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When do you decide you've spent enough money on your pet at the vets? We've spent about $750 so far for an eye problem in one of our cats and it's still not healed. My wife just got back from the eye specialist (who knew cats had eye specialists) and he has prescribed stronger medicine, but with no assurance that it will work. If it doesn't, it will mean more expensive tests just to find the problem. We don't even know whether this is something that could be life threatening or lose the eye or what.
I'm a believer that pets aren't something that get tossed aside when they start becoming more of a burden than a pleasure, but these bills are adding up. We can afford it right now, but it means some sacrifices in what we can buy for the new house. Those are just things, though. We don't have to have them.
It would probably make things easier if I actually liked this cat.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Ack, that's a tough one. Maybe that's why we don't have any pets right now. Two kids is enough care and stress for us.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I consider them my children, so I don't draw any lines. I just take care of them the very best I can. It can get very expensive, it's true. (Pet insurance is only available for young pets, I found.)
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Hmm that's a toughie. I don't have a mathematical formula, but I think the age of the pet factors in strongly into my decisons. If the animal has met or exceeded its average lifespan is a biggie. Also quality of life. If this is the 16th thing going wrong with it, and it already has poor quality of life then that too would be a factor.
Jake's mother is now 12 and it will be interesting to see what her owner does when she starts going downhill, though right now she's in fabulous health, with only slight deterioration of eyesight.
Posts: 11265 | Registered: Mar 2002
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This makes me sad. I put the gerbil wheel in the cage with the founding mother of my clan, and she could barely run in it. She just sort of trudged along with her eyes half closed. It'll be sad to say goodbye to the first generation. My son was looking in at her a couple of days ago and said, "Why are Anne's eyes always closed?" : (
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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zgator, talk to your vet. Ours have always been very forthright about our money pit dog (thyroid disorder, arthritis, allergies, sensitive skin, bad vision). Most vets are sympathetic about the cost of pet care and will be very helpful when you make your decision.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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This is why I don't feel comfortable with us getting a pet -- I wouldn't be willing to spend much money on a critter.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Alas PSI, insurance would not cover pre-existing conditions. Most of what we've seen seems to only cover regular check-ups anyway.
MrsM, now that we're back at the old vet, we can probably do that. One of the reasons we left the new vet is because we had the impression they were just trying to make money. One of the first times we took Dusty (the cat) in, Kristine had to leave him while they did tests. She came back and they charged her a 1/2 day boarding fee for leaving him. She got that one taken off. They also kept staining his eye to see the ulcer that was there. Hello, we know there's an ulcer. We don't need to spend another $25 to see it again.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I don't really have an answer. I have been lucky enough to never have had a pet whose care led to serious money issues. The closest I came to th at was several years ago, but in my case, Maxx was getting on in years (he was 12) and his rapid deterioration effectively chose for me (not to pursue expensive diagnostic procedures). My pets are like my children, so I don't know what I would do if I was in this kind of situation. I hope that your new vet will be able to give you the information you need to make a decision in the best interest of your whole family (including your pet).
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I find that while in theory I might have some kind of a limit, in practice I'm like Anne Kate--if my pet needs something done, I'll find a way to afford it. I completely respect Porter's attitude toward this; pets are a huge responsibility, and it's one that it's a mistake to undertake lightly.
It does suck when you've taken on responsibility for an animal that you don't really care for. I've never had that happen myself, but I can imagine that it would be unplesant.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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It is a hard one, pups and kittens born deformed I kill, any animal that is in agony and mortally wounded I kill. Any animal that can recover I take to the vet and let the vet advise me. Your vet should know how deep your pockets are if he or she knows you, so let them make the call.
Also if the animal is of more then sentimental value you have to factor that in. My pure blood Siamese tom has had many a litter since he lost one eye! I think she cats find him roguishly handsome. I like the way he seems to be winking at me all the time.
