How much money will you spend on a pet?

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond) 10/28/2014 at 23:52 • Filed to: dogs

3

35

Not to own. I had a conversation with a co-worker and they are all about their dog as a family member. Their dog to them is like one of their children. So, they would spend the money on their dog to fight its cancer, if it had that. How much would you spend? Thirty grand?

I do not believe in her belief. That's my thing, and that's her thing. I chose to end our talk because she was actually getting a bit mad that someone would think of their family dog as not anything less valuable than their own children just because it's a dog. I was about to break it down and find her line. You know, the line where said pet is easily replaceable. Spending $30,000 for your ten year old dog's cancer instead of $250 for a new dog that lives 15 more years. To me, it's a no brainer. Dogectomy + new dog. For her, her present dog and another co-workers two dogs (same conversation) are all medicated for whatever disease problems they have and the cost is over $100 per month. At what point do you cut the strings? At what point would they?

Let's look at a goldfish. If I asked her about her pet gold fish and if her pet fish had the kind of infecetion that would make any family in the past flush it, but now in today's world would she spend lavishly to fight it? Would she spend twenty-grand to fight fish cancer? (smaller price, smaller pet right?)

Where is this line drawn? I think it's insane to drop that kind of money on a pet that will only ive a few years more anyway even if it were healthy. Pets are not offspring. In fact I thikn pet's were already getting one hell of a break in life support even before we started spending money fighting pet cancers. A pet dog can wander off and get pregnant and it's babys are so cuuuute. Our offpsring can go wader off and get pregnant and they're shunned by the village and sent away to a girls school until their condition improves and suddenly there's a new cousin to raise in the family house wich by the way will not speak of such events until two generations pass on sixty years later.

See how easy the pet gets off the hook already? Now it is getting free cancer screenings and treatment. free and easy pet maternity and no shunning!

I'm not trying to make light of the whole thing (well, sorta) but does anyone else think that level of pet=family is a bit ludicrous? what level of care is the family pet worth paying for?

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Grindintosecond 10/28/2014 at 23:56

2

That's why I stick to cars.

Soloburrito > Grindintosecond 10/28/2014 at 23:57

0

It's just a question of individual budgets not putting a number on love for a pet.

Manuél Ferrari > Grindintosecond 10/28/2014 at 23:57

0

I guess it all depends on how much money you have

I know this lady who is crazy rich. She spent $40K to help save her son's dog. Then she took it after it recovered.

thebigbossyboss > Grindintosecond 10/28/2014 at 23:57

0

Well, vet bills isn't the only spending. My cat probably cost about $30-40/month in basic upkeep like food and litter.

And usually once or twice per year we'd go to the vet and I'd spend about $100-300 depending what was up.

So I guess about $1K / year?

Grindintosecond > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 10/28/2014 at 23:58

0

...until you have a family of your own and they want a dog. I had a dog. It chewed through its own tail and i had to spend $1500 to fix that in the middle of the night. I also lost the security deposit on the apartment because of the CSI blood scene after the event was impossible to get totally cleaned up right. Even if i wanted all my time in cars, the family might trump it and now there's a dog/cat/fish and money problem.

Grindintosecond > thebigbossyboss 10/29/2014 at 00:01

0

Right. that's basic pet maintenance. Understandable but the big bills. "Oh your lab needs $4,000 to repair it's genetically bad hip displaysia" sort of thing. Will you borrow against your 401k to pay for that? That's the question here. at what point are they no longer a family member. (Besides when the family dog steals your car and goes on a coke binge with your own bank account after getting out from rehab for the third time and promising never to do it again, earning disownment)

CB > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:02

1

We paid to get my dog's first tumour removed, which was a few thousand, I think. He was a part of the family, and we all loved him dearly. You don't think of it as "just a dog" once you become attached to it.

(Photo is of our two dogs, Wolfie and Benton, who both passed away in the past year. I still keep Benton's collar [the one on the right] on my night stand. Photo belongs to my sister.)

Grindintosecond > Manuél Ferrari 10/29/2014 at 00:04

0

took it? Like, she bought it? I wonder how many times it peed or barfed on her carpet in appreciation. If money is nothing, then I can see it but some are taking out big debt loans to save that pet. There's pet insurance now and people are buying it! Ten or fifteen years ago replacing the pet was the business. Now people are trying to clone Mr. Lemmons the cat who died at 18.

Steve in Manhattan > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:05

2

Our cat had to be put down last year because her kidneys failed. We paid for everything necessary, and the vet shop refused to accept any money the day she was put down.

This is Lili.

A few months later, we got Yoda and Vader. Vader was near death, but got put into Yoda's litter (the cat we chose) and came back to life. The shelter lady told us as much - how could we not take them both? And if your gray cat is Yoda, what else do you name the black one?

We took them to the same vet the day after we got them. They had ringworm. Two weeks later, we each had one.

