I have seen a lot of questions on here about people being angry because someone has a pet they can't afford

Question

to care for. Pet care is extremely expensive if anything does happen in the life time of a pet. I have had my dog for 11 years. 11 fantastic fun years of enjoying him, laughing at him playing with the kids and him sleeping at my feet every night. Over the past 2 years my financial situation changed when I was put in a position to quit work and stay home with our son who needs special care. This put a two income family with two income bills, down to one income. I can no longer afford A LOT of things. My dog had to have emergency surgery at the beginning of this year and I had to borrow 2000.00 from my mom. I love my dog and I was very lucky to have someone to borrow money from, but to those of you who are judging so quickly about pet owners, ya'll need to back off a little because you might not know the whole story. Sadly, if anything happens again I might have to face putting him down, but that's the choice poor people have to make. I don't have a question, I am just talking.

Catboy, after 11 years of having my dog, I think he would be suffering worse if I let him go live with some strangers. To the "animal lover" girl that told me to shut up, I hope you have to see what this feels like some day so that you can actually know what the word sympathy means. I hope you will see what it is like to be a good decent person and having some hateful person telling you to shut up.

MandB, I am truly sorry what happened to you. Maybe "poor" was a wrong choice of words. Low income, is that better? As for having this computer, I bought it 5 years ago, when I was working. Paid cash. As for the internet, it is not all fun and games. I HAVE to homeschool my son and the internet helps to actually save me money on a lot of books I would have to be paying full price for, and worksheets. Hope I have been able to explain why I have these things and it is approved by all of you.

Answer 1

Of course you are right about all this, but you are obviously a caring responsible pet owner.

I think that what people get upset about here is the fact that lots of people want a dog - usually a cutesy "designer" dog, but they don't want to pay for it and they don't want to vet or neuter it.

Then there is the group who buys a dog from a back yard breeder, weak and probably a runt because they want a "teacup" and then come here for advice because, after giving the breeder big bucks, they don't want to spend any more money for vetting.

Then there is the "it's only a dog" crowd who gets a cute puppy, throws it in the yard, or worse, ties it up in the yard, and never does anything with it again except maybe feed it. It's out there full of fleas, ticks, sick, in the heat and cold.

Those people DO NOT need to get a dog.

People in your position are not the problem.
That said, there are low cost pet clinics like Petluv that you can take your animal to, it is also possible to find a vet who will let you pay gradually if that is necessary. Look around, some vets have hearts, ours does, and we have 6 dogs.

It is always cheaper to feed good food, keep vaccinations up to date, and use Frontline or Advantage every month than to wait until the dog has problems too.

No offense is meant towards some like you, who loves their dog and has always done whatever their circumstances permitted for his welfare.
I wish you many more good years with beloved pet.

Answer 2

If they would MAKE that choice and have the animal euthanixed...that would be fine. What many of them do however, is WAIT. The animal has been hit by a car and they cannot afford vet care and know a shelter might euthanize the animal, yet they wait and do nothing and seek advice here. What sense does that make???? They want some idiots to tell them all the "home vet care" things that they can do, like giving human medications that can make the situation worse. And many times, the person KNEW they could not afford the pet from the get go, yet they still got one. I work at a shelter and see it every day. If you are on welfare....probably a pet is NOT a good idea. If you are a student....probably not a good idea. If you work at Burger King and have a very limited income.....not a good idea. If you start in ANY situation where you could not afford a $200 vet bill next month...a pet is NOT a good idea!! If they need a pet, there are plenty of pets that one can get that CAN be cheap to care for. Many times they get the pet and don't even get regular preventitive care, thereby making it highly likely that the pet is going to need more care down the road!!

I think many people are aware that there are times where there is a situation in which people need help, but many of these situations could have been avoided to start with just by basic responsibility!!!!!! People now days are unwilling in most cases to accept ANY personal responsibility at all. It is someone elses fault that they cannot pay a vet bill. The vets cost too much. They won't see pets for free. They don't care. it doesn't matter if the person let the dog get pregnant and now are unhappy because it needed a c-section for a litter of dead puppies. That is the vets fault. They cost too much.
And it is hard to feel bad for someone who is on YA! on their computer with their internet access seeking vet advice.

Answer 3

If you suddenly find yourself in a position where you wouldn't be able to afford a big emergency bill, you have a couple of options:

- purchase pet insurance (this is my least favorite option, as many plans require you to pay up front, then they reimburse you. But it's better than nothing at all!)

