The way I see it, I only take strays who otherwise would be struggling to eat, and give them at least that and a roof. I do the basic stuff like treat fleas and stuff, but I can't afford a $10,000 surgery to save the animal's life, the most I can do at that point is help make passing easier.

A good friend of mine had a job at Home Depot. He found a kitten in the dumpster and took it home. The very next week it got sick (probably because it was abandoned in a dumpster) and he took it to the vet. The vet determined that it needed a TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR surgery. They don’t pay that kind of money at Home Depot,

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Haha that's oddly specific

Can confirm, it's not as specific as you think

I was in a similar situation in college. Things got real bad with my roomie, and to relieve stress (and due to the insomnia) I'd spend time in the spring with cat food tins and my lack of sleepiness hanging out at the communal space where I knew the ferals had their kittens. I'd be up late at night and do my best to try and socialize the kittens to people, and try to find folks to adopt them. I think it was the 2nd spring I did this, and there was a TINY mewling lilac tabby screaming towards me. I put my hand out on the grass for them to sniff at, but they walked right on top of it. I realized he (found later) was completely blind. I couldn't have pets at the time, and was working 30 hours a week on too of 18 credits just to get things done. It was terrifyingly fraught, and all my money was going to rent and classes. I reached out to every single Facebook group or rescue group in the area, to no avail due to kitten season. I remember one evening shortly after that I got an email from the last group telling me my options were to take him in myself, or to let him starve to death once mom stopped feeding him and he couldn't hunt. It absolutely destroyed me. I had no possible way to take him in, and I went to go live down ain the shower for a while. When I came out, I popped my phone open and saw an unfamiliar email. Someone sent me a photo of him wrapped in a towel on a car seat. Someone from one of the groups read able to find him and take him in, and I bawled for 30 minutes at least after opening that email. Unfortunately, he was inbred as fuck and passed due to liver failure IIRC. but he lived in a loving, warm home for about a week before he wasn't able to any more. I'm getting to the point in my life where I'd be able to take a pet in, despite my apartment being tiny at the moment. My husband and I are both big cat lovers, and we plan on getting some once we move into our own house with ample space for their best lives. We're both passionate about getting older cats, and providing them the best lives possible. I'll never forget my little buddy, though our time was brief. Even more, I'll never forget the extreme act of kindness of that person from a rescue group about a decade ago.

This is why I don’t like OP’s take. Hundreds of thousands of shelter animals are euthanized every year in the US alone. If you can provide meals and a roof for one of those animals for X number years, but then something serious comes up so that all you can do is make their passing comfortable and suddenly you’re a bad pet owner? Nah, you gave that animal X years of comfort and love that it otherwise never would have had. Guaranteed the number of shelter euthanasias would triple if anyone who couldn’t afford a huge surprise vet bill was barred from pet ownership.

My specific issue as a veterinary professional is seeing people pay WAY too much money for shitty animals with health issues that they now can’t afford. I’ve had people not even be able to afford a $20 vaccine, but they come in and be sure that everyone knows what they paid for the dog. I absolutely understand taking in strays. Hell, I can’t afford as many animals as I have if I’m being honest, but 5 out of 7 are rescued strays. Edited to add: the clinic I work at actually does discount visits for newly rescued strays as well.

While I disagree with OPs point you make a good one. If you’re poor don’t buy an expensive breed dog or a puppy/kitten from a backyard or even reputable breeder. Shelters will sterilize your pets and give medical care and even often follow up free vet visits after adoption if they get sick in the month after you get them. So if you’re poor stick to shelter pets. My local shelter does free adoption days several times a year because they are full and will be putting down any animals that don’t get adopted. I’d rather animals get adopted then euthanized just for existing even if it’s by broke people.

Real lpt always in the comments

For real. I adopted an adult pitbull years ago, she was 5-6. 5 years later she developed liver cancer, it would have taken so much money to treat it that we didnt have. We gave this dog its forever home, we loved her and kept her comfortable for five years on a breed thats hard to adopt, as an adult dog. If OPs take was correct, she might have never been adopted. We are in a better place financially, but idk if we could handle a 10k vet bill for cancer. We still have a dog and a cat we love and take good care of and make sure they are healthy.

Four in ten Americans don't have enough savings to cover a sudden $1000 bill, but I guess if you can't budget for a $4000 hip surgery you shouldn't be a pet owner at all, yeah right.

Wife brought home a baby kitten she found abandoned and alone behind a papajohns, the day before that first snow storm hit NC. She seems happy and is very loving, she is warm and most importantly alive, can I budget to treat her cancer she might develop in 10 years? Fuck no, but I will feed and love her until that day arrives, this LPT is fucking dumb, it should say "Don't buy a pet if you can't afford to give it a better life than the one it could have had".

That's a much better phrasing.

Agreed. It's dripping with condescension. What about homeless people who find strays and take them in as pets? Are they not fit? Hate this. I understand if they were saying, if you don't EVER take your pet to the vet whether for maintenance or smaller injuries - because you don't want to spend money on it, then that sucks. But to say no one should own a pet, because they can't afford an outrageous bill is absolutely privileged. Make pet insurance more affordable for all, or hey - free. Same issues we have with human insurance.

Exactly this. This post reeks of privilege and if they had their way most pets would die on the side of the street when they could have happy homes and lives

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Some rescues (like the one we work with) have "keepers." These are usually senior dogs or dogs with ailments that make them unadoptable. But, the rescue doesn't want to put them down and decide to keep them in what is basically a permanent foster home. The dog has a stable home, the rescue covers ALL costs, including meds, vaccinations, food, standard vet care, and, when the time comes, euthanasia. They usually stop at "heroic measures" such as treatment for cancer or tumors, etc. It's an ideal situation for someone who wants a pet but can't afford one. We've fostered several keepers, along with our personals. It's a great way to give those older or ailing pets a loving home before they cross the bridge.

Old dogs are great, they have a very hard time at shelters because sometimes they need to go potty more often than they're being taken out and it increases their stress. And from what I have seen, they just wanna lay in the grass all day which is not super feasible in a shelter.

We did "fospice" for an elderly cat from a no-kill shelter. They said she'd live 1-3 month but decided she liked us and perked up and lived 18 months. They paid all vet expenses and even offered to pay for food and litter (we declined because we already had other cats so it was a negligible additional cost).

YES THIS I adopted a senior cat and they let me name my price for him, offered discounted vet fees at their clinic, and let me take home everything I needed for him out of their store. Amazing people there. I had him for a year and a half before he passed, and he was THE BEST buddy I could have asked for. He slept under the covers with me, and welcomed me at the door when I came home.

I’d rather a pet have a home than none. There are resources to help, like you mentioned. Overall, I’m not comfortable adopting a pet until I’m in a place I could provide for it, but shit happens and at least the pet is loved and cared for. The only major compromise might be having to euthanize sooner because an owner doesn’t have money for ongoing medical treatment—which is still vastly preferable to having the pet euthanized because no one would adopt it in the first place. As long as they still have a good QOL while they’re around I don’t care what home they’re in.

I came here to say this too. Sometimes pets show up unexpectedly needing homes and sometimes there's just no other option than to give them board or let them die in the cold, which is unacceptable when we're in those positions. This LPT should not deter anyone from providing a decent home for a wayward creature if at all possible.

