Pet care --> how much expenditure is reasonable?

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crenfro

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Hello.

My dog is obsessed with his leg. I wish I were joking. He’s licked it so much that, despite several rounds of anti-inflammatories with antibiotics and antidepressants, that there’s now a deep wound and he has to have surgery.

So far all of this has cost my husband and I approximately ,$600 to $700. Each time he has to have another round of anti-inflammatories he has to have his blood drawn and that costs about $160… We’ve tried the big Elizabethan collar to keep him away from his leg, but this has been going on for months and it’s just no way for a doggie to live wearing one of those things.

He’s going to be 9 years old this July, the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

Surgery costs approximately $1500 and we can pay it off over a period of 18 months, interest free.

My husband and I are already in debt to about $52,000 and this will make it $53,500.

I get the feeling from talking to my mom about this that we should just put my dog to sleep. This really bothers me. All my life I’ve seen pets treated like disposable beings and I’m trying to break this pattern as my doggie is an innocent being who entirely depends on me for his care and has unconditional love he’s always given me.

I want to be reasonable about this and do the right thing – the thing that God would want me to do, but I don’t like thinking about my doggie as just an amount of money or a disposable thing that I just get rid of when it’s inconvenient for me.

However, my dog isn’t a human being … However I want to be a good steward…

And so on and etc. as I keep turning this around and around in my head.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for listening and please pray for me. I know my trouble isn’t really serious compared to what’s happening in the lives of many others, but my doggie and all this money stuff bothers me.
 
Well, as a pet they have become a part of God’s providence to you. The animal was created by God and is a part of the creation itself, all of which groans for the redemption of the universe. As Catholics we are challenged to never let an animal suffer or die needlessly. We often would not hesitate in a moment to drop that amount of cash on our home, or on our vehicle when it breaks down and these are things man has made. Should we not be willing to care for something God himself lovingly crafted?

The only question to me is, which would be better for the animals itself? Putting it to sleep to end its suffering or having the surgery?

The other day I balked at buying a suit, because I felt the money could be better used somewhere else. I didn’t need a suit for church, I had some nice khakis and a t-shirt. As I was driving back thinking I should return this suit, God put it in my heart: “you spend around that every month for cable tv, phone and internet. Yet to buy something nice to wear when you are in my presence, you hesitate?”

It’s a very personal decision you have to make for yourself. All life is precious, sacred. All life comes from God. We have to decide if the animal is worth as much to our hearts, or more, than the other things we are already in debt for. I spent more than that on a laptop, several of them over the years.

So the question then becomes, is it being a good steward? Only you can answer that. If you are already paying on the debt you have, then this will simply make becoming debt free a few months later. But stewardship is so much more, it also involves the care of the animal. Both are important.
 
I wish all the best for you and am praying for you as I love my pet and animals in general.

In my humble opinion I would say that it is definitely not unreasonable for you to provide this care for your beloved pet provided that:
  • It is not financially going to jeopardize you or keep you from being able to provide care to your family
  • It is not going to just prolong your pets suffering
I know this is probably not terribly helpful to you, but at least take it as a sympathetic ear…
 
Hmmmmm.

In almost 25 years of veternary practice, I’ve never seen such a thing needing surgery. Is it a “lick granuloma”?

While not wanting to second guess a diagnosis or treatment, I’d suggest considering a second opinion with a board-certified veterinary dermatologist (preferably) or another veterinarian. Most good veterinarians do not mind clients getting a second opinion, especially with a specialist.

As far as how much to spend, spend what you can afford. If you’re in a ton of debt, it’s perfectly reasonable for a dog to spend his or her days in an e-collar, rather than face euthanasia.

Methinks your money is best first spent on a veterinary dermatologist consultation. Again, not wanting to second guess something I’ve never seen, I’ve never seen such a case that cannot be managed medically.
 
crenfro said:
Hello.

