Is anyone else blown away by all the people on here saying they need advice bc they cannot afford a vet?

Question

One of my main gripes is that they supposedly cannot afford the vet , but hey they must have some extra money for the Internet cause they are on here!!! Making the decision to get a pet should not be taken lightly, and you should really think about it and make sure you will ALWAYS be able to provide the animal with basic care, food, water, shelter, medical care, for the rest of its life. If someone had a sick child and could not afford a doctor visit, their first option would NOT be to just dump it at a shelter like some do with pets. We foster rescue animals and some of the reasons for owner surrender (got too big for house, had to move, allergic)etc. BLOW my mind. Do your research, if your house cannot handle a dog over a certain size, do not get a large breed pup. If it is from a shelter and you cannot tell the breed, take it to the vet before adoption and get his opinion on how big it will be at full growth. And if you are allergic, why get the pet to begin with! Share your opinion

Answer 1

Oh yes! absolutely!!!! Deciding to adopt a pet is a massive decision! Finance should DEFINITELY be considered! It astonishes me how many people cant afford to give their animals the correct medical care!!!! It really breaks my heart! I have thought about this situation very deeply upon adopting my 2 dogs... I have pet insurance for them which costs me $20 a month but more than halves my vet bills! if my dog broke her leg and needed emergency vet care i would not even think twice about taking her to the vet. i would sacrifice anything for myself to help her because when i adopted her i took on that responsibility and i intend to honor it! these people should spend less on their internet bills and set up a "dog emergency fund" for themselves and/or pet insurance. i do both. i always put aside an amount of money each week in my animal fund just in case...
phewf... i vented. thanks for this question. it is one i have been asking myself for a long time now...

Answer 2

You have a point. It's nuts. We had an informal animal rescue a few years back. We had over 80 cats (none fixed and mostly related), close to 10 dogs, two rabbits, one cockatiel and three turtles. People would just drop them off, saying they couldn't handle them anymore, or they were moving and couldn't take their pet with them, allergies, didn't get along with the other pets, too hard to housebreak, aggresive to strangers, etc. For almost every animal we took in, all they needed was time, love, a good meal and a little discipline.

Pets are part of the family, and when we moved from the house we were in, we made sure all of our guys went to places where the people felt the same as we did about pets. We kept in touch with the new owners, offering advice about adjustments and things like that for as long as they needed it.

Make sure you get the right breed for your home and lifestyle. A Great Dane won't do well in a tiny apartment, or an energetic dog with couch potatoes. For those of you with pet allergies, either take some great anitihistamines, or don't bother getting a pet. It's that simple.

Answer 3

Agree totally, We bought a pup from the pound she died of cancer at 18 months old.. She had a great life and the cost in treating her was approx $6000 (Australian).. When we bought the dog we took insurance! (We all have health insurance) so when she got sick money was not an issue because we got 80% back of the whole cost. After her death we bought another pup from the pound - again we took insurance but she has a pre exsisting condition from when she was spayed.. We bought the dog, - we paid another $1000.... We paid it because she is ours and when she needs treatment she will get it regardless of cost.

Luckily she will be covered with insurance from anything else that may arise

And further more if we had never taken out insurance for our last dog we would have taken out a loan for her treatment. She was part of our family

Answer 4

I am really pretty shocked at the questions being asked here, some of the dogs sound as though they have serious medical issues that haven't been treated for days and days, and then there are the questions about how to tell a female is in season.

Answer 5

"They supposedly" cannot afford a vet? Why are you standing in judgement of so many people? You must be one of the special few that has hundreds of extra dollars to give to the vet for treatments that often do NOT work.
And how can someone "ALWAYS" make sure they are able to provide basic care, food, water, shelter & medical care for the rest of its life when unforseen events creep up and shatter your life? Husband gets let go or laid off, child gets sick and you no longer have health insurance and you dont qualify for medicaid, your vehicle gets stolen and all you have is basic insurance????
In a "perfect" world what you are saying makes sense, however this is NOT a perfect world and people fall on hard times and often struggle to stay afloat with the economy like it is now. So "THEY" do what they can at the moment for their pets, maybe its asking questions in a help forum, like this one! Quit pointing fingers at everyone and grouping all people into one catergory, Yes, there are some really pet ignorant people , but for the most part we all love our pets and want them to be healthy and happy and do what we can to achieve that despite the many obstacles thrown in the way.

Answer 6

all i can say to you is well said all that you have said is so true i dont undrstand it to on why peps do that and like you i wish they didnt i hope more reads what you have seid and think 1st befor getting a pet big or small i have two big dogs ones 5yr and 16yr old one cat whos 17yr old whos got a bad hart now and just got a bearded dragon and when pets get older they cost more in vet bills like all pets when they are old peps should think on that to but i always put my pets 1st alway well said to you

Answer 7

I agree with you. It's horribly sad to read about these animals who are clearly in need of medical attention and whose owners won't consider it. Yet, as you said, they've got the cash to own a computer and be on the internet. I'm sure they get their vehicles fixed when they break down. Yet, when faced with a flesh and blood creature who feels pain and is suffering, they don't have the money to spare. It doesn't make sense.

Answer 8

Excellent question. Yes, I am blown away by that. If you can't afford veterinary care to start with, don't get a dog.

As a dog trainer, I am continually blown away by people who get dogs then complain that the dog is doing what it has been bred to do for hundreds of years:
Why does my Terrier dig?
Why does my Retriever pick up things and carry them?
Why does my Sheltie bark?
Why does my Cattle dog nip?
Why does my Beagle ignore me when it is chasing a bunny?

Answer 9

I have answered people the exact thing you just wrote. It bugs me so much. People take up responsibilty and then they say Oh God i wont pay that to cure my pet, if they are lucky enough to see a vet. The worst is my dog or cat is throwing up blood what do i do. Well I wonder how many people would be on here asking if they were vomiting up blood. I have let go of casual friends when I found out their attitude towards animals. The people that tie their dogs outside really get to me. And then theres the ones that tease the crap out of their dogs,,use their hands to tease and push their head from side to side..or tug of war and then they wonder why their pet snaps at their child or them. I used to hang around pet stores and talk people out of buying little baby turtles or goldfish for little bowls. Oh the allergic problem is a joke thats the number one excuse. So many cats left to fend for themselves after people move out of apartments. People should serve time in prison for cruelty and neglect. They are like children. You should provide a safe happy loving environment to them. Anything less is cruelty. And those poor junk yard dogs bred to kill and left in less then humane shelters. I have rescued so many dogs and found homes for them. Including my recent rescue. Take responsibility or dont get a pet.

Answer 10

Agreed... It would be so nice if folks were required to apply for a license to own pets. There are way too many idiots and irresponsible folks out there... Too many animals suffer and/or die before someone can rescue them from the cruel & ignorant owners.