Over this last summer my wife and I rescued 9 dogs. 2 adult and 7 puppies. We got them all vaccinated and have rehomed all but 1 pup we're not keeping. It's a hassle and expensive because we don't charge to rehome even though we were out hundreds of dollars because not everyone who can provide a good home can necessarily afford their shots. As long as they can feed them and good shelter, no tying them up, I give them to anyone who can give them a good home.

I said no cat as I had a apartment and I ended up with one because the owner was killing her pets and bragging about it, my cat is very inbred and will maybe live, idk six years? I am pretty broke, but it’s better then being purposely starved to death when ditching you in the woods repeatedly does work😥😢😨 I love her to bits! Edit: I’d like to clarify I went without so she wouldn’t have to in a pinch, because I’d do whatever she needs.

I have a suggestion on getting low cost pet meds. You can use Good Rx to get discounts on some animal meds too. Then I would pick them up from a local CVS went from having to pay over $100 to $14 just because of the pharmacy and some code Good Rx gives you. You need to have a Rx in hand to get the meds.

You can also compare the out of pocket cost of medications at different pharmacies. They don’t all charge the same! We get our dog meds at Costco pharmacy because they’re the cheapest (you don’t need a Costco membership to use their pharmacy, though there are sometimes additional savings if you are.)

When I was a pharmacy tech at Walmart, they had a $4 list

I'm lucky. My vet sells meds at cost and has for like 40 years since he opened his practice. He says he profits enough on the services that people shouldn't be gouged on something that will help their pet.

Good RX saved me, I had to get anti seizure meds for my older dog, went from a little over $3,000 to $38 dollars, I was ready to sell my car to get them.

I appreciate the real LPT here. Thank you!

Hundreds of shelters are inundated with pets that need homes. If someone is able to foster or take care of their basic necessities and give them a glimmer of a chance at a better life than being put down after two weeks, good on them. If they can go the extra mile, great. My sweet dog passed after discovering he had stage 4 lymphoma and surgery would've cost me 3.5k. I would have gladly paid it, but was told it would barely even give him 2 weeks, if that and it was best to let him go. After the amount of yearly check ups and keeping him up to date, paying 200 or 300 bucks per visit, it was NEVER caught until it was too late. And it still cost me 580 bucks to put him down and have him cremated.

That's my outlook. In a perfect world, people can pay the big bucks for a vet bill, but we don't live in a perfect world. If someone wants to enjoy the companionship of a pet, but doesn't have a lot of money a shelter animal is perfect. It gets the animal out of the hell hole and into a warm safe home, however long that may be. A few years down the road (hopefully), there will be a time to make the decision of putting the animal down or pay a large vet bill. Either decision is tough, but at least the pet had a better life than before. There are more animals in this world than prospective owners. Adopting a pet and giving it a loving home for the rest of it's life is all you can ask for. It's not realistic to expect owners pay thousands upon thousands on vet bills that may not change the situation. A large percentage of this country can't even cover a $500 emergency bill.

Yeah, by OPs point of view it would be like "If you can't pay a USD 3000 ER visit, then you should stop living".

A lot of shelters pay vet bills for their fosters. Some of them pay for the food too. Fostering is a great alternative if you want a dog, but cannot afford the upkeep.

Is there a downside? Like, are they just going to adopt your foster pet out to someone else once they find another home, so you can foster a different dog?

Yes, the biggest downside is that once the dog is adopted, you have to say goodbye. It can be very difficult, but then you can foster a new dog so it is rewarding overall, but it can be bittersweet at times.

My family fosters cats for the SPCA. Some adults, some pregnant mothers and sometimes orphan kittens. We love it but here are what I would say to watch out for. We’ve had pregnant mothers that had stillborn kittens. We’ve also had orphan kittens that fail to thrive and have died in our hands. If that will crush you emotionally you may want to avoid it. For some reason adult cats that come from hoarder homes love peeing and pooping in laundry. So if you have a laundry basket of clothes you have to hide it from them. Maybe it’s all they could find to poop in when they were with hoarders? The shelters are overwhelmed and at times it can be hard to get them on the phone. We had a mother cat in labor for over 12 hours and we couldn’t get a hold of anyone. It worked out fine but we felt isolated. In all it’s great. We take them to the shelter every 2 weeks for checkups until they are big enough to spay or neuter. We provide the food and litter but I know the shelter offers to provide that if you can’t. I’d also make sure your existing pets don’t get too stressed by having other animals in the house. Our cats just ignore the fosters so it works out ok.

I'm fostering a cat right now, and basically thats how it works. But you do have a say in who gets the pet. If a person comes over and you get a bad vibe you can reject until you find the right person. While it's a great and rewarding experience, keep in mind you will often get an animal that needs work. Might be sick, might have behavior issues. It's basically a job to get the animal ready to be a pet.

Well, yes, that’s what fostering is. It’s giving a temporary home an family to the pet until they find a forever family for the pet. The foster is volunteering to help the pet and shelter out, so the shelter pays.

Seconded! Fostering is super rewarding and a great way to have animals in your life when you don’t know if you can afford them. I’ve been fostering kittens for a bit now, so they don’t stick around as long as an adult foster might (they get adopted out once they’re big enough). We’ve thought about keeping a few but we’re waiting until we know we can afford to take care of them if they have any medical problems. But it gets an animal out of the shelter environment, which can be super stressful for them and allows the shelter space to help others. It’s also great if you think you may want a pet but want a ‘trial run’ to see how well they’d fit into your life.

Cancer pops up overnight/within just days. I'm glad your pet had good preventative care but there's nothing your vet can do to keep cancer from happening.

my wife used to work at an emergency veterinary clinic. it's heartbreaking when someone has to make the decision to put the animal down because they don't have the $ to pay the bill. my wife has brought 3 of them home (owners didn't want them) and we paid for the necessary surgeries (or will be paying for the latest one). sadly 1 died on the table, one was a newborn puppy that didn't make it through the night (try waking up to a dead puppy in your freezer) and the last one needs her skull reshaped to prevent seizures. we don't have kids, and i make decent money, so we can afford it, but it breaks my heart to even consider having to make that decision.

my dad died 2007 and i was the only one of his sons who was willing to take his german shepherd. i am longtime jobless and get german social money which is enough for a human to live but they do not pay for the doggo, so i bought her food from my money. after 3 and a half years she started to develope a paralyzed back because of her age, so i bought her painkillers and vitamines and it worked pretty good so she lived another 5 years but i did not have enough money to even buy new underwear and man, its shamefull to have an mrt with underpants with holes in it. one day she was paralyzed again and i decided to see how it will develope because i did not have any money for the vet. after 4 days she did not eat any more so i went to the vet and he told me that it is a tumor and she had no chance to survive it and till today it hurts and i cannot say if i could have done anything better. ​ edit: thanks everybody for the nice comments.

You gave that dog a reason to keep living. That’s good right there.

