We spent a few thousand dollars (racked up lots of debt on the credit cards) on pet emergency medical expenses before we finally got pet insurance. Last year when we were thinking about adopting a new dog, we included pet insurance as a planned expense that would go along with the new dog. We would never get another pet without pet veterinary insurance. It's an obvious solution to avoid high medical bills and still care for your pets as they deserve to be cared for.
K - 10 years ago
I can barely afford it but now have racked up 2k on my credit card for my dog. Results: nothing she still has the medical problem now were making sacrifices for our family and children to pay off the debt while still having a sick animal. You can not get pet insurance in my state on an animal that is as old as my dog and she's only 7 plus a lot is NOT covered. I can get insurance for my child even when there in mid life. They are animals I consider myself a pretty humane person I mean but can you really put them before your children? I love my animals I has them before I had my child. I wish I had saved the 2k for my family. Never again home care it is. If it's a. Procedure Taft 2k then most likely the animal can live it's life how it's suppose to without intervention. If they were in the wild there would be no vet to do surgery.
Mary - 10 years ago
Wow. People are seriously in sane If they would spend 4k or 7k on anything related to a pet especially a cat. We can't afford anything but we're gonna spend 7k on our dog. Unbelievable. Sad. Euthanasia costs next to nothing. I have a dog and a cat and very clear financial limits when it comes to them. I hope I will never be in that situation but I sure as hell will be thinking rationally if I am
L Gilliam - 10 years ago
We had an emergency with one of our pugs. she needed transfusion and other medical expenses . First time we had a major expense for a dog, we came up with $1500 cash. Later I found out about Care Credit when I got Lasik surgery on my eyes. I had 2 years to pay interest free!!. After I paid half off, I still could use the total approved balance for other medical expenses... but I learned you can use it for pet expenses too!! So when the pug needed thousands and the other option was to euthanize her, I pulled out the care credit... All came out well. Turned out she has an auto-immune disease and will have medication all her life. but two years later she is still with us and we love her so much!! YAY! CARECREDIT!! P.S. Our credit wasn't that great when we got the card so if you need extra help consider applying.
Sandy Barnes - 10 years ago
Needless to say we have pet insurance on all 3 of our cats NOW. We didn't at the time our cat needed surgery. (This is an updated statement to my previous comment)
Sandy Barnes - 10 years ago
One of our cats we only had for 6 wks before we got her fixed. We were told she had pyometra & that she would have died within the wk had we not gotten her fixed when we did. Less than 2wks later I watched as her intestines came through her incision & fee to the floor. We rushed her to an animal hospital in the middle of the night. They wanted $6000 up front which we didnt have. I called another animal hosp they said they would do it for $4000 so we pd $400 to the 1st place to stabilize her enough for us to transport her to the 2nd place. There we gave them every penny we had & could borrow which equalled $1000. They kept her & told us we had 24 hrs to come up with the rest. I pawned all my gold & our wedding bands. The pawn shop didnt want my 2 diamond rings only the gold. The dr actually called me while i was at the pawn shop & said they couldn't wait much longer that they needed to operate. I told him where i was & that i would be bringing in $1200 within the hr.and that my husband was selling his car but not until the next day. They did the operation & the next day my husband sold his 2004 anniv.edition Mustang for $5000 ($3500 less than blue book value).Our cat had to stay in hosp 5 days & after cost of take home meds & everything else the total was close to $6000. Needless to say we have pet insurance on all 3 of our cats. They are our children. Our human children are grown & gone. Our furbabies mean the world to us & we will do whatever it takes to help them. We live on a fixed income now but we will do whatever it takes for them.