My dog is obsessed with his leg. I wish I were joking. He’s licked it so much that, despite several rounds of anti-inflammatories with antibiotics and antidepressants, that there’s now a deep wound and he has to have surgery.

So far all of this has cost my husband and I approximately ,$600 to $700. Each time he has to have another round of anti-inflammatories he has to have his blood drawn and that costs about $160… We’ve tried the big Elizabethan collar to keep him away from his leg, but this has been going on for months and it’s just no way for a doggie to live wearing one of those things.

He’s going to be 9 years old this July, the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

Surgery costs approximately $1500 and we can pay it off over a period of 18 months, interest free.

My husband and I are already in debt to about $52,000 and this will make it $53,500.

I get the feeling from talking to my mom about this that we should just put my dog to sleep. This really bothers me. All my life I’ve seen pets treated like disposable beings and I’m trying to break this pattern as my doggie is an innocent being who entirely depends on me for his care and has unconditional love he’s always given me.

I want to be reasonable about this and do the right thing – the thing that God would want me to do, but I don’t like thinking about my doggie as just an amount of money or a disposable thing that I just get rid of when it’s inconvenient for me.

However, my dog isn’t a human being … However I want to be a good steward…

And so on and etc. as I keep turning this around and around in my head.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for listening and please pray for me. I know my trouble isn’t really serious compared to what’s happening in the lives of many others, but my doggie and all this money stuff bothers me.
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I think a dog’s life is a serious matter and I am happy to put in my views on this.

As another has said here, do you spend monery on things - which cannot suffer and do not give the love your dog gives you? I would not let any of my animals suffer unnecessarily when there is no hope for a cure but I would do all I can to help one of them with medical treatment as they depend on me and I would not be able to choose any other way. Thank goodness the others in my family feel the same way. Yes, they are not disposable.

My prayers for you.
 
Have you thought about taking the dog to a shelter? Perhaps they have volunteer vets that will take care of the dog and give it to someone else. In my opinion (and I understand others may disagree), you should strongly consider getting rid of the dog. You have a lot of debt and should focus on paying off the debt. We all should be prudent in our financial dealings. The cost would be different is we were talking about human life (obviously). A dog’s life does not even come near to that of human life.

I know that this is a painful decision. It is sad to see an animal suffer. I have a dog and I feel sorry for my dog every time I miss taking her for a walk. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to make the decision that you are making. I may one day have to do the same with my dog.
 
houston1 said:
Have you thought about taking the dog to a shelter? Perhaps they have volunteer vets that will take care of the dog and give it to someone else. In my opinion (and I understand others may disagree), you should strongly consider getting rid of the dog. You have a lot of debt and should focus on paying off the debt. We all should be prudent in our financial dealings. The cost would be different is we were talking about human life (obviously). A dog’s life does not even come near to that of human life.

I know that this is a painful decision. It is sad to see an animal suffer. I have a dog and I feel sorry for my dog every time I miss taking her for a walk. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to make the decision that you are making. I may one day have to do the same with my dog.
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A better option is to keep the dog and let him live with the E-collar. They do get used to it.
 
Newbie2:

Thank you so much for chiming in. I was going to say exactly the same thing–that this wound should be taken care of through meds and that I never heard of this sort of thing needing surgery but I don’t have a vet’s license hanging on my wall to back that up.🙂

There is a spray that we use on horses that has taken care of every injury even proud flesh that might be beneficial. It is called Vetricyn and is also recommended for hot spots on dogs and it comes in a spray bottle. You can buy it at Tractor Supply or any Tack Horse shop in your area. You would still have to have the yoke collar on your dog so he could not lick off the spray. I have seen this stuff heal the most awful, ugly, deep wounds in no time flat. The bottle is about $20.00 and works on everything I have tried it on. It is amazing stuff.