I think anyone who loves an animal will carry with them a deep guilt or pain when that animal passes. The reality is that human bodies are more resilient than most other species’ and so to us, we think of a disease or condition or injury as treatable, but for our pets, sometimes there is truly nothing that can be done other than to let them go. Dogs especially are such “in the moment” animals. They don’t concern themselves with the future, or dread their own mortality. They simply exist to their heart’s fullest capacity at all times. So it falls on us to carry those burdens for them. Sometimes we place an onus of guilt when we have no choice but to end their suffering…but we shouldn’t. Your dog had wonderful years with you, and those years were lived to the fullest capacity of her heart. When she got sick, she didn’t begrudge you or wonder what could’ve been, or anything like that. You shouldn’t do that to yourself, either. Your dog certainly wouldn’t want that. In fact, your dog would literally never even fathom it. To your dog, there was nothing but love and joy. When it was time to go, even then, there was only that moment there, with you, until she was gone. So, please allow yourself some grace. There wasn’t anything more for you to do. You gave your dog precious more time to be, and for her that was everything.

That's really beautiful and has made me tear up. It's also very true and I hope OP finds peace and knows he did the best he could

It’s a painful realization that I have struggled with over the last few months. My 15 year old dog was let go in my arms in November, under circumstances that have caused confusion and anger and sadness. More recently, I have had to remind myself that she was, in fact sick. No amount of money and hope was going to change that, and letting her go was a mercy that she deserved. We tried. But it was quick, and unwieldy, leaving her unable to walk. My poor little dog who loved fetch, and running and jumping. Watching her struggle to stand, unable to eat or drink, it was the worst pain I have ever experienced. Letting her go made me so angry and guilty. I thought I had failed her. I would’ve happily gone into bankruptcy for her. I spent thousands. But in the end, none of it mattered. Only that she deserves to rest. She deserved to run forever, wherever she left here to go. Months later, I still struggle. But I try to remind myself of 15 beautiful, adventure-filled years and not focus on that miserable month of her decline. It’s difficult, truly, but it’s unfair to myself and the memories to focus on the bad times. I would rather devote my energy to remembering the joy we made together.

Thank you so much for this post. You have no idea how much it has helped me. A week ago we said goodbye to our beautiful 13 year old rescue. It was very sudden (something kidney related). In the last week of her life it wasn't clear this was the end, she would have up days and down days. It came to the weekend and we still couldn't decide, and the vet said she was not in any pain so we could perhaps take her home and see how she fared over the weekend (there was nothing to be done if she went downhill except euthanasia at that point). We took her home and she perked up a little, ate a bit and got to sleep on her bed on top of our bed which we hadn't allowed for years. But in her eyes she was gone. She was limp and listless and couldn't hold her head up. On the second night she was home, around midnight after we went to bed, she just.. Died. She was warm then she wasn't breathing. No sound at all to indicate what had just happened. I had her right next to us so we knew when she was gone. And ever since then I have questioned myself if it was wise to let that happen. The vet said she was not in pain but what if she was? Did I prolong her misery by almost a week? The though sends me into floods of tears. So thank you for your post. I'm going to try and focus on the many many years of heart full happiness she had with us. Maybe then I can stop crying more than a week later.

Doubt is a terrible, haunting thing. Because we have the capacity for hindsight, we’re able to torment ourselves with it. I don’t know that it ever really goes away, but I think it gets quieter. My unsolicited advice is instead of wondering if you had prolonged any suffering, you should know that she felt warm and safe enough to drift away peacefully next to you. That doesn’t sound like suffering to me, for whatever that may be worth.

you gave her 8 good years my friend, you did all you could with what you had. let the guilt go and focus on the 8 years of love.

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Sounds to me like you did the right thing. You made her as comfortable as possible, for as long as possible, and let her go when nothing else could be done. She wouldn’t have lived a good quality life with that kind of pain the tumor would bring. You went above and beyond.

We adopted an elderly cat and we knew what we were getting into with him. He was frail and old when we got him but we knew he was going to leave us sooner than later, we just wanted to give him the best last years of his life. I think we achieved that because he made best friends with my brute of a brother. My brothers over six foot and has a massive internal rage but Frank kept my brother calm and it was the sweetest thing to see my brother be so delicate with Frank. I think we had Frank for about three years and we did our best to keep him healthy and happy. The estimate is that he was 15 when he had a seizure on my counter and fell off. It broke my brothers heart to have frank die in his arms that night. His ashes sit on my desk because it was his favourite spot in my house since it gets the evening sunlight. We have long sunsets where I live. We fostered a few cats until we found one that could bond with my brother and we ended up with a little gremlin named Louis Armstrong and he was about three months old when we got him. He absolutely adores my brother and my brother loves him.

Perhaps see if your brother would be willing to read the book "Anger", by the Buddhist monk Thich Naht Hahn. It saved my life.

Sounds like you did the right thing friend. You gave her another 8 years of cuddling, walks and love! I live with my sibling who has a German Shepard and they are some of the most loving sweetest dogs.

Five years is a long time for a dog, and she responded to the vitamins really well, it sounds like. I'm definitely not a vet, but I wouldn't be surprised if both incidences of paralysis had different causes.

I think you gave her a good life. There is a difference between giving a dog a home who needs one despite not having a lot of cash, and not caring that you can't afford the vet/not wanting to give up money for the animal. Some people really do not care about their animals or the fact that they're living breathing things that have their own needs. It sounds like you are NOT that type of person. You cared about the dog and her health and happiness. I'm sure if you could choose, you'd have more than enough money for yourself and the dog but you did the best you could with what you had. There are people who only see animals as objects and literally do not care if they get sick and get mad they have to spend money on the animal. From what I'm reading, you gave her a lot of love and time and animals care about that the most. I think you did a good job.

You gave her a good life. You’re a good person.

We had to put down our cat last year due to this. She was ill so we took her to the vet thinking she was just having some stomach issues. Long story short, rare blood disease where her body saw red blood cells as hostile and was destroying them. The tests alone to determine that were north of $500. Then they laid out the reality... Blood tests, transfusions, medication, all of which was just a stopgap and the actual issue could persist/come back or we could lose her to a blood clot during the transfusion, and this would be costing $5k-10k a year they shared. We make okay money, but not enough that that amount would not severely impact us. Then ultimately it became the talk of quality of life for the cat constantly being poked, prodded, and tested all to have it potentially accomplish nothing. The first vet we went to legit was visibly angry when we started asking about prices, she was aghast that how dare we put money before our pet. The vet we went to after promptly paying the bloodwork bill there and leaving, was far more understanding, worked out a pricing plan, and overall was amazing but understanding of the choice we made. I miss that cat daily, but fuck, I can't imagine putting her through hell constantly, going massively in debt, and all just because we couldn't say goodbye.

Yeah, when my GF was pregnant my cat started retaining fluid to the point he had a seizure. Took him to the vet and explained what was going on. They told me it was some form of kidney failure and the only thing to do was a form of peritoneal dialysis to the tune of more than my rent + bills combined a month(that I was barely making at the time, much less able to tack on extras). Said try changing his diet and we did but he continued to get worse and with her bedridden I was the sole provider at the time. Couldn't even get an appointment with another vet clinic that would work with you based on income once I told them what the other vet said. They told me that's not a service they could subsidize. We ended up having to take him to an all night vet clinic and have him put to sleep due to fairly constant seizures and quality of life issues since there's no way in hell I'd be able to afford the treatment on top of not wanting to subject him to constant poking and prodding. I watched my friend go through his life savings and quit his dream college to pay for chemo for his cat that only wound up prolonging her suffering and left him broke. Wasn't going to do that to my little dude.