maggie - 10 years ago
I'm not wealthy but I have my priorities straight when it comes to taking care of my dogs, I lost one at 15 years old 2 years ago and I have two now. I didn't work when I had my dogs, I knew I couldn't take care of them..I have no children so I'm a little more fortunate to be able to afford health care but I also am wise enough to have health insurance for my dogs. However, with many health insurances you need to pay up front and then be reimbursed. I do not advocate getting a dog if you cannot pay the high costs of medical bills or you cannot find some way to afford the bills...It's not fair to you or the dog. There are always extenuating circumstances but there are always ways to find the money to care for your dog. Taking care of their health properly can help avoid some problems but not all..I would say to try to find a reputable breeder but that's not always possible..My puppy from a breeder cost me more money in medical bills than I care to talk about but she was worth going into major debt for, never entered my mind that I couldn't pay for her care..She was a diabetic and that was costly, she had eye surgery and spinal surgery and that was very costly..When I was short on cash I'd make a payment plan with my vet or I'd borrow money from my parents because I always knew my income would cover things within a month or so. I also have health insurance and a Care Credit Card to cover costs of surgery and the really expensive vet bills. My little girl was never in pain, she just needed the appropriate medical attention..My pet store puppy that had come from a puppy mill was my rescue..I borrowed the money from my father just to pull him out of that pet store...he has health insurance and will be 16 in January, never sick a day in his life and he's very active..I have an 18 month old puppy and he also has insurance..My Care Credit will cover my expenses as will my other credit cards and income. I'm not saying not to get a puppy if you don't have lots of money but be aware of the costs of food, routine vet bills and emergencies..An overnight stay at an emergency clinic will run you about 500 dollars...MRI's and surgeries are in the thousands..My insurance covered a good percentage of these costs..I couldn't put a claim in until I paid the $8200 bill, I paid the bulk of it and worked out a payment plan that took a year for the remainder of the bill..The saddest thing I have seen in the vet's office is for a patient to be told the cost for the coverage and they cannot afford it...Please try to work out a payment plan over a few months, I did that when my girl needed eye surgery, over 5000.00 but I was able to pay it in two monthy payments and I'd never met the vet before..I guess I'm saying do your best, know the costs upfront, try to have some money on hand, take good care of your dog (that costs nothing to walk him and feed him properly) and be ready to beg, borrow and do what's needed..I recently donated to two dog friends who really needed the cash..I did it through Paypal..These were great people who'd fallen on hard times, always been able to care for their dogs..I never asked any questions, I just donated..so be prepared to think of that as well...My dogs are my children and I've had dogs my whole life..saying goodbye to them because I couldn't pay the vet bills was never an option to me, not now not ever..I watched a little terrier girl we all tried to rescue from a California high kill shelter, we got her out and to a good family but the owners couldn't pay for her care any longer when they brought her to the shelter, she was only two..those stories are tough..
Mary - 10 years ago
I believe in doing and providing the best for your pet that you can, and I guess it may sound cruel, but I also know my priorities. I am not wealthy, but not in need.. However u would not be able to spare tons of money on my pet. Does this mean I can never have a pet because I can't spend thousands of dollars onthem? I would do anything within my financial power, but if the amount was too much, what can I do.. Neglect my children and family? Just try to get help from any friends or family.. But they don't have that much extra let alone to spend on my pet. So I guess I'm asking, if you're middle class, is it wrong to have a "pet " just because you couldn't spend as much on them as your child? Where is the line?
~dee, in response to "Roxy" - 10 years ago
It's really scary how some people can be so judgemental and ignorant, yet are still allowed to contaminate the internet (and the world, eventually) with their inconsiderate sh!t (like Roxy). Please do not voice opinions if you won't think about the topic thoroughly, considering that people come from different backgrounds, and this being just ONE among a HUNDRED other reasons which could collectively contribute to such poll results. ...................
Laurie - 10 years ago
Don't get a pet because you MIGHT not be able to afford emergency care. If people sit down and think about the cost of children, no one would have kids. Now that mine a grown and gone, I have plenty of time to devote to pets, but not necessarily tons of money for the vet. I have four pets (2 dogs, 2 cats), and they are all fixed and have all their shots, and get their wellness exams. As far as emergency care, I have been lucky that only one of the cats has been in twice at less than two hundred dollars both times. One cat at 12 years, one cat at 6 years, one dog a 4 years, and one dog at 2 1/2. I would say that's pretty good that I haven't had any more emergencies than that considering I have had all pets since babies. Yes, you do need to make sacrifices, but I don't need a fancy pair of jeans, or an expensive toy. I have my dogs to go hiking with, swimming with, cuddle with, what they like to do is FREE! I am just as careful with my dogs playtime, time they are alone, and what they eat and chew on just as I was careful with my children when they were young. Sure I have had to administer first aid a few times to my pets, and saved myself a few hundred dollars. What I can afford today does not mean I can afford it tomorrow. Even if I lost one of my pets today, I am content that the life they did have was better than a cage, better than cruelty, better than a horrible death. No one is guaranteed life, just one day at a time. At least I gave my pets a whole lot of days.
