Pet ownership should be for the wealthy

[spottybaghottyhag]

Pre emptying this by saying we are low income, get topped up by UC and my pet is eligible for PDSA treatment

My ddog 13 has been eating less than usual and not keen to go out as much, but otherwise bright and seemingly well. Made an appointment with the above vet. Due to his age they wanted to do x-ray/scan under sedation. Was very shocked to discover he has a tumour in his stomach. Vet basically said (over the phone) that as they are a charity hospital they cannot do anything further, the options are either a referral to a specialist vet to ascertain if it's cancer, or PTS. She said the referral + tests would be circa £1k, which wouldn't obviously include any actual treatment or surgical options.
Personally I don't want to explore other options regardless, he's 13, had a great life and I don't think major surgery or chemo on any elderly animal is fair. We are making sure he's still comfortable and will PTS when we feel he's not.

Onto the AIBU: it really made me feel that you should only get a pet if you can afford expensive vet bills. The PDSA are very limited in what they do (very understandably) and you cannot rely on them as a complete veterinary service. Insurance doesn't always pay out. Someone asked me will I get another dog when ddog goes and my answer was we cannot afford it. She felt I was being very unreasonable. Am I?

Yep, I know SO many people this has happened to. Been milked for multiple 1000s for treatment for a sick and/or elderly pet, £5K, £10, £15K plus, playing on peoples emotions, and desperation to keep their pet alive, knowing their pet was high risk, but not caring as long as they get all the £££££££££££££.

SO many people got into debt, maxed out credit cards, took out a loan etc, to pay these extortionate vet bills, just to have their pet die anyway, 3-4 months later... It should be made illegal, vets doing this!

I can see claims coming up in the future where people who have been royally ripped off by vets can put in a claim to get their money refunded, (like with PPI, and car finance.) I reckon it's coming...........!

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@YeOldeGreyhound

ZOV. we have the NHS for humans, so it is easy to lose sight of what vet fees consist of. Have a look at the bills people get in the US for even simple things. We are so lucky here.

You are not just paying for a cat to go in a scanner for a few minutes. That fee has to cover everything to do with the vets, including the lighting in the room, heating, the receptionist's wages, maintaining the grounds etc.
Also, a human does not have to be sedated to have a CT scan. An animal does, and that also costs too.

Your reasons/excuses for the CT scan for a cat costing more for a cat than it is for a human holds no water. All the things you say the fee has to cover is also relevant in a CT scan for a human. Vet bills (many of them) are a rip off. No good denying it. Everyone knows it. Oh, and some HUMANS have to be sedated too, (children sometimes do, and people who are claustrophobic, and people who have anxiety, and also people need sedating if they have certain medical conditions,) and it still doesn't cost as much as it does for a cat! 🙄 (or dog!)

I am not 'losing sight' of anything dear.

@PlanBFertility · Today 21:44

Money grabbing vet here 👋

If you can’t afford a pet, you shouldn’t have one. Simple as.

If you seriously think vets are in it for the money, I urge you to think again.

Despite your 'loving and compassionate' post ^🙄 many posters including me have said not ALL vets. Some vets charge extortionate fees, some do not.

I am guessing you are not in the second category, or you wouldn't come on here all defensive, and sarcy.

100% this! ^

Pet insurance has been a major contributor to increasingly high vet bills. It often makes vets go straight to the expensive, sometimes unnecessary or not in the animal's best interests treatment options. I chose not to keep my 15-year old cat with lymphoma going for a few more weeks, at huge expense, because he was in pain.

Then take your cat to a human hospital and ask for a scan then.

I don't begrudge paying the vets for care for my dog. Vets have one of the highest rates of suicide. They are not government funded, and they have bills pay.

Yes, we had an 18 year old cat who our vet surgery (that had been taken over by a big conglomorate,) wanted to do CT scans and X-rays, and surgery on, (costing a potential £10K or more) some 3 years ago. We were like

Went for a second opinion to a small village vet 10 miles from us, and after an examination, she said the only option, and the kindest option is to PTS. She had had a lovely life and had always been healthy, but went downhill quick at 17 and a half. The other vet was happy to put her through the trauma and anxiety-inducing ordeal of tests, and injections, and scans, and x-rays, and surgery, and all sorts of shit. And she would almost certainly have died within 6 months. From the stress of the treatment!

