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!

YANBU

I follow a popular dog page on social media and sick of seeing all the go fund me requests for people who didn’t bother with pet insurance. And because the page is so popular they get fully funded straight away so they’re not learning the lesson are they!

If you buy a pet you need to factor in the cost of insurance, vet fees, food etc if you can’t afford it then don’t get a pet. Pets are a responsibility, not an automatic right

@Wisforwater

Because, thanks to the NHS, they have no concept of the cost of healthcare. Doesn’t matter whether it’s a hamster or a human, healthcare is insanely expensive. Nevermind the salaries (and, if you aren’t aware vets are shockingly badly paid unless they own the practice), the equipment & premises upkeep, medication etc, it’s all expensive. But because we can rock up to our GP or local A&E and be seen ‘for free’, or when we have a car accident and end up with multiple scans and surgery, or have a heart attack and all the investigations and treatment are ‘free’, the vast majority of the public simply have no idea how expensive healthcare is. Our local vet charges £180 call out fee at the weekend……this is what we’ll be paying for human healthcare soon when the NHS collapses.

People also seem to think that animals are simpler than humans Wrong it's the other way round vets see all kinds of animals and need to have different expertise (also I'm sure some specialise)

@Mybalconyiscracking

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!

I used to spend hundreds on mine too, people thought I was crazy.

I had the misfortune to meet a designer dog recently that was so deformed it could barely stand and walk, it's breathing was laboured, it's head was the widest part of it's whole body, it looked like the sort of animal that shouldn't have survived puppyhood, it was heartbreaking, how the hell can people buy these as pets and encourage the breeders? It's cruel.
Thousands on a dog that will have a short uncomfortable life, but baulk at the vet fees.
People disgust me.

The number of people with fashionable Brachycephalic breeds that Don’t. Get. Insurance.
It’s mind-boggling.
Someone I know is trying to crowdfund investigative tests on their dog right now, apparently £3-5k for a biopsy and labs on a lump that’s almost certainly cancerous as is very common in this breed, and their vet has told them so, but no insurance. So they’ll get the tests, the vet will be correct, then what?

I wish they would ban the breeding of these poor flat faced dogs that struggle to breathe. Its awful to listen to them gasping for breath.

Dh's family always had English bulldogs, and boxers, and we loved them, but there's no way we'd get a bully breed now, the way they've been so overbred is unconscionable.

I can well afford it but still think Vets fees take the piss so I moan

@shouldistop

I wish they would ban the breeding of these poor flat faced dogs that struggle to breathe. Its awful to listen to them gasping for breath.

I agree. I know a couple that would upload "sweet" videos of their pug "snoring"... they would hold it on it's back like a baby. Poor thing was struggling to breathe.

I think this is less of a problem in the US, where people are used to paying a copay for a medical appointment, but I've still heard people lose it over the cost in the waiting room at my vet's office.

Our vet is really focused on food quality and has been overheard telling pet owners to stop buying the cheap supermarket brands as they are literally rubbish.

@TractorAndHeadphones

I do have to say though that people's conception of pets was very different in the past. People have domesticated dogs and cats for centuries but canned food became a thing in the 20th century. People used to put their pets to sleep when they became too old, expensive cancer treatment etc was not a thing.

My father's family used to have dogs - they were very much loved and a part of the family, treated well but it was accepted that they had a limited lifespan

This is true.

We had cats, a guinea pig and a tortoise (😳) growing up but none were bought, all just given or strays in the case of the cats (that we had neutered).

People just did get old and sick animals put down back then.

I have three rescue cats. Two are on special dry foods due to food sensitivity and cystitis. One bag for one cat costs £38 a month, plus a high quality wet food container each day.

With flea prevention and de wormers and insurance it comes to about £300 a month plus I have one on an inhaler which is £80 every three months.

They cost more than humans I think 🤔

I am not sure expensive (usually paid for by insurance) cancer treatment is generally in a dog's best interest though.
Hard as it might be, putting a dog down rather than subjecting them to ongoing treatment they can't consent to, seems kinder to me.

