BlogHer - Paying the Price of Vet Care - How Much is Too Much? - Comments

I really hope that people

Riayn — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:51:45 -0500

I really hope that people have not taken my comments out of context. I never meant that people on a limited income should not be able to own a pet, but if you are on a limited income then you need to budget for pet healthcare. Unfortunately, people seem to neglect this part of pet ownership.

There is pet health insurance which is perfect for people on a fixed income. You pay about $30 a month (Australian prices) and any emergency vet bills are covered. Or if you don't like giving your money away to corporations, then set up a savings account for your dog and deposit a set amount every week, then if you ever need the money, it is there.

I guess my main criticism is that some people do not think about how they are going to afford the ongoing costs of owning a pet when they see that cute puppy in the pet store nor do they make any arrangements for affording healthcare should something go wrong.

I totally understand setting limits on how much you can reasonably afford if some major illness should strike your pet, but when you can not afford a $85 vaccination, then perhaps pet ownership is not something you should venute into.

Dancing About Architecture- Blogging just got queerer.

Of course people should be

Trisha — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:45:43 -0500

Of course people should be prepared for the usual expenses of taking care of pets. But if one gets really sick and its going to cost too much, its sad, but its not right to say people should have to have lots of money to be able to have a pet.

Makes me think of all the retired people with a fixed income, but expenses increasing, who are maybe widowed and have no one in their lives on a daily basis except their pets. In many cases its their pets that keep them going everyday. But there is no way a retired person on a limited and fixed income could afford 20,000 - 30,000 for healthcare for a pet. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed one.

Ideas For Women blog

The Furry Kids Cost Money Too

paulag01 — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:58:24 -0500

Good post. Indeed our furry children cost money. I've had my share of moments with my 2 cats, but no matter how much it has costs I wouldn't change a thing. I wrote about this dilemma a while ago (http://www.queercents.com/2007/01/16/the-high-cost-of-pet-care/)

I think when people say to me "it's only a cat" or "it's only a dog" I want to slap them. Would you euthenize your child because it was a hassle or an expense? I'm not suggesting people should spend $30K on pet surgery if it won't give them extended quality of life, I"m just talking about the normal things that happen - routine care, the occasional illness and emergency, and perhaps a chronic condition.

I've found how people treat animals to be a pretty good indicator of character.

And Andrea at Queercents has just started a series on reducing pet expenses: http://www.queercents.com/category/reducing-pet-costs/

Thanks for the thoughtful and well linked post.

Paula G

Paula Gregorowicz
The Paula G Company

www.thepaulagcompany.com
www.coaching4lesbians.com

Aw Liz, poor Bucky and poor you.

lauriewrites — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:20:11 -0500

I'm sorry to hear this, especially in a young animal. (Not to say it's not difficult when they're older, I've lived that too, but more expected I guess.)

There was no guarantee that a $3,000 treatment would have helped my 12-year-old dog several years ago, and she was suffering badly from a lung embolism. I did make the decision then to have her put to sleep, which was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I do believe though that it was the best thing for her, because I did not want to watch her suffocate.

I also know the guilt is unavoidable...even when it seems like the only/right option.

Best of luck to you and your kids as you walk through this one.

Laurie

LaurieWrites

Thanks for coming by, Riayn. :)

lauriewrites — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:15:46 -0500

And thanks for the clarification on the figures. I think your story brings home that it's not about how much money you have sometimes, it's how you choose to spend it (not to say it can appear out of the air and some tough decisions have to be made - just that some who have it wouldn't go so far as some who have way less...just a personal call.)

The most out-there thing I paid for was a cardiac consultation that was almost $400 when I was down to Skittles for dinner, and I have to admit that I was in no way planning for such a thing. I think the other issue is that pet care/treatment has advanced and more expensive options for treatment are available than ever before (such that owners don't even consider them as options until they're presented to them...then a decision must be made.) I've read about people paying for organ transplants for cats, though...which is a whole separate story.