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I'm a teenager and haven't had to think about this on my own terms yet, but recently discussed it with my mom. She used to be a vet tech, and has been going to the same vet my whole life (she quit a month before I was born, I'm 2 days older than the vet's son). With my dog who is six, or our cat (4), the limit is nearly endless, they both need to go in for an allegry shot soon. But we also have an eleven year old airedale who has an enlarged heart, major skin allergies caused by her own lanolin, and arthritis. The limit is much lower, right now she's being vaccinated, but we aren't trying to treat anything because she doesn't seem to be in much pain, though some of the younger vets in the office try to guilt us into it. She is right at the life expectancy for the breed and if anything gets any worse, we'll probably have her put down. So I guess I'm saying, in a young healthy dog or cat, anything possible, even beyond that, in an ailing animal with many problems, not nearly as much.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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It depends on the pet how old they are how long you have had them what the problem is and so on. We had a dog that was hit by a car and the vet bills were very high. Some people thought we were crazy to pay it, but she was like part of the family.
Posts: 747 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Your comfort level, finances, and always the big one - how much suffering is the pet enduring. If they didn't have you performing modern medical miracles, would they have already chosen a hidden corner and said "it's time?"
It's different for each pet and their human/family. Do what's right for you -
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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My cat Tellulah swallowed some thread which got bunched up in her gut and causing her serious pain and distress. The vet wanted $1400 to operate. No way could I afford that, so I declined. Vet wanted to put her down. It turned out that the thread was caught under her tongue. We snipped it and adopted the wait and see approach. Miraculously, it seems, she recovered. She started eating the next day.
It's a tough call. I second the vote on doing what's right for your family. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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You need to consider what would be best for the cat. Would these procedures be painful, more painful than not fixing it? The cat can't understand what's happening to it, and if the treatment causes undue stress or pain, then it's cruel for any owner to put their pet through that.
When I was home for the summer we found a lump in my cat's neck. It doesn't seem to hurt her or affect her daily activities, so we're not going to do anything about it. Treatment for feline cancer would be nothing short of torture at her age. She's had a good run, so we're letting her enjoy her last days in peace.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Some lumps can be taken care of relatively painlessly and inexpensively. One of my cats developed a tumor on one of his legs about a year and a half ago. We caught it quickly and had it removed (less than a month from when we found it). It turned out to be an unusual (and pretty scary) type of cancer, normally found in dogs. Since we had caught it quickly, the entire growth was removed (it was less than 2 cm square and had not extended down far into healthy tissue) and there has been no reoccurance. If I remember correctly, the entire bill for the surgery (follow-ups and meds too) and pathology was less than $300. I was really happy to pay such a small (in perspective) amount to save my kitty's life (he was about 2 years old at the time of his surgery). He seems to be pretty grateful too - after having that surgery he has become a much more affectionate cat.
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zgator-how old is the cat? I mean I always try to take into account the age of the animal and the severity of the problem. If your cat is up in the teens, and nothing is getting better and the cats quality of life is suffering then you just have to consider when enough is enough. However, if your cat is young and likely to recover from all of this (and you actually like the little bugger) then consider doing what u can finanically to help by talking to your vet to see what options might be available to you.
I know we had to make a big decision on our dog a few yrs back. He is a cocker and cockers come with massive ear problems (usually) and he had it bad. By the time he was like 2 or 3 you couldnt even pet him b/c he would snap in pain since the cartilage in his ears had started turning into bone. With a lot of little kids always being at the house my parents decided that it was either put the dog down or get the $1500 surgery done on his ears. Since he was relatively young and likely to recover and we were finacially able to work it out and get the surgery for him. I tell you what, that dog came out of surgery a new dog. He didnt snap anymore and he was much happier, so to speak...now at 11 he is still going pretty strong for his age.
Just curious...what kind of eye problems is the cat having because maybe I could help you out with alternate treatments available by asking my vet/boss. Right now, that is what i am in school for...veterinary medicine. If you have any questions, zgator, i might be able to help you out...if not...well-good luck
Posts: 306 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Maybe that's why we don't have any pets right now. Two kids is enough care and stress for us.
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She got that one taken off. They also kept staining his eye to see the ulcer that was there. Hello, we know there's an ulcer. We don't need to spend another $25 to see it again.
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