How much would you spend on a dying pet?

depending on it’s age & condition…with my financial status probably up to 2500

We spent $2200 to save our cat a few years ago. It bought us another 3 years with him and was worth every penny. It would probably depend on the amount of available credit.

if he is dying….no hope….put him out of his misery. Why spend money to watch a friend suffer. If he can live a happy life for a couple of years $500.

They say you can’t put a price on life, I beg to differ. And I love my pet just as much as anyone if not more.

My pet already died…

I love my cat as a real person and a member of my family. If he were sick or injuried and there was a way to save him. Like a full proof way to save him, not just continuous tests and medications then I would spend to the last dime. But it would also depend on my financial status weather every dime would even be enough. But if he was dying and there was no way to save his life, to the point he would be happy again then no I would not allow him to suffer.

Perhaps this is simply my skewed upbringing, but I would do enough to prevent the normal “wear and tear” of pets, but not much beyond that. My family tends to understand animals as blessings while they exist, but not something on par to a human life. Thus, make sure your pet has all the required shots, but if it starts to suffer terminal illness, let it go gracefully.

A tough scenario, to be sure, but you did ask “how much would you spend.”

I have spent about $2000.00 for one health issue in the past. I have an advantage in that I work in the field, so I can usually do more than I would normally be able to afford.

Well when I was a student and couldn’t really afford (but probably could have found a way) the surgery to possibly (25% chance) help my 16-year-old cat, this is what happened:

“The $1000.00 question.”

She’s dead, she’s dead
I’ve killed my cat –
I wouldn’t pay the price and now she’s dead.
All she ever wanted
was me
to be near me,
and now I’ve gone
and killed her.
What is the price of an animal’s life?
What was it to me?
Too high, the price was too high,
and I was too cheap.
I killed my cat
with neglect and regret,
I dug her grave
and her collar went with her.
The thought of a kitten
crept into my mind,
how disgusting,
how perverted,
how selfish.
She was with me so long,
more years than not,
like a nanny,
a grandmother
like family…
and I refused to pay the price
to keep her alive.

I didn’t deserve the love at all.

$500.

My family recently put our dog of 12 years to sleep after 2 years of surgeries, treatments, medications, and about $5000. My wife and kids loved the dog with all their hearts and I felt that it would be letting down the family for me to put him to sleep. However, in retrospect, were I in the same situation, I would not follow the same course of action.

The final stages of his cancer were such that he became addicted to the pain medication, and would cry and shake if we missed a dose even by 30 minutes. The side effect of the medication made him unable to absorb nutrients in his food. He lost 40% of his body weight, and had to be carried outside to do his business. Through all this he still was interested in playing with his toys and still had appetite. When he lost his appetite was when we put him to sleep.

The vet staff was awesome, and we held our dog in our arms and wept as the Vet., injected him in his leg. He quickly relaxed, closed his eyes and was gone in 30 seconds. It was very peaceful and seemed painless.

I still feel a little guilty for not putting him down sooner and sparing him the suffering of the last couple of months. I suggest that you spend the money only if there is a chance of recovery. It the procedures only kick the can down the road, I suggest putting the animal to sleep. Hope this helps.

It really depends on how much the pet means to the owners, I know from experience. About a year ago, my family’s dog passed and he was loved by everyone, it was cancer. He had a tumor the size of a grapefruit, we payed quite a bit of money for the vet to remove it, however he died a week later. So, it really all comes down to how much the pet is loved, as well as the financial state of the family.