Thanks again, nice blog~

Laurie

That's what my mother said, laurie

lauriewrites — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:11:28 -0500

She has said frequently during his last year and since his death that every day with him once we opted to manage his care and diet more intensively was a gift. He was my father's best buddy, for real, and she and I talk a lot about what a great impact he had on him and on our family as a whole. Losing him is just awful (can't really express it adequately, as I'm sure you can't about Emma) but for the time he was here it was totally worth it.

Introduce the new dog when he or she comes aboard. : )

Laurie

Of course it's somewhat about us.

lauriewrites — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:09:20 -0500

The hardest thing is that they really can't participate in the decision-making, so it's a one-sided deal. (Although I firmly believe in my dog's will to live for a very long time, even though he was up and down with the seizures.)

The bottom line is we do what we can and I think you'd stop if you really knew it was harmful. My barometer was whether he could still eat and was interested in actively playing with his ball and bothering us all the time. ;) That was the case until two days before he had one last weird seizure and went to sleep.

sigh...tough calls.

Laurie

i think you have done a lot already

laurie — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:53:11 -0500

Oh Liz, That's so hard. It does sound like you have already done a lot for your kitty.

It is so hard to have the power of life and death over another being (and one we love) but part of that decision needs to be based on the animal's quality of life.

And there's obviously lots of shades of grey in this area. Unfortunately, lots of people treat old or sick pets (or even pets that are no longer cute little kittens or puppies) as disposable. That is definitely not the situation you describe.

aurie
www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

We're going through a tough

Liz Thompson — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:38:46 -0500

We're going through a tough time with one of our pets, right now, so this piece is really hitting home.

We have two cats and a dog.

The youngest cat (he's 3) was a gift to my oldest daughter when she graduated from elementary school.

Bucky had a urinary blockage (not unusual for male cats) that went critical, overnight.

The vet actuall lost him on the table, at one point, and surgery was (at that time) out of the question, due to his weakened condition.

The chances of his survival were small to nil and the vet advised us that Bucky would make the choice for us.

He's recovering (the staff calls him the miracle cat) but, cannot relieve himself without the cathater.

We advised the vet that we could not afford long-term care (the bill is over $1,000 so far) and our only option, at this point, is wait a few more days or surgery.

Another $2,500 - $5,000.

Oh, there's no guarantee that he'll survive, or whether or not this condition would return.

It sucks, because now we HAVE to make the decision to put the cat down.

As for the thought that, "if you can't afford taking care of a pet (or, a kid) don't get one," if ONLY life were that simple.

Sometimes, even the best laid plans STILL suck and either way, there's always "the guilt."

Today, it's too much.

--------------------------------------------

This Full House

This Full House Reviews

Imperfect Parent

Thank you so much for

Riayn — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:26:12 -0500

Thank you so much for writing about an area of pet ownership that many people don't want to discuss - the high price of providing medical care for your pets.

Thank you also for quoting my blog. :)

The costs I have quoted in my article are based on costs in Sydney, Australia. I worked for four years as a vet nurse (in the US you call them vet techs) and I took my prices from what our practice would charge for various procedures. These prices would of course be different for readers from other countries and even in other Australian cities but they do give people a rough estimate on the expense that goes along with ownerships of animals.

During my years as vet nurse I had to deal with many people who were simply unprepared for the high cost of veterinary health care and those who could afford it, but refused to pay it. I also dealt with many clients who were disabled and living on welfare payments. These were some of my best customers as they understood the cost of pet care and would make allowances for it. One woman would come in every week and give us $5 or any amount she could afford that week, so that she had an "account" with us so that if her dog needed vet care, she had the money there with us. Another woman set up a savings account for her dog.

Pet care is affordable for people who plan for those "unexpected bills" regardless of their income. It just takes a little planning and forethought.