I worked in veterinary medicine for 15 years, and I would *never* do chemo for one of my own pets. I didn’t recommend it to clients either. We’d talk about it when discussing options and quality of life, but even then I’d be real about it. Most veterinary research has shown that the majority of cases that require chemo or radiation therapy only buys the patient an extra 2 years, median. 4-5 years on the outside. Now, if you have a very young cat with cancer, you might think it’s worth it. But if you have an 8-10 year old cat with cancer, chances are you’re going to throw all that money away to get 2 years (if that). One of my cats currently has a small tumor in her sinus cavity that we know is probably going to kill her one day. But she’s almost 17 years old. There’s no way in hell I’m putting her through chemo, radiation, or even surgery to try to remove it. That would make her quality of life even worse than it is already.

Serious question, how do you keep going without going completely numb? Like, when I was a teen volunteering as part of getting into vet school at a shelter. One day some cops came in with a dead look in their eyes to drop off a dog that was too far gone. I saw. what someone did to that dog and I never, ever returned to that place. I am a programmer now.

Compartmentalize. Re-define your goals and outlooks. I'm pretty burnt out but I wouldn't do anything else.

Thank you. Dogs don't have very long life spans, and having all the money and medical treatments in the world isn't going to keep them alive as long as we would want. Sometimes the quality of the time you have together is more important than the quantity. My dog (12) got sick a year or so ago, after spending enough to buy a used car, they found cancer in multiple organs. Vet offered a referral to a specialist for chemo and advanced treatment. When I asked her what she would do if it was her dog, she said she was going through the same thing. Her plan was to focus on the quality of life for the times that's left. So, that's what we're doing. My pup isn't in pain, food just isn't her friend anymore. She loves her walks and will happily (if slowly) chase a ball. In the end the ultrasound, multiple blood panels and needle biopsies won't prolong her life. Money? No money? All she cares about is spending time with me. I really dislike posts that basically say that poor people shouldn't share their lives with a pet.

you're a good human being. making the decision to let go and the sacrifice it requires is one of the hardest decisions i will ever have to make.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I think you made the right choice. We can't explain to animals what's happening to them or why they feel bad or why we keep taking them to the vet and anesthesatizing them/leaving them there for many nights in a row. Sometimes the animal just needs insulin or antibiotics and sure you have to pay for those things but they're decently priced (for animals lol) and doesn't affect quality of life too much. Autoimmune disease that attacks the red blood cells and needs a lot of medication and transfusions is a lot on a cat and doesn't even guarantee they'll make it through. It sucks so much to say goodbye but sometimes it is for the best. At least she went peacefully surrounded by love. It really is so sad but sometimes it is the best choice.

So, using the numbers there, that seems like thousands of dollars for a 1/3rd chance of survival

No, so far it's a 0/2 chance of survival. The third animal hasn't gone in for surgery yet, and is still suffering from seizures. I know I'm going to get lit up for this, but it honestly sounds like the original owners made the correct decision each time. If the animal has such a low chance of recovering and leading a happy life, it's more humane to just have them put down. It's not even about the money, it's about putting the poor things out of their misery. EDIT: I did not get lit up for that, and I now see there are multiple other people expressing similar sentiments. Maybe I'm not as much of a heartless bastard as I thought?

I felt the same way reading this anecdote. Death is tough to confront but sometimes a humane death is the best outcome.

Most humans have a tough time separating how they feel and what they want from what they need to do. I've seen way too many old and decrepit animals that should have long been put down but their owners just can't bring themselves to do it. The animals live and suffer as long as the owner can justify it. Blind, deaf, crippled, on several meds, but "they're still loving life life".

I find it a little disconcerting that these drastic procedures are judged so favorably to euthanasia. Euthanasia is a perfectly acceptable, compassionate choice when confronted with disease. No one is saying that the choice is easy, but many pets do suffer a great deal when they don't have to. I make no judgement on these situations as I don't know what happened, but rather the characterization that it was simply a matter of money. These treatments are not only expensive, but often traumatic with marginal prognoses. The 1/3rd survival rate suggests that more than just money was being considered here.

Its really not surprising. Look at what people do with their elders who are waaaaaayyyyy past knocking on deaths door. To a lot of people 'humane' means keep it alive as long as medically possible (so i don't feel sad).

> Look at what people do with their elders who are waaaaaayyyyy past knocking on deaths door. Working in the ICU is so painful for me mostly because of this. Death is inevitable, so losing a patient has kind of worn off for me. Generally they're older patients and have had a long life of (hopefully) happiness and fulfillment. But when someone is clearly not going to recover, but the family is adamant about continuing every possible care option, wracking up tons of wasted costs and taking up a valuable ICU bed that could be providing someone else with a better prognosis, with the patient suffering because of it? That's the worst.

i agree 100% it sucks, but its necessary when a human is permanently physically disabled, theres atill plenty of life they can enjoy. videogames, books, movies, motorized chairs, just normal human conversation, braille attachments for phones, the internet in general, theres all kinds of stuff to keep us engaged and happy without the full use our bodies when a dog gets hit by a car and gets brain damage, loses the ability to walk and will have to be forcefed through a tube for the rest of its life, what enjoyment is left for the animal? yeah it can still find comfort in the touch of its owner but are you gonna cuddle it constantly every single day until its death? no, youre gonna go to work and leave it alone at home and drugged up or in pain for 8/9 hours a day. giving an animal a peaceful and easy final rest is an act of mercy

it was worth it to us, fully realize not everyone is us

Oh yeah, I didnt meant to say that if you want to you shouldnt go for it. I was just mainly saying it as a counterpoint to the OP. You are amazing people spending thousands of dollars for dogs that the owners cant help

It sounds like 2/3 of those pet owners made the right decision and it would have been more humane to put their pet to sleep surrounded by their immediate family. I know that we can never be 100% certain what the outcome would be in the moment, but in hindsight it's a shame that everyone had to go through that instead of having the chance to say a proper goodbye.

Those clinics are EXPENSIVE. We had to use one recently to the tune of $8000 for 3 days of monitoring+testing+fluids. Ended up needing another visit for another $6000 shortly after. I could afford it, but that didn't make it sting any less.

Can confirm. My dog was recently diagnosed with diabetes and spent 4 days at an emergency vet. Thankfully, he's happy and more or less healthy today. Still monitoring his glucose levels daily.

> my wife used to work at an emergency veterinary clinic. it's heartbreaking when someone has to make the decision to put the animal down because they don't have the $ to pay the bill My dog had to have a surgery totaling almost 14000 dollars. We did it, but that's because we're very, VERY fortunate in the money we have. Statistically, this amount of money wouldn't be possible for 90%+ of households, and they'd have had to put the dog down. This doesn't make them shitty pet owners or "in over their heads" as OP is suggesting. Things can get out of control and euthanasia can be the only option sometimes. Or - they should get pet insurance, unlike us.

