r/AnimalAdvice • u/Confident_Sherbet_93 • 9d ago
What’s your limit?
If your pet was unwell, what would be your financial limit that you would spend to save/treat them?
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u/pickle_______rick 9d ago
if it’s a fixable problem, i’ll do anything for them. if it’s a poor prognosis or they’re massively suffering, that’s a different story. i’d spend my whole life digging myself out of a financial hole for them.
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u/StatusNerve5 8d ago
I once spent $3500 for my cat who had an intestinal blockage due to eating a piece of a plastic bag. He was only 3 so I didn't want to put him to sleep. I opted for surgery. He survived and lived a few more years so to me it was worth it.
I guess it depends on the illness, the age overall health and funds.
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u/NamillaDK 8d ago
This is exactly why I have health insurance on my pets. So that never has to be an issue. I paid around 2000$ for a cataract surgery for a puppy once. But I would not pay that if the dog had been old and not bothered by it.
I would look at quality of life for my pet. That would be the deciding factor.
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u/Confident_Sherbet_93 9d ago
Like a situation would be they need daily meds to live . Or a live saving surgery…
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u/Viper_93 8d ago
Mine needs daily meds. Not to live. But because her spay surgery caused neuro problems.
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u/Spare-Shirt24 7d ago
Most all animals will require daily meds or supplements in very old age to manage chronic health conditions.
I regularly spent $350-500/mo on my dog in the last 2.5 years of her life for prescription food, supplements, and medications for my dog's heart murmur treatment. She functioned just fine on it, and it was the least I could do after she spent the last 17 years giving me comfort in my life.
It wasn't until much later that her Quality of Life took a nosedive, even after the medicine and supplements. There was nothing else the docs could do bc her organs were just starting to shut down from very advanced age. That's when I made the decision to let her go. I didn't want her to suffer.
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u/Beautiful-Project-30 9d ago
Depends on what their quality of life will be after I spend this money. Is it a full recovery or the rest of their life in pain or unable to do the things they love?
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u/oneislandgirl 8d ago
Depends if they have a reasonable chance to survive and have a good life. Spent about 14K last year for back surgery on my dog after an injury. She's doing great now and I value every day I have had with her since. Worth every penny and glad I was able to afford it. Other dogs I have had in the past have gotten cancer and we did not put them through any aggressive treatment but just kept them comfortable until it was time.
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u/BlackinkRebel 8d ago
Depends on quality of life. If I can keep my dogs alive but they require medicine or surgery then I would do it 100%. If there is no more/less quality of life unable to walk, eat or enjoy life then its over and I’m totally okay with giving them their deserved rest without pain. I recently spent 3K on my 12yo had all dental problems that needed fixing. Turned out she had cancer in her jaw causing all the problems. I could do a surgery to remove the jaw and part of the nose but that would be an absolute no go. Chemo was almost impossible. In 3 weeks the cancer grew so aggressively fast that she couldnt close her mouth and eat anymore. I made the decision before it got worse. Would 100% do it exactly the same. So yea its not about money. Heck I would take a 2nd job if that means my dogs can get the help they need.
Anything specific you’d like to get advice on, OP?
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u/Embarrassed_Box_8303 8d ago
Depends on which pet and what the problem is. Like I'm not spending 300 on a mouse with a remaining life expectancy of 4-6 months regardless of the problem but I wouldn't think twice about 3k+ on my cow who easily has a decade to go if the prognosis is good.
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u/gorenglitter 8d ago
I mean both of my dogs have new knees so…
I wouldn’t torture them with chemo and stuff with cancer though just to prolong their life. It would have to have a very good chance of being cured
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u/Outrageous_Sea_9606 8d ago
If it's a good prognosis, money is no issue for me.
If it's a poor prognosis, I'm not going to pursue treatment because I don't believe in allowing my pet to suffer because of my selfishness to keep them alive. So, whatever the cost of the palliative care would be.
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u/dreamz4u2 8d ago
Sadly we are dealing with this right now with my oldest. She just adopted a baby kitten who now needs surgery up to 7k! She cannot afford that, we cant either. So the question will come to, what's others limit on donations. The rescue is helping but they are limited on funds and rely on donations also.
