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If something were to happen to your pet that it needed extensive medical treatment or surgery, how much would you be willing to spend if it meant saving its life???
Would the pets age play a factor in your decision making?
What if the only facility adequate enough to perform the necessary procedures was a long way from where you live? Would you make the drive?
Of course you will get varied answers, depending on the financial status of the owner and the importance of the relationship with the pet to the owner.
My cats ARE my family, so last yr, I did spend almost 2K on one to save his life. He was elderly already, but the chance to have this adored cat around longer (and in general good health except for aging) was the reason I went for it. He lived about one year and it was totally worth it, would do it again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper 88
If something were to happen to your pet that it needed extensive medical treatment or surgery, how much would you be willing to spend if it meant saving its life???
Would the pets age play a factor in your decision making?
What if the only facility adequate enough to perform the necessary procedures was a long way from where you live? Would you make the drive?
I ended up spending nearly 3k on one of my cats. It was over the course of 2 weeks after an accident. It was a case of "in for a penny, in for a pound" and things kepts being discoverd. Mostly simple fixes but costly all the same. He was less than a year old at the time and now he is 10, I joke that he can't ever get sick again because we spent all "his" money already. Thankfully he hasn't. If I had known up front I would have nixed it because I didn't have 3K...it all went on a credit card that took me a long time to pay off.
Since then I've come to terms with pets dying and have let my vet know that $1000, including tests, is my max for anything unusual. I lost 2 older cats and after diagnosis I provided comfort care. I still do preventative health checks and vac's and stuff.
its hard to be sure what id do if the situation actually happened. id be willing to spend more for my dog than my cat. ultimately, if it got too expensive id focus on comfort. maybe $5k cat, 10k dog.
Vastly depends on the animal...what they were worrth to me (I am talking emotionally here), how old and what the condition was, how I thought the animal could deal with heroic measures, etc.
I spent about five grand in a couple of months on various management/treatments for cancer in a dog, three years ago. It would also depend on my finances at the time, of course.
for me...there is no "maximum" on money or time...
and if i cant afford it up front ill do anything i can to find a way to afford it ect...
however to what extent id be willing to go would 100% depend on the condition and the animals likleyhood not only to survive treatment but have a good quality of life afterwards...
for example, if one of my pets *heaven forbid* got ill and i was told its a $5000 surgery to fix the problem but the animal had a 80% chance of survivial and an extreemly good prognosis for life afterwards being able to run play ect...then id find that $5000
but if someone told me that $5000 surgery had a 80% chance of survival but the prognosis for a good quality of life afterwards was pretty much zero (ie loosing all 4 legs as an extreem example) then id euthanize...
QUALITY of life to me is more important then QUANTITY...
and i expect the same for myself too...
if i were ever in a coma...if theres a great chance of survival and a good recovery leaving me good quality of life then give me a chance...however if im going to wake up but be a vegatable...just let me go...
disabilities like hearing or vision loss, even a leg or 2 (assuming a wheelchair could be made) ect can all be well adapted too...
but loosing both vision and hearing, or all 4 legs?! not so much.
The reason I ask your opinion is because I have a shepard mix that got " bumped " by a car and now has a fractured hip. We have taken her to alt of vets and every one of them has said its the worst they have ever seen. Now my options are to completely amputate { not gonna happen, id rather see her die with some dignity than to live miserably } or to get her an entitre hip replacement which would cost about 4k+. She is already 9 yrs. old so she would probly only live a few more years anyway, and most of that ttime would likely be spent in recovery, know what I mean? So, if things get worse for her, we will likely have to put her down. You hate to do something like that because she has really become a true member of our family, she was boughtat the county pound for $8 and has been one of the best dogs i have ever owned.
No. Many dogs and cats live VERY happily as a three-legged one. There is even a dog with only 2 back legs who was on the national news as an inspiration. The surgery is relatively easy and recovery is quick. I support a charity that has several tripods (google Noah's Ark Rescue in Okatie, SC).
if its only 1 leg effected id aputate, dogs dont think like humans do they adapt incredibly easily to life on 3 legs, they run play, act like nothing has changed...YOU as a human think shed be less dignified with with a mssing leg and thats just silly...while you as a human might have a hard time missing 1 leg...shes got 3 left to take the slack....
the fastest and highest jumping dog ive ever met was a greyhound that was missing a back leg he could eaisly keep up with the 3 other greyhounds in the house and clear a 6 ft fence in a single leap...
"tripods" have NO idea they are missing a leg...
if however it would require removing 2 legs, then id say given her age id probbaly euthanize they make "dog wheel chairs" but there better suited to smaller breeds and while missing 1 leg is a very easy recovery...missing 2 is a little more involved and quality of life can be compromised.
at 9 though i dont think id do a full hip replacment with a 2 yr recovery time on an average full hip replacment, her age and the likelyhood that shes probbaly got other joint issues developing if not already developed i dont think the latter quality of life with such a long recovery time would be worth it...
but a single leg amputation id do in a heartbeat, give her a few hours and shell be back up on her feet, and within a week there typically navigating normally and within 2 weeks your fighting to "keep them quiet" lol
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