And you are right. People having pet insurance makes many vets charge super high prices - and yes, they often give them treatment that is not needed, (and sometimes PTS is a much better option.) These rip off vets are driving up pet insurance to such a high level now, that people can't afford it, and have to risk not having it, and hope and pray their pet isn't a sickly/always ill one!

Again, NOT ALL VETS are like this. (Many are though!) Preying on desperate and vulnerable people who are desperate to keep their beloved pet alive.... and milking them for £7K, £10K, £15K, and even more........ (whilst secretly knowing they won't see the year out.)

As I said, it is mostly the ones who have been taken over by big conglomorates.

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I personally don't think they are money grabbers at all, they are highly qualified surgeons, it's like when people say dentists are thieves and compare them to hairdressers 🙄. I feel really bad that my PDSA vet is probably not getting paid as well as she should.

I don’t think you have to be wealthy, but you just need enough, which yes includes vet fees/insurance.

As others have said these equity vet corps are profiteering, it is criminal. I am lucky my vet is independent and I just don’t recognise the costs mentioned on here.

It is very sad that something so basic as a pet is now seemingly regarded as a luxury, it never used to be like that.

Sorry about your dear dog OP, no matter how rich I would choose your decision. I have found my vet very supportive of a decision not to pursue invasive investigations or treatments, keeping them comfortable, and letting them go gently when it’s the right time.

If I became poor, I would prioritise and do whatever I could to have a dog. If I couldn’t afford it well I wouldn’t be able to have one, as that wouldn’t be fair on the dog, and that would be that. But I just can’t imagine my life being happy without a dog, I dread the day when I become too old.

I think it has escalated beyond acceptable. I remember a time when our cats just bumbled along. No insurance, no vax, no teeth cleaning, no life extending treatment. They got deflead with powder and wormed with a pill. That was about it. All lived long and healthy lives.

As pps, I think we over treat animals these days. Just because we can, doesn' t mean we should. I go to a small local independent vet. Avoid the chains, they all upsell.

This is what insurance is for, surely?

Noone is pulling upwards of £1k out of their arses to pay for petrol treatment.

If you can afford the food, dental care, and whatever other daily stuff they need, have the time to do the essential care, and can afford the insurance payments then pet ownership is within your capabilities.

You don't need to be wealthy to afford these things.

If you need state support to feed yourself, you certainly shouldn't be bringing an animal the list of months for the government to feed. I don't think anyone on UC or any other benefits should be allowed a pet. If you can afford a dog you don't need taxpayer top ups.

My childhood dog never went to the vets. He was never wormed or given flea treatment. He was intact too. This was the 80s. He used to go out in the day and come back for dinner. He probably sired loads of pups. It was not unusual to see a dog just wandering the streets. He died at home at a grand old age.
A lot of my family pets have had very little involvement from the vets apart from being patched up after an accident or bitten by another dog. No major illnesses or anything like that. Maybe we were lucky.

However, there are loads more treatments for pets now that were not common in the past. You can have immunotherapy for cancer in dogs now. I know someone who has just finished the treatment for that for their dog. It cost serious £k but their dog is their family and they saw it as worth it. Another person spent £14k on cataract ops for their dog. Their money, their choice.
I am in a few FB groups for dogs, and some people do go running to the vet for every tiny thing.

I had my dog for years before I went on UC.

Ok and when you could no longer afford to feed it it could have been rehomed, rather than the bill being picked up by the state. Owning a animal is not a right, it is a responsibility and if you can no longer fulfil that responsibility it should be given to someone else.

But you wouldn't dare say that people on UC or other benefits shouldn't be allowed cars or holidays or phones or alcohol. So how would you police this? How do you know someone isn't making other sacrifices financially in order to have a pet?