We are adults living in Manhattan. We have no children. These two bring us joy, every day. We haven't bought insurance for them yet, but at 18 months of age, if they needed anything within our means (which are what you'd expect for two people living in an expensive city) we'd pay.

They are not human beings. But they greet us enthusiastically every day, and they are a part of our family. These cats are important to us, and we are important to them. They show us that every day.

Grindintosecond > CB 10/29/2014 at 00:05

0

Those are cute. So that was a few thousand. How old was he and how much longer did he live?

CB > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:07

0

He was nine or ten, I believe, and lived another two years. A little difficult because he was a rescue, but he was absolutely great. I should specify that it was Wolfie who had the tumour.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:07

0

We payed $75 bucks for an X-ray for our Pit/Lab/Boxer when she was a puppy. That's it. Other than the X-ray, we quarantined her for a few weeks for her broken leg. 7 years later she is fine, doesn't even have arthritis, which is rare for a dog her size and age. So in other words, not much. It makes me sick when people think of their pet as human. Special exceptions for those who NEED service dogs.

Squid > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:08

1

My dog is my best friend. My dog is part of my family. My dog is a damn good companion.

Growing up we had a dog that ended up with diabetes and some eye infection along with diabetes induced cataracts. We took care of that motherfucker until he was 13 and the changes in the house were too much for him to handle. I'm for treating manageable conditions like arthritis and hip displaya and diabetes, but when it comes to canine cancer, I figure I'll just spoil the fuck out of the dog and spend as much time as I could instead of taking a chance on a painful procedure only to have the cancer come back. It also comes down to accepting what common ailments happen with the breed you choose to own. With shelter mutts like my current girl, I don't know what will happen down the line but so far she's been pretty damn healthy.

It is a little callous to think like "fuck it, this ones broken lets get another one." It also comes down to the fact that you will be going from a dog you've helped shape and mature and nurture their personality to a little wild ball of fucking energy that puppies are. I know I don't wan't to go through the whole puppy training routine and teething and potty training and behavior modification that comes with getting a new puppy. Even adopting an older dog from a rescue can be tough as you learn their personality and what they know and don't know.

There is a limit that I'm willing to spend on my animals health, but in no way does that make her expendable at the first sign of a health concern. But maybe I misunderstood your prompt.

EDIT: I must also state that I don't think of my dog as my child, that is just weird. . . And no I don't think of her as my significant other even though she bears the name Mrs. Buttersworth. . .

Grindintosecond > Steve in Manhattan 10/29/2014 at 00:09

0

I understand. My family is currently cat family. Ours has something going on were taking him in soon to get it looked at but he is 11. The age/cost ratio will have to be examined if its something truly big and wrong but I understand spending whats required. It's just the huge money i hear about being spent sometimes makes me wonder. What that line is.

(now I think i just hijacked oPPo tonight and made it a Cat/dog website for a while.)

Grindintosecond > Squid 10/29/2014 at 00:15

0

you might have gotten my OP right. I dont have a problen with health and ailment maintenance. It's the huge cancer bill that some are willing to spend. Like another poster that commented about a rich lady he knew that spend $40k to save her sons dog. To a person like me, that's over the line. to fix a broken leg/hip/etc its alot less and manageable. I understand where you come from. Im not saying to get rid of teh dog when the big C is there. Like you said, spoil them till the end yes. there is a money limit.

Steve in Manhattan > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:16

0

Lili was 18 when had to pull the plug. And that's what it was. We'd gotten her the treatment, but we hadn't put her through tests they'd wanted to do because, in the end, you don't operate on an 18 year old cat. One morning she was bleeding rectally, by noon we'd put her down. It was, as far as we could tell, the first time she'd been in pain. The night before she'd jumped up on the couch just like every other night, and purred when we gave her snacks. Just like your kids - you do the best you can. You try and make the right choice.

The current knuckleheads? Insurance may be in their future. Obamacare improved my life ... who knows what's in store for them?

Flat Six > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:27

0

Our dog got into a fight with a much larger dog and hurt his back. His back half was basically paralyzed and he couldn't walk or control his "functions". The vet wanted X thousands of bucks for MRI, surgery, etc... We didn't pay, and I wouldn't ever pay that. There was no guarantee that it would even help or not make things worse. We did however spend a HUGE amount of time rehabilitating him ourselves and he mostly recovered. It wasn't really my first choice on how to spend the time but my wife was really trying, the dog was trying, there were results, so I felt good about it..

All Motor Is Best Motor > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:29

2

Sorry but a dog isn't "easily replaceable". Every dog is an individual just as humans are. You're wrong on this.

Tohru > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:29

0

Since I wouldn't be able to afford to remove tumors if *I* had them, I'm certainly not paying for them to be removed in a pet.

There's a reason I have a cat instead of a dog, even though I'd much prefer a dog. Cats are much cheaper to maintain.

