Why do you have a pet if you can not afford it?

Question

Does this annoy anyone else or is it just me? People with animals who then say something is wrong with it and can anyone tell them what online as they have no money for a vet? It makes me angry and upset to think of all the poor animals in pain because their stupid owners are poor.
If you cannot afford possible vet fees, do not get a pet please.

In answer to 'Nic' sorry I am jumped up but judging by the answers I am not alone. I do feel sorry for people who cannot afford the bills but it upsets me at the same time, animals deserve more.

Answer 1

sorry spell check does not work again today for me

YES i agree with you , but in Q & A that is what its about, asking questions and getting knowledge from other on a number of topics, i commend them for actually trying to assist their pet, even though they can not afford a vet..

at the same time i do understand, why a pet owner have to give their pet away, due to circumstances, or moving etc. and unable to care, for them at lest they try to give them to a good home or shelter, so they can be cared for

also at the same time i do know LOTS of pet owner who can not afford a vet but take such loving care of their animals,and the pets seem healthy and happy becaus they are loved and cared for, and the pet is receiving attention they want and need

the ones i can not understand are the ones that get a pet, dont really care for it, let it run loose, and especially this one "tying them up on choker chain in the back yard and the only time they see their owner is to get a bit of food", really erks me... pet owners who do not care for their pets at all, letting them run loose, ,dropping them off on the side of the road somewhere, not caring for them, and just being down right abusive, or drowning the litter instead of giving them away, or a animal shelter / pet store, these type of pet owners should be held responsiable, and this happens with and without people who can afford a vet...

for me, i have two dogs and two cats, my pets are everything to my husband and i, all four pets are fixed, vacinated, and micro-chiped, they all have a collar for identification only, and i use a harness on my dogs, our cats are ten years old , ,so at the time it was very affordable for us, when we got our puppies seven months ago our circumstances was different, we vacinated first, and slowley saved up for the rest, they are small male house dogs so i was not so concerned with them being fixed as they are never out of our site and go with us everywhere. all our pets are well trained including the cats, the cats we do own have never been outside as they are strictly house cats, i would not know what i would do ,one day if my circumstances changed so much i could not have my pets, my husband and i would be devestated, we have no children and the comfort and joy our pets bring us, is beyond words......

we also have a tiny pure white cat that showed up two months ago, and hangs around, she walked in the house one day, as bold as could be, and now she thinks she lives here, she is so tiny, and has not grown at all, except she is not as thin,and gained weight, she seems healthy and fits right in with our other pets, we are not able to get her fixed, as we dont know who the owners are , it is a stray cat....we feed her, and love her as one of our own, she is very, very smart, and sleeps on the bed with us everynight along with all the other pets, my husband and i decided because she fits in so well, we will keep her and take care of her. as we do not have the heart to turn her away.

Answer 2

People have pets for many reasons, sometimes circumstances change and it would be grossly unfair to say to them "now you are too poor to own an animal because you just lost your job so get rid of it."
Most people ( note I said MOST not all) will find the money somehow when it is needed even if it means selling things or borrowing from friends and family or arranging to pay in installments.
PDSA is a good help to people but they have very strict rules and I know of at least one person who could not get his cat treated there because he was on the wrong benefits although he only had about £40 a week to live on.They just turned him down flat. I took the cat to my vet and paid for it myself and he paid me back later.
Vets have a reputation for being expensive but 9 times out of 10 the bill is nowhere near as bad as they expect it to be. People on low incomes and with no experience of taking a pet to the vets panic easily and expect the worst - that is why they end up putting it off until it is too late or begging for help to treat it themselves when it would probably work out cheaper to go to vet in the first place.
What does annoy me is people who have no intention of taking it to a vet whatever happens regardless of money. Stupidity is not reserved for the poor - rich people can be stupid too, after all if it dies they can always buy a new one.

Answer 3

I breed hamsters and I alsways put money back for their vets bills I always make sure they are well fed with plenty of sawdust and plenty of bedding. (but now I have just been let down by a pet shop who I was breeding for they backed out after the babies were born now I am faced with rehoming 10 hamsters myself. I dont accept money for them, I dont believe animals are there for profit I believe they are they for joy. So I'm doing free to good homes signs in shop windows, on the provision that the people who take them are decent. The other 9 Babies have homes. I breed for people I know who want hamsters and they will go to good homes. I also breed for pet shops, well 1 pet shop now ive been let down, and they sell the hamsters for cheaper because I dont take any money for them)
Anyway I agree you should always make sure you can afford an animal because at the end of the day they are livng creatures. Even if times are hard I will sacrafice my nights out and my social life for a couple of weeks and use the money for vet bills. Well, now ive got 25 hamsters, for the time being, I dont think ill have a social life lol!!!! And do you know what?? I dont mind I love animals!! Just feel sorry for my freinds rabbits they get so much love. I would have this particular Rabbit but Im pushing my luck with the landlord and the hamsters...:(

Answer 4

I do understand what you are saying, but its not always possible to budget for things like that.