As a pet owner and huge animal lover, I don't agree that pets are only for the wealthy. We are not wealthy by any means but we do prioritise our pets to ensure they are well cared for.
I think pets should be insured and have regular check ups at the vets. Insurance should be the highest amount you can afford. We have a minimum of 15k coverage. This was following our 2 year old dog developing an extremely rare illness and without the insurance we could not have afforded her treatment. In total it was £12k. We gave her the best shot at recovery but it did not work out and 6 months later we had to let her go.
I think it is amazing that organisations like the PDSA exist are life is never easy and we can not plan for everything but I do feel owners should try to get to a point of being able to insure their pet.
We also have our pets enrolled I our vets per club which covers all appointments, vaccinations, blood test to monitor general health and preventative medicine.

I think the PDSA vet you spoke to is most likely over worked and underpaid. I am sure they did not mean for you to feel the way he made you. I hope your dog has the happiest time with you before the end.

I have never not been able to afford to feed her. She has always been very well looked after thanks.
My outgoings are low. I don't have expensive taste in things, I do not have a car, I do not have kids or major hobbies. I can afford my dog. How much I get in UC is up to the DWP, not me.
I am fulfilling the responsibility of looking after her.

I don't think they should be allowed to smoke or drink alcohol or gamble. If you can afford to these things you don't need to be taking state money. The welfare bill is completely out of hand. Tough love is needed to get people spending back within their means. At least with smoking most of the money comes back in the form of tax and lower pension payments.

I fear Bumblebee72 is looking to turn this into a benefit bashing thread.

My dog is my priority. Her needs are always met. She is my responsibility and I owe her that. She has given me so much love and companionship. You can't put a price on that.

I'm very far from wealthy but I share the family dog with my two adult sons (we all live very close by). We all pay into a dog fund for him and he's insured (but also requires extra medication not covered by insurance).

I personally wouldn't chase treatment for a dog, they don't understand and I'd rather they were just happy until things get too bad for them.

We've all agreed to always share a dog due to holidays, costs and possible emergencies or hospital stays. I share a car with one of my sons too 🤣

I don't agree that pets must always be insured.
My dog is very old. The sort of tests and treatments that would warrant a pay out from insurance are not ones I would put her through.
Lots of pet owners cancel elderly pet's insurance for that reason.
Creams, painkillers and antibiotics are about all I would do now. If she broke a leg and needed an operation, as much as it would break my heart, I would be saying bye to her. Nothing to do with money, and more about her quality of life and dignity.

In the UK, maybe pets are a luxury because people treat them as humans and want them to have a human-like existance (which I would argue they don't need!).

I live abroad and people have pets for the sake of the animal, not themselves. Taking a street cat or dog off the street and into your house is an act of kindness because if you dont, it will probably die a horrible death. Just taking it in and giving it shelter, love, food and water is enough.

I don’t have insurance for my dogs, it was going to be £200 a month. They’re rescues.

if anything non life threatening happens, teeth cleaning/treatable conditions like hyperthyroidism etc then they get treatment up to a couple of grand.

any hideous likely life threatening conditions they get put to sleep. Biopsies are not needed under anaesthesia, a needle to take a few cells is cheap, my vets do that if there’s a fatty lump.

I love my dogs a huge amount but I am not going to put them through treatment that will be horrible for them.

I can see your point but I don't think it's relevant to the topic of discussion.

I have a giant livestock protection dog breed, I don't anthropomorphise or baby my dogs at all, they aren't pampered in any way, but the basic costs of keeping a dog in the UK have soared. We don't rely on benefits but we do cut back in other areas to be able to have pets.

Twenty five years ago we had three dogs of this breed. We were paying £12 a month per dog for insurance and about £30 for a 15kg bag of food. Now I have one dog, same breed. Her insurance is £65 a month for only 7k cover, the equivalent bag of food is around £60. We used to be with an independent vet who was wonderful, but sadly he retired a few years ago and the practice was bought out by one of the big chains. Now we are paying more than double what we were just for the basics.

So I don't think anthropomorphising our dogs or not really makes much difference to the costs of keeping pets. It's the cost of food, insurance and vets fees in the UK that makes pets a luxury to some.

Its sad, because pets can be so beneficial to vulnerable or lonely people or people with SEN, to the point that they probably save the state discernible amounts of money.

I agree with other posters though about how much expectations have changed. It isn't justifiable to spend thousands on an animal which has already had a long comfortable life.