Among Friends

[hckynut]

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@Sooner wrote:

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. 

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Hi @Sooner 

You lost me with this post. For some reason I am not sure exactly what point you are making. Care to help me understand it?

hckynut 

[Sooner]

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@hckynut wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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. 

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Hi @Sooner 

You lost me with this post. For some reason I am not sure exactly what point you are making. Care to help me understand it?

hckynut 

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My point is that raised around poverty as I was, seeing so many people living on so little and how their pets were loved, I am not one who thinks that one has to provide more than food and shelter for a pet to love it and give it a wonderful life.  

Pets and people, most of the earth does not not have access to "modern" medicine and life goes on, and people and animals are loved, cherished and fulfilled until they pass on--hopefully in a peaceful way.  

Also, to be truthful, I think a lot of invasive medicine is simply animal cruelty since they cannot understand what is happening.  I am horrified by it.  And that's my point. I cannot stand to see animals suffering.  Or people struggling to stay off the streets too.  But you don't hear so much about that. . . except can they afford a vet bill.

[Anonymous032819]

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@Sooner wrote:

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@hckynut wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

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. 

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Hi @Sooner 

You lost me with this post. For some reason I am not sure exactly what point you are making. Care to help me understand it?

hckynut 

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My point is that raised around poverty as I was, seeing so many people living on so little and how their pets were loved, I am not one who thinks that one has to provide more than food and shelter for a pet to love it and give it a wonderful life.  

Pets and people, most of the earth does not not have access to "modern" medicine and life goes on, and people and animals are loved, cherished and fulfilled until they pass on--hopefully in a peaceful way.  

Also, to be truthful, I think a lot of invasive medicine is simply animal cruelty since they cannot understand what is happening.  I am horrified by it.  And that's my point. I cannot stand to see animals suffering.  Or people struggling to stay off the streets too.  But you don't hear so much about that. . . except can they afford a vet bill.

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@Sooner 

Bingo!

I agree with everything that you said 100%!

Many times on the show "Dr. Jeff", he has gone to very rural areas, not only in the U.S., but also in other countries, such as Mexico, and he has said, that just because the people are poor, does not mean that they don't love their pets.

And he is right!

[Anonymous032819]

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@Carmie wrote:

@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.  

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@Carmie 

Thank you @Carmie .

That is exactly how I meant it.

I never said that it was an easy decision to make.

In fact, I said many times over that it is a heartbreaking decision to make, but some chose to ignore my having said that, and instead, decided to fixate on the word "simple" , and to twist it to fit their argument.

But thank you for understanding that sometimes it is the only decision to make.

"Simple" and "easy" are two vastly different things.

[arrabella]

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

My opinion is if you cannot afford vet bills, you cannot afford to have the animal.  I know animals can provide love and emotional support to people but they come at a cost, sometimes a very high cost. 

I see people time and time again contacting our county kennel and they want to get one of the dogs but they cannot afford the adoption fee.  If you cannot afford the adoption fee from a kennel or rescue group, you cannot afford the dog because that fee is a drop in the bucket for just normal care.  Having an animal isn't a right for everyone.  You are responsible for that animal.  It makes me sick to see homeless people with an animal because you can pretty much bet that animal isn't being well taken care of.  I seen people in my area sitting outside a business or at the freeway exit, for hours on end, trying to get money and they almost always have a dog with them. Stuck outside in the cold or extreme heat.  

My dog goes yearly for her wellness exam.  At that time she is examined, vaccinated and she gets heartworm meds and flea/tick meds.  That bill is close to $300.00.  The meds are only a 3 month supply so that is an additional cost every 3 months.  She also gets professionally groomed every 6-8 weeks.  If DH and I go on vacation she gets boarded which at times has cost as much as our hotel stay.

It's unfortunate that some people don't think about the expenses associated with having a dog or cat.  Just recently someone contacted a local rescue group because his dog had parvo.  He couldn't afford the treatment and ultimately turned the dog over to the rescue group who will now incur the cost of trying to save this dog.  It would have been much easier on the animal had he gotten the dog vaccinated but again, he said he couldn't afford it.  In this case, he clearly couldn't afford the dog.                

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Nailed it!

[chrystaltree]

Marvelous advances have been made in veterinary medicine.  Just as in human medicine and almost everything that is available to humans is now available to our pets.  Pets also are subject to most of the illnesses that afflict humans.  Perhaps it isn't fair but if you cannot afford to pay for healthcare for pets, you just should not have pets.  That is the reality of life now. 

[Anonymous032819]

I call b.s. on people not having pets if they can't afford treatments for their animals.

If a pet is diagnosed with cancer, not everybody can afford the treatment for it, which can easily cost thousands and thousands of dollars.

Are you really going to deny an elderly person their pet, who provides them companionship, and a reason to get out of bed, simply because they can't afford treatments if the animal gets sick?

How cold, cruel  and totally and completely heartless to deprive an elderly  person their beloved pet, simply because they are in a fixed income.

[jannabelle1]

Yes, vet care can be expensive, but it's an indiidual or family decision on how much can and will be spent on a beloved pet for their care. Emergency care and end of life care is expensive. DH and I went as far as was practical with our sweet Susie cat and her end of life cancer diagnosis. I wish the diagnosis would have come sooner, but it didn't. The bottom line is that each family makes the decision on what they will do and how much they are willing to pay for the treatment available. I love my kitties, but I will not mortgage my home for life saving treatment - but, I will do what I consider to be humane treatment for my sweet little fur babies.

[Anonymous032819]

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@jannabelle1 wrote:

Yes, vet care can be expensive, but it's an indiidual or family decision on how much can and will be spent on a beloved pet for their care. Emergency care and end of life care is expensive. DH and I went as far as was practical with our sweet Susie cat and her end of life cancer diagnosis. I wish the diagnosis would have come sooner, but it didn't. The bottom line is that each family makes the decision on what they will do and how much they are willing to pay for the treatment available. I love my kitties, but I will not mortgage my home for life saving treatment - but, I will do what I consider to be humane treatment for my sweet little fur babies.

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@jannabelle1 

I absolutely 100% agree with every single word that you said!

No one, and I do mean absolutely no one has the right to judge another person if they decide not to mortgage their home in order for life saving treatment.

And shame, shame, shame on those who do try to sit in judgement  of those who decided to forego extensive and expensive treatment for their furbabies.