Do you think it is morally permissible to spend $5,000 or more for pet surgery?

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People like to twist , turn and change others comments . It is a very deceitful and unchristian . It seems that some just do not want to deal with the "trouble " of taking care of a sick animal , probably because of some traumatic incident in one’s childhood , Instead , kill it and take it out of its "misery " , forget about it and it is no more . God forgive us if we start to feel that way to our brothers in Christ ( or are we already down that road ) . If one is not helping or has not been asked to help pay medical expenses for a sick or injured pet - KEEP OUT OF IT - If one wants to spend thousands of dollars on ones own pet - so be it . It sounds so foolish how some people are telling others how to spend or not spend their hard earned money . We pray that those who insist in not helping poor sick animals get medical attention - never ever have the responsibility of having a pet . God forbid . We should tend to our own business and live in peace with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ . God bless all life on earth .
 
Guadalupe said:
People like to twist , turn and change others comments . It is a very deceitful and unchristian . It seems that some just do not want to deal with the "trouble " of taking care of a sick animal , probably because of some traumatic incident in one’s childhood , Instead , kill it and take it out of its "misery " , forget about it and it is no more . God forgive us if we start to feel that way to our brothers in Christ ( or are we already down that road ) . If one is not helping or has not been asked to help pay medical expenses for a sick or injured pet - KEEP OUT OF IT - If one wants to spend thousands of dollars on ones own pet - so be it . It sounds so foolish how some people are telling others how to spend or not spend their hard earned money . We pray that those who insist in not helping poor sick animals get medical attention - never ever have the responsibility of having a pet . God forbid . We should tend to our own business and live in peace with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ . God bless all life on earth .
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I’m not twisting your words. Your writing style is convoluted and confusing. Many of your sentences are 3 or more lines so it’s nearly impossible to follow your train of thought.

Childhood trauma for putting down a dog? What? No. We’re talking about the financial ramifications of spending thousands vs putting a dog down.

This is a forum where the question was proposed. Do YOU think it is morally permissible to spend $5,000+ on a dog. For me, the answer to the overwhelming majority of Americans (who again have less than 400 in the bank) is no. It is not morally permissible to go into debt and threaten the welfare of your family for an animal. If I am not asked, I will not offer an opinion. However, this thread is about an opinion on spending that much money. My answer remains. For a pet, spending thousands is likely going to be a bad choice.

Obviously, you feel differently and that the unwillingness to spend thousands on an animal is some kind of personal defect that indicates you are cruel to animals and ignore people’s needs.
 
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This is where I took my 15 year old cat for treatment when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. They were wonderful.

I’m not going to go into how much money I spent on his care, but I don’t think anyone should really judge a pet owner for doing what they - on the advice of a professional - think is best for their pet. If that means spending money, so be it. For those who object to it. I could probably take an inventory of where they spend what I think is frivolous money. But I don’t. It’s not my business.
 
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AlNg said:
What do you mean by “love” ?
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There are many forms of love. I certainly don’t think animals can have agape. I would even doubt they could have lower forms of love as they don’t have a rational soul.
Guadalupe said:
They believe that an animal has to speak up and literally verbally use words to say to their loved one " I love you unconditionally " . Poor wretched soul that has not experienced the beautiful awesome indescribable "stare "of their " pet " or any animal’s eyes transfixed to one’s own eyes .
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No, words aren’t necessary. Having a rational soul is necessary. Mutes can have love. Animals can’t and certainly not unconditional love.
 
At risk of offending the humans here, whether you pay for expensive treatment for a dog or a cat should be decided in part by whether the animal is going to suffer more or have a meaningful life. My employer put down her beloved Great Pyrenees because he had bone cancer and the vet said he had to stay indoors. He did not want to be inside and his life would have been extended by a year at most. The same employer kept her horse alive over a year after her horse owning friends were recommending she put her down but she couldn’t bear to be without her. She only put her down when the horse proved to have bladder cancer. A lot of humans wouldn’t want to have treatment for cancer that was eventually going to to kill them and in the meantime make their lives miserable.

I am going to offend people now but suggesting if you can’t cough a couple of thousand for vet bills, don’t own an animal. Horses take several thousand a year just to maintain.
 
I took my dog there also. They are truly wonderful. All the staff was compassionate & helpful. The treatment & research are amazing.
 
Guadalupe said:
Instead , kill it and take it out of its "misery " , forget about it and it is no more . God forgive us if we start to feel that way to our brothers in Christ ( or are we already down that road ) .
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This is problematic thinking. The one thing the Catechism makes clear is that we are not to give to animals affection do only to persons. The right to life is something only due persons. That is why we can eat meat. Relating these two is no better than saying if we don’t take care of our clothes we probably won’t take care of a pet.

I understand those that would spend a thousand or five thousand to take care of a pet. But that is not my inclination. There are more animals out there that need a home. I am not saying I would never do it, but I feel no obligation to prolong the life of an animal with extraordinary means.
 
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People may saw I’m evil but I was appalled when I saw on the news a pet owner spent 5k for a pacemaker for his ferret. He had three ferrets. I could understand if it were a dog. I guess he just loves ferrets.
 
The “affection” they show is their form of “love”. They also have affection, love, or what you call it, for other animals in some cases. I watched a cat grieve when her mother, with whom she had been very close for almost 20 years, died. They can love.
 
That amount seemed a lot for an animal. Who am I to judge? I never grew up with pets. Seeing how much Americans care and love for animals, I wonder if they care that much for their fellow man. 5k seems excessive because I can easily see how that can be used to save a human life. Animals are well treated in the US.
When people leave their million dollar will for a dog. It’s a cultural difference. As if that money couldn’t be donated to a charity.
To be fair, some people spend loads of money on sex workers and to collect cars, clothes, houses, etc they don’t need. Plastic surgery.
It may be a cultural thing.
 
Whatever they show it isn’t what a rational creature can show. I’ve seen a dog seem sad when another dog died. But I didn’t conclude that they show love like humans do. This same creature drinks out of toilets and eats other dog’s droppings. It would be a madman if it were human and had a rational soul.
 
Huh? So there is a “species test” regarding the morality of spending a certain amount of money? We have horses - show horses, not farm animals. A barn visit costs hundreds of dollars even before treatment has begun. What some one might consider out of the question to spend on a cat or dog could be a quite reasonable and minimal amount to treat an ailing horse. Or maybe owning horses is wrong because that money could have been spent elsewhere?
 
But you did judge, by questioning if people (specifically Americans) “care that much for their fellow man”.
 
Yes I did judge because I don’t get it. I have never loved an animal honestly. I had a cat for three weeks then gave it up because it was not worth my paycheck.
That’s a cultural thing I don’t understand.
I don’t have the patience for pets. I want my children to love and care for animals.
To a foreigner from a poorer country, America’s love for pets is not easy to understand. It can be seen as trivial, frivolous and extravagant.
Some foreigners feels Americans love their pets more than their fellow man based on the time and money invested in them.
 
Mattapoisett64 said:
Or maybe owning horses is wrong because that money could have been spent elsewhere?
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How about instead saying it can be wrong. That is what the Catechism says. It is Catholic teaching. However, there are many ways this could be acceptable, like for work horses, show horses used as a business, horses used for transportation (riding) or even as one’s recreation. In this latter case, I can see where someone might well spend thousands on a cat in good conscience. I can’t, but I understand how others can.

We always need to bear in mind that one day we will stand before God to answer for every gift given and whether we use it for ourselves our for others.
 
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