A moral question for you guys. I am due to get my dog sterilised?

Question

And a local animal charity were advertising half price vouchers for vets fees, including this operation.
It only applied to one particular vets, who after contacting said we cannot operate on your ***** as she is too big, and we are only a small practice, ie small dogs and cats only.

So they refer me to their partners down the road, who after contacting quoted me 190 euros to do the operation, then I must pay it and personally claim back half the money from the Charity.

I origanally though that is was some understanding between the vets and the Charity, but it turns out that, the vets charge FULL price and you have to go and CLAIM the money back yourself!

I don't earn much but I am not going to a animal charity and asking them for 95 euros to put in my own pocket! It doesn't seem right. What would you do.

Oh and I know my usual vet charges 150 euros for this same operation! So if was was to go anywhere I should go here and save myself and the charity 20 euros a piece

Thanks for some great answers. To those of you slagging me, saying I shouldn't hve the dog, then I'd like you to know that the dog would of been left to die on the street or put down by the vet. So is it not a GOOD thing that I hae given it a home, pay for its food, when i earn peanuts, and actually WORRY about accepting money for help. GO to hell

Barabara B I asked WHAT WOULD YOU DO

Answer 1

Look at it this way, what is the difference between you paying the Vet and the Charity giving you half the money back, or you paying half and the Charity giving the Vet the other half? Mind you I'm not sure I'd want to go to a Vet that was making money this way!
Get in touch with the Charity concerned and tell them the problem over the Vets and of your reluctance to accept the money afterwards and why you feel this way. If you can't afford to pay the full amount they may be able to help and if not you could just keep the dog whole and either save to pay for the Operation with your own vet or be prepared to look after the dog with extra vigilance at her heat cycles. I normally recommend spaying for health reasons and to prevent unwanted pups and for an inexperienced owner it is easier to look after a spayed dog, but they don't have to be done and it isn't, as is so often the case, you just trying to save money!
I think you show how much you care about your responsibilities to not just your dog but others. Go with the best solution for you and her and if that means taking the Charities Money then do it! You could always repay it in donations when you do have extra money.
Good Luck to you and your very lucky dog (she's found herself a very caring owner!)

Answer 2

Wow, that is tough. I see what you're saying. But hey, you spent the time checking out the offer and I am sure someone is benefiting (as a tax write-off) regarding this offer (including the advertisement for both the charity and the vet), so I wouldn't feel *too* bad. Go for the offer and don't let the charity make you feel guilty because you're asking for a reimbursement.

Or bag it all and just go to your vet and pay the 150€ if you think you won't be able to ask for the reimbursement.

Answer 3

You don't have to get your dog fixed as long as you can handle the responsibility of owning an intact dog. If you can be sure that the dog will be kept confined at all times and never be around another intact dog of the opposite sex, then there is no reason to alter your animal unless medically necessary.

What people who preach altering your animal is the responsible thing to do and it's what you must do as an owner don't tell you is the cons of altering your dog. They only tell people what they want to hear so that they will alter their dogs. This is a major fault and doesn't allow the owner to make an informed decision since they are only getting one side of the story.

Please read the link I am going to provide for you. It will show you the pros and cons of altering your dog. It's not a one sided source of information, but rather allows the reader to make an informed decision.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf

If you would like to check the source of the information, there are references at the bottom for you to do so.

Vet_Tech said:

"The FACTS are there if you want to see them, the rest is just misplaced justification to not spend the moneyor be responsible."

The same thing could very well be said to as well about the facts. I have my own personal experiences and that of many people I know that own dogs that back up what I have seen. I worked in a vet's office as a vet tech myself and we seen one case pyometra, just one. I have never had a male dog come running after a female dog in heat.

I stand by what I said as well as the link that I posted which have been proven. My guess is you didn't bother to read the link.

Answer 4

I think you should go to your regular vet with the 150 Euros. The animal charity obviously is spending some money to promote sterilisation to some people who can't afford to pay for the surgery. They have advertised for the half price, so you are not doing anything wrong by asking for the money from them, if they agree to that in advance, but if you can afford to pay 50 more euro for your dog, I'd do that.

Answer 5

Congrats for being the type of dog owner that actually cares and thinks about these things.

If you are of low income, you may find a animal charity that will spay for a lesser fee, but then to alleviate your guilt, you could make an extra donation while you are there.

That way you can afford to do the right thing by your dog, but you are not completely taking handouts and are still showing appreciation for the charity.

Answer 6

You have a highly developed conscience and I applaud you for that. I would go through the local animal charity for a voucher, collect the money offered and if taking the money is too much of an issue for you donate it to a different charity, buy food for the local shelter, etc.. This one doesn't seem to be using funds wisely. Good luck.

Answer 7

I think it's lovely that you are considerate enough to feel that you don't want to take money from the animal charity. However, you are probably exactly the sort of person they are targetting, as they would want to help people who don't earn a lot to get their dogs desexed. I think you should go to the cheaper vet and get the rebate from the animal charity. If you earned millions of dollars a year, that would be a different matter, but since you don't, I think you should accept it, and they would be happy to give it to you.

Answer 8

Hi yeahbutno,
I know how you feel. It's different taking the dog to a charity to be spayed as from taking money off the charity towards the cost.
Methinks best to keep a good hold on the dogess when she's in or near season and save up as best you can. It will be better for the dog's health and your peace of mind when you can her spayed but until then take care.
I wish owners of all dogesses would be as concerned as you.

Answer 9

OK and your question is?

I don't mean to sound cold and unfeeling - but, well, you never asked a question so how can we answer it?

As to charities and spay/neuter programs. While YOU personally wouldn't take 95 euros and put it in your pocket - a lot of dishonest people will. Hence the need for reimbursement rather than handing over money.

In the US, these kinds of schemes are often negotiated between the charity and certain participating clinics. Sometimes "outside" vets (such as yours) will also honor vouchers like this - especially for spay/neuter procedures (usually not for other procedures however). Perhaps your local vet would honor the voucher - perhaps there is another charity you can turn to for assistance in spaying your dog. Perhaps your vet will take payments - especially for a spay/neuter. Perhaps you can do "grunt" work (aka kennel cleaning) or yard work or something to earn the money. Perhaps you could take on a second job.

But please - getting back to this - you need to ask a question - not just vent.

Answer 10

Do what you need to do for your dog...personally I would go with your own vet to have your dog sterilized...it saves you the time and aggravation of worrying about what to do as well as there will be no guilt about getting reimbursed the money from the charity.
Go with your own Vet you know them and your dog knows them...wouldn't you feel more comfortable bringing your dog to someone you know and trust.