Dancing About Architecture - Blogging just got queerer.

it's part of the commitment

laurie — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:27:52 -0500

My golden retriever, Emma, got gastric torsion (sometimes called bloat) when she was 11 years old. This condition comes on very quickly and can be fatal if not treated immediately (read trip to the emergency vet). We had a new baby and were feeling broke and sleep deprived and had to make several difficult decisions over the next few days, including the choosing to have very expensive surgery.

Emma lived for three more wonderful years (although that summer, my spouse would regularly point to her and say, "Our summer vacation," or "The new kitchen floor."), during which she gave us all a great deal of joy.

That year, the combined vet bill for all our pets (two dogs and two cats, in those days) topped $20,000. On the other hand, my animals have helped to keep me mentally healthy, the dogs have kept me fit (better than any treadmill) and got me out in the world when I needed it most. They have also taught us all a great deal about love and life and loss.

We are now down to one cat and one dog (one cat succumbd to kidney disease and my beloved Emma died in 2006, at 14) and we have recently made the decision to adopt a new pup. We know this will mean financial sacrifices along the way but for my family, it really is worth it.

laurie

www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

Agree with you both

Elisa Camahort — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:00:35 -0500

Where I spend my money is very indicative of what I care about:

And in addition to splurging on organic foods as much as possible, books and music...I spent thousands of dollars on my cats over their very long lifetimes...including trying chemo when my cat Gabby had lymphoma, and almost 5 years of treating my cat Samantha for her chronic kidney issues...with daily sub-q fluids given at home and quarterly vet visits that intermittently included x-rays, blood work, ultrasounds and so on.

And I wouldn't choose differently, although with each cat I wonder if the very last thing I tried to make them better was really just about me and me not wanting to lose them, and didn't help them at all.

I really think it's my responsibility, it's what i signed up for when I got them back in 1987!

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

That was exactly how I felt about my dog, Leslie.

lauriewrites — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:03:15 -0500

We both feel, however, that my husband made a commitment to Woody a
dozen years ago (Woody is now 14) and we need to support him for as
long as he is comfortable and seems content with his life. Over the
years, he has given us so much joy and laughter, as well as a furry
scruff to cry into when things are tough.

We felt that he deserved the care he got, for what he brought to our family - as part of our family. I also like your point about spending money on what you value.

And it IS a commitment, for sure...sometimes I think it's one that gets underestimated quite a bit.

Euthanasia was suggested to me on two occasions (unsolicited advice from random people.) I didn't appreciate it either time, only because I knew that if I saw him struggling beyond what was necessary, I'd make the right choice for HIM, no matter how I felt about it. Thankfully we didn't have to make that decision, although I did with my first dog (when the vet told me that even thousands of dollars into treatment she couldn't say she'd get better.)

Thanks for telling us about Woody! I love sweet old dogs. : )

Laurie

LaurieWrites

We have had the tough conversation

Leslie Madsen Brooks — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:09:51 -0500

My husband and I have had "the talk" about when exactly it is that Woody, our beloved mutt, will have come to cost too much. It's typical for us to pay $350 - $400/month for prescription food, joint shots, chiropractic, and Eastern and Western prescription medicines. That is, needless to say, a significant chunk of our income, especially when added to the $4,000 of surgery and physical therapy he required when he tore his ACL a few years back.

We both feel, however, that my husband made a commitment to Woody a dozen years ago (Woody is now 14) and we need to support him for as long as he is comfortable and seems content with his life. Over the years, he has given us so much joy and laughter, as well as a furry scruff to cry into when things are tough.

I know people are going to say it's crazy to spend so much on a pet, but we're not particularly interested in spending money on the things a lot of other people budget for. That said, we do know that Woody's next significant illness will be his last. We're happy to help ease the symptoms of old age, but we won't put him through treatments for cancer or diabetes.

Thanks for a thoughtful post, Laurie--lots of good resources!

Leslie
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Research and Academia
Proprietor, The Clutter Museum
I also blog at MuseumBlogging

Paying the Price of Vet Care - How Much is Too Much?

lauriewrites — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:54:09 -0500

My Boston Terrier and a couch are the only two things besides my education that I can remember purchasing with my graduate student loan money. And whereas I often say he was the best money I ever spent that didn't belong to me - and he died owing interest to the Federal government, I'm sure - my dog was an expensive little guy.