My parents got a cat from the cats protection league, they couldn't insure him because he was too old, after they had him about a year he developed pancreatic cancer and by the time he died he had cost them £8,000 in vets bill. They couldn't really afford this but they raised the money and paid it anyway. They didn't qualify for help from the PDSA or RSPCA because, although pensioners they both have private pensions.

I have 3 cats who are regularly treated for fleas and worms and vaccinated yearly. One of my cats is 22 now and on heart medication, it costs me £40 a month. My cats are very well loved and cared for yet I could not possibly afford a vets bill of £8,000 - does that make me stupid and negligent?

If everyone decided against a pet because of possible vets fees the RSPCA and other animal charities would be overwhelmed with unwanted pets, with only the very rich owning pets!

Answer 5

Currently we have 3 dogs and 2 horses. We struggle topay our vet and livery bills, but go short ourselves to ensure our animals are fed and looked after. We are also really fortunate that our vets let us have a running bill, and they understand that we pay off as much as we can as often as we can, however with so many, we get it paid off and another one gets sick again.
We adore our animals and would quite literally sell our house before we got rid of our animals, and as I said we go without to ensure our animals are looked after.
I can understand why people ask questions here because they are trying to do the best they can for their animals. It is possible to get an animal when you have enough money to pay all the bills, and then maybe loss their job or have other problems that mean they struggle to afford all the bills but love their animals and don't want to lose them and so when they have problems, they try to get advice and help from knowledgable people.

Answer 6

I have a kitty and I love her with all my heart. I would rather not have food for a week than see my kitty go hungry or in any kind of pain. But at the same time, because I love her so much I get a bit too worried, and sometimes there isnt anything really wrong with her and I take her to the vet and spend a fortune only for him to tell me she is fine. So I think it is good to ask for advice. Ofcouse they know they should take them to the vet, but sometime people know what is wrong before the vet does.

Answer 7

That's such a difficult question, and a very good one, but I think basing it on the fact people ask animal-health related questions on Yahoo Answers is wrong, so I'm going to answer this question in two parts.

Firstly, I have two cats. They are both insured (£10 a month, which isn't bad!) and I take them to a local vet when they're sick. I have to pay a £50 excess every time but I can easily afford that. However, I still ask health questions on Yahoo answers because sometimes it's something you wouldn't really go to the vet to ask (such as what flea treatments/litter people find are the best, behavioural issues etc). When my cat had cat flu, of course I took her to the vet! But I also asked on Yahoo for ways people had found of alievating the symptoms. Someone suggested I try putting the cat near a bowl of hot water with Olbas oil in it to clear her nose and that really worked! When I told the vet I was doing that, he said it was a great idea and should have mentioned it himself. I also sometimes ask questions when I think I'm just being paranoid (i'm more of a hypochondriac about my cats than I am about myself). Imagine paying £50 at the vet to be told my cat's retching is just her hawking up a hair ball!!

On to the second part of your question. I don't think it's money that's the issue with people owning pets, so much as responsibility. For example, there are plenty of people who can afford vets who will just let their animals get sicker rather than paying out. Or there are people in certain bands (mentally ill people, pensioners etc) who REALLY benefit from the company of a pet, but can't afford high bills. Most of these people are responsible owners who would do anything for their animals if money allowed and I think it's great there are charities like the PDSA and RSPCA who will give vet treatment at cut price.

But when lack of money and responsibility come together, these people should not be allowed to have pets. For example, my boyf's mother keeps getting yorkshire terriers - she has three at any time. Then she gets bored of them and gives them to her friends or rescue centres. If any of them falls sick, she takes them to the PDSA for free treatment but I think it's really unfair because someone like her who uses her animals then gets rid of them for no reason shouldn't have an animal in the first place! ARRRRGGGHH! It drives me mad, and I've refused to visit her because of it.

So in conclusion, I agree in some ways with your opinion, but not in all. Would you begrudge a little old granny who's lost her husband a cat or dog to keep her company in her old age just because she's not well off?

Answer 8

I can see what you mean, it is quite sad. I suppose it could be said for the same thing with children! Mind unless they are fully aware of the vet fees of every single thing I don't think there is much they can do.

The fees vary depending on the problem and how it needs to be treated. But if they don't have money for even the simplest procedures like regular injections then yes it is wrong.

Answer 9

No, you are completely right. I have a dog who I love so much. For a while, though, I lost my job, and I stopped buying his heartworm medication. Then, he got heartworms. I spent $500 on the treatment, and I felt TERRIBLE for him. I didn't even care about the money, though it was a lot more than his meds would have been. Luckily, the case wasn't bad, and he's fine now. I learned the hard way that pets are a responsibility much like having children. And if you can't commit to taking good care of them, you shouldn't have them. (He ALWAYS gets his pills, now!)

Answer 10

it makes me sad too. the animal is abused with no heartgard,frontline,and if possible,the money to spay a female pet if it would save it's life. however,i do think they love it but they don't realize vet bills cost A LOT OF MONEY. a good solution is to give the animal a home with someone who can make sure all needs are met so they truly are happy.