Lynn - 10 years ago
Many shelters have "free" animal adoption days to give animals a chance. A third or more of the polled could not afford a $2,000 emergency bill. Love a pet for as long as possible and do whatever you can to take care of it for as long as financially possible or leave them in the overpopulated no-kill shelters or kill shelters where they will be killed without the $2,000 emergency bill? Hmmmmmmm
Janet - 10 years ago
I spent $7,000 on my beloved Siamese years ago when we thought her lung collapsed. She had to have emergency surgery and never recovered. It turned out to be cancer. She was hospitalized for a week. I brought her home for a weekend and then turned to euthanization. The last cat that I lost had cancer also. I am not sure how much I finally spent on him but we went to the vet for check ups, meds and fluids for a few weeks after I spent several hundred on tests to find out what was wrong. If it is an emergency I would probably spend $2.000 IF there was hope. My cats are my family and I would do anything to try to save them. But I would try not to be selfish about it and contribute to their suffering. That is easier said than done. It is always a juggling act for me when faced with the decision.
Coonie - 10 years ago
Yeah, why have a second child then because you already know how expensive they are; maybe you shouldn't have one...Or could it be that some people would rather adopt homeless dogs to give them the love and care that they need and figure out the details later because if you really sit down with friends and family I'm sure someone could get some money together collectively. After all, our dogs are considered family. Save them from neglect and kill shelters!
Colleen - 10 years ago
Daphne, with all due respect, you don't have to be wealthy to have a pet or a child, but if you don't have the financial means yo care for them you should Not have them. All animals and people need access to proper medical care and they shouldn't have do suffer or die because you have no means to provide care. Live within your means and if you are poor, get a goldfish.
Daphne - 10 years ago
It's really annoying when people point out that if you sit. Have $2k to spend in an emergency that you can't afford your dog and shouldn't have them!! STFU!!
Just bc you can't dish out $2k doesn't meant you shouldn't have pets. Or kids. Or a home. Or a car. Etc. stupid logic!! ERs happen doesn't mean we stop having things just bc we afraid of what could happen..
Roxy - 10 years ago
It's really scary how many people have pets who can't financially take care of them. Please do not have pets if you won't sacrifice things on your own life to pay for the things they need. *exasperated sigh*
We spent a few thousand dollars (racked up lots of debt on the credit cards) on pet emergency medical expenses before we finally got pet insurance. Last year when we were thinking about adopting a new dog, we included pet insurance as a planned expense that would go along with the new dog. We would never get another pet without pet veterinary insurance. It's an obvious solution to avoid high medical bills and still care for your pets as they deserve to be cared for.
I can barely afford it but now have racked up 2k on my credit card for my dog. Results: nothing she still has the medical problem now were making sacrifices for our family and children to pay off the debt while still having a sick animal. You can not get pet insurance in my state on an animal that is as old as my dog and she's only 7 plus a lot is NOT covered. I can get insurance for my child even when there in mid life. They are animals I consider myself a pretty humane person I mean but can you really put them before your children? I love my animals I has them before I had my child. I wish I had saved the 2k for my family. Never again home care it is. If it's a. Procedure Taft 2k then most likely the animal can live it's life how it's suppose to without intervention. If they were in the wild there would be no vet to do surgery.
Wow. People are seriously in sane If they would spend 4k or 7k on anything related to a pet especially a cat. We can't afford anything but we're gonna spend 7k on our dog. Unbelievable. Sad. Euthanasia costs next to nothing. I have a dog and a cat and very clear financial limits when it comes to them. I hope I will never be in that situation but I sure as hell will be thinking rationally if I am
We had an emergency with one of our pugs. she needed transfusion and other medical expenses . First time we had a major expense for a dog, we came up with $1500 cash. Later I found out about Care Credit when I got Lasik surgery on my eyes. I had 2 years to pay interest free!!. After I paid half off, I still could use the total approved balance for other medical expenses... but I learned you can use it for pet expenses too!! So when the pug needed thousands and the other option was to euthanize her, I pulled out the care credit... All came out well. Turned out she has an auto-immune disease and will have medication all her life. but two years later she is still with us and we love her so much!! YAY! CARECREDIT!! P.S. Our credit wasn't that great when we got the card so if you need extra help consider applying.
