This is Lila our high maintenance dog.
I was thinking that it might be interesting to total all of the money that we’ve spent on Lila over the past six years, but then again, I’m not sure Grandpa or I really want to see that number.
What has cost us so much, you ask?
Naturally, we had Lila spayed as soon as she was old enough for that surgery. She’s had regular shots, regular doses of Frontline Plus, had an extra tooth removed, been treated for Lyme disease …. twice, had her teeth cleaned under anesthesia, was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets, had infections and fevers, has an undiagnosed skin disorder, and now she has a torn ligament in her knee.
Yesterday when I was paying our bill at the vet and making another appointment for Lila to be rechecked in two weeks which will probably cost even more money, I was wondering how long we are going to continue to absorb these expenses.
The problem is that we like Lila. Some days we even love her. But yesterday when our vet told us that if Lila’s knee cap is permanently displaced, he will have to refer us to a specialist, I was thinking that we may be approaching THE LINE. You know what I mean. The line that we are willing to walk up to and place our toes on but not step over.
This is Lila’s care regime for the next two weeks:
1. Spray Lila’s boo-boo on her skin with a steroid spray.
2. Add one teaspoon of antibacterial dental stuff to her water bowl to ward off gum disease because she is genetically predisposed to rapid build up of tooth placque.
3. Massage her gums with oral care gel.
4. Squirt a syringe of anti-inflammatory medicine into her mouth making sure she has eaten enough food to prevent nausea but not so much food as to make her gain weight or cause more placque to form on her teeth.
I really don’t mind doing any of these things for Lila. What I mind is paying for all of these products. The world is full of sick and starving children, and I don’t like spending all of this money on a dog. I know that to some animal lovers I may sound callous and uncaring, but nothing could be further from the truth. I’m an animal lover, too, and I abhor animal cruelty or neglect.
Yet, I struggle with this dilemma of when to say, “Enough! We cannot continue to spend more money on this dog no matter how much we like her and enjoy being her owners.”
This isn’t an easy decision, and it’s made even more difficult because the expenses have occurred over time rather than all at once. This isn’t a decision that I want to make at all, but there comes a time when we have to ask ourselves if we are being caring pet owners or poor stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us.
How do you feel about spending money to care for your pets? How much is too much for you?
It’s really hard. I think MOST people when they take on a pet, don’t really consider the costs that pet may and will likely have over the course of their life. It can add up in a hurry, and this is the number one reason most senior dogs are surrendered to the pounds, the rising costs of their medical expenses. It’s also why senior dogs are rarely adopted out from rescue organizations.
It is hard to know where that line is though. Of course the medical care for animals is every bit as advanced as it is for people, and that will naturally mean every bit as expensive. I guess you have to go in knowing that and always ask what the alternatives are. Is there a cheaper med that may be just as effective? Is there a vet who will work with your budget and let you make payments?
You are right, Jen, about the vet care becoming more advanced and therefore more expensive. And you offer some great suggestions about looking for alternatives. Thanks for sharing on this important topic.
I grew up with 2 dachshunds. Both became paralyzed when the menages between their spinal discs became inflamed. My parents made the hard decision to put one of them down for that problem. Medication to treat the inflammation allowed the other to recover. Later on he died after my parents spent an unknown quantity of cash treating him for cancer. My parents did not offer me a dime to pay for my college courses, my books or my living expenses–but they spend a fortune on a dog….. I loved Sam very much but I came in second behind a dog. I will never ever put the health care of my pets before my family or my kids. At the moment my kids are okay so if Anna had some sort of health problem, I would spend the money, if I had it. BUT I would never do what my parents did–which was put the dog before their kids.
It is tough to think about– will keep you, Jack & Lila in prayer. You might consider giving Lila to someone who has a house with NO STEPS so it does not put so much stress on her knee.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Carolyn. It really does help to hear different peope’s experiences. Thanks for the prayers, too. I hadn’t actually thought much about our steps–Lila does go up and down them severl times each day.
I am sorry about poor Lila
I hope she doesn’t need knee surgery.
This is bad. Poor Lila has a lot of medical issues. She is sweet and good natured. We’ve had to face this Delima. We gave IV fluids to our elderly Basset, IV antibiotics to a bunny, we even paid for vet care for a few strays before. We had a Dalmation that we adored put to sleep because she was biting, and once We had a ‘runner’ that got away. It’s hard.
You’re right, Ann. It’s hard no matter when the decision has to be made. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
We don’t have pets, so I am not qualified to share my opinion. But one of the reason we don’t have a pet is because we have always lived on a pretty tight budget and could never justify the monetary cost of keeping a pet when we had four children to raise with a limited amount of money.
I’ll pray for wisdom for you. This is such a hard decision.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for the prayers. We are most definitely not doing anything at this point, but if the question of a knee surgery comes up, we will be making a decision then.
I sure had these issues w/Mac the grumpy poodle.
He had two bladder surgeries, one dislocated hip that required surgery and severe persistent allergies that required diagnosis and desensitization shots like a human. His food also cost a bomb. He was however a member of our family and I paid up.
I figured that if he required chemo to prolong life only or a risky procedure with unclear benefit I would have not gone forward with it. I would not have paid for that. I felt fortunate that I could afford his care. He enriched our lives greatly.
If I was on a limited income and cost for his care meant we could not have paid for other necessary expenses I might have had to make different decisions.
I do think pet insurance would have helped, it was just becoming available here as we started getting into the really expensive stuff and was age related as far as cost and benefit so I didn’t buy it. I would for a younger dog.
Thanks for your input, Betty. We are on a limited income, though I wouldn’t yet say we are at the point of sacrificing necessary expenses for vet care. But I could definitely see it coming to that point.
I think you need to go into having a pet with your eyes open. They are entitled to quality of life just as much as any other being and that costs money. Would you realistically be sending that amount to sick and starving children each year if you didn’t have Lila in your lives? Does what she offer to your lives improve your quality of life? If so, then she deserves the care you can provide her.
Pet insurance is available and while it doesn’t cover everything, does cover a portion of what you described. After having a previously very expensive due to medical costs dog, we now carry it. Do we use it every year? No, but we don’t use our home owner’s insurance every year either and we willingly pay for that insurance too.
Last, none of the conditions you described mean your pet cannot recover and still have a quality of life and improve your quality of life. If Lila is very old and not likely to have much time to recover/have quality of life even after treatment, then it is time to address that issue. You need to discuss this issue with your vet and find out if there are lower cost alternatives/clinics for treating her before considering either giving her up and putting the issue on someone else’s wallet or euthenizing her.
Thank you, Janice. Again, we are not considering making a change at this point, but an expensive knee surgery could be the point at which we reconsider. And would we give the money we are spending to sick and starving children? No, not all of it. But we do like to give generously to causes that we believe strongly in, and when money is pouring from the pet fund, sometimes the charitable giving fund takes a hit.
I know exactly what you are going through,we had to make that decision for the family dog,who was with us for 13 years,a beautiful black lab,well behaved,who was loved by so many. When making these decisions you must also think of the pet ,how much can they endure,the extra surgery,the pain and all the medicines that go along with it.It was a very difficult decision,but it was the right one,our Jordan,was suffering so much,but he always new that he was loved.
Thanks for understanding, Jayne. The thing for us is that Lila is so young, and she’s such a sweet dog. I’m really hoping it doesn’t come to us having to make such a decision at this stage of her life. But another trip to the vet certainly was a reality check for us yesterday.