Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what you would do for your pets?

107 replies

Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:15

Would you get into debt to pay their treatment?
Would you sacrifice your own health needs to pay for theirs?
Would you use up your savings?
If insurance couldn't cover, or couldn't cover much, would you happily pay the rest?
Hundreds, thousands?
Just curious to know as it's so different for everyone.

OP posts:
Turophilic · 10/01/2025 12:16

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

TankFlyBossWalkJamNittyGrittyIAmFromAMidSizeCity · 10/01/2025 12:18

The only thing I wouldn't do for my dogs is something that would harm my kids.

I absolutely love them with my whole heart, and I took on a responsibility when I got them, they rely on me for everything.

EmpressaurusKitty · 10/01/2025 12:20

Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:15

Would you get into debt to pay their treatment?
Would you sacrifice your own health needs to pay for theirs?
Would you use up your savings?
If insurance couldn't cover, or couldn't cover much, would you happily pay the rest?
Hundreds, thousands?
Just curious to know as it's so different for everyone.

What would you do, OP?

Original poster
Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:22

I wouldn't get into debt or leave myself struggling. I would pay upto a certain extent, but not to the extent I'm in tons of debt and can't afford my own essentials.

OP posts:
neverbeenskiing · 10/01/2025 12:23

Would you get into debt to pay their treatment?
No.

Would you sacrifice your own health needs to pay for theirs?
No

Would you use up your savings?
No

If insurance couldn't cover, or couldn't cover much, would you happily pay the rest?
Yes, I would.

Hundreds, thousands?
Yes, but I realise we are very lucky that we could afford to do this. I don't think anyone not able to do this should feel guilty about it.

Original poster
Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:25

If I had plenty of spare money, I absolutely would.
I've been called selfish this week by a friend for not paying for treatment costing nearly £1,000 that insurance won't pay out for.
It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

OP posts:
TotallyAddictedToCoffee · 10/01/2025 12:25

I love my dog, she is absolutely gorgeous and I adore her - she's my shadow and I'm definitely her favourite... 😁

But, DH and I wouldn't get our family in debt to pay for, say, ortho surgery or cancer treatment - I'd probably pay max £1-2k and anything above that would mean she'd have to be PTS

Vet bills are extortionate and we honestly couldn't justify spending thousands and thousands

But I'd be heartbroken if we ever had to make that decision

bifurCAT · 10/01/2025 12:29

As much as a person with kids would do for them.

Probably more.

Original poster
Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:31

She said I should ask family or take out a loan etc.. my family don't have a spare grand knocking around either sadly.

OP posts:
Original poster
Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:32

I'm tempted to ask her if she's got a spare grand just available. (Obviously not literally, just hypothetically)

OP posts:
Original poster
Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:34

Financially I can afford about £100pcm for my cat. Insurance finds excuses to not pay out. If my cat needed an op costing a few thousand, I couldn't just go 'yeah sure, here it is'.
Does that make me a bad owner? Possibly, and i feel bad.

OP posts:
Bonjovispyjamas · 10/01/2025 12:35

I would do absolutely anything for my pets. I also strongly believe you shouldn't have pets if you're not willing or able to pay vet's bills. No decent owner would leave an animal to suffer and vets will often do a payment plan if you can't afford to pay all at once so there's no excuse.

BobbyBiscuits · 10/01/2025 12:37

I wouldn't do that, no. In my current financial position. If the treatment was thousands and would give the animal another year or so of life, at limited capacity, then I'd sadly have to pts. If it was in the hundreds I'd definitely pay, and would sacrifice certain things for myself to do so. If I wasn't on benefits and was a millionaire, I think I would spend several thousand as I'd be able to afford it.

AnnaMagnani · 10/01/2025 12:37

Debt - only up to a point and only if I was confident of the outcome of treatment. Not really relevant as have insurance.

Use up savings - as above

Neglect my own health- no

Pay beyond insurance- no. Excess and thats it.

Nina1013 · 10/01/2025 12:39

I’d pay absolutely anything as long as it would genuinely heal or improve quality of life. What I wouldn’t do is pay to prolong the life of an animal with a miserable quality of life because I am not ready to let go.

However, I have the means to do this without making myself homeless, or unable to eat or heat my home. I’d go without heating, survive on as little food as possible etc to do the above if needed…but the line I wouldn’t cross is sacrificing the ability to provide a warm, safe home and warm, decent food for my human children.

Ultimately though, if something is beyond your reach financially, there’s no magic money tree and you can’t magic money from thin air. I would exhaust all avenues such as a credit card, loan etc however.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvv · 10/01/2025 12:39

My husband run into a burning flat to get our cat out.

