Letters to the Editor
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Pets are family
I have two macaws. Considering the great age they can live to I'm sure they'll outlive me by a long, long time. So I'm looking at a lifetime of care for them, and vet bills can be very expensive for birds.
If people don't want to assume the responsibility of caring for a creature who's entire survival depends on you then you shouldn't have a pet. To me pets are family.
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What we do for our pets
I have a 12 year old beagle, a diabetic 12 year old beagle. My husband considers the dog a money pit so I guess he is my indulgence. He started out as the "mommy we want a dog" pet, but apparently the children were not all that keen on the care and feeding part. No real surprise. And I'm not a dog person, never had one before.
Prior to the diabetes diagnosis we had paid for ear surgery (to reduce ear infections in the flop-eared breed) and a hospital stay when he had a mysterious neurological thing several years ago. Last year, he started declining right around the time my mother died, and so when we finally realized he was sick, and it turned out to be diabetes, I became determined that I was not losing that dog, not right then anyway. Insulin 2x a day and several weeks later, the dog's appetite returned and all seemed well, at least until two months later, his eyesight went, too. Diabetic pitfall.
Now I have a 12 year old diabetic, blind, beagle and I am grateful that insulin therapy keeps him on an even keel (of course, I had to learn to give him shots when my husband the dr. had hip surgery last spring and couldn't bend over for months and I'm a squeamish person).
All this said, the vet that I love and I have a tacit understanding that we will keep the dog comfortable, but will not do anything invasive, as he lives out his old age. He takes meds, eats whatever he wants, and just recently had to have stitches for a cyst on his ear that burst. Over the course of several weeks the vet bills have been several hundred dollars. We check his blood, but I will not do MRI's or exploratory surgery. I only hope that we never have to face a really difficult $$$$ decision for our pet. I caution my now grown kids who think that they want a dog to carefully consider the financial implications of bringing pets into their lives.
Just recently someone mentioned that cataract surgery might restore his eyesight. I think he is too old, and since he seems accomodated to the blindess, we will pass. Knowing that procedure might cost 2K/eye is also a consideration.
Pet care decisions are not easy to make and until you actually walk the walk, take care not to criticize others.
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Animals
I love animals too. Wild animals. Bluejays, Cardinals, squirrels, racoons - all live their own lives and it gives me pleasure to see them in my back yard. When they die, they die. They don't worry about it and neither do I. I don't really understand the desire to "own" pets. If I did have a pet I loved, I would pay for all expenses within a reasonable limit. But I prefer watching wild animals any day.
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Jeannette D.
She not only makes the comparison, she explicitly declares, "And isn't there something sort of unseemly about spending so much money on one animal given the state of the world?," and describes herself being surprised that her vet didn't "chuckle" along with her about someone willing to spend large amounts of money to extend a pet's life for a few months. Dead give-away, that.
I can understand being saddened by an account of someone spending large sums of money to extend a dying pet's life. I'd even question whether doing this is in the best interest of the pet.
But LAUGHING? Thank God her vet disappointed her by not appearing amused. I'd hate to think of a veterinarian who had so little respect for a pet owner's feelings overseeing the care of an animal in such a situation.
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Vet Ethics?
So, in the heat of the moment, a trusted professional in a white coat says, "your pet needs to have this surgery or it will die. We can't give you an estimate." And this creature we have taken into our homes, who is in so much pain, just wants away. This is the classic set-up for a scam. And the doctors, who have had people spend $25,000 on treatments, seem to not think twice about hiding the actual costs during the treatments in order to give the family peace of mind to concentrate on getting the pet well.
I think it would be more ethical to treat a pet like a car repair. The office says, "here are the treatments that are needed and the prices they usually run. These are critical, these can be delayed." And the owner says, "I authorize this set of treatments and care up to this financial level. You must call me for re-authorization to do/spend more."
It is my experience that huge surprise bills suppress routine care for pets. I would like to see vets offer a discount on major procedures when routine care is undertaken through their offices.
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Ever heard of Pet Insurance?
I hadn't until I moved back to the US after living abroad the past 7 years, where vet costs (and doctor costs, too, for that matter) are considerably lower. My cat became ill a few months after moving back to the States. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the bill, but I don't regret for a moment spending that money on her. By the next day, she was back to her old self. If you cannot afford a pet, do not get one. It's a responisiblity like anything else.
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So, I'll ask again.
Can someone please tell me what "afford" means in this context?
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Jeannette D.
"Afford" means, IMO, precisely what I said in my first letter:
Your family comes first, obviously. If the medical bills for a pet are such that you will have to cut back on necessities like education, food, health insurance, etc, then either euthanize the pet or better, give it away to someone who can afford such care. But no, there is nothing "unseemly" about someone being willing to spend a lot of money on a pet's healthcare. If we are going to apply the term "unseemly" to spending lots of money "considering the state of the world," it is certainly less "unseemly" than spending huge figures on cars or jewelry or clothing or redecorating.