How Much is Too Much?

A few months ago, my 4-year old terrier mix, Roxie, began showing signs of back pain. She became limpy, lethargic, and lazy. We tried steroids. We tried muscle relaxants. We tried acupuncture. Nothing helped.

Within a few weeks, she appeared to shrink- her back half withered and atrophied. She could barely walk, she cried out when she was touched, and she stopped eating. She could not lift her head and she trembled non-stop.

She was clearly suffering, and it would not be healing itself. Finally, the vet told me I had a choice- spend $3,500 for surgery to repair her severly herniated disk, or spend $150 to put her to sleep.

He gave a very optimistic long term prognosis, but was clear that there was no guarantee that this wouldn't happen again on a different vertebrae at some point in the future.

It was just before Christmas. I had gifts to buy, and a nearly empty heating oil tank. I had already spent several hundred dollars on her diagnosis and treatment. I didn't have any money saved. I couldn't justify spending so much on a pet, right?

But, she's only 4 years old, I thought. I have a lot of blankets, I thought. I had just enough room on my credit card.  I thought about how lucky I was to even have credit, and the option of charging it and paying for it later. I thought, it's only money! I work at Planet Dog!

But mostly I thought about how much I loved her and wanted her to feel better. I thought how unfair it would be to rescue her from death row at an Arkansas shelter, give her a short taste of a really good life, and then let her die in so much pain.

I explained to my family that I didn't want any gifts for Christmas, and would only be giving to the children. I maxed out my credit card. I turned down the heat. She had the surgery. I don't eat out much these days.

If she had been 14 years old, I would have likely made a different decision, but I am very hopeful that I will enjoy another decade with this dog. That's only $350/year - it's practically a bargain! I hope that karma will appreciate the investment I have made in her and keep the rest of her spine healthy.

She has healed beautifully. She still has a funny looking patch on her back where the hair hasn't grown back in, but she is more agile, more energetic and more adorable than ever before.

Every time she lifts her head to look at me, I just know that she is saying thank you. And that she'll keep me warm when the heating oil is gone.

How much have you spent on a pet's health? What do you consider too much? How do you decide?

Comments

[Sheryl Kenville- Charboneau]

I have paid double that on my rescue and yes I am very poor but I would not change a thing
We call him "our Little trip to Europe"

[J T]

I have spend a fair share of money on my pets. I think it's too much of a personal choice and decision to ever be considered "too much" for some and "not enough" for others. Know what I mean? Some people thought I was crazy for spending a couple grand on my dog that never resulted in a diagnosis. But he was my dog and it was my decision. No one else's, but mine. Some people think I didn't do enough when a couple of years later the same dog had an intestinal blockage and surgery was going to be a minimum of $3500, he was 13 and had other issues going on....all that resulted in my very VERY tough decision to humanely let him go. So, I don't think it's a question to even be asked. You just know when you know. You are the one caring for your pet. You know that pet better than anyone and you know what your limits and your pets limits are. You are the only one who can know what's best for you, your pet and your family. Period. The financial limit is set when YOU know it's set. Some people can't afford an expensive surgery and some can. Some people can't afford a pet but they keep one anyway. It's all a personal choice.

PS.I'm really glad Roxie is doing so well. She's adorable!

[Jennifer]

I feel for you. I do home visits for a rescue and situations like this are the very reason that I always tell potential adopters to get pet insurance for their pet the moment that they get the pet. Chances are that you will run into at least one major medical problem in that pet's lifetime. It is heartbreaking to be put in the position of having to choose between surgery and euthanasia, and pet insurance can certainly soften the blow. If an individual person can't afford pet insurance, then I would suggest that they think twice about owning a pet, because if you think pet insurance is "too expensive," just wait until the first time your dog has a medical emergency! Glad your beautiful girl is doing so well!

[Cyndi]

I believe that surgery is warranted when it is in the best interest of the pet. Medical expenses are part of pet ownership and, before getting a pet, that cost must be considered. Putting away money every month for unexpected expenses used to be more the norm, I think, than it is today and pets may be suffering for it.