Grindintosecond > All Motor Is Best Motor 10/29/2014 at 00:32

1

You would spend thirty grand on fighting a dog's cancer?

that's the question. I'm not wrong or right here. I'm wrong according to your ideals, but possibly not wrong according to mine or others. I'm not making a right or wrong claim, i'm stating my position and wondering what general consensus there is now. It was not this way not too long ago.

All Motor Is Best Motor > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 00:52

1

No, I wouldn't spend 30,000 on a dog unless I was rich because that's potentially financially crippling, but you flat out said pets are replaceable. That's a blanket statement which cannot be applied to everything.

Leadbull > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 01:13

1

My dog has had two tumors over a five-or-so-year period. They were both removed, at less than a grand each.

They were small, benign tumors, though. If a cancerous tumor deep in something vital pops up, we probably won't bother with it because:

-Money

-Even though we pretty much consider her a part of the family, she's still a dog

***

What I don't get is why people shell out thousands of dollars to buy puppies up front. We adopted ours for like $80. We gave her a better home, plus she was already trained and whatnot.

Squid > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 01:14

0

Yup, my sisters lil chihuahahaahahhahahhahahaahahaahahahahaha pissant rat has a little mass on her chest, the dog is about 14 or 15 and the surgery its self runs the risk of killing her if they choose to remove it. on that point I feel it is best to let the old lady sleep out the rest of her life and yell and scream and be the toothless old lady we all love. Granted my sister has spent thousands on dental extractions for the old lady but that is kinda par for the course of tiny dogs.

Dogs aren't cheap and with in reason you are expected to take care of them. If you don't brush the little dogs teeth they end up all fucked up. But every one is different and has a different budget on what they think is reasonable and affordable.

Manuél Ferrari > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 01:23

0

I guess her son felt bad about how much she spent so he let her have the dog.

This lady is like silly rich.

I greeted nobody should take out a loan for pet hospital bills. That's crazy!

Philbert/Phartnagle > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 03:01

0

For some people, me included, a dog becomes part of the family. I would spend whatever I can afford to cure my 10 year old dog's cancer if I were in that position. The simple explanation is, that I love my dogs and it's nobody else's business what I spend on them, therefore I do not care what anyone else thinks about it.

The way you think and talk about the dog IMO, is just the same way I would think and talk about an old car that I wasn't particularly attached to and I didn't really care about. After all cars are easily replaceable, but a dog that you have loved and nurtured for 10 or more years is not. They are not disposable property like cars, they are living, breathing, feeling animals, who deserve the best care you can provide.

To answer your question, it might seem ludicrous to you, but to someone like her (and I) it is not ludicrous, we love our animals.

thebigbossyboss > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 06:41

0

It depends what the little guy got sick with but yes cancer and hip replacements are right out.

I think my upper limit for me is about $1K per illness. Last time we went to the vet it was about $260. Had to get an x ray and stuff, the cat got into the garbage and ate tin foil. Thankfully he threw it all up, so he didn't require surgery to stitch up cuts in his intestine.

My jaw dropped when a woman I work with said she spent $5000 on getting her dog surgery.

thebigbossyboss > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 06:47

0

Your dog.......chewed through it's own tail?

thebigbossyboss > Tohru 10/29/2014 at 06:49

1

It's true. Plus cats catch mice. Last time my little guy went in it was about $260 which isn't free, but is relatively affordable.

Grindintosecond > thebigbossyboss 10/29/2014 at 08:18

0

yep. Well there was a previous small injury that started bothering him and one night he went to town to scratch it. Kinda hit a nerve literally. Amputated the last 3" of his tail in the end.

thebigbossyboss > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 08:22

0

I....uh....wow. I don't want a dog...this might be why.

Grindintosecond > thebigbossyboss 10/29/2014 at 08:25

1

ok the doctor amputated the 3", not the dog.

Tripper > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 09:03

0

My dog is part of the family. If he was sick or needed an operation that I could not afford otherwise, I would sell my M3, do some fund raising, shit I would rob a bank if I had to lol. I don't have any kids yet so he is basically a child to my fiance and I. I don't think I would feel any different if we did have kids. As long as he can keep the same quality of life there is no amount of money that I would not spend. Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem. Even with the organic grain free dog food, vet trips, and more toys than any dog should have, hes still cheaper than any car that I have owned.

Tripper > All Motor Is Best Motor 10/29/2014 at 09:24

0

I would definitely spend 30 grand on my dog. I don't have it but I could find it or get a loan. I went to college for 100 grand that I didn't have. Worst money I ever spent lol.

Aaron James > Grindintosecond 10/29/2014 at 19:56

0

It's a personal decision for the pet owner to make. Why would you push your opinions on your co-workers like that. I would never spend that kind of money, but the great thing about America is people are free to spend their money in any legal way they choose. I guess I just don't understand why you feel the need to tell people what to do with their own hard earned money.

Grindintosecond > Aaron James 10/29/2014 at 21:08

0

in no way did I tell my co workers how they should think of their pets. Re read the post please. We had a disagreement of our own opinions. A conversation. She didn't like my opinions and I didnt see her points. I never told her how to think.