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I'm wondering...

  • Thread starter adnedarn
  • Start date

adnedarn

I'm growing CPs in the Desert of Tucson, Az
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Hello, some recent events with one of my ferrets brings this random question up. How much HAVE you spent on a sick pet? Good outcome or bad? And if you have never had to do that, this is a good time to think about it. If something happened to one of your pets. What would you be willing to spend to save their life, extend their life, or just make life better? At what point do you just give up? You don't need to answer all these questions, they are here just to get your head going...
Andrew
 
I spent a lot on my black lab Abby when she was getting old and started developing tumors. I had several removed but they just seemed to keep coming. She was at the point where she either had to have a kidney transplant or be put down. Not having a ton of cash nor any guarentee that at her age she would survive such an ordeal anyway and still have to foot the huge bill I had to go for the other option as much as it hurt me to do so. It really is like ordering the death of your best friend, I'll probably never forgive myself but hopefully I made the best choice anyway.
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i think when our yorkshire terrior got hit by a car we spent about 700 bucks on his surgery.
 
$600 for my cat when she was poisoned.

And for the all time high vs. cost of creature I would say my mother wins with a $95 leg amputation on a gerble that only lived for another 6 months. (Personally I would have fed the gerble to my snake and then dropped $3 on a new gerble but that is just me...)
 
I feel like answering them all today:

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]How much HAVE you spent on a sick pet?

$500 just on the overnight vet visit for my cat Zero when he got his paw almost crushed between two halves of a heavy window. don't even remember what the check-up costs, x-rays, putting a cast back on and everything else total was.

think i found a vet to bring my turtle to. should run around $300 for that little fellow.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Good outcome or bad?
Good outcome thankfully, though you should have seen him throw a cast off of his arm across the room as soon as he got home.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]What would you be willing to spend to save their life, extend their life, or just make life better?
Whatever I possibly could.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]At what point do you just give up?
If it's from old age, and they'd just continue on their life in pain for some reason. Otherwise I really wouldn't, not unless there is nothing at all i could do.
 
Maybe slightly off-topic:
Our dogs have been with my family for quite a while and though they haven't fallen terribly ill or injured, we've never had the heart to leave them behind on our voyages. We bought both of them here in England, then they came with us to Japan, Mexico, the U.S. and back here, and my oh my did the fees for their travel skyrocket beyond reason. I'm not sure of the amount we paid for the whole kerfuffle, but I can say we did hesitate on what to decide.

Say for example though that our older, 11 year-old lab "pup" is rendered seriously, if not terminally debilitated, we'd put her down, full stop. Well, at least my mum would find it too painful to let her hang on in pain/discomfort.
 
I'm the kind of person who see pet ownership as a serious responsibility. And I also get very attached to my pets. A pet is like a child to me. They are totally dependent on me for care, same as a child. (Although I do not put a pet's life on the same level as a child or family member.) So if my dog needed expensive medical attention, I would do it until I was tapped out. Which practically speaking would be a foolish thing. From the heart...I'd give it everything I had.

That said...there would be certain issues to be weighed. It would depend on what kind of pet, how ill it is, how old the animal is, and the life span/benefit to be gained from the medical attention. I probably would not spend $95 on a gerbil. I wouldn't spend much on a fish. But larger animals like horses, dogs, cats, etc....I would put more into it.

Jonah's worst illness was his life-threatening pancreatis attack when he was about 9 yrs old. 5 hrs at the emergency vet cost me about $400. He then moved on to the regular vet hospital...5 days. I believe that came to over $900. Probably more with all the medication and check ups afterwards. It was difficult to come up with those amounts of money but I did it. It happened a few weeks before Xmas and needless to say it was hard not being able to buy gifts for people. I also missed Xmas at home with my family as Jonah had one of several relapses just the day before I was to drive home. But he was worth every dime I spent and all the hardship. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I had him for 2 more years beyond that. I sorely miss my boy...
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With Ollie...I have shelled out $1,200 for an invisible fence. Had to do it...he was climbing the fence and most certainly would have been killed on the road had I not stopped it. So that was worth the money and strain of his training.

This time I purchased pet insurance and its worth every dime. If he has any serious injury or illness, I'll still have bills to pay but they will be drastically reduced from what it would be without the insurance. It covers check ups, routine care, Xrays, Rxs, emergency treatment and more. I'd recommend it to anyone.

That's a really hard decision to make when a pet is near and dear to your heart. I feel for you in your situation. {{{{{{{{{{{{Andrew}}}}}}}}}}}}}
 
The neighbor's lawn man was chucking Key limes at my doberman "Moose".
I asked him to stop.
He didn't.
Moose climbed over the four foot fence.
The lawn man was badly mauled about the arms and neck.
I paid $2500 for his hospital bills. I figured it was much cheaper than a multi-thousand lawsuit.
He doesn't throw things at Moose anymore.
Good dog Moose.
 
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