I know it can end up being very costly. I had a dog that developed mast cell cancer at age 4. He was otherwise healthy. He had multiple surgeries and chemo. At the age of 9, he was still going strong except for a hip injury that caused severe hip arthritis and pain in one hip. We paid for a hip replacement because the cancer was controlled and he was otherwise healthy. We were never able to rid him completely of mast cell cancer (he had several surgeries throughout his life and bounced back from each one quickly). He happily lived 9 years with the cancer and even went back to work as a search dog post-hip replacement. He passed away from lymphoma at the age of 13 years, old for a Weimaraner. We treated his lymphoma, too, briefly, but it turned out that he had chemo resistant lymphoma. Chemo treatments were sometimes $1,000 a week. We stopped treatment as soon as it was evident that his quality of life was deteriorating and the treatments would not help him. I know one person that took out a 2nd mortgage on their house to finance chemo for their pet.

How much were his bills over the years? I don't know . . . Easily $60,000 or more? My husband and I joke that the vet clinic should have a wing named after us. I have never regretted getting him medical care. He was also a search and rescue dog who found 13 people during his career. How much is a human life worth? His medial bills turned out to be quite a bargain. I wouldn't eat before I would not get him medical treatment. (We are all volunteer search teams in my state; nobody paid for his bills other than my husband and I.)

On the other hand, I don't think pets should only be part of the lives of the super rich. But, in my eyes, if you cannot afford to pay high vet expenses, you should look at insurance before getting a pet. I (inadvertently) got a dog when I was in grad school when I had no money. (I found her on the freeway and she was very messed up- shelter was going to euthanize her.) I immediately got vet insurance for her because there was no way for me to pay (or even have enough credit) for catastrophic vet bills. Of course, she was a rescue mutt and never had health problems and is laying at my feet right now, at age 15, after working as a search dog for 10 years. I ended up with insurance for the wrong dog . . .

Roxie, I hope you have many happy years with your mom! Glad you are feeling better.

[David]

Look into a program called CareCredit. It is specifically setup for these kinds of incidents.

They don't want the reason for you deciding whether or not to put down your pet to be a financial one.

You can pay off the charge over time without interest.

Check it out. www.carecredit.com

I have no affiliation with this program nor have I used it. I picked up the brochure at my Vet's office.

David

[Kelly]

Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity for the option,"too much money" it was "she's only five years old and there's nothing you can do" unless we wanted to allow her to undergo painful experiments at Cornell or Tufts. I respect both universities, however our beautiful german shepherd did not deserve endless months of experimental surgeries away from us. It was a "quality of life" decision for us. We would have paid any amount to have her in our lives. We loved her, continue to love her and miss her every day.

[Sue Stravinski]

I have a 5 year old Golden Doodle who was diagnosed with megaesophagus caused by myasthenis gravis. We paid a large amount of monet at Tufts, but these folks are on the cutting edge. He is on immunosupressants and other medicationwhich total around $400/month. Is there a chance treatment won't work? Yes. Is it possible that he will have to sit in his "Bailey" chair for every single meal? Yes. Was there any consideration on my part to euthanize him? NO. We still have a lot of life to live together, and unless some untreatable complication happens then we're in it for the long run. This works for me (I work extra shifts to pay) but I know it wouldn't work for someone else. That's why is its a very personal and gut wrenching decision.

[Louie Harmon]

That's a very touching story. If I had that much money, I would exactly do the same. It must be so hard to see your pet in that condition and cutting his life short. You did the right thing.

[jason]

Love your story...Love Roxy too!!

[pamela]

you ROCK! and your outlook is terrific. times like this help us realize what we value, how much things cost, what really matters. i'm going through a CCL tear with the 10-year old love of my life, Charlie, am opting for conservative management and am looking for a second job to help give both of us the quality of life we deserve. i know Charlie would do the same for me. cause it's love. this is what you have with Roxie, and may you have many, many long walks together.