Needless to say we have pet insurance on all 3 of our cats NOW. We didn't at the time our cat needed surgery. (This is an updated statement to my previous comment)
One of our cats we only had for 6 wks before we got her fixed. We were told she had pyometra & that she would have died within the wk had we not gotten her fixed when we did. Less than 2wks later I watched as her intestines came through her incision & fee to the floor. We rushed her to an animal hospital in the middle of the night. They wanted $6000 up front which we didnt have. I called another animal hosp they said they would do it for $4000 so we pd $400 to the 1st place to stabilize her enough for us to transport her to the 2nd place. There we gave them every penny we had & could borrow which equalled $1000. They kept her & told us we had 24 hrs to come up with the rest. I pawned all my gold & our wedding bands. The pawn shop didnt want my 2 diamond rings only the gold. The dr actually called me while i was at the pawn shop & said they couldn't wait much longer that they needed to operate. I told him where i was & that i would be bringing in $1200 within the hr.and that my husband was selling his car but not until the next day. They did the operation & the next day my husband sold his 2004 anniv.edition Mustang for $5000 ($3500 less than blue book value).Our cat had to stay in hosp 5 days & after cost of take home meds & everything else the total was close to $6000. Needless to say we have pet insurance on all 3 of our cats. They are our children. Our human children are grown & gone. Our furbabies mean the world to us & we will do whatever it takes to help them. We live on a fixed income now but we will do whatever it takes for them.
I'm not wealthy but I have my priorities straight when it comes to taking care of my dogs, I lost one at 15 years old 2 years ago and I have two now. I didn't work when I had my dogs, I knew I couldn't take care of them..I have no children so I'm a little more fortunate to be able to afford health care but I also am wise enough to have health insurance for my dogs. However, with many health insurances you need to pay up front and then be reimbursed. I do not advocate getting a dog if you cannot pay the high costs of medical bills or you cannot find some way to afford the bills...It's not fair to you or the dog. There are always extenuating circumstances but there are always ways to find the money to care for your dog. Taking care of their health properly can help avoid some problems but not all..I would say to try to find a reputable breeder but that's not always possible..My puppy from a breeder cost me more money in medical bills than I care to talk about but she was worth going into major debt for, never entered my mind that I couldn't pay for her care..She was a diabetic and that was costly, she had eye surgery and spinal surgery and that was very costly..When I was short on cash I'd make a payment plan with my vet or I'd borrow money from my parents because I always knew my income would cover things within a month or so. I also have health insurance and a Care Credit Card to cover costs of surgery and the really expensive vet bills. My little girl was never in pain, she just needed the appropriate medical attention..My pet store puppy that had come from a puppy mill was my rescue..I borrowed the money from my father just to pull him out of that pet store...he has health insurance and will be 16 in January, never sick a day in his life and he's very active..I have an 18 month old puppy and he also has insurance..My Care Credit will cover my expenses as will my other credit cards and income. I'm not saying not to get a puppy if you don't have lots of money but be aware of the costs of food, routine vet bills and emergencies..An overnight stay at an emergency clinic will run you about 500 dollars...MRI's and surgeries are in the thousands..My insurance covered a good percentage of these costs..I couldn't put a claim in until I paid the $8200 bill, I paid the bulk of it and worked out a payment plan that took a year for the remainder of the bill..The saddest thing I have seen in the vet's office is for a patient to be told the cost for the coverage and they cannot afford it...Please try to work out a payment plan over a few months, I did that when my girl needed eye surgery, over 5000.00 but I was able to pay it in two monthy payments and I'd never met the vet before..I guess I'm saying do your best, know the costs upfront, try to have some money on hand, take good care of your dog (that costs nothing to walk him and feed him properly) and be ready to beg, borrow and do what's needed..I recently donated to two dog friends who really needed the cash..I did it through Paypal..These were great people who'd fallen on hard times, always been able to care for their dogs..I never asked any questions, I just donated..so be prepared to think of that as well...My dogs are my children and I've had dogs my whole life..saying goodbye to them because I couldn't pay the vet bills was never an option to me, not now not ever..I watched a little terrier girl we all tried to rescue from a California high kill shelter, we got her out and to a good family but the owners couldn't pay for her care any longer when they brought her to the shelter, she was only two..those stories are tough..