Our insurance was to the maximum possible amount but still didn't cover the full amount of the complex cancer surgery couple of years later. We paid a few grand on top without even discussing it. What made it even more heartbreaking was the (amazing) vet still having to ask at every step whether we would proceed based on cost.

Yes, we are lucky to have the money. But I would not get a pet if I couldn't afford the best quality of life and any treatment they might need.

Turophilic · 10/01/2025 12:40

Is the treatment to make the animal’s life better, or to keep her alive because I love her and want her to live? These are often very different things.

If my pet had cancer I’d probably put her to sleep rather than treat the cancer. I believe for an animal who lives in the Now, with no understanding of a future, decisions should bear that in mind. Your dog or cat can’t understand awfulness for a couple of months buying a couple of years of good health; they are in distress now. With people, we can bear chemo and surgery and side effects because of the hope of recovery. A Labrador cannot.

So for me, prolonged suffering and pain of treatment in the present for a future without the disease isn’t a fair bargain. I would choose not to go down the expensive treatment route and PTS.

For £2k dental work allowing the dog or cat to eat normally and resume a happy life, yes, I would raid the savings or discuss a repayment plan.

So it’s not a straightforward money Vs treatment decision.

Theeternalrocksbeneath · 10/01/2025 12:41

I would do, and spend, anything when it comes to my pets.

My animals can’t look after themselves, they rely on me to do that. When I took on each animal I have I also took on that responsibility and there really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do when it comes to their wellbeing.

Well, I guess I wouldn’t murder anyone. Maybe that’s the line I wouldn’t cross 😄

Oreosareawful · 10/01/2025 12:41

Yes to all really. My cats are my world- and I have children
Last year one of my cats was referred to a specialist vet. He has insurance, but the bill still came to £1200 over his limit. I went into debt to pay that bill because his life was worth more to me. I used up the spare cash in my ISA and put the rest on a credit card.

The cat made a full recovery and I appreciate every day he is still with us. I didn't put my own health in jeopardy thankfully because it wasn't necessary, but I was prepared to eat beans on toast for a bit if we needed to.

When we take on a pet, we take on the responsibility to put their needs above our own as far as I'm concerned.

Nina1013 · 10/01/2025 12:42

Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:25

If I had plenty of spare money, I absolutely would.
I've been called selfish this week by a friend for not paying for treatment costing nearly £1,000 that insurance won't pay out for.
It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

Is this for a cat or a dog?
As awful as it sounds, I don’t think the relationship is anywhere near the same with a cat as you have with a dog (I have dogs and previously had cats). I wouldn’t pay £1000 on top of insurance for a cat even though I can afford it. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at tens of thousands for one of my dogs (I mean obviously I would, it’s a hideous amount of money, but I would probably go as far as remortgaging my house if it would actually save them).

RocketPanda · 10/01/2025 12:43

My dad was a vet and I have lots of pets. If it will vastly improve a suffering animals life then yes I would pay ( removing a huge tumour on a young dogs leg for example) . If it's putting an older animal through invasive surgery or treatment to gain an extra year or two ( chemo on a 12 year old cat for example) then it's a no for me.

Strawberrycheesecake7 · 10/01/2025 12:44

It depends on what it was. If the treatment would completely cure him and give him a great quality of life, then I would pay anything for my dog even if I had to go without myself. If it was cancer treatment for example that would only prolong his life by a couple of months while he suffered, then no I wouldn’t pay thousands for that.

HelloCheekyCat · 10/01/2025 12:45

Nina1013 · 10/01/2025 12:42

Is this for a cat or a dog?
As awful as it sounds, I don’t think the relationship is anywhere near the same with a cat as you have with a dog (I have dogs and previously had cats). I wouldn’t pay £1000 on top of insurance for a cat even though I can afford it. I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at tens of thousands for one of my dogs (I mean obviously I would, it’s a hideous amount of money, but I would probably go as far as remortgaging my house if it would actually save them).

Show quote history

Thats just your opinion
We always had dogs growing up and I love my cat way more than I ever loved those dogs. Maybe it's different because she is actually "mine" rather than family or my mum's dogs but I don't think you can make that blanket statement for everyone

CornishPorsche · 10/01/2025 12:46

Whenwillthesnowendzzz · 10/01/2025 12:25

If I had plenty of spare money, I absolutely would.
I've been called selfish this week by a friend for not paying for treatment costing nearly £1,000 that insurance won't pay out for.
It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

What's the treatment?

Nina1013 · 10/01/2025 12:48

HelloCheekyCat · 10/01/2025 12:45

Thats just your opinion
We always had dogs growing up and I love my cat way more than I ever loved those dogs. Maybe it's different because she is actually "mine" rather than family or my mum's dogs but I don't think you can make that blanket statement for everyone

Show quote history

Fair point. I’ve never had a bond with a cat.