Pet Lovers

[Dazlin]

Right after we got Gabriel( our lab) from a rescue, we discovered he had many health issues, including a broken hip.  We paid $300 at the rescue and quickly racked up vet bills into the thousands within the first few months.  We don't have pet insurance.   The vet thought he might need surgery on hip, but he healed and gets around just as good as any other dog.  However, we keep a close watch and get him checked...should he complain or have any discomfort, surgery would be carefully considered.   Have no idea the cost.

Just yesterday I had a new vet come out for my 2 horses,  just for combo vaccines.  I was shocked the bill was $332.00...prices getting seriously out of control. 

Hard times for sure.

[Nataliesgramma]

My brother spent 4,000 for his Golden because the Vet felt she would get better.

After 2 months she died anyway....

[GoneButNotForgotten]

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@KingstonsMom wrote:

@Stormygirl 

That really is a shame when you have so much love to give and would get so much love in return.

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it is nice, but love won't pay the bills, especially vet bills. I lost my precious baby girl cat Missy a couple of months ago and dh and I decided we're not going to adopt any more pets.The vet bills can be sky-high and I can't go through heartbreak of losing another pet.

So instead we donate to local no-kill shelters.

[GoneButNotForgotten]

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@FancyPhillyshopper wrote:

It is heartbreaking to lose a pet or watch it suffer and wish that more could have been done.  It is also true that all vets do not have the same levels of expertise.

I do not begrudge vets the prices they charge.  Veterinary medicine has continued to improve and be refined.  A few decades ago animal cancer was a death sentence--now there is chemotherapy, elaborate surgery, blood transfusions, and so forth.  All that knowledge requires a lot of education-- and it is not cheap to study and learn. Also vets must purchase expensive equipment.

Adopting a pet today means consideration that an illness COULD cost thousands and thousands of dollars for treatment--and unfortunately, there are many people who cannot afford this, and thus surrender their pets or have them euthanized.  

I had a professional career, so I am financially able to afford most treatments, but some can be extremely costly and one must weigh the benefits versus the potential fruitless spending of money. Treating an ill pet also means an extensive commitment of time (one of my cats needed pills five times a day for months), emotional roller coasters, ongoing travel to vet centers, etc.

I live near some of the best pet medical centers in the world, and I have certainly used them.  I try to use board certified vet specialists whenever possible or needed. 

I have been a pet owner for decades.  I will not go into the costs of treatments I have paid for my cats and dogs, except that I have paid over $700.00 to have one of my parakeets treated, and it the end the vet misdiagnosed her, and she suffered some needless inappropriate remedies.  

So now I read and research everything and try to learn about all the potential treatments before I commit to a course of action.  I try to be a highly educated pet parent, and I know I must also be a strong advocate! This is a tremendous amount of work, and I have the ability to read and understand veterinary medical journals, but most people could not or would not undertake this.

And yes, I have the emergency vet specialists on speed dial just in case.

P.S. Even Penn could not save the great race horse Barbaro, and money was no object for his treatment. 

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was it Barbaro? Maybe I was thinking of that poor horse Ruffian whose leg snapped at the beginning of a race and had to be euthanized immediately.