When a vet told Nancy Gates that her dog Arabella had heart problems, needed surgery and it would cost $500, she had no choice but to put her pet down.
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comMoney woes a factor in pet care
Seeded on Wed Jun 9, 2010 5:25 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
Leave a Comment:
Saving...
In my experience, vets didn't have offer any options to full payment at the time of treatment. It would be great to see vets extend payment plans, maybe three equal monthly payments or ??? to encourage folks take better care of their animals.
Also, I have sometimes felt pressured by vet to purchase services that I didn't intend to purchase when I took a sick pet in, like shots, teeth cleaning, special food, etc.
I work at a vet clinic, and although I know all clinics are run differently, I can offer some insight. First, as far as payment plans go, most clients don't end up paying and it's impossible to recover the debt. We do offer the Citi Health Card as an option, but sadly many people don't qualify for it. Many times we try to discount what we can afford to or offer payment plans to established clients. However, there is only so much we can do.
As someone who has been laid off I realize things happen. Many people who could have afforded a $2000 when they first had an animal have lost their jobs. However, examples like the first one in this article are all too common - if the woman has just enough money for herself and children, she shouldn't have a pet. A pet is not a right, it's a luxury. Animals, especially domesticated ones, are setient beings. To say "it's only a dog" is a blatant cop-out to the real issue - a person's lack of responsibility and forsight.
There are also many organizations (I have been involved in some) that help grant money and resources to people in need. Often times these organizations can bridge the gap. We as human beings need to do what's right by the companion animals that we have chosen to bring into this world and to be responsible for. That is the least we can do for animals that love us unconditionally, which is more than we can say for ourselves.
We just had our beloved lab Luke put to sleep after he developed acute renal failure and DIC ( a clotting disorder). The bill for keeping him in the ICU for two days was about $3,000. He was going to require dialysis and blood transfusions and he chances of living were poor. He was only 8 and he was our baby.... we loved him so much. But when he went into a coma, we put him to sleep.
I have had a lot of animals in my life. And I have tried to provide the best care that I could for them. But for me it depends on the quality of life. If my 13 year old wiener dog suddenly became unable to walk and could not care for herself I would put her to sleep. When my 23 year old cat could no longer walk and clean himself, I had to put him to sleep. Because I never like to see another living thing, be in human or animal suffer. And as I nurse I have seen a lot of suffering. It seems strange to me that we cannot give our human friends the same choice they we give our animal companions. I know there are certain illnesses or injuries that I WILL NOT live with and I have given my husband strict instructions not to allow it to occur. I don't want to suffer. And I don't want my animals to suffer either.