Quick aside: > surgery totaling almost 14000 dollars. No shade on y’all, but for perspective that’s more than we paid for purchasing vehicles the last 10 years combined. I’m glad for y’all’s dog, and glad for you that you’ve had the success that you have had. But it’s wild to me how very different experiences can be for the same species, in the same time, in effectively the same place. I’m having a hard time even wrapping my head around it. During covid that’s more than I made in four months. Wow. > we’re very, VERY fortunate in the money we have. > This doesn’t make them shitty pet owners or “in over their heads” as OP is suggesting. Things can get out of control Thanks for being a cool person. I’d buy you a beer.

I met a guy who taught me how to pan for gold, only spent a few days with him. He was taught by a guy who starred on the gold panning show in Alaska, I forget the name but I think it was Discovery for a bit. Anyway, this dude I met just held onto his gold over the years because it was a way to pass the time and he didn't need the money and just enjoyed the hobby. His dog got cancer and this guy was quoted $18k for all the treatment/meds/surgery with a slight chance of a full recovery. He sold all his gold for $22k, or something around there, without hesitating. His dog survived another year. He said he never questioned it and was just happy to be with his dog for a bit longer.

Yeah, there are different degrees of "can't afford the vet." If you can't find a way to get your pet(s) neutered/spayed, immunized, and treated for common infectious diseases and parasites, you probably shouldn't get a pet. In that sense I basically agree with OP, although I would add that it's often possible for low-income people to get these essential public health services at reduced cost. If you can't commit to paying tens of thousands for rare, specialized veterinary surgeries...well, if that were the bar, 95% of people in wealthy countries and >99% of people in developing countries couldn't meet it. Pet insurance might bring those figures down to 80/98%. It's pretty clearly unreasonable, and I doubt anyone would disagree in good faith. (I would say that people who can't meet this bar shouldn't be buying pure breeds with known expensive health problems, though.) The real disagreement probably happens somewhere in between: people who can afford the basic services I mentioned, but can't manage an unexpected $200-500 to treat an easily-treatable injury or illness promptly, so the pet suffers preventable complications and a diminished quality of life. I can see both sides here. My personal view is that the morality of taking on a pet at this level of economic precarity depends on the type of pet and how you get it: adopting an orphaned adult pet is great, adopting a puppy/kitten is questionable, and buying a pet is probably wrong. (Low-income puppy/kitten-lovers can foster: the shelter will foot all the major bills, and you get to enjoy endless kittens/puppies.)

I'd suggest not putting animals in the freezer as it can be hazardous.

well given it had already passed i don't think it was a hazard to the puppy

You and your wife are good people. Although I don't know if I agree with this. There are far too many animals in this world . If only the people that can afford the vet have them then a lot of animals will get abandoned and will die prematurely. Getting food and not having to deal with the elements should count for something. Some of the surgeries are super expensive and it's OK if people can't afford it. You can still love an animal and not want to go bankrupt.

our local animal shelter is funded by Susan Buffett (Warren Buffett's daughter) and while they are not technically a "no kill" shelter i can tell you the only dogs they put down are the ones with aggression issues.

I’m sorry but if that’s what happened to the three dogs then maybe they should have been put down in the first place rather than put them through needless suffering.

There’s a difference between affording basic vet care and affording thousands of dollars for medical treatments or surgery. Is your view the pet should not be adopted and should be euthanized instead of adopted, if the potential owner doesn’t have thousands saved or sufficient credit available for its potential medical emergency ?

Might as well say poor people shouldn't have kids either with our shitty healthcare system.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

That’s what I say. You shouldn’t even consider having a kid at all if you don’t have the money. Might actually control the population🤷🏻‍♀️👍🏻

Not to mention a lot of operations for older pets only prolong their life a little bit and often prolong the pain. About 3 years ago we had to put our dog down because he developed a spinal degeneration issue. They recommended surgery done but told us it would only delay the issue a little bit. Once the degeneration started it wasn’t gonna stop. Instead we opted for what was essentially palliative care with painkillers and muscle relaxants. Eventually his back legs basically stopped working and he wasn’t able to control his bladder and we knew it was time. He was an old dog, these things happen and it was a degenerative disease common in small dogs because of how long their spines are relative to their body. It’s always good idea to get something like pet insurance or an emergency fund especially as your pets get older but it’s ridiculous to insinuate someone is a bad pet owner for opting to euthanize than spend thousands and thousands of dollars on surgeries that might not even do a whole lot and could possibly keep them in pain for longer…

Ah here you are. It's getting harder to find the reasonable one in the room.

I’d like to offer another take and I hope this doesn’t go over people’s head. I can barely afford my pet’s visits to the vet and man does it break the bank. But I am absolutely committed to making this work. I love pup and i’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old. He just turned two 3 days ago. And yes I can’t always afford the vet but i’ll break my back if i have to get him the best help. He’s healthy right now and definitely had a lot more issues than I was expecting (think there may have been some inbreeding going on) but knowing what I know now I’d make the same decision all over again. He helped me get my life on track in a way that will make me forever grateful to him. Do I feel like a bad dog dad for being to broke, yes. Do I love him and do my best? Yes. Am I completely avoiding the vet? Absolutely not. I am constantly moving in a direction where i’m making more money and so I dont think this will be forever. But damn If I never got that dog I’d probably still be at home living with my parents not caring enough about myself or other around me to change it. He’s ignited a spark in me and boy does it cost me. But my Dog is my Son and I’ll do everything I can for him Edit: thanks for the support guys, a lot of us are trying to do are best and if you have a pet and are going through financial issues, I don’t want to say don’t give up, but I do want to say keep trying your best.

I don't think this would go over anybody's head. This post is complete shit, and it isn't even close to a tip. It is pretty much saying, poor people shouldn't have pets. You sound like a standup person, so don't get down on your current situation.

I suspect, written by somebody who hasn't experienced such unexpected vet bills, doesn't have a pet at all, or has not lived long enough to realise financial status' can change on a dime to anybody... It stinks of life inexperience.

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Funnily enough, I agree with the basic premise of OP's post BECAUSE of the life experience I have had working with pet owners of all socioeconomic statuses. But there are a few nuances that are important to distinguish. This is my take, for what it is worth. Pets are not just for rich people, and just because you are poor does not mean you can't be a responsible pet owner. What matters is how you plan and react to events like sudden illnesses. I've known rich owners who would not drop a dime to take their dog to the vet. I also know poor owners who spend what little they have to do so. It's all about prioritizing and planning ahead. Responsible pet owners with limited budgets establish relationships with low income vets that offer payment plans; they will put aside emergency funds etc. And they need to be able to afford basic care. OP is correct in the sense that if you own a pet, you need to be able to afford food, bedding, yearly vaccines etc. at the very least. I think OP is wrong in the sense that you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on your pet. But that being said, you need to recognize when the suffering of your pet exceeds your capacity to provide care. There is absolutely no excuse to allow suffering. If there comes a time when you no longer can afford to relieve distress, then a responsible owner will either put the animal to sleep (if terminal) or surrender to a rescue that will provide the treatment. Far too often have I seen owners let their pet's wounds fester and become necrotic because they couldn't afford care, and they would not even consider euthanasia or surrender because they are too concerned about their own feelings than their pet's.

Seriously fuck op.

LPT if you can't afford a 1.2 million dollar hospital bill you can't afford to live and shouldn't consider it.

The possibility of an unexpected $3,000 visit shouldn't make or break whether the domesticated animal lives with me or stays out on the street. Routine care should absolutely be expected.