Like human beings, animals have health issues. Some crop up in young animals, and others - like cancer, respiratory and cardiac conditions - are more commonly associated with aging. Dogs, cats and other pets age more rapidly than humans, and when these animals are part of our families, caring for them throughout their life spans is a financial as well as an emotional and physical responsibility.

My father estimates the cost of care for my dog's various health problems over the past eight years at around $10,000. He was diagnosed with epilepsy at five years of age, and took medicine twice daily to manage seizures for the rest of his life. The meds themselves were expensive, and the regular blood monitoring required to make sure the dosage was correct was over $100 per bi-monthly visit. Without the help of my parents as co-caregivers, there is no way I could have afforded the chronic care he needed without going to debt. Frequently when I was writing the check at the vet counter I'd look down and remind him - hanging on my every word, as usual - that he got better health care than I did.

For some pet owners, the question becomes, "How much is too much?"

The Washington Post ran an article Sunday called Pets, Vets and Debts, detailing the struggles of many pet owners to provide good care for their pets without going bankrupt. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that Americans spent more than $24.5 billion in 2006 alone on health care costs for pets. Post readers who made up a chunk of that total shared their stories in an addition to the article.

Pam Robbins of Mid-Atlantic Shar-Pei Rescue wrote:

As an animal owner and rescuer, I can tell you that just about every
pet owner out there has had to face the horrible decision of having to
put their pet down because they couldn't afford the vet bills to treat
their animal. Our rescue gets calls daily from people who have to give
up their pets because they have been told the vet bill will be
astronomical. When I get a call from a big-hearted person asking to
adopt, the first thing I want to say is: Do you have a savings account
available to use for unexpected vet bills? Because you will have them.

I personally have limited the number of dogs I own due to the vet
costs that I have experienced. Last year I spent several thousand
dollars on my pets (vets, food and kenneling).

Our rescue vets give us deep discounts, yet our costs continue to
increase. We must presume that advanced technology is driving these
costs. Without these discounts, our rescue could not survive. How does
the normal pet owner overcome these expenses? They give up their pet!

Anne at An Undone Calm is a veterinarian who gets irritated when people complain about the bills.

Second, don’t get a pet if you aren’t prepared to pay the associated
costs. Just as you wouldn’t (responsibly) have a child without being
able to afford their care, you shouldn’t have a pet if you can’t afford
one. Or, you can have the pet, but you have to realize that you might
encounter a financial liability that you can’t take on. You can’t
expect veterinary care as a right, free ofcosts.

Riayn, a self-described "thirtysomething lesbian geek" in Australia who blogs at Dancing About Architecture thinks you'd better be prepared for the costs of pet ownership. (Estimates are clearly her interpretation and will vary depending on the pet.)

If you can not afford the initial cost of an animal then you have no
business owning one. Yes, I know this sounds harsh, but owning a dog or
a cat is expensive. You have to be able to afford not only food but
their vet bills as well. In the first year, the vet bills for a dog is
approximately $600 - that is for three vaccinations and desexing. It
does not include flea treatment, worming or heartworm treatment - for
that add on about another $150. So, all up, you are looking at about
$750 in standard vet bills for the first year alone and then about $200
a year for the next 15 or so years. If your animal gets sick, this
amount will increase quite substantially. For food you are looking at a
minimum of $30 a month, which is $360 a year. Therefore, in the first
year of your dog’s life, you will pay no less than $1,110 for its food
and medical bills. However, this is something that impulse buyers do
not give a single thought to when they see the cute puppy in the window
and the staff at the pet store certainly do not inform them.