Right now I’m trying to recoup a horse that is about to founder and went with a friend yesterday to have her horse put down. It’s just been a bad week. It’s just so sad for us when an animal is in need and we have to set a financial comfort zone. We can’t mortgage the house for a vet bill.

Good luck but do try the Vetricyn. 👍
 
Can we provide medical care for our pets? I would say yes of course. Within reason and right judgment. Judgments and even resources etc though can differ here…and one ought to avoid both carelessness or scruple.

One can also think - can one say spend a good deal on the family vacation? Or buying something otherwise for the family? Pets can be very much “for the family” and thus I think there can be reasonable expense employed for the sake of a particular pet we love as our family pet.

What one would spend is a prudential judgment.

Here is the Catechism:

2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.197 Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.

2417 God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image.198 Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. …

2418 It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.

scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a7.htm#2416
 
I agree a second opinion is probably a good idea.

Having said that, I’d pay for surgery if it’s needed. One of my dogs required a 5000 dollar surgery to save his life when he was a year old. He is now 9 and I’m glad we were able to pay for it.
 
And 9 years old is still really a viable age for a pet. Now if the OP’s dog was say 14 years old, I think my opinion would be different. But if it was my dog, I’d probably take on the debt to pay for the surgery if it was absolutely needed. I’d definitely exhaust all my other options, including getting second opinions.
 
When you took this dog into your home - he became part of your family - granted not a human, though. If you have the means, I believe that you should take the best possible care of this animal that you can. We can say that there are many things in life that we could give up to give to the poor or the Church or something. Does that mean I’m about to unhook my TIVO? Heck no! I’m not sure I honestly believe that if I did that I’d actually give it to the Church or some other charity. Anyway, that being said, this dog brings your family love and joy - if you have the means (you said you can pay it back over 18 months) then you should take care of your dog - that’s it -
God Bless
Rye
 
Newbie2 said:
Hmmmmm.

In almost 25 years of veternary practice, I’ve never seen such a thing needing surgery. Is it a “lick granuloma”?
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Yes, it’s a “lick granuloma.” He’s been on and off antibiotics, anti-inflammatories since about last October and he’s been on an anti-depressant for about the last 6 months or so. The wound is really deep.

Bookcat, thank you very much for the quote from the catechism.

I’m beginning to think the real cause of my worry is the attitude towards pets I was brought up with.

He’s going to have surgery tomorrow morning, so, we’ll see how that goes.

And the point about not hesitating to drop a bunch of money on some things, yet the same amount being unreasonable to take care of a pet → this point was very helpful.

Thank you all for your shares. You’ve helped me much. Praise God!

…and as I speak, my other pet, the parakeet, is tossing DVDs off of a bookshelf just for the heck of it…
 
houston1 said:
Have you thought about taking the dog to a shelter? Perhaps they have volunteer vets that will take care of the dog and give it to someone else. In my opinion (and I understand others may disagree), you should strongly consider getting rid of the dog. You have a lot of debt and should focus on paying off the debt. We all should be prudent in our financial dealings.
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Unfortunately, if given up a shelter, it’s possible that the dog may be put down. 9 years old with a medical history is tough to place.

I think the main issue here is for the OP to make a plan to get out of debt. When you’re at 50K +, what’s another $1500? Dave Ramsey’s approach may be able to help.

Other than modestneeds.org, the only secular charities I donate to are smaller animal rescues. My idea is that a dog or cat may be the only ‘face of Jesus’ that a lonely person may see, so to help protect the lower order of God’s creatures is also helping the higher order of His sons and daughters.
 
crenfro said:
Yes, it’s a “lick granuloma.” He’s been on and off antibiotics, anti-inflammatories since about last October and he’s been on an anti-depressant for about the last 6 months or so. The wound is really deep.

Bookcat, thank you very much for the quote from the catechism.

I’m beginning to think the real cause of my worry is the attitude towards pets I was brought up with.

He’s going to have surgery tomorrow morning, so, we’ll see how that goes.

