Would you get a pet pts because of the cost of treatment?

[Reluctantadult]

Vet treatment is absolutely hammering our finances. Dcat is 16 and diabetic, currently badly controlled and in the middle of trying to sort. Ddog is 12 and has just needed his second lot of tooth extractions - which comes with the territory for greyhound types unfortunately. I think we must have spent £800 teeth, £665 teeth, £3000 things at emergency vet for cat, £100 baseline per month diabetic care. No insurance. Luckily we've been able to pay, it's come out of a pot of inheritance dh received, £30k left which we are never going to see the likes of again and which is earmarked for the kids futures. Dh thinks if more things come up now, particularly with the cat, that might need to be it. He doesn't want to see more money going on diagnosis and treatment. I'm not sure how i would handle that decision. I would want to diagnose before pts, and have it medical led. But it's not really my money. But i would have to cuddle dcat when he goes and live with it. What do others think?

As a vet you are not unreasonable in any way with you cat. 16 years old, brittle diabetic making the decision before there is a horrible crisis is very sensible.

I think it would be the kinder thing to put any animal to sleep if they need that much medical intervention at such an old age.

Personally I wouldn't keep funding very expensive treatments for an elderly pet at the expense of my kids' futures.

I had my 12 year old lab pts when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. We could have pushed for treatment to possibly extend his life for a short while. I asked 2 different vets their opinion and they both recommended it was kinder to let him go.

Personally, I think the option to put suffering animals to sleep is the humane thing to do. I only wish that humans could take that option without having to fly to Switzerland.

The kids don't need the 30k they are perfectly capable of funding their own life in the future. Personally no I couldn't put the animals to sleep we always pay the insurance and at the end of the day I could put it on the credit card.

Best to put any animal pet to sleep if the suffering far too much

Keeping them alive is like putting a sticky plaster on a festering oozing pus filled big sore

With respect, that's hardly the same as having a dog put to sleep because they've had to have some teeth out.

Yes it is reasonable. It's also kinder to do this than keeping an older pet going when they're sick and have a poor quality of life.

Thanks @Lonecatwithkitten i think I need to speak to the vet. The £2300 was suspected pancreatitis but then actually it wasn't, it was a kidney infection. However he urinated in the house yesterday so I suspect uti not sorted. Also we've switched to a diff insulin and not resolved whether he's on the right dose not just been sort of left to monitor clinical signs. He's lost 1kg I think.

The trouble is he seems happy still, he doesn't seem miserable. I suppose I'm wanting something more definite so I feel I'm doing the right thing for him.

It’s a sad decision. Would the children miss not having any pets?

Yes I would, and have done with our old Ddog who had cancer and would have required ongoing blood transfusions. The vet was great and never made us feel obliged to keep on with treatment or not. Once we made the heartbreaking decision he said in his opinion it was the right thing to do and that he sees owners keep going on with treatment for their own sakes and not for the animal.

Agree. I work in animal rescue. Better a day too early than a day too late. Stabilising a diabetic cat is incredibly difficult, stressful for the cat and costly, and I wonder about the quality of life for the cat. I would never judge someone who decided to let an animal go who was not having a good quality of life.

If we had insurance or wouldn't cover most of this. Dental often not covered. Defo ongoing dental not. And diabetes same now it's ongoing.

Oh yes definitely. Dcat cuddles with Dd every evening and we walk ddog as a family.

Ddog this isn't such an issue, unless something else comes up and dh doesn't want to look into diagnosis.

The question isn't about what's humane, the question is "Would you get a pet pts because of the cost of the treatment?" Answer, absolutely not. I choose to have pets, so I make sure I have the insurance and funds for current and future costs. Everyone knows pets can be expensive.

Cats mask pain really well. I would put to sleep an incontient elderly diabetic cat rather than repeated stressful vets visits. Sometimes you can’t see it when it’s right in front of you because situation is getting worse slowly rather than cliff edge drama

I think a 16 year old cat with a poorly controlled illness should not have any further invasive treatment. Regarding the dog and the teeth if he is otherwise healthy then I think that's the responsibility you took on really. With our last dog once he was of a good age I told the vet I didn't want him messed around with and certainly wouldn't have put him through expensive treatment he wouldn't understand.

It depends on the big picture and how much money we're talking about. 20,000 pounds. I might not have a choice. If anything happens to my 18 year old cat, there's a limit to what I will pay. Generally though, I wouldn't put to sleep unless there was good justification for it. Where that line lies is different for everyone.

This

Then I think you do what’s best for the animal(s).

It’ll leave a hole in your family life, but if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it.

Yes

I admire the work vets do but since many of them are being swallowed up from family concerns to big business I’m sure the prices have rocketed and treatments are encouraged. My friend left being an animal nurse and one of the reasons was she knew vets were adding things treatments such as X-rays and blood tests pre op. Then not warning owners there would need to be ongoing monthly drug costs after the op. If you find a good vet who doesn’t take advantage of your compassion stick with them I say.