhead and employees.   

[furbabylover]

This whole thread always comes back to the same thing: exorbitant vet bills. Why are we allowing a profession to get away with unbridled greed? Because they know they have us over a barrel. If a vet is really good at his/her job, they don't have to run endless tests and procedures on your animal. How did vets in the past manage to take care of our animals without draining our back accounts? I, and many, many people I know, have been victimized by vets who dragged out the suffering of our animals by "guilting" us into extensive, ultimately futile, procedures and treatments for our babies. My family endured a nightmare where a vet and his team convinced us they had to amputate the leg of one of our dogs in order to save his life. In fact it led to his further suffering and death. I scream in my head and cry every time I recall this. When I see a vet drive up to their practice in a new Mercedes, I think to myself, this is not a person drawn to the art of medicine, this is a person looking to get rich. What should we do? I believe we should take back authority over our animals and challenge all these tests and procedures they prescribe. Listen to yourself, your own instincts, your own common sense. Seek out vets with simpler agendas. 

[Jinlei]

Vets getting away with exorbitant charges?  My vet is expensive to some people but to us, we pay him for his expertise.  I could care less how much he charges, I would pay it for my dog.  Do people realize how many vets get stiffed on payment from people who have to have care for their pets but never pay their bill?  Would you cry about prices if it was your own physician?  To me, that is a crime.  Bottom line is, if you cannot afford to take care of a dog, do not get one.  

[KKJ]

I too take issue with the posts claiming that vets are only in it to get rich.  My uncle was a vet (he passed away 2 yrs ago) and he worked his butt off all his life.  He worked his way all through vet school (came from a poor family) and nobody gave him a dime. So don't tell me he was greedy!  Did he make a lot of money as a vet? You bet he did, but he earned it.  And as previous poster said, he got stiffed by plenty of nonpayers as well.

On a side note, I get tired of all the bashing of wealthy people. Not all are trust-fund spoiled brats. Many have worked hard for it and others shouldn't bemoan them for it.

[CAcableGirl2]

@furbabylover  I completely understand, I had two very expensive high maintenance dogs, with one recently passing away, that had multiple health issues over the last several years.  I don't even want to know what I paid in vet bills during the last 4 years.  As long as she was not in pain, and had a good life, I did whatever I had to do to get her the care she needed. 

I remember the vet telling me one summer to make sure she didn't get overheated outside and I laughed, and said she lived inside under the air conditioner that was left on all day specifically for my dogs who were inside while I worked.  The only time she went outside was through the doggie door to do her business and she was back inside where it was cool.  She is gone now, and I still miss her.

[qvcfreak]

I’ve been very blessed that my doggies have never had any issues other than regular checkups and shots. 

I’ve had 3 chihuahuas, Leo passed in 2015 at the age of 16, Shad-O passed in 2018 She was 2 months shy of turning 18. Oreo just turned 16, Dec 30th. He sleeps a lot and isn’t very active anymore but he looks good.

They are spoiled and love, Khloe is 6 and has been very healthy too

[Carmie]

@hckynut   Maybe I am on the wrong train, but I think the poster who said the decision was simple when faced with a hard decision.  I think simple is the opposite of complex..meaning there is no other choice.

Simple doesn't mean it was easy to make the decision, I am sure the decision is heartbreaking.  I have had to put two dogs down in my lifetime and I am sure you had to do the same with your beloved cats.  

When we made the decision, it was a simple one to make, but probably one of the most difficult as well.  If there was something that could be done within our means, we would have jumped through hoops to have it done.

Today is the one year anniversary of my beautiful dog's death.  I had made the decision to put her down as opposed to continue to make her have painful tests and more surgery.  I didn't feel she would want to continue and I didn't want to torture her so I would have more time with her...and, this makes me feel guilty, I didn't feel that money spent to keep her alive would be prudent.

Her death is still raw and painful.  I cried off and on all day.  The decision to end her earthy life was simple, but not easy and I am still having issues with her being gone.  

[hckynut]

@Carmie 

I understand what you are saying about making the decision. We have had to make it over 25 times. Did or does that make it any easier? No it does not. By my definition of the word simple, not a single one of those 25 times, could be classified as such.

Within less than a 2 month period of time recently, 3 of our felines crossed the bridge. Every one of them we had raised from birth on our property, and 2 were sisters, both 18 years old. One of the sisters we had to make "the decision", the other sister, which had no health issues, I found lying dead less than 2 weeks after her sister was no longer there. We feel she died of a broken heart.

Not long after that event, our same age tuxedo, born on our property, but a different litter, started suffering from seizures. Other than that, he had slightly elevated BUN and Creatinine numbers. That required us to give him IV fluids occasionally, but he was in good health. We have done that for a few decades with many of our felines, and they lived good lives that way for many years.

His seizures got to be so often, which scared him so much after each one! Our vet told us it could be a form of cancer in his brain, so instead of going to the vet to have him check him out? We did not take him back home. That was not a simple decision, no matter what definition anyone chooses to use. Once again the word simple!

The only feline left out of 4, in less than 3 months, is the mother of the tuxedo we had to euthanize. What were 4, is now 1. And the lone remaing feline, that was born into a litter of 6, and having her own litter of 8?  Now is all alone, and we are very worried about her, because all her life she has been surrounded by siblings, or her own offspring.

To me using the word simple when it comes to life ending decisions, be it euthanasia or "pulling the plug"! In the context I am saying here, and the same context I used that started this type of discussion, my feeling is exactly the same. Out of many words that can be used in life ending decisions, that should never be 1 of them.

Every single one of our decisions to choose euthanasia was for the exact same reasons you mentioned about your "beautiful dog". I know as we get older years go by faster, but on the 1 year Anniversary of your kind and humane action, is completely understood in our home. Time can make things a little easier, but the loss of a loved one never leaves. I am so sorry you lost your beautiful dog on that very sad day.  

I understand the purpose of your post and Thank you for your point of view. My hope is that anyone talking about someone having to make a life ending decision, refrain from using that specific word when doing so.

hckynut 

[alicedee]

@Carmie Your post was a good one....emphasizing that the word "simple" was appropriate in the context the poster used it.  I am sorry you had a rough day remembering the loss of your dog.  It's so hard.

No one has the right to put down anyone on the QVC forums for their financial decisions about pet care.  I read most of the new posts that come up in the main feed, and people in this community truly love and care for their pets.  They should not be made to feel they have to prove their love for their furbaby to anyone here, or justify their financial situation and spending abilities.  

[Sooner]

Lots of folks do not have money for expensive medicine or care for a pet.  Lots of pets have wonderful homes for as long as the owners can still eat and pay the rent.  I would never judge that situation.

One of the things I have learned in being here since the 1990's ( yes, I have old recipes printed to prove it), is that there are a lot of people who don't really understand what real poverty is like, especially poverty in rural areas where they aren't agencies or charities or services.  To say they can't have a pet is absurd.