- get a credit card with a mid-level limit that is saved specifically for emergency situations.

- open a savings account, or even just get a piggy bank, and save a small amount each month for emergencies.

As well, many vets offer payment plans or other options when money is an issue. The problem is that most people just say "Oh well, my life has changed, but I don't need to make any changes to my finances/planning" They don't even consider their pets when they re-budget their lives, and forget that such things could happen.

So my advice is this: if you experience a drastic life change, please think of your pet(s) and what you would do if something happened to them BEFORE something happens. Have an emergency plan in mind, so you can help them if the worst falls on you.

Answer 4

I agree. The only time I disagree with someone is if they get the dog and then say they can't afford the vaccinations or spaying/neutering since they got the dog knowing it needed those things for it's health and safety. I understand people's financial situation can change but it's up to them to figure out a way to get the dog what it needs because it's just like a child. Whether you have to borrow money or take it to a no-kill shelter that will care for it or find another trusted person who will do so. Dogs come with responsibilities just like children and it's sad that many people think they can just throw them to the side if they get tired of them.
I do agree with you though and understand people's situations can change within a short amount of time.

EDIT: I also agree with the person above me. People need to include their pets into their financial plans because they are part of the family and need to be cared for properly no matter what. Always have a back-up or emergency plan.

Answer 5

# 1 you are not poor - you have a computer and internet.
# 2 my first husband died when my kid was 5 yrs old... so I also have gone from 2 incomes to 1 (we didnt have life insurance or anything wonderful like that.)

what you do is cut back where you can. I had a $100 car, no car payments, I got rid of cable TV, ate a lot of soup, didnt go out for dinner..
have a garage sale.

I am sorry your dog is ailing, and wouldnt hold it against you if you had to put him down - at 11 years he has had a good life. However to call yourself "POOR" is a bit of a stretch, most people dont know what poverty is... I lived on MINIMUM WAGE for petes sake, raised a kid by myself, and managed to save up for a house while doing it. You are only as "poor" as you allow yourself to be.
Go to some third world country and then ask yourself if you are really poor. You are not.

If worst comes to worst - you can get a part time job when your spouse is home....

Answer 6

Whilst you were both working,and managed to buy a computer, did you not think about insurance for your pet?? I have a dog,don't get paid a great sum,but my dog will need a vets care at some stage,so I have pet insurance,sure its difficult, but when we take on our pets, KNOWING its for life (in pet terms) isn't it better to plan ahead? Unfortunately your dog at eleven will most likey need more care,have you tried talking to the vet to see in you could perhaps pay on terms of some sort, try talking to him beforehand? Planning ahead? What about charitable organisations,are there any in your area at all.I understand your predicament, of course I do,but you must realise that there ARE many that get pets right from the start knowing they cannot afford to treat/care for them which, I'm sure you would agree is irresponsible. I wish you luck,and hope you get things sorted out...

Answer 7

I have been in a similar situation - went from two income family to one income family to just one of us receiving disability payments. Animals had to go. Not an easy decision, but one I have to live with now.

You need to do what is right for you in your circumstances. And it is no one else's business what you have (internet, car, cable TV, etc.) It bothers me that you said "Hope I have been able to explain why I have these things and it is approved by all of you." Why do you NEED to explain it and get the approval of a bunch of strangers on the internet? If you believe that you made the right decisions and you have the support of your family and friends (REAL friends, not acquaintances), why worry about what the rest of the world thinks?

Answer 8

It is sad, there was a story in a cat magainze or somewhere ...and the lady's dog was hit by a car....she could not afford to pay for surgery. Well, one person offered to help and send her check and low and behold pretty soon a TON of people offered to help and pretty soon her dog was able to have the surgery. SOME people will help out when times get tough too.

Answer 9

yes people do do that.
it always isn't the persons fault, actually is usually isn't their fault.

some people get pets, and then they lose a lot of money later.

that happened to my family we had to pay almost 2000$, and sadly my kitty died, someone had apparently shot it with a bbgun, and the bb had moved and made her lung collapse.

it was horrible, and then we couldn't go on our family trip to disney world.
but i would have done the same thing over again, i couldn't just sit there and watch her die.

i hope nothing else happens to your dog, because he sounds really special to you.

Answer 10

thats why i did some research and came up with this link, it has 12 organizations to help pet owners with vet bills. in is in the UK, 8 are for all pets, and 3 are for cat owners.

http://felinediabetes.com/vetbills.htm