There are some organizations that will pitch in if an owner simply cannot afford the care a pet needs. Itchmo posted a piece by Patty Richard in March about financial assistance for vet bills. Patty included links to groups like the Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program and the Rhode Island Companion Animal Foundation, whose mission is to provide assistance with the health care of pets of low-income owners. Patty says:

Now, I’ve heard all the arguments about why the poor should not own
pets, but whether you think this is so or not, the reality is that poor
people do own pets. Saying that they shouldn’t doesn’t help those pets
one little bit. This article is about finding the means to service
animals in crisis, and not about whether their owners deserve to be
helped. For me, it isn’t even a debatable question. I decided to do
some research to find out just how extensive a safety net is available
to low-income pets.

The Humane Society of the United States has a good list of tips and resources for financial assistance too .

The AVMA has an FAQ section on Internet pet pharmacies.

Some people opt for pet insurance, including Jennifer at Operation Pink Herring who asks, "I Can Has Medicare?"

Hey, guess what I bought this week? PET INSURANCE. Crazy Cat Lady bridge, officially crossed!

Between Max, The Cat With A Thousand And One Problems (Food
allergies? Check! Obesity? Check! Sensitive stomach? Check!
Crippling anxiety? check! Cancer? DOUBLE CHECK!) and Henry, The Cat Who Ran Away And Then Came Back With Three Parasites
And A Mangled Paw, I've wondered from time to time if I should have
considered pet insurance. But in general, I dislike insurance -
surely a mindset I inherited from my mother, who describes insurance as
"betting against yourself". I've had terrible experiences with my own
bastardly insurance company, and I just don't trust that paying for
insurance will actually guarantee that I won't be slammed with bills
because of some loophole or fine print.

Nolo's Employment Law Blog says that according to the Society For Human Resource Management, 5 percent of employers offer pet insurance coverage as a benefit.

Because many pet insurance policies are chock full of exclusions,
they don’t always make financial sense for pet owners. Still, they make
it possible for many pet owners to afford life-saving treatments that
would otherwise be out of reach.

Claudia commented on the Washington Post article at Pet Knows.

As any pet lover knows, our pets are so much more than “pets.” They are really part of our family. When
they look up at you with their sweet eyes, wag their tail, or nuzzle up
against you, you know what they are thinking and feeling. You love them and would do just about anything for them. But vet bills can be pretty rough on the wallet. So where do we draw the line? That is a tough question to answer, and one that I have never been able to resolve for myself. I
have been very lucky with Mosby but also realize that he is almost 14
and I could be faced with some tough choices as his age catches up to
him.

So do you know where you would be willing to draw the line? Or are you like me and can’t bear to think about it until you are faced with the choice?

Catherine at Frugal Homemaker blogged about "Saying No To Your Vet" by Emily Yaffe on Slate.com.

The Salon and Slate articles have been weighing on my mind since I read
them. Our dog, who we love so very much, is getting older. I know that
these bigger vet bills may be an issue sooner than we want to think
about. How much is too much? And if it becomes too much, will I have
the courage to say no to my vet without feeling like an absolute
monster? I think that if she was suffering and the treatment would not
make that suffering less, I would be able to put her down without too
much guilt. But if that $1300 treatment would cure it, what would I
say? I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.The Salon and Slate articles have been weighing on my mind since I read
them. Our dog, who we love so very much, is getting older. I know that
these bigger vet bills may be an issue sooner than we want to think
about. How much is too much? And if it becomes too much, will I have
the courage to say no to my vet without feeling like an absolute
monster? I think that if she was suffering and the treatment would not
make that suffering less, I would be able to put her down without too
much guilt. But if that $1300 treatment would cure it, what would I
say? I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Have you been in this situation? How did you decide that it was too much?

Tough question. My parents and I both agree that we would do the same things for Punkin all over again if we had to. Because we could, we were wiling to cook the turkey and pay for the blood tests, even though it was a serious budget stretcher - but that was us. Some people can't or don't want to spend the money or time, resulting in some difficult and very personal choices. So no matter how unsatisfying, the ultimate answer to "How much is too much?" is "It depends."

Laurie White writes at LaurieWrites, where she misses her expensive dog so very much.