Why do people buy animals that can’t afford to keep!

[Poppets14]

Exactly that!

My friend has just spent 2.5k on a french bulldog. She’s just been ranting at me about the cost of vet treatment (I work for a vet)

She’s moaning that the vaccinations flea and worm treatment has come to £100

So she’s happy to give a breeder 2.5k without blinking an eye but to spend £100 on health care is a problem!

Not sure what response I want really. I get so cross about people spending thousands on puppies and then moaning about the cost of vet treatment!

I'd like to know the answer to this too! Drives me mad.

You are definitely not being unreasonable. Unfortunately for a lot of people an animal is a status symbol or an accessory and not actually a companion.

YANBU and unfortunately she’s bought a breed that tends to have its fair share of health problems.

I think it's because few people pay for private health care so there's no benchmark.
She sounds very naive.

I honestly think they don't understand that an animal comes with a lifetime worth of expense, and they do I have three mogs, so no status, but still vets bills.

I think lots of people buy stuff they cannot afford long term. It drives me mad.

I was in a vets with DBoycat and this woman with a dog was going mad about the bill. No one ever thought vets were cheap.

An ex friend fudged figures to buy an expensive and huge house and then moaned how much the mortgage was. She had to sell it in the end. She still bleats to others about how she had to give it up.

I think it's that the NHS in comparison, makes it feel like healthcare is free.
It's a bit of a shock to pay £40 for a course of antibiotics for a guinea pig, or £12 a month for flea and wormer.
That's what it costs though and YANBU

I was surprised that 3 lots of people i know that were either made redundant or were self employed in industries badly affected in the first lockdown, bought a dog in the first lockdown.
I only see one if the people on a regular basis and they haven't complained (to me) about vet bills. They also have a French bulldog.

I think that this is a really big problem tbh and is also linked to unruly/ aggressive dogs.
Some people really don’t think further than owning a fashionable dog , they give no thought to training, health care, walks, inbreeding or buying from puppy farms .

It’s crazy.
I work for a vet so I’m lucky to have staff discount and even with that I cannot afford a dog!

I know people that spend over £400 a month on medication. I just think people see cute dogs and want one but have no idea the cost when things go wrong!

It's the same with feeding low quality foods. I come across cat owners who moan about the price of decent cat foods, but are then surprised when the cat falls ill because they've been feeding it utter rubbish since it was a kitten. Would they expect to be healthy if they ate nothing but kebabs and McDonald's?

Pets don't come cheap.

I spent a tenner on a hamster and over 200 on vet care when he got sick. Sadly he never recovered and was put down after a day on oxygen and fluids. Do I regret it? No, and I'd do it again. I made a commitment when I bought him that I would care for him and that includes medical treatment when needed. I loved him and never would have let him suffer.

If you can't afford the medical care or insurance, don't buy the animal.

I pay £40 every 3 months for my cats steroid jabs. £38 for his insurance
And his biggest vet bill was 3k, I would have paid twice that in his best interests
For a £50 cats protection toothless moggy

@charabanctrip

It's the same with feeding low quality foods. I come across cat owners who moan about the price of decent cat foods, but are then surprised when the cat falls ill because they've been feeding it utter rubbish since it was a kitten. Would they expect to be healthy if they ate nothing but kebabs and McDonald's?

Pets don't come cheap.

Oh yes and the food. Grain free wet food only here with some raw, and despite being 3kg he eats like a horse. I reckon his food is £15-20 per week

YANBU. I would adore a dog or cat but wouldn't be able to afford the necessary costs. So I don't have a cat or dog. I did used to keep rats and they ate better than I did. I am not able to care for any pet at the moment so have nothing. But get to see my Sister's dogs twice a week. They are really snuggly and gorgeous. But if you can't manage the money, time and effort it takes to have a pet then you shouldn't have one.

I bet she doesn't have insurance (or maybe currently has the month free the breeder provides but then won't renew it) and will complain when she's paying the cost of skin allergies and chronic ear infections too. Some owners seem to assume vet care should be provided by someone other than them. These are also the people who'll tell you that a vet "doesn't care about animals" when they ask for payment.

I think some people with elderly animals have seen a massive rise in vets costs during their lifetime and never dreamt it would become so expensive.

I work at a vets and have had horse clients shouting at me about their bills. One , who owes 6 horses, shouted didn't I realise how expensive horses were and that I should be giving her a discount to help her out 🤦🏻‍♀️

@Galacticat

I work at a vets and have had horse clients shouting at me about their bills. One , who owes 6 horses, shouted didn't I realise how expensive horses were and that I should be giving her a discount to help her out 🤦🏻‍♀️

Horses are definitely another story I did tell the cat I could have bought a nice youngster for his vets bill So many people don't have them insured and then need something like colic surgery and you're well in the thousands and thousands

People are happy to give a breeder 2.5k!! For something that already broken. French bulldogs are one the most broken dogs out there and then moan at paying the vet- the person that I’m the long run is going
To help keep your broken pedigree dog alive!

It’s like buying a car that’s engine is already broke and then having a go at the mechanic!

I do not feel justified in commenting, having spent £120 on two vet’s bills for a rat that cost £12.
However, them’s the breaks!

@ExPatHereForAChat

I bet she doesn't have insurance (or maybe currently has the month free the breeder provides but then won't renew it) and will complain when she's paying the cost of skin allergies and chronic ear infections too. Some owners seem to assume vet care should be provided by someone other than them. These are also the people who'll tell you that a vet "doesn't care about animals" when they ask for payment.

Agree, hope very much she has insurance (but fear she won't have) - and GOOD insurance at that.

Somebody local has just been stunned by a £5k vet bill for their French Bulldog, they had no clue that the breed had any health issues. You really can't help stupid ...

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I spent a tenner on a hamster and over 200 on vet care when he got sick. Sadly he never recovered and was put down after a day on oxygen and fluids. Do I regret it? No, and I'd do it again. I made a commitment when I bought him that I would care for him and that includes medical treatment when needed. I loved him and never would have let him suffer.

If you can't afford the medical care or insurance, don't buy the animal.

I'm so sorry about your poor little hamster, nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut 🌈 You sound like a lovely person and I wish there were many more like you 💐

Our cat and dog are insured as we’re financially fairly comfortable, I still moan about the price of wormers etc because I’m a bit tight.

@PatientPatty I think you've hit the nail on the head there. A lady I know took her dog to the vets recently, concerned that her dog had developed a sudden limp. The vet thoroughly examined the dog and felt it was either a sprain or the dog had trodden on something sharp and the limp should resolve quite quickly, which it has. The owner was a bit put out at having to pay what she felt was a steep charge when there was nothing seriously wrong with the dog and the problem went away on it's own. At the end of the day, you are paying for the vet's time and expertise. If private GP appointments were the norm here maybe it would be less of a shock to some people?