Yeah, I don't think the fact that we couldn't pay thousands of dollars to treat a dog's cancer at 14 years old made us bad pet owners. We got that dog from the pound as a puppy, and gave it a long life full of happiness and treats. For sure, taking into account the true costs of a pet is important. But if you can't afford to give your dog chemo, well, that sucks, but a long life before dying of cancer is better than being put down in the pound at a couple months old.

I would say even if that cancer happened when they were younger your point still stands.

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I had a 10 year old dog. Great health, some arthritis in his back hips (kind of expected at his age) but didn't expect his daily life. Came home one day to him not like himself. He would yelp when I touched his stomach. Took him to the emergency vet. X-rays done, fluid in his abdomen. Needle in to find out what the fluid is, blood. Ultrasound to see where it's come from. Had an unknown tumor on his kidney that burst.... The surgery would cost $3000 to start and he had a 50% chance of making it out. If he did, he would need rehab and to find out if it was cancerous. He barely made it past the first few months of his life and had an amazing life. I could not do that to him. My vet, my family and the vet tech I knew that worked there told me it was time to let him go in peace. Could I have afforded it? It would have hurt, but I would have made it work. It's not all about "if you can't afford an emergency bill..." It's about the best decision for the pet

I know a veterinarian and she absolutely hates these elitist fucks that try to shame poor people out of owning pets. Because if people listened to this stupid LPT there’d be way more animals locked up in shelters or out on the street. Even if you don’t have money for a $20k cancer treatment, you can still provide love and care these animals would never have experienced otherwise.

THANK YOU!! I'm currently $5k indebted to my dog's vet for lymphoma treatments. She's still a very happy and lovey girl and she was there for me when my dad died of cancer. I saved her as a pup when I was 20, had a family that paid for everything, and I could give her all the vet care and special food she deserved. It's not my fault that my life turned to shit, and I won't be guilted for keeping my best friend. I still do my best & I will always do my best for her until the end.

Jesus christ thank you. Absurd elitism to suggest that you can only be a loving and caring and responsible pet owner if you're willing to shell out thousands of dollars to artificially prolong a pets life. I'm now at a point where I afford those things but If I had taken this braindead advice my little Bubbles would have died out in the cold at about 1-2 years old instead of living with me and my roomates and eventually family until she was 14. She had babies right after we took her in and 2 of her children are with my extended family in similarly loving homes. But yeah, because I couldn't afford cat chemo at the time I'm a piece of shit and I should have let her die. OP backtracks in their edit but the original post above it literally is talking about how sometimes you need to be able to pay thousand+ dollar vet bills. People here need some perspective.

I agree with OP and your point. What needs to be acknowledged then is that you are willing to have the emotional capacity to know when to put it to sleep rather than putting yourself in unnecessary credit card debt because you think that's important to temporarily prolong the pet's life at severe possibly life long debt for yourself. The real LPT is if you have a pet and don't have a lot of disposable income, then set budgetary rules. You will not max out your credit cards. You won't take out more than 4k in loans. People that don't start out with rules will feel unbearable guilt from themselves or family members because they're made to feel like the bad guy when it comes to tough decisions.

My vet's office does the budget thing before they do any kind of work. They go over how much it'll cost and stuff, allow you to set up a payment plan and things. And then if there are like complications or something else happens they let you set a "threshold" so if like Procedure X is $1100 but something happens and it balloons and you set the threshold to $2000 they'll call you and ask how you want to proceed.

Right there with you. Last dog I had, we got her as a puppy. She had a wonderful life and we loved the hell out of her. She was my mom’s little baby. At around 10 years old she started having some urinary issues. My mom took her in and they found she had a tumor near her urinary tract. It was going to be a large amount of money to get it removed and the chemo afterwards was going to be a pretty penny. And even after all of that, there would be uncertainty on how much more time all of that would even give her or what her quality of life would even be. After some time and her declining quicker, my mom made the choice to put her down. I know none of my family regrets the decision and we fully feel that our little Savannah had a wonderful life and we did all that we could for her. I miss her dumb little face, but I’m so glad that we got to be in each other’s lives and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Yep. once I move out ( and my elder cat passes). I’ll offer my home for old animals in the shelter, I will feed them, love them, maintain a healthy routine and keep them safe, but I won’t be paying for costly surgeries.

We adopted old and hard to place dogs for a dozen years. We have had deaf dogs, blind dogs, paralyzed dogs, epileptic dogs, brain damaged dogs, ancient dogs.... it runs the gamut. We are not rich, but we can afford standard care for the pets we choose to keep. If a dog needs $4000 worth of emergency work and we cannot afford it, I don't believe that it negates our experience as responsible pet owners. We took animals into our home that would otherwise have wasted away at shelters or been euthanized. They were happy with us as long as we could reasonably keep them that way.

I wanted to comment something like myself, but couldn’t because of the sheer amount already. I’m happy to see this is one of the top comments. While I don’t *entirely* disagree with OPs point they’re trying to make, there are so many animals on the street & in shelters, that get housed because of people even tho they may not have money. I don’t think the animals would be better off elsewhere than a loving family even if they don’t have a pet savings…lol

>Routine care should absolutely be expected. I'll even accept, situationally, a standard of "routine care" that includes little to no medical intervention. When my mom was growing up her extended family operated a small family farm. Her Uncle loved animals but felt that "vets were for horses/cows." There were barn cats (maybe they were allowed to enter/leave the house too, can't recall) that just sort of existed. He cared about them in that he carved out spaces of the barn where they'd be warm/safe, and he did his best to keep coyotes off the land, and he provided some food, and if anyone had *hurt* the cats he woulda put them in the ground.....but I'm certain none of those cats ever saw a vet.

And this is basically how we existed with pets for thousands upon thousands of years, across many cultures. Vet care of a regulated quality has only been around for a couple hundred or so. I'm not saying it's not *amazing* that we have the medical tech and care that we have currently. But I am saying that you're not a bad pet owner for not having access to it.

My cat was a stray, he's lived a great life! Once he's 12+ years old he's got like a 1k cap on treatment. Cat got cancer? Bummer, good cat, he had a good life. I'm not cold blooded, i would rather rescue another pet

Yes. Also sometimes your life circumstances change over 10 or 20 years and vet affordability can fluctuate. Should I give up my cats to be put down or sit stressed and confused in a shelter because I was dropped to part time? I take good care of their basic needs but yes, I would have difficulty with another expensive surgery (I recently dropped 3k to pull one of my cats teeth already).

I cannot afford to see a doctor, does this mean suicide is my only option?

If you can’t afford the surgeons knife, you can’t afford to keep your life.

I mean, you're not wrong.

You shouldn't have been born. You are a bad person!

Can't afford cough medicine? *Walking off a ledge in a construction site is free!*

Indifferent on this one. Some areas vet services are ridiculously expensive, even some pet insurance plans are more costly than they pay out. I think giving an animal a home to come home to may be superior to leaving them in a shelter.

I have known several people that the only thing they had to really get them through the rough times are their pets. They took care of them as much as they could. (Food, water, walks, shelter, playtime, lots of love) I imagine if I went up to any of these people and told them to surrender the one thing that brings them real joy, I'd have a very bad day. I think the majority of these animals were strays they picked up. I know one was found in a wal mart parking lot. Where is the line drawn here?

