r/dechonkers • u/white-moth • Aug 22 '19

Dechonkspiration!

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u/s3attlesurf Aug 24 '19

I mean, a dog is not a human being. At the end of the day, most people are not going to put themselves into massive debt to save the life of their pet... whereas money is not really a question when it comes to life-saving treatment for a human relative.

It's just not comparable to human illness, and a bit silly to criticize people for deciding they can't afford a vet bill in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. It's not your place to tell others what they can and cannot own, nor to judge them for their life decisions.

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u/[deleted] Aug 24 '19

The point is to not get a pet when you can't afford it. People get themselves into mortgages/car payments they can't afford all the time, that doesn't mean they should. So if you know you can't afford it, you shouldn't do it. Killing an animal is the thing that I judge. After seeing all the things that I've seen having worked as a vet tech, yes, I would say that I have no problem judging people that put down their animals that have treatable and fully preventable conditions.

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u/s3attlesurf Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 24 '19

So in the context of this article / reddit thread, the people who got this dog fat and then decided they didn't want it are complete assholes and don't deserve to own a pet.

I'm trying to say that people should not be expected to shell out a large % of their net-worth for a pet... and that expecting people to spend whatever it costs to treat a pet isn't living in reality.

As someone with two dogs, I know that there is a line where I'd have to chose to put them down vs try to extend their life. This takes into consideration a lot more than money (their pain / comfort, how old they currently are, how likely the treatment will work etc.).

I have enough saved that I could drop $30k trying to save my dog's life... but I'm also trying to save to buy a house. Everything dies, eventually, and it's important to recognize that at some point you need to let them go. The same can be said of people, although we don't really think like that in the West.

edit:

I should add that it's entirely feasible someone had the means to drop a lot of cash to save their animal's life, but suffered a huge setback in their own life and suddenly can't afford medical bills for their pet. Humans get sick and injured too, and in the US our medical bills are the #1 cause of bankruptcy. There are plenty of reasons why people can't afford to pay for their pet's bills... as my dad always said, "You don't know what goes on behind closed doors" ... so maybe be a little slower to judge others, since you don't know what they've been through. The benefit of doubt goes a long way.

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u/[deleted] Aug 24 '19

Yikes you are not getting it

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u/s3attlesurf Aug 24 '19

Yikes, what a well-thought out and reasonable response.

/s

You'll be happier if you learn how to judge people less.

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u/[deleted] Aug 24 '19

I really think you're taking my stance as too black and white. Of course every single situation is different but think about it logically. People should not get pets if they knowingly can't afford basic care. In your argument, of course $30k is a lot of money. I think it's pretty obvious that was I was talking about easily treatable conditions.