And the point about not hesitating to drop a bunch of money on some things, yet the same amount being unreasonable to take care of a pet → this point was very helpful.

Thank you all for your shares. You’ve helped me much. Praise God!

…and as I speak, my other pet, the parakeet, is tossing DVDs off of a bookshelf just for the heck of it…
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Again, not to second guess, but I’ve NEVER seen a lick granuloma need surgery. Lick granulomas are not as bad as they look, and they will resolve when the inciting cause i.e. the “lick” is removed. Some are advanced enough to cause scar tissue to form and loss of hair on the spot, but that is cosmetic.
 
My dog had surgery this past Friday 13th and is doing well. The vet stitched the wound shut - took about 15 stitches or so - and I’m on a plan to pay off the surgery costs interest free.

I missed him terribly over this past weekend but he’s now home doing okay.

I’m so relieved that he had the surgery. I also realized my real problem is being in debt so I signed up for Phil Lenahan’s online money management course.

Am very grateful for these forums and thank you for listening to me. Please pray for me.
 
crenfro said:
My dog had surgery this past Friday 13th and is doing well. The vet stitched the wound shut - took about 15 stitches or so - and I’m on a plan to pay off the surgery costs interest free.

I missed him terribly over this past weekend but he’s now home doing okay.

I’m so relieved that he had the surgery. I also realized my real problem is being in debt so I signed up for Phil Lenahan’s online money management course.

Am very grateful for these forums and thank you for listening to me. Please pray for me.
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Glad your dog is ok. Prayers for you.
 
I know there are some with the opinion that people shouldn’t spend heaps on animals, whether for their health care or accessories.

But God calls us to be stewarts, to care for the world, and that includes our animal friends. I think if someone gets an animal then they have committed themselves to a responsibility to that animal, and that means the expense of vet care. If an illness is so bad that the animal will suffer regardless of intervention, or the cons of the interventions will outweight the pros then perhaps putting down the animal is the best bet.

I had a pet rat who developed a lump. I was sure it was a tumour given its size, location, the way it moved under the skin. So did the vet. He was a young ratty, fit and relatively healthy and he had a strong bond with one of the nastiest ratties I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting [that rat I didn’t put down because of his temper, he was only mean to me not the other rats]. Anyway, so I forked out 200$ to have the operation for the rat. Turned out, it wasn’t cancer, just a big giant funny boil thing. A waste of money? Perhaps. But I made a committment to that rat when I got him and to just let him die from that lump would have been cruel, and I felt putting him down would be just disposing of him.

Sure I could have spent that 200 on poor people or saving unborn babies, but I balance out my charity.

It sounds like something isn’t right with your pooch’s leg, and that perhaps mroe investivation is required to find out exactly what, that’s gonna be pricey, but you may find out that a fix is just around the corner, or sadly, nothing can be done except euthanasia.

But I see no immorality in it, and I don’t see any clash with Catholic morality.

Its when peopel go out and spend mega bucks on gold studded collars and diamond encrusted chow bowls that I think people have crossed the line.
 
crenfro said:
My dog had surgery this past Friday 13th and is doing well. The vet stitched the wound shut - took about 15 stitches or so - and I’m on a plan to pay off the surgery costs interest free.

I missed him terribly over this past weekend but he’s now home doing okay.

I’m so relieved that he had the surgery. I also realized my real problem is being in debt so I signed up for Phil Lenahan’s online money management course.

Am very grateful for these forums and thank you for listening to me. Please pray for me.
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I spent about $1,000 when my cat stopped eating, the bills just snuck up on me. After using a feeding tube for severa weeks, we got through it. However, when she stopped eating again a year later, I showed love and caring but did not take special expensive steps to prolong her life. When the time was right, we put her to sleep, and I rescued another pet from the pound.

If you’ve been a good and loving owner, don’t feel guilty about not choosing expensive treatments. There are plenty of other dogs that need a loving home.
 
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