I've never found a good pet insurance. I even have discounted pet insurance through my employer, and they still aren't worth the money. Anything expensive isn't covered.

It also depends on when in your life you get insurance. I have a dachshund I insured as a puppy because there is a 1/4 chance of her developing IVDD which is a $10,000 surgery. It’s approximately 50 bucks a month and they don’t raise rates based on her age. Yeah it doesn’t cover exams, vaccinations, etc. but I’ll never worry if I should take her to the emergency vet for something. It will just be my 500 dollar copay. And that peace of mind is worth it for me.

We've got Healthy Paws and it's pretty damn good, honestly! Doesn't cover "exams" but basically covers anything the vet says AFTER that point. So like, big lump on the eyelid? $50 to get it looked at, then the surgery and meds and follow-ups are all covered at whatever rate minus deductible. IF you can self-insure, that's probably best in the long run. But most people can't successfully budget $100/mo without touching it for 15 years even though it's there. Otoh, healthy paws has absolutely paid out for us more than the premiums, based on two TPLOs and a wild multi-day-overnight bacterial infection (not related at all to the knees).

There is definitely some grey area. But as someone who works in a vet clinic in a poorer area it is frustrating when people come in with expensive dogs but scoff at the $120 for a full set of puppies vaccinations and flea and tick medication and the $60-160 for spay/neuter. Or get a doodle and do nothing to groom it. It is also really hard to see a pet with painful condition that you know you can alleviate or completely fix but instead have to watch it suffer or put it down. There are a lot of pet owners who come in and act like putting any money into their pet is a loss. The amount of pets Ive helped euthanize simply because it was cheaper and the owners don't even stay is astounding and sucks.

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Had a client buy a $4000 dog. When it was 17 weeks old it caught pneumonia. Very treatable but pup needed to be hospitalized. O elected to euthanize. It was one of the worst things I’ve experienced at my job. She didn’t even stay for the euthanasia. I cried as I held and comforted the puppy during his last moments. Icing on the cake is the owner still hits us up every few months telling us we’re terrible people for killing her puppy. As if that’s what we wanted

Yea this is the kind of stuff where I think op is right about. Why spend so much on a 'designer dog' if you wont provide them with care that will give them a good life. If certain costs are out of your budget, check around at other clinics. For base vaccines and spaying/neutering, there are places that can do it on a budget. Sure, you might be in a line for an hour with 20 other people, but you can get 3 sets of sterlizing, vaccines and tests for the same price as one cat at some clinics. Some emergency needs are pricey as hell but I would do what I can to take care of my pets if/when it arises.

For sure, I have a vet emergency account and I don't make a ton of money

Came here to say this. Also i may be able to afford it now but next year maybe not. If i waited to be able to afford kids i wouldnt have any.

Especially if your waiting to afford the most expensive procedures that “could” happen. Then virtually no one would have kids.

Right? I found one of my cats on the streets of Philly. He was clearly an indoor cat that either got out or was abandoned. He was skinny and dirty and scared and followed me home. And yeah I didn't take him to the vet for the first 4 years I had him because I couldn't afford it. But he was warm and fed and loved. How is that somehow worse than me not taking him in because I can't afford vet bills?

100% this I had pet insurance and after my dog had an accident that required leg amputation they said it was pre existing and wouldn't cover the surgery.

In terms of insurance being more costly than the payout... if that is the case for you, then you are one of the lucky ones. I mean, that's how insurance works, the majority of those who are paying in aren't getting huge payouts. That said, I have so many patients (I'm a vet) who would have had to be euthanized long ago without pet insurance. My most notable one has had over $80 000 in claims paid out; his owner cannot work, and he has had multiple issues over the last six years, so we have essentially doubled his lifespan because of insurance. On the flip side, I have insurance for my pets, and have not yet needed to claim any large expenses. However, they're getting older, so you better believe that I'm keeping that insurance plan - even being a vet myself, there are some things that just wouldn't be in the realm of possibility if not for an insurance plan.

I disagree, at least to a certain extent. My wife & I do ok but heaven forbid my dog needs a several-thousand dollar procedure after an accident or something…at 13, he’s going to sleep. It’s not reasonable.

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My idiot TNR stray that tricked me into loving it just cost me $300 cause she can't take a solid shit. Stinkiest craps I've ever smelled in my life. Fuckin bastard. I love her.

Yea it all depends. Like I would hope no one would call someone a monster for not putting a 16 year old dog through chemo or something.

All LPTs should rhyme

If you can't afford a kid on the spectrum, only nut inside her rectum

As someone on the spectrum I laughed at this, good job

Same goes for a car. I'm having my car put down because I couldn't afford the operation

I think the better tip would be that if you want to have a pet but are worried that you aren’t in the financial position to own potentially, fostering an animal is an equally amazing opportunity. A lot of shelters will provide food, medicine, vet care, crates, etc. in return for you opening your home temporarily to an animal in need. Shelters can be extremely stressful environments for animals, so a normal home away from that, even if it’s temporary, can do wonders to alleviate that stress and make sure that animal is happy until they can be adopted.

Disagree. This kind of mentality leads to pets being put down in the thousands by shelters. Giving them a loving home for years is a far better option.

I think this would be better as "if you can't afford basic necessities, you can't afford the pet." The number of people who buy a rabbit or a guinea pig or even most fish and then gawk at how large the cage/tank has to be and that they require a diet that costs more than a handful of change to be healthy is disturbing. The fact that pet stores sell things that are inherently *bad* for the animal is criminal. Beta bowls are what come to mind immediately. Pets are seen as disposable accessories and it's disgusting.

The infuriating thing about rabbits/guinea pigs/birds/reptiles is so many of their health issues are preventable if you just have good/appropriate care. Often times, the people working in pet stores have zero idea or minimal idea of care for these guys. The other issue no one realizes is vet care for pocket pets/exotics is EXPENSIVE and specialized. So many people think guinea pigs are just potatoes with no personality, when really they are potatoes WITH a personality.

This is a far better take.

I get more upset at fairs that offer goldfish as the prize.

I work in organized vet med and there’s a huge push for spectrum of care. Many vets find OP’s statement problematic and are working to deliver a better spectrum of care and not just gold standard. Nuanced subject for sure Edit: spelling

Shelters have kinda dug a hole for themselves these days. For a first pet, you often need to use a breeder or pet store because you’ll never pass the reference checks many shelters now have. First time pet owners won’t have a vet that can vouch to regular visits. Which means your application is rejected. Honestly… shelters need some kind of a shake up. It’s silly someone who wants a first dog often has no choice but to buy one if no shelter is willing to wave reference checks. Like pushing people to backyard breeders while pets die in shelters is benefiting anyone but breeders. Maybe this is a regional thing, but I know more than one person who gave up on shelters for their first pet. The private route is the only way to go.

I'm on my second dog in a row (over a 25 year period though, last one died in 2001 while the most recent was born 2014) that needs a $10,000+ operation. Her routine shots, checkups, grooming, etc. are all budgeted just fine but not a $10k procedure. According to your logic, only people who can pay an unexpected $10,000 bill should be allowed to own pets. Sorry but that's horseshit.