I believe in doing and providing the best for your pet that you can, and I guess it may sound cruel, but I also know my priorities. I am not wealthy, but not in need.. However u would not be able to spare tons of money on my pet. Does this mean I can never have a pet because I can't spend thousands of dollars onthem? I would do anything within my financial power, but if the amount was too much, what can I do.. Neglect my children and family? Just try to get help from any friends or family.. But they don't have that much extra let alone to spend on my pet. So I guess I'm asking, if you're middle class, is it wrong to have a "pet " just because you couldn't spend as much on them as your child? Where is the line?
It's really scary how some people can be so judgemental and ignorant, yet are still allowed to contaminate the internet (and the world, eventually) with their inconsiderate sh!t (like Roxy). Please do not voice opinions if you won't think about the topic thoroughly, considering that people come from different backgrounds, and this being just ONE among a HUNDRED other reasons which could collectively contribute to such poll results. ...................
Don't get a pet because you MIGHT not be able to afford emergency care. If people sit down and think about the cost of children, no one would have kids. Now that mine a grown and gone, I have plenty of time to devote to pets, but not necessarily tons of money for the vet. I have four pets (2 dogs, 2 cats), and they are all fixed and have all their shots, and get their wellness exams. As far as emergency care, I have been lucky that only one of the cats has been in twice at less than two hundred dollars both times. One cat at 12 years, one cat at 6 years, one dog a 4 years, and one dog at 2 1/2. I would say that's pretty good that I haven't had any more emergencies than that considering I have had all pets since babies. Yes, you do need to make sacrifices, but I don't need a fancy pair of jeans, or an expensive toy. I have my dogs to go hiking with, swimming with, cuddle with, what they like to do is FREE! I am just as careful with my dogs playtime, time they are alone, and what they eat and chew on just as I was careful with my children when they were young. Sure I have had to administer first aid a few times to my pets, and saved myself a few hundred dollars. What I can afford today does not mean I can afford it tomorrow. Even if I lost one of my pets today, I am content that the life they did have was better than a cage, better than cruelty, better than a horrible death. No one is guaranteed life, just one day at a time. At least I gave my pets a whole lot of days.
Many shelters have "free" animal adoption days to give animals a chance. A third or more of the polled could not afford a $2,000 emergency bill. Love a pet for as long as possible and do whatever you can to take care of it for as long as financially possible or leave them in the overpopulated no-kill shelters or kill shelters where they will be killed without the $2,000 emergency bill? Hmmmmmmm
I spent $7,000 on my beloved Siamese years ago when we thought her lung collapsed. She had to have emergency surgery and never recovered. It turned out to be cancer. She was hospitalized for a week. I brought her home for a weekend and then turned to euthanization. The last cat that I lost had cancer also. I am not sure how much I finally spent on him but we went to the vet for check ups, meds and fluids for a few weeks after I spent several hundred on tests to find out what was wrong. If it is an emergency I would probably spend $2.000 IF there was hope. My cats are my family and I would do anything to try to save them. But I would try not to be selfish about it and contribute to their suffering. That is easier said than done. It is always a juggling act for me when faced with the decision.
Yeah, why have a second child then because you already know how expensive they are; maybe you shouldn't have one...Or could it be that some people would rather adopt homeless dogs to give them the love and care that they need and figure out the details later because if you really sit down with friends and family I'm sure someone could get some money together collectively. After all, our dogs are considered family. Save them from neglect and kill shelters!
Daphne, with all due respect, you don't have to be wealthy to have a pet or a child, but if you don't have the financial means yo care for them you should Not have them. All animals and people need access to proper medical care and they shouldn't have do suffer or die because you have no means to provide care. Live within your means and if you are poor, get a goldfish.
It's really annoying when people point out that if you sit. Have $2k to spend in an emergency that you can't afford your dog and shouldn't have them!! STFU!!
Just bc you can't dish out $2k doesn't meant you shouldn't have pets. Or kids. Or a home. Or a car. Etc. stupid logic!! ERs happen doesn't mean we stop having things just bc we afraid of what could happen..
It's really scary how many people have pets who can't financially take care of them. Please do not have pets if you won't sacrifice things on your own life to pay for the things they need. *exasperated sigh*