Vet treatment - Where do you draw the line?

[Hazell B]

Hamster? Gerbil?

I've just gotten home from our vet feeling all warm and fuzzy inside after taking a chicken worth 50p at best for a £14 treatment. She was just tired, it seems
But before everyone says I should have just wrung her scraggy little neck, I'll justify my expenditure by saying she came from a battery cage on saturday and has a few good years in her yet. If she'd been old, I'd have asked a local farmer to neck her, but she's only 72 weeks of age.

Many of my shop customers have bought cheap puppies only to have to spend hundreds or even thousands on them within weeks - but they never sue the breeders or consider putting the pet down and getting a healthy one. Personally, I say if you're daft enough to buy an ill-bred type, it's your own fault, but that's just me.

Anyway, at what point would you say no to possibly high vet fees? I've got a strict five hundred quid on the horses and any value at all on the dogs. Hens are about thity quid each. My partner is nothing at all :

[Roamy]

Hazell - you can sell the horse for glue

[Garry Walker]

Anyway, at what point would you say no to possibly high vet fees?

At no point. If you take the step of taking an animal, then you are responsible for its health and well-being. Of course, most vets will offer you 1000 different treatments just to get more money from you, which is quite disgusting.

[Mark]

If you have a pet. But if you are farming for profit there's no point spending money keeping an animal alive if it's not going to give a return. Sounds harsh, but it's economic reality.

[Garry Walker]

If you have a pet. But if you are farming for profit there's no point spending money keeping an animal alive if it's not going to give a return. Sounds harsh, but it's economic reality.

Yeah, I guess I can agree with that.

[Hondo]

If you have a pet. But if you are farming for profit there's no point spending money keeping an animal alive if it's not going to give a return. Sounds harsh, but it's economic reality.

Also a political reality.

[Donney]

I set the limit at the point where I can't afford paying the vet fees. It is my responsibility to take good care of the animal, so as long as I can afford it, I do it.

[markabilly]

This is a big problem for me (and family) although there was a time i did not ever think it would be.
Several years ago, I had a friend who was spending at least 1k or more to have kidney didalysis done on their old dog, every few days or so.
he probably spent $10k or more before the dog up and died.
I was trying not to just say, dude are you Fing stupid?????

Well, we had this cat who showed up as a stray and over time, wormed his way into the family.
The cat had been with us some 18 years (how old he was when he showed up, I know not).
Cat gets sick. None of us had the heart to do what the vet recommended, so we spent probably $$1500 on treatments including IV fluids that we would administer at home. He finally passed on, much to everyone's sorrow.

I still miss that old cat, bless his heart.
Thing is before he showed up, I had no use for cats. Zero. Did not want them around.

I think that if I knew for certain that spending $50k would have kept that cat going for just two or three years, I would have gone out gottten a loan or robbed a few banks, and paid the money with a smile.

when I think with the head, that would be REALLY STUPID
When I think with the heart, well............................


(okay, dunnel, you can tell me once again what an ignorant moron redneck I be for such)

[Mark]

18 is a very good age for a cat

[GridGirl]

I have a phobia of fish but I allowed the other half to buy a fish tank about 6 months ago. We just got a new pet bamboo shrimp last week. His name was Sidney the Shrimp. I had a quick look in the tank early this morning and couldn't see him. Then at lunch time I had another look and he was no where to be seen. So bravely decided to lift the lid of the tank when out rolled Sidney who had climbed out of the water. I jumped, screamed and then ran out of the room. I immediately called the other half who told me to put him back in the water if he was still alive. I did ask whether I could just poke it from a distance to see if it was alive but then the other half said he might fly across the living room if I poked him which the thought of scared me even more. I decided that Sidney was definately dead and removed him. I have phobia of fish and I know that helping poor Sidney wouldnt have cost anything but I'm pretty sure I would have faced the fear to help him if he had a chance of survival. Bloody pets, I still think I need a stiff drink to calm my nerves.