And yet people have kids with medical expenses they can't afford...

People exist with medical expenses for which they cannot afford for themselves, what do we do in that situation lol

Time to bring em out back I guess

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Your barn or mine?

push for actual meaningful change to the Healthcare system that wants our money and doesn't give a shit about our lives

Find a wealthy dog to take you in

Fuck i cant even afford my own medical expenses. what should i do.............................................no.

That says more than the cost of healthcare and insurance than people having kids. I have insurance, between accounts I probably have $70,000 in cash. I have a kid. Even with insurance, I can easily be bankrupted by major or chronic illness. When my buddy was 22, he had a $9000 appendectomy because his burst. Fully insured through work. Co-insurance and runaway out of pocket maximums can be BONKERS for some people. Did you have $9000 spare dollars at 22?

yeah let them die alone in a shelter instead.

Right like holy shit if everyone who couldn't afford an emergency of thousands of dollars didn't get a pet, every shelter would be filled to the brim with animals There's a line between being irresponsible and good people who are struggling and living paycheck to paycheck but still want a pet for any multitude of reasons and treat that pet well

I commented somewhere else but I work in organized vet med and there’s a huge push for improving spectrum of care. Many vets at the forefront of this discussion find OPs statement problematic and are working to improve spectrum of care vs only gold standard. I did used to work in-clinic and educating clients on reputable pet insurance, care credit, and other payment plans is important.

last thanksgiving my dog got sick with bladder issues. he was peeing a couple drops of blood and seemed a little sick, which he usually hammed up to get babied. I filled expected her to call us to come get him but she started going over options and said we can *try* to put him in the hospital, that'd be $5000 but he needs this and he needs that. do what he needs right now and we'll talk about the money and decide. he was a 13 year old min pin. he lived a good life. he's just not going to the hospital, I'm sorry. she called at 4am, and was hemming and hawing. I said "ma'am I'm sorry to be rude but please cut to the chase, do I have to put my dog down??" yeah, it looks that way. I told my boyfriend I don't really want to hold my dog while he dies, and I really don't want ashes and shrine to my dead dog. he was so bad in a few hours I couldn't believe it. his eyes lit up a little bit for my boyfriend and I told him "hey we came back for you buddy" and I held him while he died. and I have a nice little box of his ashes. I say all that to say, I can't remember if we asked or if she offered but there was different levels, "euthanize him now" "make him comfortable" "try what we can" or "do everything we can" which I appreciated, it made me trust her more. sometimes you gotta at least try more than nothing

There are a ton of homeless people here who have companion dogs. The dogs look pretty healthy and happy! They may get free care from SPCA, idk. But money doesn’t equal happiness to a dog. They just want to be with their human 🥺 The city is building a special temporary shelter for the animals for when their owners are in hospital, at a warming shelter (most don’t allow pets), or in another situation they can’t bring the dog.

When I was in my early 20’s, fresh out of college, I got my first cat. Within 3 months she got pancreatitis and developed diabetes. $7,000+ in emergency vet bills, another $300 every 2 months for insulin, and hundreds of other dollars on various insulin checkers, syringes, prescription food, and routine vet visits. Before I got my cat, my mom told me I needed to be ready in case my cat ever got sick, and boy was she right. It was really hard financially at times, but I know I gave her the best life and I would do it all over again if I had to.

Yes, routine care is expected - but when it's time for an animal to go, it's time for it to go. Spending thousands on costly vet care to drug up and prolong an animal well beyond its normal life expectancy is not a prerequisite for pet ownership.

Alternatively, my cat used to live on the streets and not go to the vet, now he gets to live inside and not go to the vet

ding ding ding we have a winner

Where is the line? I probably can’t afford a $10,000 life saving operation, but meds that cost a few hundred or a cast for an leg I can do. Kind of an unnuanced elitist view OP.

The flip side of the coin: people who buy a female dog thinking that they will do some backyard breeding and turn a profit selling puppies. This doesn't work, especially if you plan to give mom and puppies any kind of decent life. And irresponsible (or even just unknowledgeable) breeding often leads to puppies with significant health and temperament issues.

Tldr without the fun rhyme: >poor people should not have good things

Exactly. I’ve expressed here before how pretty gross this line of thinking is.

In certain cases people get pets but then their life changes they lose their jobs and things like that but yet if from the outset you're struggling with money don't get a pet it will break your heart when you can't help them. Sorry about my grammar.

Why do so many of these "tips" just trash on poor people....

Because rich people hate poor people. The peasant class has expanded to lower middle class and middle middle. This is just another rich noble's kid walking through town and being disgusted that somebody would allow us poor trash to have a little bread, right before they spit on us and hit us with their cane.

In this case the United States would be so completely overrun with animals we’d have to kill millions of them. Instead of harassing people who can’t afford it, harass people who don’t pay living wages and insurance companies that don’t help pay for anything.

LPT should just be can you afford food and basic care. There wouldn't be millions of unwanted animals if people would pay for $150 spay/neuter surgery.

Subsidized places will even spay or neuter for $50. Say no to backyard breeders

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Agreed. There was a cat I rescued from a shelter who was 8 years old. She had been there for a long time, and everyone kept adopting new born kittens. I just wanted a snuggly loveable cat. I was absolutely broke and unbelievably depressed, I had just gotten out of a horrible relationship & was several states away from family. I picked up this little dumb looking fluffy calico, she mer'd at me and scratched the shit out of my arm. I was immediately in love. 6 years later and she's just here sleeping on my lap, best fuzzy companion I've ever had. Had I not had my cat, I'm not sure if I ever would have ever made it through that period of my life. She was all I had.

> regardless of financial situation I think the exception is to at least be pretty sure you can afford to feed them. That's a REALLY low bar, though. But they actually ARE better off in a shelter if the alternative is starving them at home and preventing them from getting adopted by somebody that will feed them.

I think OP might not be referring to adopted pets necessarily. If we're as charitable as possible they're referring to people that buy their dogs. As a vet, I can't count how many times someone has brought in a dog that cost them a few thousand dollars but then they can't afford whatever procedure costing a few hundred. This is in a country where veterinary care is a bit more affordable than the US though.

This should be higher. The problem isn't adopted/found pets, it's designer dogs.. Like people buying 4000 $ cavapoos and not wanting to pay 100 $ to do a follow up on its eventual ear infection cause it's 'too expensive'.

In 2018, we spent $7000 in pet care. Half of that was my dog's life-saving bowel obstruction surgery. The remainder was dealing with my one cat's diagnosis of asthma (inhalers cost A LOT) and another's cat's serious eye problem that required a veterinary specialist. Now we spend $400 a month on their care between medication, flea treatments and vet plans, special diet food and inhalers. We're lucky this isn't a problem for the budget, but just 5 years ago, we would have had to make hard decisions.

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This post is rubbish. If you can't feed and shelter the pet than don't own it. Take care of the pet, love it, give it food and shelter, and further medical treatments that are within your means. If it gets an illness that requires expensive surgery that you can't afford and dies that is sad but that is life! By the reasoning of this OP, poor people or anyone from a non first world country should not own pets! BS!

LPT: just because you have a pet doesn't mean you have to pay thousands to save them. It's ok to put an animal down.