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Inability to Afford the Vet
Holly Golightly
Posts: 4,755 Forum Member
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From reading a few threads here, I've noticed that there are a lot of animal lovers, and I am one of them 
However, I've picked up on a bit of animosity when people say things like "I cant afford to pay the vet's bill". I've even seen people respond "I would go without food in order to pay my vet bill, as long as my cat/dog/whatever is healthy and happy".
On the other side of the coin, I've seen posters say "Its only an animal, I love my pet but if I cant afford the vet bill then tough".
What side are you on? What would you say to someone who has had to have their pet put to sleep because they were unable to afford a particular operation or course of treatment?
However, I've picked up on a bit of animosity when people say things like "I cant afford to pay the vet's bill". I've even seen people respond "I would go without food in order to pay my vet bill, as long as my cat/dog/whatever is healthy and happy".
On the other side of the coin, I've seen posters say "Its only an animal, I love my pet but if I cant afford the vet bill then tough".
What side are you on? What would you say to someone who has had to have their pet put to sleep because they were unable to afford a particular operation or course of treatment?
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Sometimes circumstances change of course, but aren't there places like the RSPCA that do cheap veterinary care for people on low incomes?
I would say, "Well done! That was a tough decision to make, obviously you didn't want your pet to suffer and I'm really sorry for your loss".
Oh no, sorry, I wasnt in that position. I just know someone who has been.
My fault for not being clear. I'm still only half awake.
Everyone has their limits on what they can pay. We have a diabetic cat who most of the time is very healthy, but last summer he got sick and it cost us £800 in vet's bills (he was only insured for the first time he got diabetes, not subsequent episodes). Now I'm fortunate in that I could pay that, but if it kept on happening, it would become very difficult. If the vet's bills reached £1000 with no end in sight, I would very reluctantly have to call a halt and have the cat put down, however difficult it might be.
Personally, I've paid out a few hundred pounds on my dog in the past. I love him to bits and I would like to think that I would be able to pay out hundreds more if the need was ever there. But can I afford to pay thousands? No I can't. Possibly I would go into debt if paying a few thousand would give him a great quality of life for a few years but if it would only prolong his life for a matter of months then no I wouldn't be willing to go into debt for that, no matter how much I love him. Sorry if that makes me sound mean but sometimes you have to look at things with a practical view rather than emotionally.
But I'm in the camp that says, "If you can't afford the vets bills, don't get a pet in the first place."
Its not really that simple though.
You've got my support. You also have to factor in the suffering and quality of life that the animal will have, and ask yourself if you're prolonging its life for its sake, or for yours. Very hard questions.
I pay for my teeth as well!
How do you know when you get a pet what the vets bills may be? How do you know what illnesses or accidents your pet may suffer? How do you know what your financial situation may be in a few years time? You could suffer illness or injury yourself which could affect your ability to pay.
These are all valid points. But if you're at all responsible, they are points which you should consider before getting a pet in the first place.
Indeed, but if we all considered the possibility of being hit with vets bills totalling thousands of pounds in a few years time, none of us would have pets and that would be a shame, especially for families with children. For that matter, none of us would ever buy a home or a car if we considered every thing that could go wrong in our life. Sometimes you just have to take a reasonable risk or miss out entirely.
I agree with you to some extent, and I'd advise all pet owners to get insurance (it is possible to get insurance that covers recurrent illness, we just didn't have it, unfortunately). Most insurance policies have an excess, though, and you can't get out of that. I do object to people who can't afford to get their pets injected (which does cost quite a lot), or to cover a relatively minor vet's bill for a one-off minor illness that you might expect, for example a bite wound in a cat. You have to at least be able to afford to provide reasonably basic veterinary care.
Children are a bit different, to be fair - there isn't even an option to put them down!
Mind you, I've been sorely tempted at times!
Why isn't it?!
Lol!
Because financial circumstances can change, and there is no way of forseeing future events.
See I'm more the other way - I am pro-euthanasia.
....but not just to get rid of annoying children
I'd agree with you from a voluntary euthanasia point of view but it would always be forced euthanasia with different species.
It's not just a financial question, though. A human who's completely immobile can still use their brain and have at least some quality of life (cf Christopher Reeve), whereas an animal in the same situation would be completely miserable, and it really would be cruel to prolong its life, even if you could afford to. As I said before, though, I'm completely with you on the question of people who can't even afford basic veterinary care for their animals (for example, perhaps a special diet). To have an animal put down because you can't afford a diet that would save its life and enable it to live normally is definitely wrong.
So get some decent pet insurance and you won't have to worry!
They probably can't afford the insurance either!! The sort that covers recurring illness, which is what I should have had, is about £20 a month, I think. Assuming that your animal will hopefully only get ill a couple of times in its lifetime, a lot of people take the chance, then find they don't have the money up front when disaster strikes, unfortunately.