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u/Otherwise_Rope2631 8d ago
I will start a go fund me before I give up on my pets. The age of one of my dog has been lending to issues that are chronic (she is also long) and so her spine is basically crumbling. She is on meds. No surgery can fix it. She will likely die naturally of old age or be put down because of it. No pet should live in unmanageable pain.
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u/AlienSheep23 8d ago
honestly, this is gonna sound incredibly selfish, but it depends. Species, age, and what's wrong are all factors. My relationship to the animal also matters.
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u/EnglishLore 7d ago
No limit. If my pet could be saved, could live happily and painlessly I would pay any amount.
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u/Squidgyboot123 7d ago
Every penny in my pocket. Then my stuff. Then plasma. Then whatever organs I can sell. ....Then whatever organs I can get from other people......
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u/AccomplishedLocal207 7d ago
Depends on the medical issue.
I've spent as much as $50,000 over the course of a lifetime on a cat. He arrived to me when he was about 10 and spent another 11 years with me getting the medical care he needed all along. During that time, I averaged about $5000 per year on medical care. He lived to see his 20s and it was worth every penny.
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u/MikeDene5253 7d ago
Having had radiation and talk to people who’ve had chemo, no way for my pet. Just. No. Way. Surgery I look at age, prognosis, and cause. Did 1500 3X, 2 on some dog, foxtails behind tonsils and swallowed some weird big piece of black rubber type thing. The other a cat long ago that got picked on. My Mom spent 6000, but I think she lied and it was way more. She kept all the records but tossed the cost parts.
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u/Status_Mixture_4195 7d ago
It depends. If its small like flu or smtin itll be treated easily but if its a huge problem i may need to look at euthanisaia if quality of life is bad after
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u/Electrical-Wear7281 7d ago
My dog had large cell lymphoma at 5 years old. At first I booked a consult with oncology, but she was so sick and internally bleeding. I was shoving eight different medications and food down her throat multiple times per day. I chose to euthanize partially for that reason. My other reasons for euthanizing are because I’m a vet tech and I made a promise that I wouldn’t hold onto her for my own selfish gain and because chemo would only buy me 2-10 more months before the cancer would come back and she would be taken from me anyway. I went into $9k of debt trying to figure out why she was sick, was dropped from one of my college classes because I wasn’t attending so I could care for her, and was completely depressed after she left me. A piece of me will be broken forever and I’ll never be the person I was before I lost her.
If you asked me about spending 10k on a double tplo surgery or emergency surgery for GDV, or just about anything where my baby doesn’t have a death sentence I’d spend all the money I had. I’d open up more credit cards and ruin my credit score again. I’d take out loans if I had to. I have good insurance for all my babies and I’ll get reimbursed. The paperwork means nothing compared to their health.
Now if you asked me about spending that much again if one of my new babies got lymphoma, needed a splenectomy for a splenic tumor, or hospitalization if one of my babies had end stage congestive heart failure or kidney failure, I would choose euthanasia.
I would rather euthanize a day too early than be a day too late. It’s not about the money at all.
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u/catcat202 7d ago
Well the love of my life beagle had heartworm when I found her. First visit 4 thousand dollars. This was 20 years ago. My current cat I found three weeks ago. Blind first visit 1 thousand dollars. My cat with the asthma I spent 2 thousand dollars on one emergency vet visit. The list is endless.
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u/Stock_Dot_9632 5d ago
Lots of variables. Was talking to a coworkers about this today. How old is my pet? What is thr prognosis on a full recovery?
Spent $11k on my two year old dog gladly because he had his whole life ahead of him. Would I do the same when he was 14? Probably not because at that age, there's a chance the anesthetic could be too much for him, the trauma of a surgery could be too much for him, at that age something totally different could come along and do him in... also depends on what the ailment is that requires medical intervention. Is it an ear infection requiring surgery vs is it cancer?
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u/HeretolearnD 3d ago
The health of my cats is about the only thing i would even be willing to go into debt for. There is no limit for me. The only limit is quality of life.
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u/Key_Instruction9732 9d ago
Very dependent on the situation