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How much would you pay to save your pet?
#1
This is a controversial subject, one that I hope I never have to face.
http://business.financialpost.com/2014/0...sick-pets/

Vet costs are high and there are some pretty expensive treatments that could potentially save a pet's life. Is there a limit to what someone should be willing to spend? Is it reasonable to go into debt to save a pet?
Obviously I thought about these things. What do other people think?

I think I would want to balance the cost against the effectiveness of the treatment. Are we talking about a cure or are we talking about buying a few more weeks of life. Also what exactly are we talking about with treatment. Is it a treatment that I would be unwilling to put myself through. Just because medicine can do something does not mean that we should do something. It also does not mean that we shouldn't do it.
I like to look at a pet's quality of life as well. I know there are limits to what I would put a much loved pet through.
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Catherine

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#2
This is a very difficult question, and different for each person and family. I have no dependants, and am moderately fit and able, (therefore able to take any work on, including manual work) so it was different for me. But to save Misty I would have given absolutely everything I owned, and started again from scratch.

With treatments, we do have to weigh up the pros and cons. I myself, for instance, would not go through chemotherapy for the sake of a few extra weeks or months, and I would not do that to an animal. We also have to consider if the animal has a good chance of recovery within a short-ish period (convalescence is okay) -in order to have their quality of life back.
I always think 'quality of life' is whether the animal is still enjoying being on Earth. Even if some things become somewhat limited -are they still enjoying it?
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#3
This is a very good point. I've always said that we would pay whatever it cost as long as it was for the pet's benefit and not just for us. For example, when Latte had a mammary tumour some years ago it cost us quite a few hundred pounds for her surgery and post op. medication, but she was well afterwards and lived for many years as a healthy, happy piggy. The same thing for Marigold just a few months later when she had a large skin tumour on her flank. We, in return, have had many years of the kind of love and affection from these girls that money could never buy. A great deal of amusement and entertainment and so many happy memories.
But when Ethel had her tumour in her jaw we could have done the same and had xrays, surgery and all the meds, but as the vet pointed out to us it would have made no difference to the outcome for Ethel. All it would have done would have been to satisfy our curiosity and assuage our conscience. Poor Ethel would have been put through weeks of pain, weeks of artificial feeding, and still have died of it. I'm so glad we spared her all that. Much as we miss her and wish she was still here I'm relieved that she has no more pain. If there had been any way to help here other than PTS we would have paid whatever it cost.
We are not rich, far from it, but our animals are such an integral part of our family that we feel we must.
Here in the UK our human health care is free at the point of use (ie we pay for it through our taxes and National insurance payments) but if it were not we would have to find a way to pay. We are lucky that the vet we use does his best to keep his cost to us as low as he can. He really is one of the good guys. His view seems to be that he is there for the animals and he doesn't see them just as a source of revenue.
Greeting from Wales.
Hwyl Fawr o'r Cymru.
This is the web site of the rescue I volunteer at.
http://guinearescue.blogspot.co.uk/
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#4
I have been thinking about this all day. I had time to read it this morning, but not enough time to reply.

I have never had to make an economic choice about one of my pets.
When Blueboy my cat was dying, all the money in the world wouldn't have saved him. We might have bought him a few more days, but they wouldn't have been worth it. Sometimes it is time to let go.

When Pigbert was dying, it was his age more than anything. You can't turn back the clock. I just stayed with him and kept him comfortable.

I wouldn't want to do anything medically to a pet that I would not be willing to go through myself. I wouldn't put a pet through a horrific treatment just to keep it alive without a reasonable quality of life.
Money isn't the issue is it. We would come up with the money somehow. There are just times when treatment is not a kindness.

When Earl, the old corn snake, prolapsed one of his Hemipenes all the vet web sites said it should be amputated immediately(at great cost).
The reptile forums disagreed. They said to keep him very clean and quiet and the problem would resolve itself naturally. What tipped the balance was the guy who said he had rushed his snake in for surgery and it died, of course.
Earl recovered naturally, with good home nursing care.
I don't know if I would have spent the money. At his age he would not have been a good surgical candidate anyhow and the surgery would have been very painful. I don't think they give painkillers to snakes.
It seemed like a horrible thing to do to him. I was scared that I had made the wrong choice until he was fully recovered. He is fully recovered.
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Catherine

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#5
The above just shows that we all think alike - because we all love (and loved) our animals. I can't add anything; you've all said it above. I would have paid anything to save Puce, but the medications lost their effectiveness because her condition (failing heart valves) got worse. Fortunately, she passed naturally and fairly rapidly. She spent her last hours looking at the field where she loved to run and dig.

There is little point in prolonging a life which involves severe pain and suffering. All we can do is take a loving look at our pet and make what we believe to be the right, loving decision in each situation.
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#6
I think we have all thought this though on a reasonable level and have actually had to make decisions. When you love your pet more than you love having the pet there to meet your needs, you make good, loving choices.
I ask myself if it is a kindness to do something to an ailing pet. Just because medicine can do something, does not mean that we should do it. Sometimes it is an act of love to let go and let a pet pass gently.
I try to let my pets die naturally. Sadly that is not always possible and that is a loving choice as well.Smiley19

The saddest thing I have ever had to do was put down a pregnant cat. She was close to term, but not close enough for the kittens and they probably wouldn't have been okay anyhow. I just couldn't let her suffer any longer. When things went very wrong we called the vet at 2am and he was willing to meet us at the clinic. It was sad, but it was the only thing I could do for her.Smiley19
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Catherine

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