YANBU.

Not just money but time too.

Some people are horrified that I spend a chunk of cash on my dog’s food and care every month. And also think I am precious because I don’t leave my dog alone for more than 4 hours. But its a living being that’s entirely dependent on me, she deserves a good life.

I agree with you in that respect, but would love to know where vets get their prices from. Throw numbers up in the air and see what lands?

My cat got stabbed twice in 1995, it cost me a $1,000+ to save her life. That was a small fortune to a student at that time! It was a lot of two minute noodles, and I never regretted it, and was forever grateful to the highly trained, skilled, and compassionate vet who went above and beyond to save my little girl.

@LittleDandelionClock
I’ve never moaned about the upkeep of my french bulldog first thing I did was to check the insurance before I bought him. He’s worth every penny of the 3k I paid for him just in entertainment value . I can easily afford what I paid for him along with excellent insurance which cost slightly more than my car each month 😂

I like them as a breed I would have a houseful of them if I could but my one and only is a knobhead and isn’t particularly fond of dogs that look like himself 😂
Previously I always had bigger dogs and when my last one passed away last year I decided I wanted a similar breed but smaller
Mine is healthy no breathing problems he’s insured and well trained mostly .
I muzzle him when I walk him as he doesn’t like strangers approaching him
I’ve just had him castrated and the vet said it was lovely to see a french bulldog who wasn’t overweight and had no health issues

@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.

Omg I didn’t even know vets saw hamsters 😭 I thought they were too small

I feel awful now we’ve had 3 (2 when I was a teen at home and one that dc had) just thought when they got sick that was it there was nothing you could do , my dm never even suggested the vets so I’ve ended up doing the same with dc hamster

*Omg I didn’t even know vets saw hamsters 😭 I thought they were too small

I feel awful now we’ve had 3 (2 when I was a teen at home and one that dc had) just thought when they got sick that was it there was nothing you could do , my dm never even suggested the vets so I’ve ended up doing the same with dc hamster*

Sadly many people see a low value pet that cost less than £20 to buy as something that be allowed to just expire at home with no proper vet care.
I know someone who took a goldfish to the vets to be PTS. Believe it not, fish can be treated.

I don't know that I'd want to put my pets through cancer treatment but had no hesitation in paying the vet for an operation on our dogs eye when a scratch got infected and wouldn't heal. Given the choice of a antibiotic gel that might have worked and if it didn't she'd lose the eye, or an operation that had a high chance of success it was a no brainer. The level of skill of the vet was wonderful and two years on you wouldn't know there had ever been anything wrong. £500 very well spent

We have waited a long time to get a dog. We are more financially stable and comfortable.

We've opted for the pay upfront monthly vet plan which includes worm/flea treatment/vaccines and insured him from day 1. I wouldn't have done anything else. We also have a reptile and finding specialist vets for those is a nightmare, and expensive.

Just another unthinking animal buyer, who isn't aware of the realities of dog ownership.

Someone I know has two dogs and six cats! They are all insured but she feeds them the cheapest supermarket food available as she can’t afford better quality. I don’t see the logic of paying thousands of pounds for a pedigree dog and feeding it Bakers and the like.

And better food often works out cheaper as you feed less in weight. Never mind the health benefits. False economy to feed cheap

In your case YANBU - animals often need regular treatment such as vaccinations etc - this is literally a cost that comes with buying one.

Additionally as a pp said she sounds irresponsible to have bought such a breed as it is highly likely it will not only need regular vet care but is also likely to have serious additional health issues.

This is not the situation of someone who got a pet then a year later lost their job and began to struggle. That is entirely understandable- this is not.

It especially gives me the rage when it’s smaller pets that people don’t seem to think “need” medicine. I have spent hundreds on animals that cost me a tenner.

I’m on a group for small animals and the amount of people that post “My pet seems really ill what should I do” like a moron is disgusting.

I have a hard time biting my tongue with them.